I am so relieved to know I’m not the only person that spends too much time looking at Broncos.Hi everyone, my name is Andrew and I'm a Bronco addict.
Like many of you, I have been looking at Bronco stuff daily (sometime and often for hours) and again just like many of you, I will be waiting quite a while yet to get my Bronco. I reserved my Bronco on 07/15/20. My order was for a 2DR 2.7L BaseSquatch in Shadow Black.
Once the Off-Roadeos were announced, I got super excited and I knew I wanted to go to Moab. I knew the Off-Roadeo would be a blast since I have been to the RS Adrenaline Academy which is the same idea as the Off-Roadeo where Ford provides the vehicles and you learn the technology and features, but with an RS. As soon as Moab was opened, I signed up for the first Saturday available 08/21/21.
A little about me and my point of view: I am a car and motorcycle enthusiast. I occasionally track my cars and bikes, but I have never been into the off-road scene until the Bronco was revealed. Never been off-road aside from a couple forest service roads where you don’t need lockers or sway bar disconnect or Sasquatch package.
I flew out of Everett, WA to Denver, CO and then to Grand Junction, CO and rented a new 4Runner with 5k miles. 4Runner was nicely equipped and was a nice ride and all that, but it didn’t have much of an engine. Very slow to accelerate but it is fine I suppose. Not exciting enough for me to purchase one of those.
I stayed at Red Cliffs Lodge where the Off-Roadeo base camp is located to make things easy. The hotel is right on the river surrounded by giant cliffs. Pretty amazing! If you decide to stay there, look for internet specials on their website or call and tell them you are with the Bronco and you’ll get a discount (and I think it includes breakfast buffet – mine did).
Before I checked in, I stopped by the base camp and checked out the Broncos! They have a 2DR Black Diamond Sasquatch in Cyber Orange on display. All the other Broncos that are used for Off-Roadeo duty are 4DR Badlands, Sasquatches or Badlands Sasquatches with all but a few being soft-tops. Okay, there is a lone 2DR Badlands that is available as well. All the Broncos are automatic and they have ~32 Broncos on site. One thing that I took away is that all the colors look great on the Bronco, so you can’t go wrong!
Onto the event! You sign in and they hand you a Off-Roadeo Yeti water bottle and Bronco carabiner. Once everyone is there, there is a short information session about Bronco history and the Bronco features and 4x4 off-road vehicle and general auto features (IFS/Solid axle, engines, transfer case, differentials, lockers, etc.). After that, it was time to pick a Bronco and hit the road.
I selected a 2.7L Area 51 Badlands Sasquatch 4DR with mid package. It is quite the looker! Since I was a lone driver, I got to have one of the instructors (Jason) ride along with me and we were “tail gunner” bringing up the rear to start. Another guy had the lead instructor (Kelly) with him leading the group. The group was 7 Broncos and there was a mix of Badlands, Sasquatches and Badlands Sasquatches.
Picture after the event:
We started out at base camp and drove about 15 miles on the highway to Dome Plateau trail head. On the way there, they pointed where we would be having lunch – Dome Plateau Overlook. The trail is rated 4/10 for difficulty.
Here is the view from the lunch spot:
Once we got on the trail, we went into 4L and started going over the obstacles. I’m pretty sure that everyone was new to off-roading so there was a lot of instruction and demonstrations throughout the day.
The Bronco was amazing! We got to try obstacles with open diffs, rear locker, front locker as well as the other technology like Trail Control, One Pedal Driving and Trail Turn Assist. The Bronco had no issues climbing up or driving down any of the obstacles.
Of note was a rather vertical set of double ledges where we were instructed to use Trail Control. You press brake, then press center GOAT mode button and then set the speed on the steering wheel in 0.5mph increments. I set it for 2.5mph and let off the brake. The Bronco just climbed up the ledges with ease and so much faster and smoother than I thought it could!
Another memorable Bronco feature was the One Pedal Driving when descending a hill with a ledge/drop-off. Press the brake, press the center GOAT mode button and then let off the brake. You then control the Bronco with the throttle. It is definitely a weird feeling pressing the throttle to drop of a ledge but it worked flawlessly!
My biggest takeaway though is the Sway Bar Disconnect! I highly encourage you to select a Badlands if you go to an Off-Roadeo so you can see the difference that the SBD makes on off-road comfort and the difference in how it lets you tackle obstacles. I was toggling it on and off just to see the difference and it really is night and day! First, the ride quality is noticeably smoother! Second, I would attempt an obstacle with sway bar engaged and I would get stuck. I press the SBD button and the Bronco leveled out and I take the obstacle with open diffs where I would have had to use a locker. Not a big deal to use a locker but it did make quite the impression on me.
Ease of use for engaging lockers, sway bar disconnect and Trail Turn Assist is great. You can be mid obstacle, get stuck, press the locker hero button, climb the obstacle and then as you are moving on, press the locker hero button again and disengage the locker. Super easy!
GOAT mode selection is less smooth. There is a noticeable lag from when you twist the knob to the screen updating. It’s not a big deal since you aren’t constantly switching modes, but it is something that I wish wasn’t there.
We mainly kept it in Normal and engaged lockers as we needed them. We did try Baja a couple times as well and it definitely holds the revs higher. Not too many places to really run the Bronco out but it is really smooth offroad. Also SBD disengages at 20mph seamlessly and re-engages once you slow down below 20mph.
Other random thoughts:
1) Window arm position is great! Super comfy! I love driving with the windows down!
2) A/C runs cold! It was around 100F and I was getting cold from the A/C in the 4DR.
3) MGV was nice! I didn’t notice any excessive heat or it sticking to me.
4) Automatic is a must for me. I felt plenty connected to the ground in the auto. Manual would be an unwelcome hassle with you getting tossed back and forth in the seat! Yeah I said it!
5) Seats were extremely comfortable! We were out there all day and I could have kept going.
6) On the way back on the highway, we had the top down. It was nice to be able to flip the top back and get going.
7) With the top down, the driver’s side mirror was screaming a loud and high-pitched whistle the entire 15 miles back. It was bad! That really needs to be addressed!
8) Bronco is smooth on road as well! Minimal body roll and would be no problem taking a road trip in.
9) 2.7L for me is the play! Nice power to get moving and it doesn’t feel lacking. I have driven a couple 2.3Ls on demo rides and there were a couple times I would have liked more power. If you want the manual, go manual, but if you want the auto, I recommend the 2.7L.
10) I didn’t have the cameras, but the guy and gal that did said it was great for seeing down the top of the hill. Without it, you are blind for a bit.
All-in-all I had a blast at the Off-Roadeo! I liked the Badlands so much that I have since updated my order to a pretty decked out one. Going for the 2.7L 2DR Badlands Sasquatch Lux with Area 51. Once I was around $50k for the Badlands with 2.7L and Sasquatch, I figured I’d spend the extra $5k to get everything. My hatred of money is showing! I realize that you can probably get a manual disconnect later, but I am happy to make the upgrade. A few other people said they would be switching from Wildtrak to Badlands because of the SBD.
Edit: I should also add that the instructors were great! Lots of experience between them, friendly, knowledgeable and funny!
Also, I now know for certain that the Bronco is worth the wait. I had been looking at everything from Ranger and F150 FX4s and Tremors and Jeeps and Tacos and ZR2s and even the new Lightning. The Bronco is the one. I’ll be cancelling my Lightning reservation later this week. You need a Bronco!
Bonus 2DR Badlands pic!
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