Why no ventilated seats, HUD, or other luxury items?

[MustangRanch]

Water is the main reason.

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[timhood]

After playing with the online builder since it came out and trying to decide if the next vehicle I buy in late 2022 will be a new F150 or Bronco, I have noticed a few things (that I am sure everyone else here has noticed): a very well optioned, 4 door Bronco gets really, really close to $60k, and for that much money in an F150, you can get an extremely luxurious F150. For just over $60k , you can get a short bed, 4 door F150 King Ranch that has ventilated seats, heated rear seats, rear AC vents, massage seats-just off the top of my head. I understand the Bronco is not the F150 and is geared towards being an off road beast...

The short and easy answer is that to build a vehicle that sells for X dollars, you have Y amount of money. You can spend that amount on whatever you want, but you can't spend it on everything. If you put a diesel engine, a carbon fiber body, off-road suspension or 27 cows worth of leather from animals that received daily shiatsu massages, that means you have less money to spend on the other items. With the Bronco, they spent a ton on the off-road goodies.

The other part of the answer is market research. Unless a large percent of the potential market demands and item, it becomes less cost-effective to even offer it. That doesn't mean you're desire isn't valid. It might even be mine, or the next guy's, but if we're outliers, then it's not happening.

The final, least relevant part is a planned upgrade path. The Bronco will have at least a five year cycle before it sees a refresh (and ten before a new generation arrives). There needs to be new features that happen along the way. Horsepower bumps. Potentially changes in engine offerings. Increased capabilities, new fancy-schmancy things that the market now seems to think are must-haves.

 

[BackcountryBirds]

It's hilarious to me all those that say it can't have a nice interior because the top comes off, but rave about the 12 inch screen which is an even more likely failure/damage area from the elements.

Ford saw the premium that Jeep was getting on Wranglers and built a very comparable product at the same price point to maximize the high profit. That's the only reason it doesn't have ventilated seats.

The truck market is super competitive so you get more bang for your buck with trucks.

I own a Ram power wagon, that's a 3/4 ton truck with all the off-road goodies and an amazing interior....all for right around the same price as a decked out bronco.

If you can live without the sway bar disco and the surround camera off-road get a base squatch. The interior certainly isn't worth the premium.

 

[Stitches1974]

It's hilarious to me all those that say it can't have a nice interior because the top comes off, but rave about the 12 inch screen which is an even more likely failure/damage area from the elements.

Sounds like it's water/ weather resistant.

Source: https://media.ford.com/content/ford...two-door-and-first-ever-four-door-models.html

" Instrument panel surfaces are wipeable, with seamless silicone rubber on the dash-mounted hero switches, while rubber touchpoints protect against dirt and water. Six available upfitter switches mounted overhead are silicone-sealed to protect against the elements and to make customization easy, "

 

[MN_OuterBanks]

Thinking you should skip the bronco. You’ll never get the things you listed off in a bronco ever

 

[FJ 432]

It's hilarious to me all those that say it can't have a nice interior because the top comes off, but rave about the 12 inch screen which is an even more likely failure/damage area from the elements.

In the immortal words of David Byrne "Stop making sense".

 

[Grooticus]

This thing doesn’t have AC vents in the backseat, you’re shooting to high

 

[Buddy Lee]

Maybe they are saving that feature for the “Lincoln” version that the bean counters think they can dress up and sell In a few years. Maybe the Blackwood II.

Blackwood 2...Electric [reported to admins/mods]! I'd watch that wreck.

But to the question at hand, I hear you. I once got to drive a convertible Bentley Continental for a marketing event. Only reason I did not buy it was because it did not come equipped with 2.5 bathrooms. Where was I supposed to shave and shower?

With that said, you can DIY ventilated seats with a leather punch or knife. It lacks the panache that comes from a factory option, but you can also hide skittles in your seat cushions so the universe evens out.

 

[F OR D]

Water is the main reason.

Yup, water and durability. I assume they figure it out just not day one.

They also need to redesign venting, it sucks in the rear now, how do you include seats?

 

[stampede1]

This bronco is purpose built to be an off road vehicle that competes directly with wrangler. This iteration, although replete in tech features that support the primary purpose (trail turn assist, GOAT modes, Hero buttons, Info system that downloads trails, etc), is not a luxury SUV. Rather it is in many ways, including size, more akin to the original bronco than the 80s and 90s versions. What limited features are included in the "lux" package pale in comparison to the likes of four/all wheel variants of the land rovers, grand wagoneers, new electric hummer, etc. Those are the ilk that you would be more comfortable with, no pun intended. Having been around from the roll out of the 1966 model in mid 1965 through the morphing into the 1996 semi-bloated luxury family suv, I hope that ford remains loyal to the 2021 forever. The ford expedition comes in four wheel drive, which might be a better fit for you for the options you want.

 

[DLJohnson]

The short and easy answer is that to build a vehicle that sells for X dollars, you have Y amount of money. You can spend that amount on whatever you want, but you can't spend it on everything. If you put a diesel engine, a carbon fiber body, off-road suspension or 27 cows worth of leather from animals that received daily shiatsu massages, that means you have less money to spend on the other items. With the Bronco, they spent a ton on the off-road goodies.

This... The question is 'Why does the Bronco cost $60k but not have xyz when other vehicles that cost the same amount have these features?' The answer is because those other vehicles don't have near as capable suspension, 4x4 system, lockers, swaybar disconnect, gearing, 35in tires, etc which are all really expensive features. The Bronco would likely cost upwards of $80k or more to include everything that makes it a capable offroader AND all the features on another vehicle that costs $60k without the off-road chops.

 

[mjohnso3]

I am visiting less and less... it's turning into a jeep forum where people who want a practical vehicle, or dare I say luxury or two, are sneered at.

My Bronco will be my daily driver, and the reason it will be a Bronco and not a jeep is in part due to the relative luxury it offers.

But it seems that there will always be the crowd that believes playing on rocks on the weekends is somehow a morally superior use than for those ppl that actually need the utility, but who also want some comforts too.

I'm not sure about the morally superior part, but rather arrogant maybe.

The history of the Bronco is interesting because Ford never remained true to its initial intended purpose. The 1st generation was to compete with the Jeep CJ., Then that was forgotten in 1978. By 1995-95 the Bronco was full of creature comforts, very luxurious by 90's standard, I'm not sure the top was even removable by the 5th Gen.

So yeah, if enough people demand more comfort and more luxury options, history has proven Ford will listen to these people and give in.

 

[Stitches1974]

I'm not sure the top was even removable by the 5th Gen.

It was, but more of a pain to do, due to the high mount brake light and the change from the rear lap belts to shoulder belts.


" (1992-96 owners)grab a T-40 tamper-proof Torx driver, a T-50 Torx driver (for the seat belt shoulder anchors in the top), carefully pull the interior trim around the top off, disconnect the wiring harness at the driver's rear corner and start removing hardware until its ready to come off. "

 

[LowerSlowerDelaware]

It's funny to hear the lamentations over the lack of luxury features and comfoft accessories on vehicles that made their reputations for their original minimalistic, spartan features and toughness that our Dads and Granddads loved and depend on to get them through war, work and the Wilderness when the Wilderness was unknown by most city folk but country folk called it home.

 

[ChrisD]

I figure some of these creature comforts will come in the future when Ford needs to add them to attract more buyers. For now, they can't crank out what they have in the queue fast enough.

I spent yesterday in 4L with the sway bar disconnected, getting all turtled (regretting not buying squatch now) and even the neighbor commented on how dirty it was. I hosed it off, hosed out the inside, let all the mud run out through the floor panels, and took the girls to the mall. I can't hose out my wife's Lincoln.

If I want the HUD and to get my butt violated, I just take the Lincoln Corsair. That's a nice car and it's comfy as hell. We'll take that one when we road trip. The Bronco is for me doing my errands and for doing stupid stuff in stupid places.

The comments I got from the Jeepers I was with yesterday were as follows:

These seats are nice! (marine grade vinyl)
That camera system is awesome
I am really impressed with it, I didn't expect it to get this far
I really ike that soft top

I mean, the stuff we complain about here on the forum, other people think it's really cool and I really like the rugged utilitarianism of the vehicle. It suits my needs.

I also drove tanks in the Army, so I might be biased.

But like I said at first, wait for the initial rush when Ford needs to attract more buyers and they'll add a bling edition. The current crop of F150s is nothing like the 1979 F100 that was my first car.

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