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broadicustomworks

Badlands
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Clubs
 
I had a few moment of temptation and frustration with all of the things going on.
I found a dealer offering 6% below invoice on the Gladiator, so I went to test drive one to see if I liked it as much as I thought I might.

Gladi drove very well. No hint of wandering or wobble, or any of the urban legends out there. It was smooth, had a good stance (It was the Mojave with 33's and Fox 2.5 shocks). Hard top panels were substantial and super easy to remove. Good fit and finish. I own an 01 Jeep, and was somewhat surprised at the tight quarters inside. I mean, I know it hasn't grown to full size truck proportions, but was still a bit surprised that it felt just as small.

My son rode in the back seat. At 6-0 his knees were in the molle panels in the back of my seat, and my seat was almost uncomfortably forward.

He said, once asked, "I would absolutely not want to ride back here for a week-long trip, or even the 3.5 hours to the beach. This sucks."

Power was very lacking. Surprisingly so. I did not expect a Z06-level feeling. But I did expect a bit more than it had. The 3.6 is a smooth, quiet engine. But severely underpowered for the vehicle, for road use. Drove it for an hour and was not in love with it, other than the lure of a shiny, brand new 4X4 truck I could remove the tops and doors from.

Now, The WT 4 door was a completely different vehicle. I've ridden in one with Shelby at Supercel, so I had a feeling already from a passenger perspective, how it felt and rode.

Driving it is SO much different and better. It felt like it had twice the power. We were doing 75 on the highway and it felt like we were doing 50. SO smooth, responsive.

Son in the back had a good several inches of room between his knees and the seat, and I didn't have it as forward as I normally would.

Lots more head room.

Superb open-air feeling with no crossbar.

Seats. Oh man, the seats. They felt like Lazyboy recliners compared the the Gladi. And the WT camo inserts look a LOT better in person than they do in pics, as do the dash colors.
If I did not want the MGV and washout floor, I would switch to WT and never look back.

I drove the first half, my wife drove the 2nd half.

She has been overly supportive and understanding (and patient) during this whole ordeal.
Once we got back to the dealer she was as much a rabid fan of the Bronco as I have been, said "Ok, when we get home, email the dealer, get it out of 99 status, change to a Soft top and let's get this thing home ASAP."

And she was right. No comparison. It's a whole 'nother level of ride, comfort, room, feeling vs. the Gladi.

So promptly emailed, changed to a Soft top, added Squatch, and the anxious wait now begins to see if it hits soon in schedule land.

EDIT:
Update. Emailed the dealer to change the order Sunday. They replied last night after 6PM and verified it, sent me the new Order summary to verify. This morning at 9:31 I got a "You are scheduled for production Oct.4 week" email.
Happier than ever. A step forward. Now begins the next phase of waiting to see when it actually hits, and when it arrives at the dealer.
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broadicustomworks

broadicustomworks

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Nice write up, Dave. And since you mentioned royalty, I feel obligated to share:
Ford Bronco Jeep Gladiator vs Wildtrak Bronco test drive 20210828_111409
Oh man! She is so awesome.
I am more than a little jealous over here.
How awesome is that shirt!?
 

Beach_Bum

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Oh man! She is so awesome.
I am more than a little jealous over here.
How awesome is that shirt!?
I think the shirt is pretty cool, myself. Hopefully, Miss Ashley likes it as it was signed for her.
 

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broadicustomworks

broadicustomworks

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GotGOAT

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Nice write up. As a 99 Res for MY23 MOD Top WR I’m super glad to hear the camo centers on the cloth seats and the dash look better than pics.
 

Spooled

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I can confirm the driving characteristics between the 2. I've driven a Gladiator Rubicon as well as a 4-Door Badlands with the manual and a 4-Door Wildtrak. The Bronco is just so much better on the road. The Gladiator isn't bad, just not great or as comfortable.
 

Mike E

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If you want to experience power try one with the Diesel, I seriously doubt that the 2.7 will be able to keep up.... With that said I'm truly excited to be on the list to get a Badlands with the 2.7 so that I can give an honest assessment later down the road. I did get the chance to ride in a Bronco out in MOAB last Easter and the experience was really positive. I didn't see myself owning another Jeep however with Summer and fall activities and hunting season coming up it was a necessity. I've owned (3) JK's with the 3.6 van engine I came to really dislike this engine because of a total lack of power in the mountains of Colorado. The JL with 3.0 diesel is a beast, the steering is tight and crisp and a pleasure to drive and own.
 

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DaBronCo33

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Funny, I just did NH Roadeo about a week ago (badlands on 33s) and just test drove a 2017 Wrangler winter on 35s yesterday. Jeep is a nice rig, rode smooth, but I had the exact same impression you did. Jeep felt like it had ankle weights on compared to the Bronco. Bronco is a lot more responsive.
 

JT58Bronc

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I saw the post and had to read it and respond. Just this past weekend I went to look at the local Ford dealer and see if they had any Broncos, then to look and test drive a Gladiator. The Gladiator (Mojave) is very high on the list as an option to the Bronco mainly due to it's unavailability.

The Ford dealer had a 4 door WT with Sas that I was able to drive. Wow I was very impressed. The ride, comfort, view were awesome. I especially liked the road feel and the steering with the 35" tires. But what impressed me most was the power with the 2.7. Reading some of the posts it seems like the 2.3 and 2.7 are just adequate and I was really concerned. It had power right off the line, to me. My current rides could be slugs though- my 97 Wrangler for sure is and my 2019 Silverado LD with 5.3 sure felt like one too versus the Bronco. My GF commented how fast it shifted too. I also popped the hood and the engine bay was not as disorganized and messy as the photos I have seen. The spark plugs were pretty much accessible and I could see the valve covers and also the turbos. So I did like the engine bay. I was not able to go for a very long ride but liked it enough to at least find out more information to re-order a 2022 since I was bumped into 2022. The dealer was going to get back to me. Hopefully they will as they have not been very informative. I expect a long wait since I have a 2 door reservation. One guy hinted that they may not even continue with the 2 door and after driving the 4 door I would for sure go with a 4 door if the 2 door was discontinued.

I went to test drive a used 2020 Gladiator immediately after right in town and by the time I got there it was already sold. So, I aborted after that.

After reading your post on the Gladiator I am concerned on power now and may not even pursue on anymore. I for sure don't want a slug- and especially with these type of vehicles not being that fuel efficient to boot. Might as well at least have something powerful enough and to be able to keep up with traffic if you are going to get 17 MPG.
 
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BossMann

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The Gladiator is only rivaled in ugliness by the Pontiac Aztec, XR4Ti and that Nissan minivan.... So happy Ford said no to that bullshit for the Bronco.
 

GAbronco

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The Mojave Gladiator is the only one that can really compete with the ride of the Bronco. It’s very Raptor like with the additional 5k worth of suspension goodies.
 

SwankyTiger

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you have to remember the 3.6 gladiator makes 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque at the crank in a 4600-5000lb truck.

The diesel makes 260hp and 442ftlbs of torque.
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