Let's Be Honest About Our Intended Use

[jntaylor1701]

It will be my daily driver and meant for fun. Not a lot of 4 door, 5 passenger convertibles on the market. It will be the vehicle we take to the family to the beach and I wont care about sand and water on the seats or floors.

It will NOT be a pimped out / mall crawler like the all too many Jeeps that I see in Florida.

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[BroncoSarge]

Wife and I trail and get muddy here. Had scratches on it the first week. She has her Jeep. I will follow or lead the trail in mine the first week.

 

[RonM0710]

With all this discussion of trims, options, and prices, There's a lot of hamsters running around in peoples heads thinking about what they're going to go with. I see people asking questions about should I get (insert) trim with these options or this trim with these options. Now this is good, we're thinking about what we want to spend our hard earned money on, but lets take a minute and think about our needs and intended use of the Bronco.

Now I'm not trying to bash anyone here, but lets be honest with ourselves. How many of us are going to spend $50k-$60k on a totally optioned out off-road trim and go out to the trails to beat on it like it's a 30 year old Toyota? For a lot of people this will be their first off-road vehicle, and off-road has many different definitions depending on who you are. We all might have intentions of going to Rubicon or Moab to tackle the toughest trails, but in reality fire roads and mild dirt trails that sedans can get by on will probably be the extent for the average person. Now before you hardcore off-roaders flip tables, yes I'm aware there are some people out there that will push the limits, but they will most likely be a small majority.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of buying what they want, just trying to start a discussion about what YOUR intended use and needs are and how they align with the trim/options you have in mind.

You just described how we plan on using our new Bronco. That is why I selected the Big Bend. We would have chosen Base but wanted the Mid package.

 

[rgwinn]

This is always a good discussion, and I especially like the distinction the Overland Journal guys always make between "need" and "want". The fact of the matter is cars are fun, but no matter where you go, some guy has probably gone the same place in his camry.

So then we get into discussions about safety margins, and capability, and etc... Living in the high country of Colorado comes with some surprises, and I work as a Paramedic, Avalanche Forecaster, Search and Rescue Responder and Ski Guide. I might be in the minority you talk about, as I travel mountain roads everyday. But, I can also say, like the guy in his Camry, I could probably do it all in a Subaru Outback. So there is likely a even mix of want and need in my Bronco enthusiasm.

For instance, last weekend, almost every east/west route in Colorado's Central Mountains was closed by wildfire and vehicle crashes. We abandoned our usual overland vehicle, a 4x4 Mercedes sprinter camper, and loaded our stuff into the Grand Cherokee. I crept over Hagerman Pass at 11,925 feet, and snuck into the Roaring Fork Valley the back way. We then went over McClure, Kebler and Cottonwood Passes which could all be done in a Camry as well.

What was fun, was knowing we had the margins to deal with whatever the adventure presented. The Mercedes is great to camp in, but would not have made the 12 miles of low range 4x4 trail on Hagerman Pass.

So I can say I will likely spend ~90% of my miles on pavement, but the other 10% wouldn't even be possible without the proper vehicle.

Am I an Off Roader? Not really. Am I an Overlander? Absolutely. It's the possibility that makes the capability worth it for me. Waiting to order an Badlands (4dr,Lux).

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Living in Oregon, I have access to some good mountain, and dune trails. I have been thinking the last week about setting up my new Bronco to be ready for assisting in search and rescue operations, the wildland fires have taken their toll in our community. It’s that 10% that you need to be prepared for, I usually say 80/20 but probably closer to 90/10 for me. My challenge will be outfitting a 2-door with the right amount of supplies and equipment.

 

[NVCowboy]

Allowing for a certain grace period for guys to take delivery, we should have a photo contest for best picture of a Bronco in a mall parking lot. I was originally thinking first picture of Bronco in a mall parking lot, but that would be too easy. It would be awesome for Ford to hold a Bronco sales event INSIDE a mall. The irony would be awesome. If we do it right Bronco in Mall Parking Lot photos could achieve a cult like status, equivalent to Madonna and Child, Bowl of Fruit, or Pheasant Under Glass. Driving said Bronco across mall landscaping, no matter how entertaining, in pursuit of the photo would have to be disqualifying.

 

[Anthraces]

For me it will mostly be a DD, probably in DC (where I will probably be stationed next Summer), but we have family in Vermont, PA, MN, the Carolinas, and Colorado, so lots of road trips, off roading and MB in national parks and beach cruising with the family....hope to be pulling one of these Australian off road overlander trailers along the way.

https://bruderx.com/brochure/exp-4/

or one of these...not sure yet...
https://www.opuscamper.us/off-road/

 

[ColoradoGuy]

It will be my DD used for getting groceries and shuttling the kids to school and soccer. Depending o the season, these activities will occur with the doors and top off.

What I'm really looking forward to is taking up on my camping trips. There are a few spots we go that have awesome UTV/Jeep trails. I probably won't do anything too gnarly for the first couple of years but will definitely have some fun with it.

 

[Mpixel]

Honestly just using it as my weekend car, take it out to places like Yosemite, Joshua Tree and similar parks here in CA. I do want to try off road trails but probably wont be doing any crazy trails anytime soon. But primarily just city driving in LA.

 

[Shabakuza]

First off-road vehicle but I have a lot of friends who have purpose built vehicles. I'm in CO so I will be hitting some moderate trails with friends. Eventually lol.

 

[teerav]

The delay from reservation to ordering has been very beneficial, personally. This thread asks a very important question. Had I ordered on impulse, I would have decked out a Badlands and locked into a 60 month loan to pay for it.

Now I've had time to watch some youtubes about *real* off-roading. Researched around me whats even available for off-roading (its not just literally driving into a random forest off the highway, which is what a lot of my friends think). And also pricing out options. Not just other vehicles but off-road accessories and general upgrades.

I absolutely love the look of the Bronco. I will be proud to purchase from an American company that is manufacturing in America. So Im going to buy it anyway, but each time I look at the price I realize I could probably live with the Black Diamond instead of a Badlands.

 

[RedTetsu13]

I live an hour south of the newly built Holly Oaks ORV. I planned on building my Bronco to be a Pseudo-Raptor, something that can handle off-roading (high-speed + rock crawling + trail driving). The end goal is for it to be both fun but livable. The biggest question up in the air for me is engine choice (really transmission choice). Initially reserved a BD and thought about upgrading to the BL but decided I really only needed the BD. Biggest plans after taking delivery will be grille change to to something similar or the exact same as the BB, OBX, WT family.

I dabled with the idea of getting a motorcycle and fell in love with the retro-styled motorcycles that were out there currently. When I initially saw the bronco via spy photos (not the sport photos) I was still unsure. I watched the Bronco reveal and I was like, shit, I want it.

 

[tshaw2009]

My Bronco will be used for hunting whitetail, fishing, camping, and trail riding. So, it will be offroad several times a year, but probably not so much rock crawling. It will be primarily mud, downed trees, etc. With that being said, it will probably see a few mall curbs now and again lol.

 

[Velociraptor]

Mostly forest service roads but some are in bad shape and would really defeat or beat up my Subaru Crosstrek. I have ridden them on a motorcycle already so have a good idea. Getting a Badlands, but leaning away from 35 inch tires lately.

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