Jan 31, 2023
So this is an “opinion review” focused on those coming from a more traditional/high end SUV to the Bronco.
Quick Back story: I’ve grown up in a car family and have been a car guy since the day I was born. Once I had the income, I usually split my time between a daily driver and summer fun car (live in the Midwest so limited fun car months). My daily was always a truck or off road vehicle (last was a Rubicon Recon) because of my fall/winter love of hunting. That was until I fell into a crazy phase of going Boujee. Like over the top stupid. Range Rover Sport (nightmare) - BMW X5 (boring) - Audi E-Tron Sport back (lasted 8 months until the first below zero degree month and range anxiety almost killed me).
So….I went back to my love of trucks and were my heart has always been. I lucked out big time to find a MY23 Badlands Sasquatch etc that someone decided not to pickup and I happen to call that day. So here is a brief one month opinion on my transition back:
Appearance - honestly the Bronco stands out more than cars twice the price. It’s unique (for now) and it gets noticed. Good or bad, it’s a looker and people will tell you that. Given the near vertical windshield I did have a windshield ppf put on when I had my windows tinted for protection.
Engine - I have the 2.7. Compared to the RR and BMW, this engine hangs and with the 10spd honestly, I feel it out performs. Maybe not to the number, but in feel. The EV is on island of it’s own when it comes to torque, but it has huge limitations in my climate as mentioned. The transmission is butter smooth in normal mode.
Ride/Handling - This was probably the most pleasant surprise. I was expecting Jeep like issues and honestly, the Bronco has a much smoother overall ride than even those in the Boujee realm. The 35’s married with the suspension setup I feel hug the road more than pickups or Jeeps I’ve had with similar setups. I don’t feel like I’m driving an off road vehicle all the time. Granted I haven’t taken her to our hunting land yet which will be a real off road test, but 90% of the time she’s a paved road animal and handles like she belongs on it. So Ford made an off road vehicle that behaves on the road.
Luxury/Comfort - so the E-tron is one of quietest cars on the road other than a Rolls. That being said, the wind and road noise in the Bronco is a lot less than expected (comparison is my friend’s soft top gladiator with 35 off roads on that I used this hunting season). If I’m alone and have the B&O at a volume of 5-6, I don’t even notice it. I did two conference calls today from the highway on Car Play and neither complained. The seats are close to being on par with the fancier rides (I have the leather). Granted the others had the back massage option but I used that very rarely. Rest of the fit and finish is at par for a 60+k vehicle with a removable hard top. My RR had a few rattles that needed warranty repair. The X5 was perfect and Audi was meh when it came to quality. I guess bottom line if you’re coming from high end luxury the trade off isn’t as steep as I expected it to be.
Tech - it may seem a surprise to those that haven’t had other luxury rides, but Ford really excels here. The RR was a tech nightmare (had to have the modem replaced as it never worked from day 1). It’s a clunky interface and honestly was slow and buggy. The X5 was ok but the car play integration isn’t as good as the full screen Ford Sync in the ‘23. The Audi took a month for Audi services to hook up after multiple visits with Audi and crapped out monthly. Had to re-do my presets multiple times. Is the Ford perfect? Hell no. I’m in the MY23 boat with ongoing Ford Pass issues. But in the car, it’s one of the best I’ve used. The screen is awesome, car play just works and you don’t have a bunch of weird actions to go from CarPlay to native. It’s super simple and truly integrated. Even better than GM (my summer toy is a C8).
Overall - is the Bronco a luxury SUV. Nope but you already know that. But if you’re thinking about making the move from one you will find a fun off-road rig that does surprisingly well on the road and has many luxury creature comforts. Some of those comforts beat out high end competitors. So far I have no regrets and can’t wait for the summer to go bombing around on our heavily rutted logging roads to check on stands and food plots.
Hope this is useful for anyone considering a Boujee to Bronco transformation.
Other rides considered when making the switch - Land Rover (although I swore I would never own one again), Jeep (Rubico vs Decked out Cherokee, GMC AT4, and a few others).
Quick Back story: I’ve grown up in a car family and have been a car guy since the day I was born. Once I had the income, I usually split my time between a daily driver and summer fun car (live in the Midwest so limited fun car months). My daily was always a truck or off road vehicle (last was a Rubicon Recon) because of my fall/winter love of hunting. That was until I fell into a crazy phase of going Boujee. Like over the top stupid. Range Rover Sport (nightmare) - BMW X5 (boring) - Audi E-Tron Sport back (lasted 8 months until the first below zero degree month and range anxiety almost killed me).
So….I went back to my love of trucks and were my heart has always been. I lucked out big time to find a MY23 Badlands Sasquatch etc that someone decided not to pickup and I happen to call that day. So here is a brief one month opinion on my transition back:
Appearance - honestly the Bronco stands out more than cars twice the price. It’s unique (for now) and it gets noticed. Good or bad, it’s a looker and people will tell you that. Given the near vertical windshield I did have a windshield ppf put on when I had my windows tinted for protection.
Engine - I have the 2.7. Compared to the RR and BMW, this engine hangs and with the 10spd honestly, I feel it out performs. Maybe not to the number, but in feel. The EV is on island of it’s own when it comes to torque, but it has huge limitations in my climate as mentioned. The transmission is butter smooth in normal mode.
Ride/Handling - This was probably the most pleasant surprise. I was expecting Jeep like issues and honestly, the Bronco has a much smoother overall ride than even those in the Boujee realm. The 35’s married with the suspension setup I feel hug the road more than pickups or Jeeps I’ve had with similar setups. I don’t feel like I’m driving an off road vehicle all the time. Granted I haven’t taken her to our hunting land yet which will be a real off road test, but 90% of the time she’s a paved road animal and handles like she belongs on it. So Ford made an off road vehicle that behaves on the road.
Luxury/Comfort - so the E-tron is one of quietest cars on the road other than a Rolls. That being said, the wind and road noise in the Bronco is a lot less than expected (comparison is my friend’s soft top gladiator with 35 off roads on that I used this hunting season). If I’m alone and have the B&O at a volume of 5-6, I don’t even notice it. I did two conference calls today from the highway on Car Play and neither complained. The seats are close to being on par with the fancier rides (I have the leather). Granted the others had the back massage option but I used that very rarely. Rest of the fit and finish is at par for a 60+k vehicle with a removable hard top. My RR had a few rattles that needed warranty repair. The X5 was perfect and Audi was meh when it came to quality. I guess bottom line if you’re coming from high end luxury the trade off isn’t as steep as I expected it to be.
Tech - it may seem a surprise to those that haven’t had other luxury rides, but Ford really excels here. The RR was a tech nightmare (had to have the modem replaced as it never worked from day 1). It’s a clunky interface and honestly was slow and buggy. The X5 was ok but the car play integration isn’t as good as the full screen Ford Sync in the ‘23. The Audi took a month for Audi services to hook up after multiple visits with Audi and crapped out monthly. Had to re-do my presets multiple times. Is the Ford perfect? Hell no. I’m in the MY23 boat with ongoing Ford Pass issues. But in the car, it’s one of the best I’ve used. The screen is awesome, car play just works and you don’t have a bunch of weird actions to go from CarPlay to native. It’s super simple and truly integrated. Even better than GM (my summer toy is a C8).
Overall - is the Bronco a luxury SUV. Nope but you already know that. But if you’re thinking about making the move from one you will find a fun off-road rig that does surprisingly well on the road and has many luxury creature comforts. Some of those comforts beat out high end competitors. So far I have no regrets and can’t wait for the summer to go bombing around on our heavily rutted logging roads to check on stands and food plots.
Hope this is useful for anyone considering a Boujee to Bronco transformation.
Other rides considered when making the switch - Land Rover (although I swore I would never own one again), Jeep (Rubico vs Decked out Cherokee, GMC AT4, and a few others).
2023 Badlands Sasquatch Lux 2.7 MIC in Cactus Grey - Found by luck on a dealer’s lot
BroncoFred, EGBronc
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Jan 31, 2023