Urban Sasquatch daily driver sanity check!

[615_Bronco]

Pull the trigger!
I live in the country but my job takes me all over and a majority of the time in major cities or suburbs of them.
I enjoy the MT on the trails or in the concrete jungle.

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[helifino16]

With the MT, you'll have the added bonus of preventing a large population from being tempted to relieve you of it. Watch the next Amazing Race to see how people struggle with MT (lol). No one is learning how to drive these anymore.

Even my 2009 Challenger came standard with Auto; the MT was an extra cost if I wanted it.

 

[JEMSA]

I learned to drive on a 1949 Diamond T…owned a ‘70 Bronco 3 spd since the late 80’s, 82 F350 4 spd dump bed, traded a 22 Bronco black Diamond 7spd non sas for 21 Badlands 7spd non sas, and a couple of 5 spd roadsters both early 90’s…not because I’m a manual fanatic but because they were cheaper, functional, repairable…well, the roasters could also include fun…point is to lend a sense of sensibility and credibility to my thoughts…

I only bought 6th gen because I had a contract that took me off the far and out to Arizona for long term. I needed something with A/C. My thought was to replace the body of my 70 (almost no sheet metal left on my daily driver and farm workhorse) while away and then sell the 22 when contract was over - I don’t need two utility work vehicles and the 70 meets my needs for that. I found The differential gearing on the black Diamond rendered 6th too high. Any acceleration / slight grade needed turbo boost on highway. But I fell in love with exploring the national parks and back country out here on my weekends and then I fell in love with just how capable the damn thing was off road compared to my (stock / original) 70. I wanted more!

With Badlands differentials on 33s much more reasonable rpm in 6th. Give some of that back with 35s/SAS.

If 99% urban use, prefer 7 speed and won't accept baby bronco sport (which would make a lot more sense for urban life)…then at least go non SAS. You’ll give up gas mileage, a little pep, and less useful 6th gear all for look of big expensive tires. For me image is nothing. Functionality is everything.

realize I was driving 70 bronco as a daily back when they were laughed at for being $700 rusty bricks and my convertibles were gay/girl cars instead of being the racetrack gateway darlings they are today.

Things I tend to buy start out as jokes, last decades, and end up being classics. Includes my iron barrel 500cc bullet.

I’m not sure the 6th gen will be classics - 30 years from now won’t be able to replace the computer and electric vehicles will blow away the performance but won’t have the charm the 70 has today.

 

[JEMSA]

Oh - should mention - @30k on the ‘21 my manual was replaced under warranty. Started out the known issue with 5th/6th synchromesh issue but upon cracking it opened there was clear heat damage to several bearings. It was on its way out. No issues with the ‘22 but only had 10k on the clock when I traded it. And both were 2 Dr.

 

[PlayTime]

Noise is not anything, first I have a little high frequency hearing loss, and second I've been through 200K miles of convertibles over the years
I'm a little concerned over the SAS gearing, universally I hear that 6th is mostly useless and actually uses more gas. I also hear that downsizing the 35" tires to 34 or 33 puts the gears back to intervals that nature intended.

If I skip out on the heritage (which is obligatory SAS) I'll definitely go non-SAS in my choice.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[indio22]

Any anecdotes or comments to share.

I have a handle on a 4 door, Manual trans, but not committed yet.
Urban environment, Mixed 45mph surface streets and 65mph+ freeways

Yes, I've driven 3 pedals since I first learned in the late 70's, rowing the box is my happy place.

Heritage/Sas is up there in the price range. If you won't be getting much if any use from some of the key functionalities (due to pavement only use), you'll have to determine if there's enough value in the other aspects.

 

[userdude]

Definitely need a Badlands for all the potholes... lol

I had a 95 Jeep Rio Grande that was manual and honestly, I hated driving it around town. The clutch would get hot in stop-and-go traffic and be so soft I could barely get it engaged. I've had three manuals (Ford F-250, Honda Civic and the 95 Jeep) and the Civic was fun in the city up to a point. Now parking the Jeep in the city... Loved that!

Having said that, really depends if you want what a clutch gives you in city driving. I still miss not being able to easily downshift to pass or the pleasure of shifting at times. The manual buttons on the Bronco just don't feel the same.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

I have a 2 door standard HE with manual that's my daily driver and no regrets going manual if that's what you're asking. My commute is 10 miles one way with only 2 lights ranging from 45-70 mph and I live in a small southern town so no real bumper to bumper traffic. The manual feels pretty good, not industrial or truck like, nice short positive throws; if I could say anything is that first is a little short and I have an after-market exhaust on mine so I don't like to just punch it to be the first out of the stoplight because it's a bit on the loud side but all the other gears are spaced out fine.

I'd say that if you want a manual to go ahead and grab it while you can still get a Bronco with one!

 

[Anvilair1973]

My .02. Smooth shifting, light clutch pedal. As far as manuals go it is probably the smoothest and least fatiguing one I have ever driven and I have driven everything from f-150, Mustang, BMW, Volkswagen & Honda MTs' over the years throughout the Northeast and now Florida.

 

[Sailbad_the_Sinner]

Driving my 2 door Bad Mansquatch to work in Houston traffic one day a week has mostly renewed my appreciation for my daily driver, a Range Rover Sport. But the notchy little shifter keeps me grinning from ear to ear, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it…

 

[Durangatan]

I don’t get it. Why would you purchase a vehicle that was engineered for a different environment to drive in the city.

We lived in a few major world cities. It would never be my perfect arrow for those environments. I’d go with something fun and nimble from the VW group.

Our summer residence is 20 miles from pavement, and a 5 minute walk to the Weminuchi Wilderness boundary. The Bronco shines their.

 

[PlayTime]

I don’t get it. Why would you purchase a vehicle that was engineered for a different environment to drive in the city.

We lived in a few major world cities. It would never be my perfect arrow for those environments. I’d go with something fun and nimble from the VW group.

Our summer residence is 20 miles from pavement, and a 5 minute walk to the Weminuchi Wilderness boundary. The Bronco shines their.

There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, in a perfectly rational world I could use a little 2 seater smart car. So I'm gathering anecdotes to flesh out the reality alongside the ooo pretty colors side

 

[Durangatan]

There's a certain amount of serendipity involved, in a perfectly rational world I could use a little 2 seater smart car. So I'm gathering anecdotes to flesh out the reality alongside the ooo pretty colors side

I’m not even thinking a two seater smart car. I’m thinking VW, Porsche , Audi.

The Bronco, while my perfect tool for driving over Stony Pass at 12,000ish thousand feet and down into Silverton, or on good FS road to Creede, is noisy, drives like a pig, and the fit / finish suck. The mystique that I see about how wonderful it is, how it drives like a sports car, blah blah blah is bullshit. It’s a truck with the aesthetics and utility of an SUV body. Do you really want to drive a truck as a daily driver?

Mt perfect daily driver for city and good roads: Audi SQ5. 0 -60 in under 5 seconds, swaddled in leather and soundproofing and surrounded by 17 speakers.

If you have the bank to write a check for a Bronco, and then eat $10 - $15k if you don’t like it after 6 months you should get one. Otherwise you are trying to stuff a square peg into a round hole.

Best to you!

 

[indio22]

I don’t get it. Why would you purchase a vehicle that was engineered for a different environment to drive in the city.

We lived in a few major world cities. It would never be my perfect arrow for those environments. I’d go with something fun and nimble from the VW group.

Our summer residence is 20 miles from pavement, and a 5 minute walk to the Weminuchi Wilderness boundary. The Bronco shines their.

The image can be attractive. People like a feeling of adventure, even if they might not be up for real adventure. A Bronco can provide that feeling. Ford isn't selling a vehicle, so much as Ford is selling an image.

 

[Durangatan]

The image can be attractive. People like a feeling of adventure, even if they might not be up for real adventure. A Bronco can provide that feeling. Ford isn't selling a vehicle, so much as Ford is selling an image.

I get that. As a former SAR professional I specialized in scraped up the mess that those without the skill set created for themselves.

I still don’t get the aspirational thing.

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