- Thread starter
- #1
My wife and I take the kids to STT every summer while they are off from college/school. For many years I have rented a Wrangler, which is well suited for the poor road conditions. I never liked the actual truck, it was small, crude and loud, even with the hard top. Last year I noticed a handful of Bronco's on the road but I couldn't find any to rent, oh well- I guess another lifesaver colored jeep (not really a complaint, I love the viberant colors in the Caribbean).
Fast forward to last week, we landed and I went to Budget where we normally rent and as the clerk was prepping paperwork I casually said I wish you had Broncos. Her eyes lit up and said- we don't but our partner Avis does (literally 5' of counter space away). We talked for a few min about the truck (she loves them too) and went to get a key. She said there was an up-charge which I negotiated to a reasonable amount and off we went!
First off there were at least a dozen Broncos in the lot vs maybe 2 dozen Jeeps (on the ground level of the new rental car lot they built). So it looks like A- Ford is starting to sell them to rental fleets and B- they are popular too. We packed our luggage (which was such a pleasure with the extra space), I loaded up car play and off we went. It was kind of funny to see a truck in STT with heated seats, don't think I have ever seen that before.
It is the first time I drove a 2.3L (truck had 4600 miles, not sure if it is a 25 or 26). I was surprised how good the engine was, it really overdelivers in the power vs size dept. I averaged around 14mpg for the week (which was good considering the elevation changes and road conditions). What an immense improvement over the jeep- power, ride quality, everything was better. Interesting tidbit- the stock Duelers had quite a bit of wear on them, surprising for the mileage but given how most of the roads are rough as heck I can see it happening. I also saw quite a few Broncos on the road, and far less jeeps than usual.
What a pleasure it was to drive for the week, especially being so familiar with the truck, I will certainly be doing the same next summer. As we were leaving I actually stopped with the family and bags in the truck and said I have to get a picture, lol- I hadn't taken any of the truck all week except for when it was parked in the covered garage.
It is interesting to see them becoming so popular down there, I wonder how much of an impact that will have on sales now.
Fast forward to last week, we landed and I went to Budget where we normally rent and as the clerk was prepping paperwork I casually said I wish you had Broncos. Her eyes lit up and said- we don't but our partner Avis does (literally 5' of counter space away). We talked for a few min about the truck (she loves them too) and went to get a key. She said there was an up-charge which I negotiated to a reasonable amount and off we went!
First off there were at least a dozen Broncos in the lot vs maybe 2 dozen Jeeps (on the ground level of the new rental car lot they built). So it looks like A- Ford is starting to sell them to rental fleets and B- they are popular too. We packed our luggage (which was such a pleasure with the extra space), I loaded up car play and off we went. It was kind of funny to see a truck in STT with heated seats, don't think I have ever seen that before.
It is the first time I drove a 2.3L (truck had 4600 miles, not sure if it is a 25 or 26). I was surprised how good the engine was, it really overdelivers in the power vs size dept. I averaged around 14mpg for the week (which was good considering the elevation changes and road conditions). What an immense improvement over the jeep- power, ride quality, everything was better. Interesting tidbit- the stock Duelers had quite a bit of wear on them, surprising for the mileage but given how most of the roads are rough as heck I can see it happening. I also saw quite a few Broncos on the road, and far less jeeps than usual.
What a pleasure it was to drive for the week, especially being so familiar with the truck, I will certainly be doing the same next summer. As we were leaving I actually stopped with the family and bags in the truck and said I have to get a picture, lol- I hadn't taken any of the truck all week except for when it was parked in the covered garage.
It is interesting to see them becoming so popular down there, I wonder how much of an impact that will have on sales now.
Sponsored
