Broncos in Raleigh

[Wanted33]

Hot damn, they are finally getting closer to Charlotte. I expect to see the same 2 in Huntersville next Tuesday. After owning a Wrangler for two years I've tried to keep my expectations on an even keel in an effort to forego any disappointments.

We've ordered an OBX, so I'm particularly interested in that one. If only Ford would have sent at least one hard top.

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[NC_Pinz]

Missed my 11am appointment at Capital due to a meeting. Will be seeing them at Crossroads. Bummed neither are Squatched.

 

[NC_Pinz]

Saw the two at Crossroads. Bummed there was no Squatch but stoked to see the Bronco in person. Impressions below.

1. Interior room was good. Seat in the Big Bend had plenty of adjustment. Felt good. More leg support than in my Tacoma. Lumbar adjusted to a good point and seat height adjustment was fine.
2. Sitting behind myself in the rear seat had plenty of knee room. Again short legs but it was better than my Tacoma.
3. Interior materials for the BB was consistent with the competition. Felt similar to my Tacoma Pro which is a similar price point as my Bronco on order.
4. Rear storage looked good. Larger than the FJCruiser. It would have been better if the seats folded completely flat but not a concern for me.
5. The rear swing door will need some kind of protection to keep the paint from getting scratched. I use my SUVs for everyday living including hauling tools from time to time. The painted surface is a concern. I figure I go with the little table accessory but there is still plenty of painted surface to protect.
6. Stance of the BB and OBX were fine and they looked good. Squatch will be AWESOME.
7. BB stock wheels are pretty decent. Like them better than the OBX wheels.
8. Non-bronco item: the dealer inventory was way down. Normally Crossroads has a ton of vehicles but the lot looked empty today.

Overall I was happy with the event and it was well done. Ford had the safety of the visitors in mind and everything was clean and spread out. I'm even more stoked to get my BD with Squatch. GOOD JOB FORD.

 

[Bacon]

Those two are working their way up the East Coast. Saw them in Charleston Saturday. Nice rides!

How far up the east coast will they be going? Are there any Bronco's heading to NY/NJ/CT anytime soon?

 

[mmorgan]

How far up the east coast will they be going? Are there any Bronco's heading to NY/NJ/CT anytime soon?

Try this link to Google Maps of dealer show locations.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/v...J&ll=36.11056283675226,-79.77462404165347&z=5

 

[BigSki150]

How far up the east coast will they be going? Are there any Bronco's heading to NY/NJ/CT anytime soon?

Dealership appearance schedule and registering - find your local dealer [add your findings to first post!] | Bronco6G - 2021+ Ford Bronco Forum, News, Blog & Owners Community

 

[Streetfish]

How far up the east coast will they be going? Are there any Bronco's heading to NY/NJ/CT anytime soon?

Saw a sas AMB BD and a Silver BL with lux Sat in Red Bank, nj. They were awesome check the schedule they are coming up further north.

 

[Bacon]

Saw a sas AMB BD and a Silver BL with lux Sat in Red Bank, nj. They were awesome check the schedule they are coming up further north.

When these Bronco’s are at dealerships, is it come one come all? Or is an apt needed?

 

[Streetfish]

When these Bronco’s are at dealerships, is it come one come all? Or is an apt needed?

You need to register, limited spots

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...dealer-add-your-findings-to-first-post.14479/

 

[jrstorm1007]

Saw a sas AMB BD and a Silver BL with lux Sat in Red Bank, nj. They were awesome check the schedule they are coming up further north.

I'm hoping these are the 2 heading to Long Island next week

 

[mdepll]

Saw the two at Crossroads. Bummed there was no Squatch but stoked to see the Bronco in person. Impressions below.

1. Interior room was good. Seat in the Big Bend had plenty of adjustment. Felt good. More leg support than in my Tacoma. Lumbar adjusted to a good point and seat height adjustment was fine.
2. Sitting behind myself in the rear seat had plenty of knee room. Again short legs but it was better than my Tacoma.
3. Interior materials for the BB was consistent with the competition. Felt similar to my Tacoma Pro which is a similar price point as my Bronco on order.
4. Rear storage looked good. Larger than the FJCruiser. It would have been better if the seats folded completely flat but not a concern for me.
5. The rear swing door will need some kind of protection to keep the paint from getting scratched. I use my SUVs for everyday living including hauling tools from time to time. The painted surface is a concern. I figure I go with the little table accessory but there is still plenty of painted surface to protect.
6. Stance of the BB and OBX were fine and they looked good. Squatch will be AWESOME.
7. BB stock wheels are pretty decent. Like them better than the OBX wheels.
8. Non-bronco item: the dealer inventory was way down. Normally Crossroads has a ton of vehicles but the lot looked empty today.

Overall I was happy with the event and it was well done. Ford had the safety of the visitors in mind and everything was clean and spread out. I'm even more stoked to get my BD with Squatch. GOOD JOB FORD.

How big are you ? Good to know to compare based on front and back seat review. Thx

 

[NC_Pinz]

How big are you ? Good to know to compare based on front and back seat review. Thx

5'6", so not that tall. If I were driving the manual, I would have been a notch closer to get enough travel on the clutch. The steering wheel had enough travel to push it farther way to accommodate my arms...more of a straight arm driver...hate having it too close.

 

[Streetfish]

I'm hoping these are the 2 heading to Long Island next week

They should be the same ones. If you are Interested, ask the guy to turn the screen on in the BL so you can check out the camera views and stereo.

 

[rugbysecondrow]

I was at the same event with my girlfriend and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. The colors where an instant turnoff for both of us but my girlfriend simply couldn't see past it. In this case, I had to agree with my girlfriend that the colors looked pretty cheesy. I was kind of embarrassed. She looked at me like I had just taken her to look at a four wheel drive mustang. On top of that, the OBX interior was beat to shit. Hopefully that's because it has 100K miles of hardcore use. Otherwise, I'm thinking the flooring and center console areas just won't clean up well.

Anyway, thoughts on the vehicle... I really do like the lines of the Bronco. It does look smaller than I expected but that's not really a bad thing. Overall the proportions were nice. I hate the look of wranglers but respect what they are. The Bronco had all the things that make wranglers great but in a much better looking package.

I noticed a big difference between the dash of the BB and the OBX. The dash on the BB came up about an inch when I shook it (to the point where I stopped because I was afraid it was breaking apart). She was like "wow, that thing is gonna break". Fortunately, I felt like the interior of the OBX was much more solid. The same pressure didn't budge the dash at all in the OBX. I was particularly impressed with the grey/silver crossbeam. Whatever they are using seemed just right. I think that dash could take a beating without scratching easily at all. They were both soft-tops but there was still a lot of exposed wiring just hanging around the left wall of the cargo area and it didn't look like it was seated well. It just didn't look finished. I think all that wiring would bother me - especially with a dog in the back.

The backseats are cramped. No two ways about it. And, I was getting heat about that as well. The interior is much more narrow than I would have thought. I'm 5'10 150 lbs and I felt okay with the legroom. One thing that surprised me still was the tiny armrest. You can rest your arm or you can use the cupholders. Pick one. That was just bad design. It could have easily be two or three times as wide.

Another uncomfortable feeling was a perceived lack of headroom. They had the top open to the first position, which puts the fold right over the backseat passenger's head. Honestly, it felt a little too close to my head for my liking. Any flapping from that would drive me nuts. But fortunately, I wouldn't have to ride in the back so probably not a big deal. I think you could fit three tweeners in the back to get around town. Any more than that and you are probably asking for trouble. As far as the sidesteps. Absolutely don't need them on non-squatch. In fact, I really don't think I want them anymore.

We cranked up the stereo, sound system sounded great. 12 inch screen looked and performed great as well. It was a little hard to see in dark mode out in the sun but it could have just been that the brightness needed to be turned up.

I'm not throwing in the towel just yet. But, I did lose a little bit of excitement. I'm still trying to keep a level head and remind myself that these were crappy samples that aren't really anything close to what I ordered.

Sounds like your girlfriend isnt keen on the Bronco...maybe she wants you to buy a Jeep.

Funny how people can see the same two vehicles and have very different opinions. I saw these same two in Apex at Crossroads Ford.

The colors are what they are, and they have been known for nearly a year. The red and blue are not my favorite, but Crossorads pulled around other vehicles with different paint colors for people (CG, CO, Carb Gray etc). Not sure the surprise is warranted here. The Bronco IS a sports car, so it makes sense to he colors lean that directions.

Who the f@#& grabs the dashboard and shakes it. Lol. This would never occur to me as something I should do. I pulled the "oh shit" handles in the BB model, and I felt no play or issues.

I am 6'2, 230#. I sat down, adjusted the seat, the mirror, rowed through the gears some in the MT, looked in the console, looked where are the controls are, then got out. There was plenty of space, it felt very comfortable. The front visibility looked good...nothing registered as a concern.

I didn't see any exposed wiring or your issues. Maybe I wasn't tuned into it.

At the end of the day, the Bronco is a cool sports car, it will be fun, but it won't be perfect. I think the past year + has caused a level of analysis, conjecture, and imaginative expectation setting that is hard for Ford to compete with. Some critique is warranted, but some of it isn't, IMO.

 

[Dads_bronze_bronco]

So I drove a Defender 90 Friday night for comparison, and then attended the Crossroads event Saturday. Here is my takeaway:

The defender 90 is fairly plain and utilitarian inside as well. Appointed materials a little nicer, but plain. I can’t get past the “gone mall crawler” feel, which starts up front with the dash mounted automatic gear shit joy stick. It is wider, and the rear seats have more leg room and recline, at the cost of cargo space. And driving in airlifted settings is like riding on concrete. Oh and wind noise (at least with the optional snorkel).

The Bronco:

Very much the size of my Jeep JKU. If you can’t see a Bronco, go test drive a Wrangler four door. Same effective size.

If anything I think the new - post 2012 grand Cherokee like - Wrangler interior is nicer than the Bronco’s, and the Bronco is somewhere between that and the original more utilitarian JK and Toyota FJ interiors. To me this is good. A lot of fun has been poked at the “luxury” JK / JL dashes, these being rugged off road vehicles. The finish on the Bronco is nice though - even the Big Bend. And I really like the switch locations vs the Jeep. Like both sized sync screens too. I hate the gauge cluster though - clearly for the smartphone / tablet fans out there over traditional gauge clusters. I’m not sure if they though just having a speedo harkens back to the EB, but not having that balance of information between speedo and tach really sucks.

Manual shifter feel is good. Not as direct as my JK / still cabley, but good and I can’t wait to drive it.

Engine compartments: both 2.3 and 2.7 have way more space and tidiness under the hood than the pics we’ve seen show. There is room for an ARB compressor, and a catch can. Looked finished enough without the stupid plastic cover.

I was bummed no Squatch or Badlands, so it’s a let down looking at Sahara’s and Sports when you want to see the beef. Axle to frame was about 5-1/2 to 6”. The seam between the rocker and the door (on the exterior side) was about 20”. The guy said the Badlands is about an inch higher, and the Squatch an inch or so higher than that. The same measurement on my Jeep is 24-1/2”, so these Broncos felt low.

Front seats were very OBackseat is nice. I am 6’-2” so my head is up between the roll cage. With the top down or off the Bronco is amazingly open compare to my JK. The rear seats do have three recline positions. They will stay in the furthest reclined position in my view.

Towing - I said this in the towing controller thread. I am alarmingly underwhelmed by the hitch receiver. I haven’t looked at the JLs, but the one rated for 3500 lbs on my JK is easily 20% bigger in all dimensions. Maybe the JK’s is overbuilt. Maybe the Bronco’s is some kind of higher strength steel. But the plating is 1/8” thick, the cross frame - though reinforced - is 2-1/2” thick, and the bolt spacing is only an 8” spread. That think doesn’t look like a receiver overbuilt for towing (something safely less than 3500 lbs) confidently on the trail - more like minimal optimization for 3500lbs on the road. I want the wiring harness, but the tow package for sure isn’t worth $595, and that receiver is getting replaced as soon a something significantly better is available. I looked by the way to see if I felt a Ranger receiver would bolt on where the tow eyes bolt to the frame. Maybe, but I think the muffler and muffler mounts (which are crammed in there) May conflict. Until something comes along, your Jeep friend may be towing your overland trailer out.

Overall impression - coming from a JKUR / adjusting for trim level - exactly what I was expecting. Engine compartment way better. Towing is a cheap, whimpy afterthought that is causing a bit of introspection.

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