- Thread starter
- #1
Honest review after 10k miles for Badlands, manual, High package. In short, Ford did an awesome job on the Bronco. Every time I get in my Bronco it’s all smiles. This vehicle is exactly what was promised. I use it as a family vehicle with occasional light wheeling.
The manual transmission is incredible. While many purists may disagree with the extras it offers, I find it to be both engaging and intuitive. The hill hold feature is great. Also there is an automatic throttle adjustment as you let of the clutch slowly. Crawler gear is ridiculous and incredible when needed. The auto start stop is only when you are sitting at a light in neutral with the foot off the clutch. It is not intrusive at all.
4A is a game changer in New England winters. When the road conditions are variable 4A is essentially AWD - Not 4WD. There is a difference. By using the power monitor you can see that all 4 wheels get power when going straight. However, on tight turns, less power gets sent to the front. There is a clutch between front and rear allowing slippage so the wheels won’t crab. There is a ton of bad information out there on what 4A is and how it works.
Maybe not a popular opinion but Goat modes seem a bit unnecessary – especially since you cannot save a custom profile. Usually I am in normal mode in 2H or 4A (winter months). While I don’t need the sway bar disconnect for my needs it is a fun party trick. Lockers work great in the off chance they are needed. 4L is great but for gets noisy on downshifting when revs are not matched correctly.
High package. One of the big reasons I went with the Badlands was because I wanted heated seats and a manual transmission. Mid package was what I stared with but decided to go high package for the nicer screen and cameras. The cameras do not disappoint. Better for parking in a tight space, off roading, and the occasional baja mode. Kids love that one. Apple carplay works great. Sounds like there is a full screen mode coming on one of the next updates. That will be a welcome option.
This Bronco is incredibly comfortable. The MGV seats are soft, supportive and easy to clean. Left it out in the rain and came back to a very wet interior. Glad I do not have leather or cloth. Nobody does a heated seat like Ford. It gets nice and hot and does the lower back. Way better than the seats in our other vehicle (Honda). IFS makes highway ride smooth and predictable. This is a family car for us and does the job well.
The only accessories added are tow hooks, rubber floor mats and rough country lights. The lights are hooked up to an auxiliary switch which was pretty simple to do. The lights are really bright and make a big difference. I also had it undercoated (not at the dealer)
Misses: Ford did a great job but there are a few things that could be improved.
The 2.3 is adequate at best. It sounds pretty good for a 4 banger. While the power is enough to get out of it’s own way, maintaining speed takes a heavy foot which results in some terrible mileage. I get around 17 MPG most of the time, sometimes 15ish. What is the point of having a tiny engine that gets such poor mileage? I have driven the 2.7 and it didn’t seem like a big step up. Personally I would have preferred if Ford would have just stuffed the 3.5 and mated it to a manual transmission. I’d be happy to take an extra 100 hp and there may be a small mpg penalty. My hope is that the 2.3 is at least reliable for the long haul.
Tachometer-I’m used to it as it is but the bar graph tach is dumb. The digital cluster should be fully customizable like every other new Ford. If there is only one analog gauge it should be the tach, not the speedometer.
Auto indexing windows. I like the frameless but they are bound to break. Partially open windows rattle a bit but I currently have one that does not close properly. Appointment scheduled with the dealer.
Rear seats no ski pass through? Such a simple thing to add. I’m a hockey family with 2 boys. We make it work by putting sticks over the seats but center pass through flexibility would be nice. Also a chance for arm rest and to keep rear passengers separate.
Lane keeping assist works well to reduce some of the fatigue of long drives but why not lane centering? Ford has the technology. $25-30k Hondas and Toyotas have lane centering as well. Seems silly not to have it in a $50k vehicle.
Radio. I have the high package which did not come with the subwoofer or home link. I was going to add an under the seat sub but there is no room. Radio seems to be ok. Not complete crap but the best sound happens when the volume is set to 12.
Roof: The soft top could be better. I’m sure the aftermarket will come up with some better options. Configuration flexibility is pretty good. Flip back, Bimini, all the way down, all the way up. When flipped all the way down, it is hard to see out the back. Ford could easily add a screen to the rear view mirror. It would help when the back window is all dirty as well. We can’t run with just the rear window removed either which has some benefits. Also, the soft top does not look all that great.
Overall, I’m super happy with my Bronco. I did the off rodeo in NH and could not recommend that enough for future Bronco owners. It was really fun and great to see what this machine can do. Travel well, Bronco brothers.
The manual transmission is incredible. While many purists may disagree with the extras it offers, I find it to be both engaging and intuitive. The hill hold feature is great. Also there is an automatic throttle adjustment as you let of the clutch slowly. Crawler gear is ridiculous and incredible when needed. The auto start stop is only when you are sitting at a light in neutral with the foot off the clutch. It is not intrusive at all.
4A is a game changer in New England winters. When the road conditions are variable 4A is essentially AWD - Not 4WD. There is a difference. By using the power monitor you can see that all 4 wheels get power when going straight. However, on tight turns, less power gets sent to the front. There is a clutch between front and rear allowing slippage so the wheels won’t crab. There is a ton of bad information out there on what 4A is and how it works.
Maybe not a popular opinion but Goat modes seem a bit unnecessary – especially since you cannot save a custom profile. Usually I am in normal mode in 2H or 4A (winter months). While I don’t need the sway bar disconnect for my needs it is a fun party trick. Lockers work great in the off chance they are needed. 4L is great but for gets noisy on downshifting when revs are not matched correctly.
High package. One of the big reasons I went with the Badlands was because I wanted heated seats and a manual transmission. Mid package was what I stared with but decided to go high package for the nicer screen and cameras. The cameras do not disappoint. Better for parking in a tight space, off roading, and the occasional baja mode. Kids love that one. Apple carplay works great. Sounds like there is a full screen mode coming on one of the next updates. That will be a welcome option.
This Bronco is incredibly comfortable. The MGV seats are soft, supportive and easy to clean. Left it out in the rain and came back to a very wet interior. Glad I do not have leather or cloth. Nobody does a heated seat like Ford. It gets nice and hot and does the lower back. Way better than the seats in our other vehicle (Honda). IFS makes highway ride smooth and predictable. This is a family car for us and does the job well.
The only accessories added are tow hooks, rubber floor mats and rough country lights. The lights are hooked up to an auxiliary switch which was pretty simple to do. The lights are really bright and make a big difference. I also had it undercoated (not at the dealer)
Misses: Ford did a great job but there are a few things that could be improved.
The 2.3 is adequate at best. It sounds pretty good for a 4 banger. While the power is enough to get out of it’s own way, maintaining speed takes a heavy foot which results in some terrible mileage. I get around 17 MPG most of the time, sometimes 15ish. What is the point of having a tiny engine that gets such poor mileage? I have driven the 2.7 and it didn’t seem like a big step up. Personally I would have preferred if Ford would have just stuffed the 3.5 and mated it to a manual transmission. I’d be happy to take an extra 100 hp and there may be a small mpg penalty. My hope is that the 2.3 is at least reliable for the long haul.
Tachometer-I’m used to it as it is but the bar graph tach is dumb. The digital cluster should be fully customizable like every other new Ford. If there is only one analog gauge it should be the tach, not the speedometer.
Auto indexing windows. I like the frameless but they are bound to break. Partially open windows rattle a bit but I currently have one that does not close properly. Appointment scheduled with the dealer.
Rear seats no ski pass through? Such a simple thing to add. I’m a hockey family with 2 boys. We make it work by putting sticks over the seats but center pass through flexibility would be nice. Also a chance for arm rest and to keep rear passengers separate.
Lane keeping assist works well to reduce some of the fatigue of long drives but why not lane centering? Ford has the technology. $25-30k Hondas and Toyotas have lane centering as well. Seems silly not to have it in a $50k vehicle.
Radio. I have the high package which did not come with the subwoofer or home link. I was going to add an under the seat sub but there is no room. Radio seems to be ok. Not complete crap but the best sound happens when the volume is set to 12.
Roof: The soft top could be better. I’m sure the aftermarket will come up with some better options. Configuration flexibility is pretty good. Flip back, Bimini, all the way down, all the way up. When flipped all the way down, it is hard to see out the back. Ford could easily add a screen to the rear view mirror. It would help when the back window is all dirty as well. We can’t run with just the rear window removed either which has some benefits. Also, the soft top does not look all that great.
Overall, I’m super happy with my Bronco. I did the off rodeo in NH and could not recommend that enough for future Bronco owners. It was really fun and great to see what this machine can do. Travel well, Bronco brothers.
Sponsored
