Aug 01, 2021
My dealer, George Coleman Ford in Travelers Rest SC, received their mannequin last week and I was able to schedule a slot for a test drive yesterday. Let's just say my expectations were met and exceeded! I would also add that Jacob and Joe have been awesome to work with and their dealership is one of the few looking to treat customers right. They are standing behind selling at MSRP with no fees and in this market I feel that is an honest deal. (y)
The Bronc I drove was a BB, 4dr, 2.3, auto, Mid Pkg with Squatch. The Area 51 color looked awesome in person as well. I brought Mrs. Bronc96 as she has not seen the new Bronc in person yet and she loved it...she doesnt impress easily. :) I also wanted to test the difficulty for her to get in with the Squatch height. She and I both found it was very helpful to have the optional side steps. I have a BL on order so looks like I might have to consider swapping the rock rails out. It is pretty tough to get up into the Squatch Broncs unless you have long legs. I can see sliding in/out would likely destroy the seat bolster quick.
I have ridden in a Bronc at SCE back in April but this was was my first drive. They were booking for 1 hr slots and let us take it out solo which was cool. The 2.3 has plenty of power, especially with the Squatch gearing and moved the Bronc well. I tried Norm and Sport modes and Sport did make a difference. I think I will prefer the manual though as the 10 spd just shifts too much for my liking and I just think the manual will be more fun. The Bronc rides very nice and soaks up the bumps very well. The turning radius is impressive and feels as good as my 96 Bronc which has an exceptional turning radius for a big truck. This Bronc was a soft top and I thought the top looked good, a little slack on the rear side pieces but not bad. The interior noise was not bad with minimal wind noise and a little tire noise from the Wrangler MTs at around 60-70. I have driven newer soft top Wranglers and was definitely no worse. The hard top should assist some in this area.
The seats are great, very supportive and comfortable. There is plenty of manual adjustment as well to include lumbar and height, don't think I will miss not having power all that much. Once seated in the Bronc all controls and steering wheel have great placement. As others have mentioned, the plastics used are not the best, however I thought the interior still looked great for it's purpose which is for ruggedness. Bottom line, if you are dropping $50-60k on a fully loaded Bronc and expecting to be a luxury vehicle then you will be disappointed. I feel the Mid Pkg is worth it and I would not need High or Lux. The 8" screen was plenty for my taste and I though the standard sound system was "adequate" . One big gripe I do have is over the gauges. I do not care for the mix of analog speedo and digital tach/fuel/info at all. I feel Ford fell short here and the Bronc needs a real tach with the digital info in the middle, similar to the F-150s.
In conclusion, I will say the new Bronco did not disappoint! I have waited 25 years for this and feel Ford delivered perfectly on the design and off-road capability built in right from the factory. I also want to thank George Coleman Ford for sharing their mannequin for test drives and showing what excellent customer service should be. :)
The Bronc I drove was a BB, 4dr, 2.3, auto, Mid Pkg with Squatch. The Area 51 color looked awesome in person as well. I brought Mrs. Bronc96 as she has not seen the new Bronc in person yet and she loved it...she doesnt impress easily. :) I also wanted to test the difficulty for her to get in with the Squatch height. She and I both found it was very helpful to have the optional side steps. I have a BL on order so looks like I might have to consider swapping the rock rails out. It is pretty tough to get up into the Squatch Broncs unless you have long legs. I can see sliding in/out would likely destroy the seat bolster quick.
I have ridden in a Bronc at SCE back in April but this was was my first drive. They were booking for 1 hr slots and let us take it out solo which was cool. The 2.3 has plenty of power, especially with the Squatch gearing and moved the Bronc well. I tried Norm and Sport modes and Sport did make a difference. I think I will prefer the manual though as the 10 spd just shifts too much for my liking and I just think the manual will be more fun. The Bronc rides very nice and soaks up the bumps very well. The turning radius is impressive and feels as good as my 96 Bronc which has an exceptional turning radius for a big truck. This Bronc was a soft top and I thought the top looked good, a little slack on the rear side pieces but not bad. The interior noise was not bad with minimal wind noise and a little tire noise from the Wrangler MTs at around 60-70. I have driven newer soft top Wranglers and was definitely no worse. The hard top should assist some in this area.
The seats are great, very supportive and comfortable. There is plenty of manual adjustment as well to include lumbar and height, don't think I will miss not having power all that much. Once seated in the Bronc all controls and steering wheel have great placement. As others have mentioned, the plastics used are not the best, however I thought the interior still looked great for it's purpose which is for ruggedness. Bottom line, if you are dropping $50-60k on a fully loaded Bronc and expecting to be a luxury vehicle then you will be disappointed. I feel the Mid Pkg is worth it and I would not need High or Lux. The 8" screen was plenty for my taste and I though the standard sound system was "adequate" . One big gripe I do have is over the gauges. I do not care for the mix of analog speedo and digital tach/fuel/info at all. I feel Ford fell short here and the Bronc needs a real tach with the digital info in the middle, similar to the F-150s.
In conclusion, I will say the new Bronco did not disappoint! I have waited 25 years for this and feel Ford delivered perfectly on the design and off-road capability built in right from the factory. I also want to thank George Coleman Ford for sharing their mannequin for test drives and showing what excellent customer service should be. :)
Badlands, 2 door, 2.3L, Manual, High, Non-SAS, Tow Package, Roof Rails, MIC, Velocity Blue
Steve777468, DRWright