Lite Brite Nation (YouTube) Bronco and Wrangler comparison - And my own rant

Garemlin

Very good unbiased comparison of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. I'm sure this video touched a few nerves on both sides.

And I'm sorry I'm going to speak my mind as well. For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come. I'm hoping for a change. Sooner than later.

I try to like this youtube channel, they just irk me, so i'll pass.

Your other points are valid. I was able to test drive both Wrangler and Bronco this weekend and even with the items you mentioned, the Bronco was a better fit for me. You do not suffer from a vent under the seat, it does kick out some very good AC (it was 90 here Sat), and the Bronco was very well put together, the panels etc, were all tight and aligned. The soft top, it was not as bad as I thought, but would rather have the MIC 2.0. Even if you priced a comparable Jeep Wrangler, and IF you're price locked on your Bronco, you're still 12k under the cost of the Wrangler.

jlaliberty

I try to like this youtube channel, they just irk me, so i'll pass.

Your other points are valid. I was able to test drive both Wrangler and Bronco this weekend and even with the items you mentioned, the Bronco was a better fit for me. You do not suffer from a vent under the seat, it does kick out some very good AC (it was 90 here Sat), and the Bronco was very well put together, the panels etc, were all tight and aligned. The soft top, it was not as bad as I thought, but would rather have the MIC 2.0. Even if you priced a comparable Jeep Wrangler, and IF you're price locked on your Bronco, you're still 12k under the cost of the Wrangler.

I'm not big into YouTube channels. But theirs is less annoying than some. Lots of people love Ben Hardy. But he is annoying to me.

And I'm not doubting you get more bang for your buck with the Bronco. But the quality and shortcomings you get for that buck are IMO not acceptable. Not to dwell on it but the tie rods. How can you knowingly put toothpicks for tie rods on a vehicle that was pushed as a fully capable off-roader. They have to had broken many of them during testing. I can't believe that this is just happening now with owners. And all of the issues with both tops. Etc, etc...... I expect more for my money. It's not like they didn't have plenty of time to get it right before releasing them. Yeah every brand new vehicle is going to have some issues and growing pains. But it shouldn't be to the level that the Bronco is having.

I'm not a Bronco basher. I wouldn't be here if I was. I just really wish they would get their act together.

And one more point. Listen to your customer base. Give the people what they ask for. Within reason of course. I was watching Dodge Speed Week on YouTube and it's amazing the things they are bringing to market now based on customer and owner requests.

Garemlin

I'm not big into YouTube channels. But theirs is less annoying than some. Lots of people love Ben Hardy. But he is annoying to me.

And I'm not doubting you get more bang for your buck with the Bronco. But the quality and shortcomings you get for that buck are IMO not acceptable. Not to dwell on it but the tie rods. How can you knowingly put toothpicks for tie rods on a vehicle that was pushed as a fully capable off-roader. They have to had broken many of them during testing. I can't believe that this is just happening now with owners. And all of the issues with both tops. Etc, etc...... I expect more for my money. It's not like they didn't have plenty of time to get it right before releasing them. Yeah, every brand new vehicle is going to have some issues and growing pains. But it shouldn't be to the level that the Bronco is having.

I'm not a Bronco basher. I wouldn't be here if I was. I just really wish they would get their act together.

And one more point. Listen to your customer base. Give the people what they ask for. Within reason of course. I was watching Dodge Speed Week on YouTube and it's amazing the things they are bringing to market now based on customer and owner requests.

I think i saw it somewhere on youtube (i know) that they had upgraded the tie rods. I'll have to do some research on that one. Ben Hardy is annoying for sure. I find them all annoying if you follow them enough.. it's the same format over and over.

I agree the rollout has been horrendous. Design issues with the top, accessory delays.. you get the picture. I just want to know if there will be a roof rack option for the soft top (with the soft top closed)...

Garemlin

For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come.

All I can say is remember that in some forums people love to bitch about issues with the bronco. Of course some of those people have good reasons to hate the bronco with a few getting bad seats or tops, but the tens of thousands of broncos out there that have nothing wrong aren't the ones posting in forums about how great their bronco has been. And then those that are waiting for their bronco get the idea that all broncos are bad quality and that is far from the truth. I'd say the small minority are ones with issues.

I have an early made MY21 bronco that has been absolutely perfect (besides the whole hard top fiasco which I will agree should have been caught in production stage but they replaced it under warranty and all is good now)
I have toyed with buying a wrangler almost every year but everytime I test drive one or talk with my buddies with issues with their wranglers I always decide not to. Then after driving the bronco the winner of best driving vehicle on road is 100% the bronco in my opinion. The interior is way better and nicer than the wranglers that I've test driven. The wranglers will always be better at rock crawling and I feel that is why people say they don't like the Bronco off road. It was never meant to be a rock crawler. I love wranglers but if you want to have great on road driving and also better than 4runner off road capability then get the bronco. If you want to go hard core with rock crawling and better aftermarket support get a wrangler.

Garemlin

Very good unbiased comparison of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. I'm sure this video touched a few nerves on both sides.

And I'm sorry I'm going to speak my mind as well. For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come. I'm hoping for a change. Sooner than later.

Well you've got some point here. Let me tell you mine. Wrangler has horrible safety problems, horrible performance, quality that is barely acceptable even though it has been around for a long time, and on and on. The Bronco is an all-new vehicle. Quality will always be a problem even though it is very bothering!

Garemlin

Very good unbiased comparison of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. I'm sure this video touched a few nerves on both sides.

And I'm sorry I'm going to speak my mind as well. For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come. I'm hoping for a change. Sooner than later.

All valid points and I'm sure there is a reason that Ford hired a new quality control chief for all their production and the Bronco plant manager went away. While I only have 2000 miles on my Wildtrak, there has been only one issue so far and it was quickly warranted and repaired. Frankly I'm sure Ford is listening and will update items as needed and keeping their feet to the fire is important and I applaud you for it.
I do wish I had HOSS 3 but as I'm bashing through the north GA hills next weekend I'm pretty confident that I'm not going to have any issues based on my experience at the Texas Off-Rodeo. I'm sure that as we move forward that heavily modified Bronco's will be doing many of the same things that heavily modified Wranglers are doing now and having watched more than a few videos I'm amazed at some of the stuff stock Bronco's are going through without issues. I do know getting to off road areas in my Bronco is infinitely more comfortable than in my brothers Rubicon.

They have some valid points and I would agree with some of them but a lot of their complaints are personal preference really. The windshield on either the Jeep or Bronco are not crap they are near vertical and susceptible to direct rock strikes it is the nature of the beast. Who uses a grab handle on the drivers side to get into a vehicle I have been using the steering wheel for the past 22 years in my F250s it works fine. Since this is a daily driver for me and I won’t be trailering it to the trails it is nice to not deal with death wobble. To me that basically makes the Jeep unusable for on road. Seems like the short comings of the Bronco are fairly easily fixed. The aftermarket is already addressing the tie rod issue. But just looking at what is happening at KOH and it seems the IFS is being utilized in some really amazing ways. But these are just my opinions too so…

RagnarKon

Watched that video yesterday. I agree with them on many points, and disagree on others.

The tie rods—and the steering on the Bronco in general—is an obvious weak point that Ford needs to address. There was a guy on Bronco 6G who has his tie rods break while driving around his driveway—that's just... unacceptable. The upgraded steering components they put in the HOSS 3.0 package needs to be standard on all Sasquatch-equipped Broncos and the Badlands trim. I just does.

The electronically-driven transfer case I think may just be a "old man stuck in their ways" thing. If this was 20-30 years ago, then yeah, I'd absolutely agree. But we've had electronically driven transfer cases forever at this point, and some of the most popular and reliable vehicles in production today have electronically driven transfer cases. That said... I understand his point to some degree. We don't know how reliable the Bronco transfer case is, and I personally am concerned about the sway-bar disconnect. The Wrangler uses a more "traditional" mechanical mechanism for both, so I can see why someone would trust it more. BUT, I haven't heard of any major issues with either of those systems on the Bronco (yet, anyway).

The cup holders and the rear A/C vents don't bother me at all. Never understood why people put so much value into that. I have never owned a vehicle with rear A/C vents or rear cup holders, and growing up none of my parents' vehicles had rear A/C vents or cup holders.... so maybe I just don't know what I'm missing. It's not a giant vehicle—it's not like it is the size of a Suburban or Expedition... just turn the A/C up a bit so it cools the back better. No big deal in my mind, and I was surprised to read a few posts of people trading in their Broncos specifically because they didn't have rear A/C vents.

The overall fit-n-finish I agree with. Ford has never had the best fit-n-finish, so I am not particularly surprised. BUT some of it I think is unacceptable, others I think is just the obvious new-vehicle growing pains. Both the soft top and the hard top just scream of "this is new and we don't really know how to do it properly yet." To be frank, I don't think the Jeep Wrangler's finish is that much better, although they definitely have figured out the hard/soft top thing.


I watch them pretty regularly. The Chris/Beck videos are awesome—Chris in particular is a super knowledgable mechanic and I get a lot of good info/tips/tricks from him. Kevin and Brittany are... fine... I guess. It feels like Brittany has a "YouTube bubbly mode" that she turns on for videos, and sometimes that irks me. I have a feeling in-person they are a lot more "normal", but on camera it's just feels over the top sometimes.

The ones that rub me the wrong way is Scotty Kilmer and Doug DeMuro. Scotty is just... ugh... terrible. I typically agree with Doug's opinions—but I can't watch his videos for some reason.

I would like to add the wrangler has an electronic transfer case it just has the stick to make people "comfortable" in thinking it has a manual transfer case
also I'm not sure how much I buy the tie rod problems I have 12k miles on my SAS badlands and have done some pretty good offroading in it with zero problems

Cornwelltoolman

I would like to add the wrangler has an electronic transfer case it just has the stick to make people "comfortable" in thinking it has a manual transfer case
also I'm not sure how much I buy the tie rod problems I have 12k miles on my SAS badlands and have done some pretty good offroading in it with zero problems

Yeah the windshield is a non issue. Both vehicles are essentially non aerodynamic rolling bricks. Cracked windshields are the nature of the beast.

But the tie rod issue I think is pretty real. Too many cases of them breaking. Even under minimal strain. Why are there so many aftermarket options being pushed out to address it?? And why did Ford release upgraded parts themselves?? Placebo effect?? Snake oil??

RagnarKon

Watched that video yesterday. I agree with them on many points, and disagree on others.

The tie rods—and the steering on the Bronco in general—is an obvious weak point that Ford needs to address. There was a guy on Bronco 6G who has his tie rods break while driving around his driveway—that's just... unacceptable. The upgraded steering components they put in the HOSS 3.0 package needs to be standard on all Sasquatch-equipped Broncos and the Badlands trim. I just does.

The electronically-driven transfer case I think may just be a "old man stuck in their ways" thing. If this was 20-30 years ago, then yeah, I'd absolutely agree. But we've had electronically driven transfer cases forever at this point, and some of the most popular and reliable vehicles in production today have electronically driven transfer cases. That said... I understand his point to some degree. We don't know how reliable the Bronco transfer case is, and I personally am concerned about the sway-bar disconnect. The Wrangler uses a more "traditional" mechanical mechanism for both, so I can see why someone would trust it more. BUT, I haven't heard of any major issues with either of those systems on the Bronco (yet, anyway).

The cup holders and the rear A/C vents don't bother me at all. Never understood why people put so much value into that. I have never owned a vehicle with rear A/C vents or rear cup holders, and growing up none of my parents' vehicles had rear A/C vents or cup holders.... so maybe I just don't know what I'm missing. It's not a giant vehicle—it's not like it is the size of a Suburban or Expedition... just turn the A/C up a bit so it cools the back better. No big deal in my mind, and I was surprised to read a few posts of people trading in their Broncos specifically because they didn't have rear A/C vents.

The overall fit-n-finish I agree with. Ford has never had the best fit-n-finish, so I am not particularly surprised. BUT some of it I think is unacceptable, others I think is just the obvious new-vehicle growing pains. Both the soft top and the hard top just scream of "this is new and we don't really know how to do it properly yet." To be frank, I don't think the Jeep Wrangler's finish is that much better, although they definitely have figured out the hard/soft top thing.


I watch them pretty regularly. The Chris/Beck videos are awesome—Chris in particular is a super knowledgable mechanic and I get a lot of good info/tips/tricks from him. Kevin and Brittany are... fine... I guess. It feels like Brittany has a "YouTube bubbly mode" that she turns on for videos, and sometimes that irks me. I have a feeling in-person they are a lot more "normal", but on camera it's just feels over the top sometimes.

The ones that rub me the wrong way is Scotty Kilmer and Doug DeMuro. Scotty is just... ugh... terrible. I typically agree with Doug's opinions—but I can't watch his videos for some reason.

Doug DeMuro is the epitome of an over actor. Didn't he used to use that stupid pointer stick?? Or was that someone else??

Garemlin

Doug DeMuro is the epitome of an over actor. Didn't he used to use that stupid pointer stick?? Or was that someone else??

Doug DeMuro doesn't bother me. He's just a big nerd who's really into his work. As a big nerd who is also really into my work, I can respect that.
The lightbrite folks give me an "influencer" vibe that I don't really care for, but they generally have good info.
The one that I cant stand though are the TC Customs videos. Those just rub me the wrong way. I shouldn't have to know how tall Mitchell Watts is, but I do because he finds a way to mention it in every video.

Garemlin

Very good unbiased comparison of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. I'm sure this video touched a few nerves on both sides.

And I'm sorry I'm going to speak my mind as well. For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come. I'm hoping for a change. Sooner than later.

I gave up watching anything from these 2 the day they uploaded a video of them driving in a sever storm at 70mph playing on cell phones. Stupidest thing I have ever observed! I have several thousand miles on my BRONCO now on and off road, and I would take it over a JEEP at any price!

Garemlin

Very good unbiased comparison of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. I'm sure this video touched a few nerves on both sides.

And I'm sorry I'm going to speak my mind as well. For the price of the Bronco Ford needs to really take a look at many things. Shoddy workmanship, insufficient and weak parts and obvious shortcomings should not be acceptable. Tie rods that barely stand up to off-roading in a vehicle pushed as a true off-roader. No rear vents?? I bet even base model Kia's come with rear ventilation that actually does something. Mismatched seats. Misaligned body panels. The soft and hard tops. I could go on. Is this acceptable for a vehicle that can push $60k??

And it amazes me how many people are accepting of all of these things because they are so enamored with the Bronco.

I really want to love the Bronco. At this point I just can't. And waiting for as long as I have for it's return, it pains me to have to say that. That's why my order will continue to sit in 99 status until they really tighten the reigns and get their act together. I will not put my hard earned money in a vehicle that I don't feel I can rely on, have faith in or enjoy for many years to come. I'm hoping for a change. Sooner than later.

There’s a good number of vehicles that don’t have rear ac vents. And base wranglers don’t even have ac or power windows lmfao. The mismatch seats were wild but that is probably 0.00000001% of broncos produced. Could the interior be nicer? Sure. Could they have done better than Webasto? Yeah.

Garemlin

Doug DeMuro is the epitome of an over actor. Didn't he used to use that stupid pointer stick?? Or was that someone else??

I just want plain facts and a good walk-around of the vehicle. Not other crap. That's why I like TnT Automobile News. No opinion. Well I guess I also like Top Gear and Throttle House.

tntautomobilenews.wordpress.com

So much one could say here good and bad.

We've had very few and minor issues with ours. Overall after a year of ownership it hasn't been in the shop once for repairs. That's a good vehicle considering ours was one of the first built in a first model year vehicle. We think its in large part to not having all the bells and whistles in an era where micro chips are either scarce or low quality (No ACC etc. on ours).

The bronco A/C up front might be the best ever, but, rear passengers do suffer if hot outside. We live in the desert and last month we parked for a few hours to do a tram ride up the mountain for cooler air and when we returned it was hot up front for 5 min but...the back never cooled off. Kid in front, wife in back...she was a trooper but could tell she was damn hot even with front vents pointed her way. This is top 3 reasons we might sell it someday bc where we live its hotter than most places on earth minus death valley and the sahara. The back needs vents + blower fans for all 4 seats especially MGV . And rear cup holders/armrest/slide & reclining seats in back.

Tie rods/steering. This is the single biggest issue Ford needs to correct on ALL new bronco models and a decent solution should be made available to 2021-2022 models as well.

I'm happy with the I4 but these broncos should have a NA V8 option. Mpg would be same or better with a V8.

Tow pack and nav should be standard on all trims too.

Fit and finish during the pandemic was a concept we all accepted. Now it should be standard practice again. Overall been a good 1st model year ownership experience for us the last year. If you got an early '21 I4 MT Soft top that was a good choice. If you got a '22 V6 Hard top that was a good choice. I expect all 2023 models to have most the major kinks out of all trims.

I knew Litebrite wasn't in it for the long haul when they bought the bronco. You could just tell. Their channel is also kinda lame. They did hit a witches eye or big rock boulder at speed in their bronco and continued to drive fine. Hopefully they gave bronco points for that. They also got a Ferrari 458 recently which I imagine cut into their bronco payment budget. But the wife has an Onlyfans--and nothing wrong with that. You do you. Merica. If anyone interested haha her link is below.

https://onlyfans.com/litebritenation
Moving on. Yes Ford has a little work to do on the bronco. I think instead of having 500 trim levels Ford should focus on 1-3 trims and continue improving them until near perfect.

I've owned 2 4Runners one a TRD Pro, '91 Renegade I6 MT 4X4 Jeep, FJ Cruiser MT AWD, Raptor F150 1st Gen 2Door, '91 Landcruiser, R/T Durango AWD, Dune buggy and many more. The Bronco likely isn't as durable as some of them but I think if a couple items like tie rods were fixed + couple mods like tires, lift and coilovers...bronco could go the farthest offroad only limited by its somewhat large size on narrow tiny trails. For the record my '91 Jeep only left me broke down one time over 20 years between CO and CA in extreme conditions and it was my clutch pedal breaking...and I was still able to limp home in 4Lo. Still kicking myself for selling most of my cars. But as for the jeep it was amazing but it was also slow after 50mph, no good on highway, terrible on washboard roads, and a death trap in most accidents. *The Bronco is way safer than the Jeep.

It appears many folks sell their bronco within the first 6 months or so for tons of reasons from quality, practicality, mpg or they are just tired of the community/hype. Litebrite was no different.

During the pandemic the bronco was an escape and I imagine that's a big reason it sold so well the last 2 years. The pandemic ending is also why many have moved on. We've considered selling ours too over some of the issues stated but can't find a decent replacement nor will many of those choices be gas powered for much longer which blows. Plus we love our cloud ride set up on 37s with suspension upgrades...its fabulous. We also enjoy most members of the community (minus Doug-screw that dillweed) and we enjoy being a bronco aftermarket vendor (sprint booster and custom bronco traceable security labels).

If Ford wants a more loyal following the bronco has gotta be better, tougher, and sold at MSRP.

Lastly. The bronco will always attract customers. But I foresee Ford shrinking down production and sales slowing for various reasons. The 6th gen, while there are many built, very few will still be 1 owner and on the road in 10-15 years. If you find one that is and its for sale...buy it.

Ps-remember. Ford wants you to break your bronco offroading because it (a) likely won't be covered under warranty/void warranty (b) leads to more customer retention for service departments (and new car sales too) which is dealership bread and butter. Ford realized this money pit worked for them with the Gen1 raptor like the one i use to have. I learned my lesson back then watching other raptor owners, that's why our bronco is still in mint condition today. Plus parts take WAY to long to arrive and the techs working on em aren't as good as they use to be IMHO. Enjoy your bronco. But be prepared for what comes with owning one. We have about 6 warranty's on our bronco covering everything from the vehicle AND all of its major mods like our 4WP suspension. And still taking it easy..we have bigger plans for our bronco down the road.

Really the only channel I watch for reviews is TFL.

Hkak45

All I can say is remember that in some forums people love to bitch about issues with the bronco. Of course some of those people have good reasons to hate the bronco with a few getting bad seats or tops, but the tens of thousands of broncos out there that have nothing wrong aren't the ones posting in forums about how great their bronco has been. And then those that are waiting for their bronco get the idea that all broncos are bad quality and that is far from the truth. I'd say the small minority are ones with issues.

I have an early made MY21 bronco that has been absolutely perfect (besides the whole hard top fiasco which I will agree should have been caught in production stage but they replaced it under warranty and all is good now)
I have toyed with buying a wrangler almost every year but everytime I test drive one or talk with my buddies with issues with their wranglers I always decide not to. Then after driving the bronco the winner of best driving vehicle on road is 100% the bronco in my opinion. The interior is way better and nicer than the wranglers that I've test driven. The wranglers will always be better at rock crawling and I feel that is why people say they don't like the Bronco off road. It was never meant to be a rock crawler. I love wranglers but if you want to have great on road driving and also better than 4runner off road capability then get the bronco. If you want to go hard core with rock crawling and better aftermarket support get a wrangler.

I never was concerned about the reliability of the Jeep, just didn't have the downpayment initially and also didn't like the clutch feel of the Jeep. Been driving Manual since '12/13, daily'd my A4 and in the TJ with the 6spd/Jk/Jl, I'm trying to find the clutch like your kid sister who's learning for the first time. Bronco on the otherhand is effortless, and as you say, ain't rock crawling so it's not an issue.

Also, side note, spotted her and her Jeep "Redheaded Stepchild" at Jeep beach. I didn't bother fanboi'ing as I find influences annoying, just snapped a pic of the Jeep and kept on walkin'.

Also, who'd let their woman be online like that? No thanks

I guess my thoughts go quickly to the "death wobble" comment. Why would that ever be OK? Thats my issue with Wrangler, and I DO expect Ford to be better.

I am going to focus just on the tie rod issue. And I am going to refer back to the numerous prior threads on this. Prior posts pointed to the fact that yes, in any off road vehicle tie rods are a weak point, but that this weak point is a much better option to replace as a “quick fix” out on the trail, as opposed to another part that may be much more difficult to replace when off road. I have seen several people post regarding purchasing an extra set of tie rods to keep in their emergency tool kit. Way back in High School my buddies dad was a big Jeepers Jamboree guy on the Rubicon. He and his crew carried just about everything and were doing trail fixes every time they went out. They broke stuff all the time.