Unicorn Spec?

[Trashboat]

But that’s the thing, we have one now, bought a Limited in ‘22 when they were hard to come bye. Totally unimpressed, looked at a Bronco but was scared off by the Top issues. Turns out the 4Runner is a gutless wonder, if I go up in tire size just a tad for clearance it will only be worse. That 4.0L V6 and 5 speed are tremendously reliable but very very aged.

Now the Bronco has a more proven track record and am now scared off by the current Toyota V6 engine issues on their Tundra platform.

We are in Prescott, AZ and have an 8 year old son that plays soccer and we travel all over the state. My wife daily drives her 2 door Black Diamond to work. It’s our family car and it’s great! Any Bronco will suit your needs.

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[pronuanceantibs]

We are in Prescott, AZ and have an 8 year old son that plays soccer and we travel all over the state. My wife daily drives her 2 door Black Diamond to work. It’s our family car and it’s great! Any Bronco will suit your needs.

Appreciate your opinion! You know how these mountain grades are in AZ, especially with the heat, it's brutal! What size tires, engine and gear ratio do you have?

 

[JEMSA]

Based on original post I concur with those calling for Black Diamond. OP specifically noted “open differential” and 32”s.

Black Diamond meets his spec with only addition of rear lockers.

Badlands adds 33’s, front lockers, sway bar disconnect all of which adds cost for something not needed for his purpose and so will save several thousand dollars by going BD over BL. Also BL is SAS ride height capable which might put it that much higher than the wife would like. He’s plenty of experience to know what he wants now and in future so why steer him towards more than he asked for?

I started with a black Diamond and took it crawling over some terrifically difficult terrain before trading in for a Badlands as I was too often taking it where I needed front lockers and turtling on the 32s and needing winching.

 

[Bikeric]

You may be used to 32" tires from previous rigs, but the modern Bronco has a lot of low hanging fruit. The Bronco needs larger diameter tires to do what most early Bronco's (60's-70's) on 31's can do.

My vote would be for the non-Sasquatch Badlands. Comes with 33" BFG KO2's. Also get either the High or LUX package to get the 360 camera.

 

[V1Rotate]

You may be used to 32" tires from previous rigs, but the modern Bronco has a lot of low hanging fruit. The Bronco needs larger diameter tires to do what most early Bronco's (60's-70's) on 31's can do.

My vote would be for the non-Sasquatch Badlands. Comes with 33" BFG KO2's. Also get either the High or LUX package to get the 360 camera.

That’s sorta what I was alluding to when I compared 35’s on a Jeep vs. a 6th gen. 35’s on a Jeep (or really any other midsize SUV / small Pickup) are effectively much bigger

 

[DefNotBuddyLee]

You may be used to 32" tires from previous rigs, but the modern Bronco has a lot of low hanging fruit. The Bronco needs larger diameter tires to do what most early Bronco's (60's-70's) on 31's can do.

Truth here...especially if equipped with 2.7 and automatic due to the cross member brace.

I am with the group that says a properly equipped Black Diamond gets you what you need based on your ask (if you were crawling over rocks or logs regularly, I would lean towards the Badlands camp). 4.46 gearing, rear e-locker, 32 inch tires...a very capable rig. Badlands is a great option, but has some things you did not ask for which will up the cost. Down the road you can grow into 33" tires if you feel you need.

 

[Badsquatchman]

I’d suggest going to a dealer that has both a non Sasquatch and a Sasquatch Badlands and drive them. After driving the Badlands Sasquatch, I had to have one.

 

[Trashboat]

Appreciate your opinion! You know how these mountain grades are in AZ, especially with the heat, it's brutal! What size tires, engine and gear ratio do you have?

It’s a non-sas Black Diamond with the steal rims and 32” tires I believe. It also only has the 2.3 4 cylinder. I can’t say how long it will last but I feel that all modern power trains will need attention at some point. The crazy part is how much faster and more powerful my wife’s 4 cylinder is than the ‘96 full-size Bronco (with a 302 v8!) I drive to work everyday.
We just rode tripped from Pine/Strawberry to Scottsdale, then back to Prescott in a day… and had a blast.. with luggage.
I definitely think the 4 door would provide a lot more room for stuff but we’ve been making it work with the 2 door. A Bronco will definitely be comparable to a mid-Size suv or 4-runner. Broncos are just cooler and more fun.

 

[dgorsett]

You may be used to 32" tires from previous rigs, but the modern Bronco has a lot of low hanging fruit. The Bronco needs larger diameter tires to do what most early Bronco's (60's-70's) on 31's can do.

My vote would be for the non-Sasquatch Badlands. Comes with 33" BFG KO2's. Also get either the High or LUX package to get the 360 camera.

Yes. I had a 05 LJ Rubicon and it was a bit of a belly dragger too, with 30's . I added a 2" lift and whopping 32's, much better. I added an 1.5" lift to the Bronco and will upsize to 33s next time, lot's of hangy downys.

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