Info on Broncos

[Mustangsvo86]

thank you!

It is based on a Escape, not an Edge.

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[BY-TOR]

It was already said. It depends on your needs and what’s important to you and what you’re willing to compromise.

I did a lot of research. I wanted a capable off-roader that I can use as an SUV for the family. I compared the Bronco to the Jeep (Rubicon) and Toyota 4Runner TRD. I ended up with a Badlands Sasquatch.

While I believe the Jeep may be more “robust” due to the solid front axle, I didn’t want to sacrifice on road comfort or drive ability for monster rock crawling (I don’t plan on doing the Rubicon Trail). I also believe the Toyota (in all likelihood) to be more reliable in the long run, but it drove like an underpowered truck and had less room. So I opted for the Bronco Badlands. It’s VERY comfortable to drive, with plenty of power, all while being fully capable of doing what I want it to do. I understood the Bronco is not a luxury SUV and don’t expect the ride or noise level to be like one. But road noise is manageable (I can carry on a conversation with my passengers without a problem) and the ride is smooth (but not like driving on marshmallows - it’s a truck after all). Passengers find it comfortable though it can be a chore to get into (I switched the OEM rock sliders for slider steps-problem solved). And I haven’t had any real issues with it.

All in all, I love it. More importantly, my wife loves it and she wants to get one too. The Bronco provides more giggles per gallon than any vehicle I’ve owned (though there are days, and roads, where I miss my Porsche). Good luck. I hope you’re happy with whatever you choose.

thank you!

 

[Scoop]

I bought my 22 BadSquatch used with 6K miles on it. PO had the flat tow issue and replaced the transmission. It now just passed 20K miles and I have had zero issues during my 14K miles. The hardtop is a bit noisy at 75 mph plus but I've ordered the Hothead liner with sound deadening so I hope that helps. The mileage is not as good as I had hoped. Those are my 2 "disappointments". Everything else, and I mean everything, about the Bronco has exceeded my expectations! The more I drive it, the more I like it.

 

[springer]

I have a 2001 1st Edition 2-door with 9000 miles and the 2.7L. I've had no issues or leaks and it has been a great vehicle. A little noisy but not unbearable. I'm currently looking to trade it for a 2024 Wildtrak 2-door.

 

[GRB1959]

thank you!

Hi BY-TOR,

Just an FYI, instead of responding to each and every post with a separate 'Thank You' post, you can respond at the bottom of their post by clicking on the 'Like' icon in the bottom right corner of their post and then select the appropriate emoticon as a response to their post. That will help to alleviate some of the extra traffic in this thread.

 

[Quicklime]

yeah, i probably don't need such a vehicle for everyday. but with needing something for the mountains, here and in oregon, and the snow in winter i am coming up with what i think is overall the best. i love my fj which i bought to replace a jeep wrangler that i just never warmed up to. ive not made up my mind yet, just looking for some bronco owners to tell me about some of the issues ive read about. thanks for your reply.

I've put over 26,000 trouble free miles on mine in 13 months. I tell people "Don't get a Bronco unless you get the sasquatch package." It's a daily driver. It gets better than the EPA MPG rating. And to me the twin turbo 2.7 seems exotic. I've been driving for fifty years. This is the most fun vehicle I've ever had(that includes a mid engine sports car). That includes Toyota pick-ups, 4runners, etc. I do my own maintenance , and some of it is a pain. But I love it. It gets lots of beach time and time in the Cascade Mountains

. It goes anywhere, and has never been stuck. Ask my family, we're all surprised that I haven't lost my drivers license- It's hard to keep your foot out of the 2.7!

 

[voxel]

My other vehicle, which is close to my perfect vehicle, is an Audi SQ5. I am typically in ski boots 150 days / year (and am typically at Hood in summer) so I am driving in snow a bit. The Audi's far superior to the Bronco in snow, on most FS roads, and as a daily.

Have you test driven one? I wouldn’t want one as a daily driver.

So I would agree with you with my Big Bend 2.3L 2Dr non-Sas. It would be a horrible daily driver. Noisy, sh*tty radio, underpowered. It felt like driving a tractor in stop and go traffic.

However, my Heritage 2.7L with Sas is a dream. It fixes all the issues I mentioned above and it's probably half-related to Sas gearing (more linear power) and possibly a better insulated top.

I drive the Bronco more than my Rivian (which I spent most of the weekend with - thinking of selling it). I no longer need the extra cargo space so I am happy with the smaller size of the Bronco.

I suggest the OP test drive one in the conditions he/she would normally encounter.

 

[BY-TOR]

Hi BY-TOR,

Just an FYI, instead of responding to each and every post with a separate 'Thank You' post, you can respond at the bottom of their post by clicking on the 'Like' icon in the bottom right corner of their post and then select the appropriate emoticon as a response to their post. That will help to alleviate some of the extra traffic in this thread.
[/QU

I bought my 22 BadSquatch used with 6K miles on it. PO had the flat tow issue and replaced the transmission. It now just passed 20K miles and I have had zero issues during my 14K miles. The hardtop is a bit noisy at 75 mph plus but I've ordered the Hothead liner with sound deadening so I hope that helps. The mileage is not as good as I had hoped. Those are my 2 "disappointments". Everything else, and I mean everything, about the Bronco has exceeded my expectations! The more I drive it, the more I like it.

i have never had a vehicle that got good gas mileage. sorry to clutter up the post, im new at this. thanks for the advice.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

this will be my daily driver. i am an avid hiker so need an off road vehicle for the mountains. i also have had 3 mustang convertibles and love that the broncos can provide that as well. im basically looking for a newer vehicle (i drive a 2013 fj) that has what i want and need in a vehicle. thanks for your post.

I still have my '07 FJC and now a '23 standard 2 door HE and between the two the FJ is a little better daily driver and handles the road much better. Now as for wind noise they're probably equal, my HE has the mod top which is supposed to be better insulated than the MIC or soft top and the FJC is now 17 years with the original seals. Tire noise is the same, running stock size on both, FJC with Nitto's and the Bronco with the bigger Goodyear's from the squatch package.

No issues with the Bronco, it's the smaller 2.3 with manual and a two door but plenty of power for what I need and keeps up or exceeds most traffic out here. With my configuration there's issues with the manual in the past but mine was built Aug '23 and no issues with the latest transmission revision and as for the 2.3 there's plenty of discussion if you need to run an oil separator or not (and once again, no issues with mine).

The FJ will eventually get sold off but hard to want to sell off something that's been rock solid over the years! Either way, good luck in your search!

 

[555-RGNE]

I have a two year old 2022 2 door Base Sasquatch with the 2.7 and just a hair under 36,000 miles. It's my DD. I've had 3 previous 4-door Jeep Wranglers and my wife's current DD is a 4 door Wrangler.

I've had no issues with the 2.7, as I was luckily out of the window of the ones produced with the faulty parts. That'll be a non-issue on anything going forward. The wild card on the 2.7 engines will be bad cam phasers. Several people have already had them go bad and had them replaced under warranty, but Ford has yet to redesign them, so it'll potentially happen again. It's not an issue with 2.3L engines, as they don't have cam phasers. Historically, once you're out of warranty, Ford denies any liability for their poor design and you have to pay out of pocket to replace them (and they're not cheap). Had I realized that this issue still existed on the 2.7s, I would have ordered a 2.3. There's plenty of power in the 2.3 for how you'll be using it, even if you go the Sasquatch route.

My hard top is as good as a Bronco hard top can be, which is still pretty crappy when compared to a Jeep. I don't have any leaks and have removed my top dozens of times. The biggest issue aside from cracking and snakeskin that some owners experience is just wind noise. My wife has a Sunrider on her Jeep (the front two hard panels are removed and there's a small flip-back soft top in their place) and her Jeep is still no louder than my Bronco. All of my previous Jeeps dating back to 2012 were luxury car-like in terms of wind/sop noise when compared to my Bronco.

Broncos handle much better than Jeeps on the road. It's IFS versus a solid axle, so there's little debate. The Jeep is just more "darty" and requires much more driver input to keep it centered in the lane. The Bronco still a big boxy SUV, though. If you're looking for a car-like experience, you won't be happy with any off-road capable SUV (Bronco, Wrangler, 4-Runner, etc.).

The frameless doors on the Bronco are absolute hot garbage. They're awesome when the top is fully off, but terrible for day-to-day use. Mustangs have successfully used them for years, so I'm not sure why the ones on the Bronco are so bad. At one point, I was doing 80mph in a 20+mph crosswind and my driver's side window got sucked out of the seal along the A-pillar by about a 1/2". It was cold outside and I couldn't get it to re-seat without slowing down to 35mph, rolling the window down, and rolling it back up. However, within a few minutes of getting back up to speed, it would happen again. I was afraid my window was going to shatter. Plus, the feature that rolls the windows down a hair when you open the door doesn't work all that well. As the temps have dropped in our area, I've noticed that the windows don't drop like they do in the warmer months and sometimes won't go back up once you shut the door, and it's not like it's crazy cold an hour north of Houston, TX. Just yesterday I thought something was wrong because there was loud wind noise coming from the passenger side of my Bronco when I got out of my neighborhood - I figured out that the window never raised itself back up after my wife closed the door. I used the switch to roll it up and the noise went away.

The recirculation feature on the A/C is really temperamental. Ford had an issue with carbon monoxide build up in some police Explorers a few years back, so they have gone overboard with repeatedly refreshing the air in the cabin. If it's below 70 degrees outside and you don't have the A/C fan in MAX mode, the recirculate feature won't stay on for more than 90 seconds. What this means is that the air coming through the vents will be outside air and will come out of the vents as if the fan was 2 or 3 speeds higher. It's extremely annoying, especially if it's humid where you live. We have a lot of really damp cool mornings in the Spring and Fall and it's impossible dry out the air in the cabin.

Overall, I like my Bronco, but I don't love it. If interest rates weren't through the roof right now, I'd probably sell it and go back to a Wrangler. The A/C and window issues are seemingly ever present unless the top is off. There's a chance Ford will eventually figure out the windows, but it's unlikely to me that they'll ever fix the A/C functionality because of the instances that drove the design change. The fact that I'll be out of warranty at some point scares me due to the cam phaser issue. It's really a gamble, I guess - I can either buy an extended warranty to cover them in the event that mine fail, or take a chance and get hit with a large repair bill without a warranty. Either way, that's a $1,500 or more bill to replace a part that Ford knows is a bad design.

 

[Grant3168]

Has anyone experienced leaking through the tops? Valve problems in the 6 cylinder? Excessive or annoying tire noise? Overall how satisfied are you with your Bronco?

No leaking top to report here* I have had it leak slightly in the self service car wash. Seems to happen if you are powerwashing near the windows. Not a deal breaker and if it does leak, its a single drip. No big deal.

2.7 V6, no issues to report. Great engine and recently got the ford performance tune, feels even better.

Tire noise. Eh, not really. I have KO2s on and they are fairly quiet, the wind noise is more noticeable, but I dont mind it. They might howl more as they get more worn down, but so far so good.

Overall satisfaction? Very satisfied with my bronco! Very comfortable, great offroad and made last spring/summer/fall a ton of fun in Colorado.

Current Issues: Ever since installing a roof rack and roof top tent, I get a subtle squeaking noise. I've tried countless fixes from the forum and havent been able to get it quiet. Its fine on road, squeaks on the occasional bump. Offroad it sounds like an old truck squeaking down the trail. Currently I am assessing if I want to continue the RTT lifestyle or take it off. I can't stand having my 2023 vehicle squeak. This is something I did not know would affect me after my months of research. Still trying to find a fix but losing hope.

 

[BY-TOR]

I have a two year old 2022 2 door Base Sasquatch with the 2.7 and just a hair under 36,000 miles. It's my DD. I've had 3 previous 4-door Jeep Wranglers and my wife's current DD is a 4 door Wrangler.

I've had no issues with the 2.7, as I was luckily out of the window of the ones produced with the faulty parts. That'll be a non-issue on anything going forward. The wild card on the 2.7 engines will be bad cam phasers. Several people have already had them go bad and had them replaced under warranty, but Ford has yet to redesign them, so it'll potentially happen again. It's not an issue with 2.3L engines, as they don't have cam phasers. Historically, once you're out of warranty, Ford denies any liability for their poor design and you have to pay out of pocket to replace them (and they're not cheap). Had I realized that this issue still existed on the 2.7s, I would have ordered a 2.3. There's plenty of power in the 2.3 for how you'll be using it, even if you go the Sasquatch route.

My hard top is as good as a Bronco hard top can be, which is still pretty crappy when compared to a Jeep. I don't have any leaks and have removed my top dozens of times. The biggest issue aside from cracking and snakeskin that some owners experience is just wind noise. My wife has a Sunrider on her Jeep (the front two hard panels are removed and there's a small flip-back soft top in their place) and her Jeep is still no louder than my Bronco. All of my previous Jeeps dating back to 2012 were luxury car-like in terms of wind/sop noise when compared to my Bronco.

Broncos handle much better than Jeeps on the road. It's IFS versus a solid axle, so there's little debate. The Jeep is just more "darty" and requires much more driver input to keep it centered in the lane. The Bronco still a big boxy SUV, though. If you're looking for a car-like experience, you won't be happy with any off-road capable SUV (Bronco, Wrangler, 4-Runner, etc.).

The frameless doors on the Bronco are absolute hot garbage. They're awesome when the top is fully off, but terrible for day-to-day use. Mustangs have successfully used them for years, so I'm not sure why the ones on the Bronco are so bad. At one point, I was doing 80mph in a 20+mph crosswind and my driver's side window got sucked out of the seal along the A-pillar by about a 1/2". It was cold outside and I couldn't get it to re-seat without slowing down to 35mph, rolling the window down, and rolling it back up. However, within a few minutes of getting back up to speed, it would happen again. I was afraid my window was going to shatter. Plus, the feature that rolls the windows down a hair when you open the door doesn't work all that well. As the temps have dropped in our area, I've noticed that the windows don't drop like they do in the warmer months and sometimes won't go back up once you shut the door, and it's not like it's crazy cold an hour north of Houston, TX. Just yesterday I thought something was wrong because there was loud wind noise coming from the passenger side of my Bronco when I got out of my neighborhood - I figured out that the window never raised itself back up after my wife closed the door. I used the switch to roll it up and the noise went away.

The recirculation feature on the A/C is really temperamental. Ford had an issue with carbon monoxide build up in some police Explorers a few years back, so they have gone overboard with repeatedly refreshing the air in the cabin. If it's below 70 degrees outside and you don't have the A/C fan in MAX mode, the recirculate feature won't stay on for more than 90 seconds. What this means is that the air coming through the vents will be outside air and will come out of the vents as if the fan was 2 or 3 speeds higher. It's extremely annoying, especially if it's humid where you live. We have a lot of really damp cool mornings in the Spring and Fall and it's impossible dry out the air in the cabin.

Overall, I like my Bronco, but I don't love it. If interest rates weren't through the roof right now, I'd probably sell it and go back to a Wrangler. The A/C and window issues are seemingly ever present unless the top is off. There's a chance Ford will eventually figure out the windows, but it's unlikely to me that they'll ever fix the A/C functionality because of the instances that drove the design change. The fact that I'll be out of warranty at some point scares me due to the cam phaser issue. It's really a gamble, I guess - I can either buy an extended warranty to cover them in the event that mine fail, or take a chance and get hit with a large repair bill without a warranty. Either way, that's a $1,500 or more bill to replace a part that Ford knows is a bad design.

WOW!!! crazy s**t there. i havent even heard of those problems. thanks!

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