I appreciate the reply. I'm in SE MI (Metro Detroit area) and luckily we don't get near the snowfall that you do in the UP. Not seeing a ton of Subaru's around my area of the state and after doing some more reading I agree I can probably get by without 4A but it would be nice to have though.
Thanks for posting your insights and experience in a snowy climate without having (or needing) 4A. This helps put my mind at ease that if I do decide to get a Bronco I'm positive I can live without 4AJust my two cents living in another very snowy climate (Quebec): you don't need 4A. I had similar thoughts, but I have to say my Big Bend did great this winter and I often find that the switching between 2H and 4H is not an annoyance at all. I drove both country and city, both hilly and by the water, for more context.
One advantage of the automatic that isn't to be overlooked is the remote start. My BB lives outside, and I will say that on the freezing mornings, being able to walk into a warm car with the heated seats on, is huge. Also from what I hear, the heated steering wheel is a bit lackluster. I will say, I never once said to myself "I wish I had the heated wheel," given how the cabin heats up with remote start. The heated seats could bake a potato
FYI, I also had my heart set on a manual, but ended up getting a great deal on an out of province BB automatic they shipped in during Employee Pricing last year (and looks like my originally planned manual build likely would not have gotten scheduled either...). The base sound system (as an audiophile) is not as bad as some people describe. I will upgrade at some point, but for now, it does the job just fine.
All this to say, given your original post, your sweet spot may be to shop around for a '24 BD automatic with mid package. You get pretty much all the features which are important to you, and can put some of the (likely significant) savings into a truly great sound system (better than the B&O that you get with Lux). Getting someone else to do the install for you. Another option might be a '24 OBX with Lux, since if I recall correctly, all trims had washout flooring in '24. Just means skipping out on 4A in both cases, which as I said, to me is a nice to have, and not as needed as one might think. Hope this helps!
That sucks. I had no idea they were changing things up and now we have to work through the bugs if we ever get the damn thing.
From Ford... the issue is that the build capacity for the MT is around 3%. That means if they have 5000 orders (just an example) then of those, only 150 MTs will be built for that build week. So basically autos have priority on the line.
I was at Nevada OffRoadeo last Friday, April 21. I drove a Badlands 2.3 with automatic. OffRoadeo doesn't have any manual transmission Broncos.
In certain years they offered they 2.3 with an automatic or manual and others they didn't. It was also model specific. In 2021 you could only get Badlands with a manual if you got the 2.3.
They quit offering MT’s in the off rodeo’s because people would burn up the clutches.
I agree with you - it's nice to have, but definitely not a ~must have~... unless I were buying a Bronco for my wife or kid.
