Area 51 or Racer Red color for 2 door Sport Big-bend non squash.

Squash or no squash? I’ve been researching seems non squash may do better in snow? Not as sexy though. Conflicted here in Nebraska. :/

So how many miles do you think you will be putting on your Bronco? If it's not many, then the 2 mpg is really a non-issue.
Do I need Sasquatch on my Bronco? No, definitely not but I love the look of it especially for the 4 door. For the Big Bend, it is a serious chunk of change for the Squatch package.
You know your use and money situation, so what does your gut tell you?

squatch will do fine in the snow

Ahh, the age old question. To squatch or not to squatch. If you plan on using the Bronco to do some serious wheeling than anything below a Badlands (except maybe the BD as it comes with rear locker) I would squatch. If you just like the look a level kit and some 35” will fit nicely and look good. And doesn’t really change the driving experience much over stock. This is a base big bend with a level and 35’s

Biglor64!

Squash or no squash? I’ve been researching seems non squash may do better in snow? Not as sexy though. Conflicted here in Nebraska. :/

I'd take a SAS over a non in the snow if I had the options. Lived in NE for 20 years and now Colorado for 20+ and I definitely can say SAS will be absolutely fine.

As for color, if you wanted rapid red, I'd look at the hot chili pepper red over the race red. I was torn between the velocity blue and the rapid red (couldn't get cyber orange on a base for 21). When I went to the dealer to convert my res, he actually had some other vehicles in rapid red. Seeing it in person I wasn't impressed, at least not for a "fun" weekend toy like my Bronco will be, so I went with VB. I got pushed to a '22 so upon reorder I was able to get my cyber orange like I wanted all along. Mazda had a similar color as the hot chili pepper back in the early 2000's on their speed 3 lineup. It was almost like a red pearl - very pretty, I haven't seen the hot chili pepper in person, but I'm assuming it is similar to the speed3 color, as Ford owned Mazda. To me, I'd pay the extra $295 for the chili pepper red - I think you'll like it.

As far as squatch or not, it really depends on your personal preference, driving habits/ intent of use and how deep your pockets are. I originally wanted a base squatch, but on the base, the squatch pkg is a $7k upcharge. I live in TX, but the only off road my Bronco will probably ever see is the flat gravel driveway leading up to my property. So my reasoning was more for looks. I opted for the base/ modular bumper/ upfitter switches. I sat down and sourced the level kit, tires/wheels and a few other accessories I want to add = $4,200 total. Now I wont have the lockers or the 4.7 rear, but again mine is more of a "looks" thing. Yes, if I had unlimited funds, I'd order a Badlands squatch, but for my practical purposes/budget the base with my aftermarket add-on's will suite me fine. So really up to you.

Gas mileage for me is not an issue, as I work from home, have two other vehicles and I only drive 5-6k miles per year total. I'm coming out of a 2017 F250 FX4 with the 6.2 gasser, leveled on 35's... I get 8.7 mpg city, and if I keep it under 65 on the hwy and the wind is blowing just right, I may see 10 mpg. So if I get between 15-17 in town with the Bronco, I'll be in heaven! For only a 2 mpg drop squatch vs not, I'd squatch - the smile on your face is worth the 2 mpg's!!!

Biglor64!

Squash or no squash? I’ve been researching seems non squash may do better in snow? Not as sexy though. Conflicted here in Nebraska. :/

It's hard to say if that's right or wrong without knowing the trim level. For example, a Base non-Squatch will not be better in the snow that it's Squatched counterpart. I don't think anyone would argue that. Without the Sasquatch package, it only comes with open differentials, which might lead to some more spinning tires in deeper snow.

Black Diamond or Badlands, however, come with the rear diff lockers already. Black Diamond only has rear, and you would have to upgrade to Sasquatch for the front locker as well. Badlands comes with both, stock. It also has 33" K02 tires, which I understand to not only have better road handling characteristics, but also allow better fuel economy as they are smaller and weight less.

Big Bend trim package allows you to option in at least a rear diff locker without going all the way to a Sasquatch. If you are really concerned about economy, don't buy a Bronco... (J/K!) I wouldn't squatch it, but at least option in the rear diff locker which will be a huge help in the snow. Depending on the build (manual vs auto) that upgrade would also most likely come with a higher diff ratio, which would allow for the addition of bigger tires later on without having to rebuild the differentials with higher gearing later on (which will be pricy!)

Just my $.02. I welcome anyone to fact check that. My experience is based off the B&P tool, which we all know has some issues.

Color is purely up to your taste. I am going A51, but Ford did a great job making all the colors look really good, IMO.

I see a lot of back and forth in here about Squatch vs. non-Squatch and yet the title of the thread seems to be asking about a color... Guess I should pay more attention, but I'll re-read the original post and then finish my thought....

OK, I'm back.
What I'm getting here is a color question....and Squatch vs. non-Squatch MPG.
1. If MPG is going to be a major issue for you, go non-Squatch and put a set of 285's on there. Any 285 All Terrain will give you the aggressive look and fit nicely on a Base/Big Bend/BD/OBX. Going larger in tires will greatly affect your gas mileage. But like others have said, as Ford tells us, difference between Squatch (17 MPG) and say a non-Squatch BB (19 MPG) is literally 2 MPG, pretty much nothing. And my BaseSquatch with 600+ miles on her is currently getting 17.2 MPG.

2. I see a lot of talk about making it through the snow, which is better. Realistically thinking here, how many of us are driving through 3 feet of snow? Most likely for most of us it will come down to tires. Think about how many of you have driven in the snow with a (insert SUV name here). I guarantee most of them don't have front/rear lockers, the majority of them don't have the ground clearance as a Squatch'd Bronco. And yet you've probably been just fine with what it was you drove.

So to summarize, if you absolutely want the look of the 35" tires, either go with a Squatch'd Bronco or something with 4.27 gearing or better (though for most the 3.73 gears will work) & add tires (and small lift if desired).
If you want something capable with "slightly better" gas mileage, get any Bronco and put 285's on it.
For a daily driver without crazy off road use, any one in the lineup will do just fine for you.

Almost forgot, go with Area 51 for a color. I reserve Race Red for myself! :D Even though Ford pushed me into Rapid Red since Race wasn't available on a 2021 Base :mad:

I totally agree that a base non-squatch would make it through most snowy driving conditions without lockers. As do most 4WD and AWD vehicles on the market (and some 2 wheel drives, for that matter).

If we are comparing capability of lockers vs no lockers, though, I certainly wouldn't say they are equal. I would recommend to anyone driving in snow on a regular basis to at least get the rear locker for an mere $500.

If there is any reason a Sas'd Bronco would not perform as well in the snow, it might be due to more aggressive tire tread that would tend to pack in the snow. I know my mud tires on my F150 never performed quite as well as my A/T tires did (both Toyos). One would think mud tires would perform well in snow, but they tend to pack up and also you have less tread in contact with the road. In terms of lift, the Sasquatches look amazing. Don't get me wrong, the standard Bronco's look good too, but Sas'd makes a huge difference. YES, you can achieve the 'look' with a lift kit and bigger wheels/tires. But also know that might change the suspension angles, etc. -- it will not be the same vehicle off-road. Maybe as @Jakob1972 pointed out, if you aren't going to off-road a lot, then the better option for you is to save some $$ and go with a lift kit and 35's, but choose A/T or R/T (rugged Terrain) tires over mud tires (like Nitto Trail Grapplers).

As for color, @Brak101 is correct... it's preference. The Rapid Red was a great color, but so is A51 (my personal choice). The new Chili Pepper also looks good, as does the green.

SuperMike

If there is any reason a Sas'd Bronco would not perform as well in the snow, it might be due to more aggressive tire tread that would tend to pack in the snow. I know my mud tires on my F150 never performed quite as well as my A/T tires did (both Toyos). One would think mud tires would perform well in snow, but they tend to pack up and also you have less tread in contact with the road. In terms of lift, the Sasquatches look amazing. Don't get me wrong, the standard Bronco's look good too, but Sas'd makes a huge difference. YES, you can achieve the 'look' with a lift kit and bigger wheels/tires. But also know that might change the suspension angles, etc. -- it will not be the same vehicle off-road. Maybe as @Jakob1972 pointed out, if you aren't going to off-road a lot, then the better option for you is to save some $$ and go with a lift kit and 35's, but choose A/T or R/T (rugged Terrain) tires over mud tires (like Nitto Trail Grapplers).

As for color, @Brak101 is correct... it's preference. The Rapid Red was a great color, but so is A51 (my personal choice). The new Chili Pepper also looks good, as does the green.

Typically All Terrain tires handle better in snow than Mud Terrain, then again, on my old '84 Bronco I used to run BFG Mud Terrains without any issue in the snow. But then again, yes, the snow packs in and it's not very good.

The only thing I will say about the one tire you mentioned, in my personal opinion, AVOID Nitto's. I have a set of Ridge Grapplers on the wife's 2017 JKU and they are absolutely horrible on wet roads! They slip and slide like the Goodyear's used to do. If you live in a bad snow area, look into the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's, 3 peak rated. Or you can never go wrong with a BFG A/T as BFG has always made a great tire.

EvlNvrDys

Typically All Terrain tires handle better in snow than Mud Terrain, then again, on my old '84 Bronco I used to run BFG Mud Terrains without any issue in the snow. But then again, yes, the snow packs in and it's not very good.

The only thing I will say about the one tire you mentioned, in my personal opinion, AVOID Nitto's. I have a set of Ridge Grapplers on the wife's 2017 JKU and they are absolutely horrible on wet roads! They slip and slide like the Goodyear's used to do. If you live in a bad snow area, look into the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T's, 3 peak rated. Or you can never go wrong with a BFG A/T as BFG has always made a great tire.

Good info... I never had Nittos. I had Toyo M/Ts and liked them, but they dry-rotted on me. I got bumped from a flight and they paid me $1900 (ahh, the good ol' days) so I bought Toyo A/Ts. I liked them OKAY, but I did have an issue twice when it was rainy (not snowy) where the back-end broke out and about caused me to wreck. I attributed that more to being a truck with no weight in the back. But I also had less road noise and better gas mileage. So if the OP's primary concern is looks and gas mileage (over off-roading capabilities), I think she'd be better off with a standard Bronco and a lift kit and 35's on A/T or R/T tires. I will say I've heard good things about the BFG's, though.

Jakob1972

Ahh, the age old question. To squatch or not to squatch. If you plan on using the Bronco to do some serious wheeling than anything below a Badlands (except maybe the BD as it comes with rear locker) I would squatch. If you just like the look a level kit and some 35” will fit nicely and look good. And doesn’t really change the driving experience much over stock. This is a base big bend with a level and 35’s View attachment 21731

Dear Santa ...

Thank you all so much for all the great feed back!!! I have a lot to digest here. I’ll def keep you posted. ‍♀️

EvlNvrDys

I see a lot of back and forth in here about Squatch vs. non-Squatch and yet the title of the thread seems to be asking about a color... Guess I should pay more attention, but I'll re-read the original post and then finish my thought....

OK, I'm back.
What I'm getting here is a color question....and Squatch vs. non-Squatch MPG.
1. If MPG is going to be a major issue for you, go non-Squatch and put a set of 285's on there. Any 285 All Terrain will give you the aggressive look and fit nicely on a Base/Big Bend/BD/OBX. Going larger in tires will greatly affect your gas mileage. But like others have said, as Ford tells us, difference between Squatch (17 MPG) and say a non-Squatch BB (19 MPG) is literally 2 MPG, pretty much nothing. And my BaseSquatch with 600+ miles on her is currently getting 17.2 MPG.

2. I see a lot of talk about making it through the snow, which is better. Realistically thinking here, how many of us are driving through 3 feet of snow? Most likely for most of us it will come down to tires. Think about how many of you have driven in the snow with a (insert SUV name here). I guarantee most of them don't have front/rear lockers, the majority of them don't have the ground clearance as a Squatch'd Bronco. And yet you've probably been just fine with what it was you drove.

So to summarize, if you absolutely want the look of the 35" tires, either go with a Squatch'd Bronco or something with 4.27 gearing or better (though for most the 3.73 gears will work) & add tires (and small lift if desired).
If you want something capable with "slightly better" gas mileage, get any Bronco and put 285's on it.
For a daily driver without crazy off road use, any one in the lineup will do just fine for you.

Almost forgot, go with Area 51 for a color. I reserve Race Red for myself! :D Even though Ford pushed me into Rapid Red since Race wasn't available on a 2021 Base :mad:

Lol. I took a screen shot of replies regarding tires and such. Appreciate it! As for color? Leaving it RR this week! Thanks again everyone.