Which Off-Rodeo is Best?

[bloominguez]

... but I did second guess the manual over auto decision. Wish I could have driven a manual with crawl gear while there.

Why are you second guessing your "manual over auto" decision?

I did get a chance to drive a manual at the Horseshoe Bay Off-Roadeo. Drove both, actually--an automatic on the first day, manual on the second day. I didn't miss the automatic for a second, even going uphill over rocky terrain. The crawler gear works as advertised, super easy to drive, no need to abuse the clutch. It was rarely even needed, given the gearing of 4L. If you're the kind of person that likes manuals you won't feel like you need a automatic with the Bronco.

Yes, I'm one of those guys. Just my opinion. Flame away.

Sponsored

 

[Luckylat]

Fired up that I booked my Roadeo in New Hampshire for late June. Spent much of my life riding/driving in desert, dust, sand and the Sierra mountain/foothill trails in the SW & Baja. Decided to try my first summer outdoor experience in the NE mountains. Researched that it has a cooler summer climate and I've discovered that there are many outdoor things to do right next door to the New England Rodeo location at Gunstock; camping, kayaking, zip lining, mountain biking, trail hiking, fishing, etc., Nearby to Gunstock are many great New England towns to visit such as Kennebunkport and Portland Maine which are about 1 1/2 to 2 hours away for fresh NE Lobster and "Chowda". Boston is also two hours away. Bringing my wife and dog with me on our road trip for a win-win trip as the New Hampshire Roadeo seems to offer a lot more in addition to just a Roadeo.

 

[Luckylat]

I'm going to Austin but simply couldn't vote for it because of the name. Glad I am not alone. LOL

If you have time to tie in a visit to downtown Austin, do it! Just had a business meeting downtown and 6th street (and vicinity) is a great scene for a variety of music and food. Well worth the visit.

 

[aggrad2010]

If you have time to tie in a visit to downtown Austin, do it! Just had a business meeting downtown and 6th street (and vicinity) is a great scene for a variety of music and food. Well worth the visit.

Thanks. I’m from DFW so have visited Austin many times over my life. Just can’t get behind the college there. Lol

 

[finpnw]

Why are you second guessing your "manual over auto" decision?

I second guessed it but won't switch to the auto! All the auto trans tech was novel and new to me - and my wife enjoyed the point and shoot aspect of it. I'm confident the experience with the manual will be great - and give me what I'm looking for on a day to day basis as I don't plan on a lot of rock crawling. It would have been nice to experience the crawler gear first hand but I appreciate your endorsement of it!

 

[AllthePonies]

I second guessed it but won't switch to the auto! All the auto trans tech was novel and new to me - and my wife enjoyed the point and shoot aspect of it. I'm confident the experience with the manual will be great - and give me what I'm looking for on a day to day basis as I don't plan on a lot of rock crawling. It would have been nice to experience the crawler gear first hand but I appreciate your endorsement of it!

I’m a fan of the manual Bronco as well. It’s my second favorite car to drive, after the manual 5.0 Mustang.

 

[MaddSkillzzz]

I think its the one you are at.... Have I been to one, no, dont have my vehicle and if I never do dont need to.

 

[mgraced]

If you go ahead and read the first post, the time of year he can go to an off-roadeo is limited and New Hampshire is closed at that time. He was very specific as to why it was not on the list. In addition, no one is ever going to pick New Hampshire anyway....

Plus he was going like a month ago, so half this thread is full of people who didn't read the first post.

Good. Stay away from NH, we don’t want your type here.

 

[tourproto]

Nevada Off-Rodeo uses plenty of "all natural" trails. When I was there we went down canyons with dry river beds and some washes cut from flash floods, areas that were naturally strewn with basketball size boulders (and some larger) for rock crawling, TOTALLY off road. Here is a photo I took while there, as we were descending into one of the canyons, not a man made trail at all. But yes, there were purpose built man made trails too, which was nice for using the Baja mode. I think Nevada offers a ton of varied terrain to try out, from deep sandy washes, to rock strewn landscape, to open/gravely roads . . . this allows for testing the Bronco in different circumstances.

Great photo! I attended the Las Vegas site today and it was a BLAST. I was a single, so I got to be in the lead car with one of the instructors (Matt) so I never got to see how crazy it looked watching other Broncos go down trails like "Gunshot". We have had an Explorer and a still have an Outback, and have gone offroading, but nothing like what we did today. I was actually more than a little nervous as the lead car at several points on the trails, thinking I was going to f-up.

Coming from "mild" offroad vehicles, I had NO CONCEPT for what the Bronco could do. What we did today is probably "child's play" for hardcore offroaders, but for me it was an eye-opening experience. I will probably never take my Bronco BL over anything as complicated as we did today for hunting and fishing.

You must've gone by now. Where did you choose? I would like to do MOAB. I attended Vegas (Mt
Potusi) Oct 7, 2021. It was pretty good but not much in the 'Baja' mode - which is my favorite. I guess it would audio depend on where you live and what kind of off road is you would do. I live in Southern California so MOAB or Vegas fits. It was awesome! Changed my order from a BD to a BL after using the tech... the locking differentials & sway bar disconnect

I have complained on this forum about being "forced" to upgrade from a BD to a BL to get my heated seats with the Mid package, and being "stuck" with functionality that I would never use. Well, today changed my mind. Totally see the value of the unlocking sta-bar. I will use it anytime I leave the pavement. Same with the front and rear lockers. Totally get it now. And while I won't be on a lot of technically advanced trails, I can see lots of places where having these BL features will come in handy (even if not 100% necessary) just to make the task much easier and less stressful.

Why are you second guessing your "manual over auto" decision?

I did get a chance to drive a manual at the Horseshoe Bay Off-Roadeo. Drove both, actually--an automatic on the first day, manual on the second day. I didn't miss the automatic for a second, even going uphill over rocky terrain. The crawler gear works as advertised, super easy to drive, no need to abuse the clutch. It was rarely even needed, given the gearing of 4L. If you're the kind of person that likes manuals you won't feel like you need a automatic with the Bronco.

Yes, I'm one of those guys. Just my opinion. Flame away.

I am also a manual guy, and while not "regretting" that decision, I was impressed with the "trail turn assist", "one pedal" driving mode and "trail control" options with the automatic. It made going downhill on some of the steeper, rockier sections today a piece of cake. I tried it both ways (no assist, assist on) and no question the assist is a lot less stressful as a newbie to off-roading. I need to find a place to try out the Hill Descent Control with my manual to see how it compares to "Trail Control" with the automatic. I also thought that driving in M1 mode was comparable to when I have played around with the crawler gear in my ML but I wasn't on a steep rocky trail and wasn't thinking about stalling my manual because I was traveling at too slow speeds.

 

[bloominguez]

I am also a manual guy, and while not "regretting" that decision, I was impressed with the "trail turn assist", "one pedal" driving mode and "trail control" options with the automatic. It made going downhill on some of the steeper, rockier sections today a piece of cake. I tried it both ways (no assist, assist on) and no question the assist is a lot less stressful as a newbie to off-roading. I need to find a place to try out the Hill Descent Control with my manual to see how it compares to "Trail Control" with the automatic. I also thought that driving in M1 mode was comparable to when I have played around with the crawler gear in my ML but I wasn't on a steep rocky trail and wasn't thinking about stalling my manual because I was traveling at too slow speeds.

Arguing on behalf of the #savethemanuals crowd...

Manual has Hill Descent Control. And if you're in a low enough gear, especially crawler, that's not really *that* different from one pedal driving. Lift off the gas and the engine will slow you right down. Not the same, I know, but not so functionally different that I felt I was missing anything.

As for trail turn assist, true, the manual doesn't have that, but that's where the next group of purists step in .... Get the 2-door (smaller turning radius)!


In all seriousness, when I did the Off-Roadeo (at Horseshoe Bay) my eyes were opened as well. Great vehicle with either transmission.

 

[tourproto]

Arguing on behalf of the #savethemanuals crowd...

Manual has Hill Descent Control. And if you're in a low enough gear, especially crawler, that's not really *that* different from one pedal driving. Lift off the gas and the engine will slow you right down. Not the same, I know, but not so functionally different that I felt I was missing anything.

Since I only learned about this ability on the automatic, I need to try it out on my manual. I am curious how slow the BL manual can go without stalling. In the automatic, I was going 1mph in the “cruise control” mode downhill. It was pretty amazing feeling the Bronco automatically control speed going down a pretty steep grade. If my manual BL can do this, I will be thrilled.

 

[AllthePonies]

Since I only learned about this ability on the automatic, I need to try it out on my manual. I am curious how slow the BL manual can go without stalling. In the automatic, I was going 1mph in the “cruise control” mode downhill. It was pretty amazing feeling the Bronco automatically control speed going down a pretty steep grade. If my manual BL can do this, I will be thrilled.

The crawler gear idles at 3mph on a flat road. I’m betting 1mph or less isn’t an issue going down a hill.

 

[BMcCJ]

My group of four gives thumbs up to the experience at Gunstock. We learned about the vehicle and practical off roading skills useful in all vehicles.

my photos do not do it justice, it’s even better than it looks.

Rocks, Trees, Leaves and Views as you navigate up and down the granite state woods of the ski mountain.

Nearby campgrounds, lakes, resort towns and a concert venue at night.

(the sway bar disconnect course)

 

[50 and Fabulous]

I hope this video really conveys how much fun Moab and the Red Cliffs Lodge was;

Sponsored