First new Ford...Probably the last Ford

[Lowcountry Bronco]

The thing with the higher priced Mustangs is that you are paying for the performance bits. You may be buying a $70K+ GT500, but your interior materials is pretty much the same as a $35K rental fleet special.

I have a 2016 Stage 3 Phase 2 Roush Mustang convertible. Before Roush plucked that car off the assembly line it was a regular old Premium GT convertible. IIRC, probably close to $50K MSRP, after Roush was finished with the conversion that car MSRP’d at $74K.

Very little of that went into the interior aside from some badges and an update instrument cluster.

That extra cost covered a horse power increase of almost 300hp (727 in total), suspension, fuel and em exhaust upgrades.

The interior is still not far removed from a regular Mustang GT.

Now I’m not complaining because I joke that every time I drive that car it feels like it wants to kill me if I’m not careful. That alone is worth the price.

I would imagine the same holds true for your GT500.

Same with Broncos! Everything is based on that $30k base model from '21, anything above that is just lipstick with questionable return on investment for most of us.

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[11811]

There's a semi sticky pad of material you can see that isn't stuck up there anymore in the photo. I have since put some pressure on it to try to "re-seal" it, but it doesn't seem like it will stay long term with heat and moisture. I'm not sure if that material is on all the tops or if ford put it there because they knew about that gap. Surprisingly no water has come in yet.

You have a point there. I can't replicate with mine what you are showing.

 

[rgraphic]

You all might be right the my expectations on this fo

Same with Broncos! Everything is based on that $30k base model from '21, anything above that is just lipstick with questionable return on investment for most of us.

This is part of the reason I went with the Big Bend. I knew there were some risks with the MIC tops which they all use and didnt want to be 70,000 in with all the bells and whistles while waiting for my 3rd or 4th replacement top like some are saying. I guess by buying a lower trim I thought it would hurt less if any issues came up.

 

[GoHawks63]

Same with Broncos! Everything is based on that $30k base model from '21, anything above that is just lipstick with questionable return on investment for most of us.

My WildTrak is a daily driver for most of the year.

During the non-winter months I will drive the Roush or CTS-V on fair weather days so the Bronco will carry probably 75% of my annual mileage.

It will also be the vehicle for long trips, so I sprung for the WildTrak and I’m glad I did.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the Bronco replaced a 2012 BMW X5. I was expecting bigger compromises. After all they are different vehicles.

To my surprise, the compromises were very few.

 

[rgraphic]

You have a point there. I can't replicate with mine what you are showing.

My WildTrak is a daily driver for most of the year.

During the non-winter months I will drive the Roush or CTS-V on fair weather days so the Bronco will carry probably 75% of my annual mileage.

It will also be the vehicle for long trips, so I sprung for the WildTrak and I’m glad I did.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, the Bronco replaced a 2012 BMW X5. I was expecting bigger compromises. After all they are different vehicles.

To my surprise, the compromises were very few.

After reading so many of the replies that others dont have the qc issues. I do wonder if mine was assembled on a Friday by someone with a hangover, as others have mentioned.

 

[dpAtlanta]

I would imagine the same holds true for your GT500.

Yes... but its only a wimpy little GT350. Unlike yours and the GT500 in the 700+ horsepower range, I struggle with only 526 hp . The flat plane crank exhaust note makes up for any imperfections!!
Oh............ and its a Tremec manual.

 

[CrystalRedTintCoat]

INo rattles or anything. Pretty solid.

What!? Nothing? Man, mine is a TOTAL rattle bucket. I just assumed that how these things are with The hard top and tailgate table.

 

[CrystalRedTintCoat]

After reading so many of the replies that others dont have the qc issues. I do wonder if mine was assembled on a Friday by someone with a hangover, as others have mentioned.

It /seems/ like there were two people assembling it. Person on the left and person on the right. Who Knows. I’ve never heard of this misalignment issue affecting just the driver’s side. Is that a thing reported on the Bronco6 often?

 

[CrystalRedTintCoat]

I'm not talking so much about engines or transmissions (though both vws worked flawless). It's mainly body alignment, materials, weatherstripping, paint quality, etc I'm referring to.

Somehow folks don’t “hear” this and just think you’re ranting about Ford; they are religious about ‘Ford’ so that’s what’s going to happen. Same with folks on “Camaro5” about Chevy. Etc etc.

I drive a Chevy and a Ford. I vote Democratic and Republican. I hung out with the Skate Rats and the Athletes (back in high school) and refuse to get religious on any of this stuff. All of these are polar opposites.

I sold an Audi S4 for a Camaro 1LE, daily driver for daily driver. The finish quality could be more stark. The Audi was fancy, tight, polished, quiet, smooth; I felt incredible and in control driving it. The Camaro was loud, brash, wild, and full of plastic — everyone would say “there’s so much plastic in here!”; But, I felt like a kid again and car is so fun to crank over and drive. Now the 1LE is my garage queen.

Bottom line is that we live in a polarized world. “Gotta pick a side.” Please allow grace and room for critical thinking and expression, folks.

 

[GoHawks63]

What!? Nothing? Man, mine is a TOTAL rattle bucket. I just assumed that how these things are with The hard top and tailgate table.

I'm serious, absolutely solid, the wind/road noise also isn't as bad as I prepared myself for. Not going to lie, it's not as quiet as the BMW X5 it replaced, but not as bad as I expected and like I said before, I had different expectations as it is a different type of vehicle with different suspensions and tires.

It's not my first experience owning these types of vehicles. I've owned an S10 Blazer, mid-90s Nissan Pathfinder SE, with 33" tires, another Pathfinder, a couple of Land Cruisers and a Chevy Avalanche.

Now the Land Cruisers ('98 and '04) did the best job of combining off-road capabilities, comfortable luxurious ride and dead solid reliability. Bought my '04 new and it had 160K miles on it when we gave it up. It still ran like the day I bought it, everything worked, still rust free. All it ever asked of me was oil changes, brakes and tires. It's been 13 years, and I still miss that rig, regret giving it up.

Now back to the Bronco, as solid as it is, it hasn't even hit 2K miles yet, so it's still early.

 

[CrystalRedTintCoat]

I'm serious, absolutely solid, the wind/road noise also isn't as bad as I prepared myself for. Not going to lie, it's not as quiet as the BMW X5 it replaced, but not as bad as I expected and like I said before, I had different expectations as it is a different type of vehicle with different suspensions and tires.

It's not my first experience owning these types of vehicles. I've owned an S10 Blazer, mid-90s Nissan Pathfinder SE, with 33" tires, another Pathfinder, a couple of Land Cruisers and a Chevy Avalanche.

Now the Land Cruisers ('98 and '04) did the best job of combining off-road capabilities, comfortable luxurious ride and dead solid reliability. Bought my '04 new and it had 160K miles on it when we gave it up. It still ran like the day I bought it, everything worked, still rust free. All it ever asked of me was oil changes, brakes and tires. It's been 13 years, and I still miss that rig, regret giving it up.

Now back to the Bronco, as solid as it is, it hasn't even hit 2K miles yet, so it's still early.

Maybe my issue is that I’ve taken the hard top off and put it on 20 times so far? Or off roading? Or the tailgate table thing? Or the Factory Rack? Or some combo of the above. Dunno.

When the hard top is OFF the thing is very solid. So I suspect much of the creaking noises is the top flexing. Again … DUNNO.

Again, not complaining about this, I just thought this is how they were mean to be.

 

[MFP2241]

Same with Broncos! Everything is based on that $30k base model from '21, anything above that is just lipstick with questionable return on investment for most of us.

^^ 100% this ^^

However, I suppose it's also fashionable these days (especially in political circles) to profess your love for something and then cry, bitch, and and moan incessantly about how bad it is.

 

[2021FordBronco2]

Sorry to hear you do not care for quite a few things on the Bronco. We purchased a 2022 Big Bend and my wife loved it. As time went on though the Big Bend is second from the bottom on the tier levels. Last year we traded for another 2022 Bronco, but this time a Wildtrak. To say an earth shattering difference is an understatement. I drive a 24 Ranger Raptor, and truly I love the Wildtrak just about as much as the Raptor. My advise is pay the price for a Wildtrak and you'll be a much happier guy.

Or buy the Hoss 3.0 suspension and SAS wheels and put it on your BB as I did.

 

[rgraphic]

Somehow folks don’t “hear” this and just think you’re ranting about Ford; they are religious about ‘Ford’ so that’s what’s going to happen. Same with folks on “Camaro5” about Chevy. Etc etc.

I drive a Chevy and a Ford. I vote Democratic and Republican. I hung out with the Skate Rats and the Athletes (back in high school) and refuse to get religious on any of this stuff. All of these are polar opposites.

I sold an Audi S4 for a Camaro 1LE, daily driver for daily driver. The finish quality could be more stark. The Audi was fancy, tight, polished, quiet, smooth; I felt incredible and in control driving it. The Camaro was loud, brash, wild, and full of plastic — everyone would say “there’s so much plastic in here!”; But, I felt like a kid again and car is so fun to crank over and drive. Now the 1LE is my garage queen.

Bottom line is that we live in a polarized world. “Gotta pick a side.” Please allow grace and room for critical thinking and expression, folks.

I'm definitely beginning to see the crowd here that align with Ford and will brush off any and all complaints.

Also, I lived in a heavy republican/conservative area for a while and now live in Seattle which is solid liberal/democrat. Both sides drive me absolutely crazy at times with their 100% certainty on topics and their ability to hear an opposing opinion. Like you I tend to ride the middle and take on topics individually. I had nothing against Ford to start, but seeing these issues has made me think twice about purchasing them in the future...I dont think thats an unfair or extreme statement.

 

[2021FordBronco2]

My Bronco has one squeak, from the swing gate as I added a much heavier spare wheel and tire compared to the factory 32" tire. I was actually very surprised with the build quality on my Bronco as I figured being a Ford it wouldn't have good build quality. I came from a 2012 Acura TSX and the build quality on the Bronco is about the same, has some rattles from the speakers from the bass just like the TSX did but the panels are just as tight and lined up, so it is on par with a Japanese car.

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