Test Drive Causing Me to Re-evaluate

[mpeugeot]

I felt the same way about opening the doors when I went for a test drive. I opened and closed them multiple times and came away thinking how the window catching on the weather stripping would ruin it over time, not to mention it was weird how the windows spring out and Shake in the door as you open it.

If that's enough to ruin it for you, DEFINITELY do NOT purchase a Ferrari F-355 of any year or configuration....

What's my point? The vehicle should make this little quirk irrelevant. If it doesn't, then yes, you are 100% right to walk away. I am hopeful that the Bronco that shows up doesn't leave me feeling the way you did, but rather more the way I did with the F-355.... I just didn't care because everything else was so much fun.

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[Bituman]

Which dealer in AZ had the test drive?

Camelback Ford

 

[jedmisten]

I was just able to test drive a Badlands 2.3 on 33's yesterday, I was hoping to find a 2dr but no one in my area has one. I would say it's very similar to my Ranger but mine is tuned and it was a little hard getting use to the lack of power I'm use to. Besides that I loved everything about it and the MGV is far nicer than the leather in my Lariat. Fit and finish is about what I expected and people need to remember this isn't a Lexus it's an off road SUV.

No offense to anyone but I hate the whole soft top look! We only drove around town and at 45 mph it had a lot of road noise from the rear and I cant imagine what it's like at 70+ mph. I'm glad I was able to drive it as I wouldn't want to fly out to IA and not like it and have to fly back empty handed. I would defiantly recommend trying one so you're not disappointed when yours shows up.

I agree! I rode in a BL with 33’s and a soft top in Moab. It was awesome but that is my opinion. I didn’t think it was going to be any different than expected. It’s an off-road vehicle which is not going to have all the luxuries.

 

[NotApplicable]

Totally makes sense, and this is exactly what test drives are for. Glad OP got the chance to check one out in detail before purchasing.

Coming from a 2019 JL (also having owned a 2015 Taco and 2018 4Runner), I’m surprised to say that I agree that some of the materials on the interior are subpar compared to the competition. However, the technology is significantly better in my opinion, and the touch points themselves (seats, steering wheel, shifter, arm rests) aren’t noticeably worse (with the exception of the center console lid; it feels really cheap to me, needs more padding and a more solid connection with the base when closed; applying any weight, you can feel the padding bottom out and the lid move too much relative to the base). The rest of the dash that you don’t regularly touch, though, feels not great or actively terrible when you do.

And let’s leave the MIC quality out of this post, though I’ll note that my issues with mine are purely cosmetic at this point and I plan on switching to a good aftermarket soft top when one is available; this is a convertible after all and if you don’t take advantage of that, you’re making a lot of NVH compromises for no gain.

Otherwise, everything matches or far exceeds the competitive vehicles that I’ve owned. Handling, transmission smoothness, engine power (I’m not worried about the 0 or 5 to 30+, my 4Runner, taco, and JLU all sucked off the line and I had no expectations otherwise), lighting, visibility, features, HVAC effectiveness, safety ratings (likely), interior space, cosmetic looks, etc.

That being said, this is a vehicle with compromise, as all are. People who are expecting the NVH, safety, handling, performance, and efficiency characteristics of a unibody crossover or car or even some more finessed BoF SUVs like Tahoe and don’t actually take advantage from any of the specialized capabilities of this vehicle (like it’s off-road capability, or convertible capability) but buy it anyway for looks or cool factor will not only be disappointed but will actually be paying the price on a daily basis a la worse fuel efficiency, worse NVH, worse safety, worse handling, maybe worse performance.

The point is, different needs fit different options more and less appropriately. It’s a great idea to gut check and think hard about and/or spend some time in one of these before making the leap.

Edit: Oh yeah, the Bronco’s implementation of the frameless window drop absolutely blows compared to the other vehicles I’ve owned with frameless windows (2 Tesla’s, 2 BMWs). On those, the window drops far enough and fast enough when you open the door to clear the weather stripping and metal borders completely as the door opens, resulting in no boingy boingy of the window. One of my Bronco windows actually makes a boingy boingy sound as it bounces back and forth when opening the door, but the rest just do it mostly silently with no sound effects.

 

[Mr. Nice]

you don’t know how to buy a vehicle. I paid invoice for my gen1 and gen2. Just sold my gen2 and made 4K and it was 2.5 years old with 13k miles. I have a 2021 on order at sticker. Only reason I could not get the 2021 at invoice is because of the chip shortage. Btw I have 2 reservations for a bronco. 1 at invoice and the other at 4% under invoice. I also have the lightning reservation at 3% under invoice. I am also waiting on a warthog most likely at invoice.

A smart buyer never pays a markup.

I guess I am not as smart as you and I guess you don't live by me.
Dream on...

 

[Bulletbill]

If that's enough to ruin it for you, DEFINITELY do NOT purchase a Ferrari F-355 of any year or configuration....

What's my point? The vehicle should make this little quirk irrelevant. If it doesn't, then yes, you are 100% right to walk away. I am hopeful that the Bronco that shows up doesn't leave me feeling the way you did, but rather more the way I did with the F-355.... I just didn't care because everything else was so much fun.

Lol, I think your purchasing power and mine are at opposite ends of the spectrum. I think the closest I could come to buying a Ferrari is if found a bumper in a junkyard. No, hate from me though, would love to be able to afford something like that.

 

[Bituman]

"The engine was adequate. I have to admit that I drive with a bit of a heavy foot, but the Bronco seemed a bit slow off the line. From about 20 mph up, it performed very good. The transmission was smooth. I couldn’t feel the shifts. I was hoping the engine performance would be noticeably better than the 4Runner. I think it was better, but not by as much as I had hoped. Actually, I have to admit that I forgot to try the sport mode. That may have improved the engine performance a bit and I’m kicking myself for forgetting that."

Keep in mind you are comparing a 4 runner that has 31 or 32 inch tires to a wildtrak that has 35" tires...There is a huge huge difference there. Put some 35s on the 4 runner and see what it does......or drive a Bronco with the 2.7 and some 32s and see how it goes....Off the line the 2.7 will be slow due to turbo spool as well and as you mentioned once it gets going...its pretty quick.

Actually, the 4Runner is not all that great off the line either.

 

[Bituman]

Thank you! I thought "OB" might mean "Original Bronco"....but sounds like the one I had (and is in my avatar" is really an "EB".

That is a good looking EB (1G?) in your avatar. Now you know why us old timers yearn for white tops!

 

[stuckinohio]

I test drove a OB Lux 2.7 and was underwhelmed about the experience, though I enjoyed the drive. The tech was nice the power adequate. It’s smaller than I expected interiorly (I’m 6’3)the leather was nicer than I expected. I ordered a BL mic 2.7 lux to be delivered in about a week. I did think while driving it do I really want to spend over $55k ? I travel for work an get to drive a lot of nice car as premier member with most of the rental carriers. The 2.7 did push me back in the seat which I loved. The soft top was as loud as my 03 sequoia. But I’m also buying it for top off doors off ability. I’ll probably end up with a S5 for my sport driving needs.

I think after waiting 20 years and the last year in general with all fords crap sitting in it was like “meh”. Checking this forum every hour , watching every video on u-tube. I think I’m Bronco’d out because Ford has sucked the fun and joy out of the experience with missteps and misdirection. When I got out the truck I wasn’t more excited to be getting it which felt weird as I see many others on the forums waiting for their trucks with no info from word and I’m a lucky one with a dealer confirmed arrival date. Will I still get it , sure I guess. So I understand what your saying

I think you should at least sit in a 2 door. I found it much roomier than the 4 door. I believe because the pillar is a little farther back.

 

[RubyRedGT]

The most odd thing is when some people are talking up locking diffs and sway bar disconnects - and then you find out they don't even off-road! That's why I call it play acting for grownups. Expensive play acting!

Totally agree. Folks buying Badlands or SAS with no plans to use the expensive mechanical bits these models come with

 

[rugbysecondrow]

Price point is a big consideration. In my mind, this is not a $55K+ vehicle. For under $40K out the door, it meets my expectations.

This. I will be the first to admit that my needs and tastes are basic in cars. I loved my WRX, but it was basic. I ordered a 2 DR manual trans Black Diamond because it is basic.The simplicity of the vehicle is not a "bug" for me, but rather a "feature". For under $40k, it works.

Would I pay $55k+? I don't think so. For that money, I would be a refurbished 1gen.

That said, I drove the 4 Dr MT badlands (soft top) and I enjoyed it. It met my expectations, but I was glad to have a chance to drive it.

It left me more excited. YMMV

 

[North7]

WT? EB? OB? ???

Interpreter needed to make sense of this post. Your shorthand may not match that of other folks!

EB = Early Bronco

All else:

The Mother-of-All Bronco FAQ's Thread

 

[BroncMO]

I felt the same way about opening the doors when I went for a test drive. I opened and closed them multiple times and came away thinking how the window catching on the weather stripping would ruin it over time, not to mention it was weird how the windows spring out and Shake in the door as you open it.

I played around with a dealer demo today for about 30 minutes (didn't drive it though). Badlands, lux, option wheels. The windows were definitely catching if I didn't pause after pulling the door handle and vibrating.

Another odd thing was that the plastic on the B pillar was loose/coming out from being the weather stripping. I tucked it back in, but it was definitely not secured in any way where the top portion meets the bottom about halfway down.

Also noticed the soft top flopped down in my face in the back seat when it was folded back. Probably exacerbated by the fact that I am 6'4".

On the plus side, the B&O system sounded great, even when we popped the soft top back. The leather seats were also great - any issues with the wrinkled leather weren't present.

 

[kodiakisland]

This. I will be the first to admit that my needs and tastes are basic in cars. I loved my WRX, but it was basic. I ordered a 2 DR manual trans Black Diamond because it is basic.The simplicity of the vehicle is not a "bug" for me, but rather a "feature". For under $40k, it works.

Would I pay $55k+? I don't think so. For that money, I would be a refurbished 1gen.

That said, I drove the 4 Dr MT badlands (soft top) and I enjoyed it. It met my expectations, but I was glad to have a chance to drive it.

It left me more excited. YMMV

My exact build. 2dr BD. No options.
For me, this was the price point that made sense. For $55K+, it's just not for me, at all. I've paid far less for far more luxury. I'm not looking at the Bronco for luxury. It's a purpose driven off road vehicle that has a removable top, which has been a constant in many of my vehicles.

I can understand the concerns of those who are spending almost double what I am. I'd have concerns too.

 

[Mr. Nice]

Totally agree. Folks buying Badlands or SAS with no plans to use the expensive mechanical bits these models come with

Your right here. I never drive my "Boss" at 155MPH either

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