Order/Build Advice

[gaaangs]

Hey guys,

Short time lurker, first time poster.

I've been looking for a Bronco for some time now. I know the build I want...kind of. I want an Outter Banks model with lux package and leather seats. No SAS...and really no other "big" options.

I've been in contact with a dealership and want to place and order here by the end of next week for the banks when the open in March (allegedly). $500 deposit, refundable if I change my mind.

My biggest hang up is the soft vs. hard top. I commute about 25 miles to work each day (highway). I want to be comfortable. I do love the open air experience though and its one of the reasons I want a Bronco.

My heart says go soft top for the ease of open air but my mind is saying hard top for comfortability and less road noise.

Can someone help me out here? Is the soft top that much worse off than hard top as far as noise/climate?

I am just really hung up on this. It's the last piece I need to figure out for my build.

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[OmahaKevin]

There have been several threads on this topic just the last couple of weeks with many, many responses. I know the site search tool leaves a lot to be desired but you can use Google and add site:bronco6g.com to the search terms.

 

[MNBigfoot]

I'll skip the part about getting your Bronco ordered. But a hard top is a $700 (?) upcharge, and sell for $5k-6k used, and soft-top sells for about $1200 used. So if in doubt, I'd option the hard-top.

 

[lakesinai]

Hey guys,

Short time lurker, first time poster.

I've been looking for a Bronco for some time now. I know the build I want...kind of. I want an Outter Banks model with lux package and leather seats. No SAS...and really no other "big" options.

I've been in contact with a dealership and want to place and order here by the end of next week for the banks when the open in March (allegedly). $500 deposit, refundable if I change my mind.

My biggest hang up is the soft vs. hard top. I commute about 25 miles to work each day (highway). I want to be comfortable. I do love the open air experience though and its one of the reasons I want a Bronco.

My heart says go soft top for the ease of open air but my mind is saying hard top for comfortability and less road noise.

Can someone help me out here? Is the soft top that much worse off than hard top as far as noise/climate?

I am just really hung up on this. It's the last piece I need to figure out for my build.

According to recent guidance by Ford, you cannot order a MIC Top at this time. So your question is whether you'll upgrade to a Besttop twill top once you get it, or buy a $6,500+ aftermarket hard top, once you get it. I like my hard top, and I'm about to install a Sky top which replaces the panels but leaves the rear skell on.

 

[Boreal]

2DR or 4DR? I assume 4 because of the softie tossup.

Lux, MIC and Sas(which you’ve already opted out of) are huge constraints. To the point of delaying builds a year or even two if you are ordering once the banks open.

Many love the softie. There are tons of builds and reviews on both sides of the fence.

I’d go softie and High pack at this point if you want any glimmer of a 23MY

 

[jehines3]

Heck if you can cope with an OBX, soft, and mid package, you can get one right off the lot. Dealers have those on the ground.

 

[RHeinz]

I don’t believe Ford ever said that you couldn’t order any of the constrained items. You just need to be aware that when one constrained item “runs out” any Broncos requiring that item, won’t be scheduled.

There have always been constraints. The more of these that you order, the greater your chance of getting delayed.

Also, as others have posted, find a Mega Dealer so you are not dealing with dealer allocations, which for some reason seem to be a secret.

 

[Layman]

I was dead set on having a hardtop until I found a soft top available for sale on the dealer lot last summer. Badlands 7MT with a soft top and ALMOST NO WAIT was too good to pass up. I bought it and have loved it. I thought the soft top was something I would have to live with, but it ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the truck. No regrets!!!!

However, MNBigFoot does raise a valid point. If I were ordering I would probably order the hard top and get an aftermarket or factory take-off soft top. The economics of ordering a harp top is a compelling case. However so is the extended wait. LOL.

 

[Dral97]

In general with my experience:

The soft top is easier for open air, but you can also get one of the bestop sunriders for the hardtop. Not as open, but still a good compromise.

Back when I had my first TJ I kept soft top on year round (mid-Atlantic region). The road/wind noise will hypothetically be worse with soft top. Also, in dead of winter, you risk cracking the windows if you need to lift them up to access the cargo space in the back. Lastly, while you can buy locked space for the back cargo space, a soft top doesn't offer the same in security. I say a bit jokingly that if you have a soft top, you may as well keep your doors unlocked so if someone wants to get in to root around, they'll just open your door instead of slashing the back.

Overall, the cold/heat and comfortability of year 'round soft top did not affect me at all. It was perfectly fine. Granted that was when I was in my 20s, but also climate control systems have come a long way since then (especially from a 97 wrangler TJ).

 

[HBTFD]

I received my 21 4dr soft top on Dec of 2021 and just got my 2 door 23 this month. The soft top is louder on the hwy, wind noise is 2-3 decibels higher on my phone app. The road noise from passing cars and especially 18 wheelers is much much louder in a soft top. I was able to block some wind noise with a Bimini top and shipping blankets. I never figured out how to reduce the noise thru the plastic windows.

The soft top can be flipped back to give the first row open air just like the hard top. To retract the top all the way the plastic windows need to be removed. The rear view mirror is almost useless with the top back. Window removal takes 2-3 min and it’s difficult to store the windows in the bronco. Of course the rear of the hardtop takes much more effort to remove.

Hope this helps.

 

[mike8675309]

...
My heart says go soft top for the ease of open air but my mind is saying hard top for comfortability and less road noise.
...
Can someone help me out here? Is the soft top that much worse off than hard top as far as noise/climate?

I am just really hung up on this. It's the last piece I need to figure out for my build.

Get in a pickup truck from the early 70s and drive down the highway. Neither the soft top nor the hard top will be as loud as that. But they both are louder than a 2020 pickup driving down the highway. Your saying ease of open-air has me thinking of the soft top for sure, particularly if you don't have somewhere to store your hard top.
Jorge with Tomball Ford did a decibel meter test with various ford vehicles.
Ford Expedition - Avg 61.9 db
F150 XLT - Avg 61.8 db
Badland with Soft top up - Avg 64.5 db
Wildtrack with soft top down - Avg 68.6 db
Wildtrack with a hard top - Avg 63.5 db
That should help you make a choice.

 

[HBTFD]

No way a soft top is 64 dBs.

 

[gaaangs]

Get in a pickup truck from the early 70s and drive down the highway. Neither the soft top nor the hard top will be as loud as that. But they both are louder than a 2020 pickup driving down the highway. Your saying ease of open-air has me thinking of the soft top for sure, particularly if you don't have somewhere to store your hard top.
Jorge with Tomball Ford did a decibel meter test with various ford vehicles.
Ford Expedition - Avg 61.9 db
F150 XLT - Avg 61.8 db
Badland with Soft top up - Avg 64.5 db
Wildtrack with soft top down - Avg 68.6 db
Wildtrack with a hard top - Avg 63.5 db
That should help you make a choice.

So the soft top is only 1 DB higher than the hard top? If that is the case, then my decision is an easy one...

 

[jehines3]

Window removal takes 2-3 min and it’s difficult to store the windows in the bronco.

Hope this helps.

Get the window storage bag. Game Changer.

 

[HBTFD]

So the soft top is only 1 DB higher than the hard top? If that is the case, then my decision is an easy one...

For wind noise they are close. For road noise they are much different.

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