Picked up a Badlands

[Rcarpen22]

My heart has been with Jeep for decades and probably always will be, but this is exactly the kind of thing that is pushing me towards Ford. I know Ford powertrains aren't perfect, but Jeep's quality, never good, has become totally unacceptable. The RMS blew on my JK 3.6L at 70k miles and it was not uncommon for them to fail with much fewer miles. That this is still happening with the JL is nuts. From the JK onwards, their motors have these catastrophic oil leaks that appear without warning and completely let go in a short period of time.

Congrats on the Bronco.

Yeah, if the engine blows up before the dealer calls me back, I may be using that reservation for a second Bronco!

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[Rcarpen22]

If I got SAS, I'd run the 35's until they wore out, then put 33's on. At least that's my plan when considering SAS option Broncos. Another thing, that many don't care for but I love are, the steelies... which we all know are only with BD non Sas. Then I think of just putting 33's on the BD non Sas build after the original tires wear out.

I know I'm overthinking all of this, but it's been a fun exercise at the same time.

Did you see the thread from the guy that got the red Black Diamond and put 33s on it stock? It looks awesome and fit with no problems. I think the BD is another great value in the lineup. Rear locker plus bash plates and rock rails. That’s all I really would have needed and would have had to add the underbody protection stuff to a BaseSquatch.

 

[tatud4life]

That's close to what I am getting. Except I'm getting a 2-dr, SAS, with the high package. Sweet looking ride buddy!

 

[Rcarpen22]

No flaming here... just jealous cause you got my ride . Can you give some more opinions on the 2.3L? How does it do merging, acceleration once driving, does the turbo kick in seamlessly or is it noticeable?

Also how was the noise of the soft top?

So, I need to read up on the break-in period and then I’ll post up some thoughts. I haven’t pushed it at all, but it does feel a little less peppy than the 2.0 Jeep. That said, the 2.0 Jeep is surprisingly quick. I drove the 2.0, the V6, and the diesel and the turbo 4 was by far the most eager in my opinion. I suspect the 2.7 will be a good bit quicker, but I would rather have the manual with crawler gear than any engine with an auto. I know the 10-speed is a great box, but I just really enjoy the manual.

 

[ssolypop]

I've leaned BaseSas... then find the steelies someone took off their BD and buy them up quickly. BaseSas would leave me more room to make changes/additions like that in my budget too.

Yeah if you are not heart set on BD then Base is where to go. I want MGV or Leather so that takes me straight to BD or higher. I live in Hawaii and cloth takes a beating here from rain, humidity and sweat... I'm not a fan of seat covers (probably because I haven't had ones I like) so I would rather a seat material that won't hold in all that moisture and smell like a wet dog... that is my main reason for BD. I also want the auto start... again living in Hawaii I like to get her running before I hop in for my drive to work or the store. going to the beach I dont need the remote start...

 

[ssolypop]

So, I need to read up on the break-in period and then I’ll post up some thoughts. I haven’t pushed it at all, but it does feel a little less peppy than the 2.0 Jeep. That said, the 2.0 Jeep is surprisingly quick. I drove the 2.0, the V6, and the diesel and the turbo 4 was by far the most eager in my opinion. I suspect the 2.7 will be a good bit quicker, but I would rather have the manual with crawler gear than any engine with an auto. I know the 10-speed is a great box, but I just really enjoy the manual.

Thanks, I'll be standing by for more opinions of the 2.3 as you get her broke. This vehicle is driving me crazy because I want it all . Decisions decisions

 

[Rcarpen22]

This vehicle is driving me crazy because I want it all . Decisions decisions

So this is the mentality that I think we all fall victim to. It’s like a snowball effect of checking options, then saying well it’s only a little more for this…. Before you know it, your $35k base is a $65k Badlands. But from my initial experience, I am not going to miss any of the options mine doesn’t have (except maybe heated seats). It just really feels like a well-equipped vehicle. Even the bade manual climate control feels modern and “nice.” Also, I think the materials of the interior are better than the pre-production models I saw. The MGV is pretty nice. As others have said, there are some lower quality plastics for sure and the seems on the inside of the soft top are downright kit car level, but I just don’t really care. It’s a convertible off-roader (granted a pretty pricey one).

 

[dingle87]

Did you see the thread from the guy that got the red Black Diamond and put 33s on it stock? It looks awesome and fit with no problems. I think the BD is another great value in the lineup. Rear locker plus bash plates and rock rails. That’s all I really would have needed and would have had to add the underbody protection stuff to a BaseSquatch.

I did... It's what opened me back up to BD and going down this rabbit hole all over again. LOL

edit: using his numbers from the upgrade, I figured adding SAS was worth it on the BD since I'd add all the Sas capabilities. Potentially finding the BD steelies down the road and going back to 33's with the smaller flares. All my builds include some sort of changes going forward, so I'm having fun figuring out what I want to do.

 

[timhood]

What are the specs on the Jeep? 27mpg sounds like it defies the laws of physics.

One spec is probably "drafting behind the Bronco."

 

[bdub2you]

[insert flame here]. But really though, are you going to reveal how much ADM you were willing to pay over MSRP?

 

[TheWoo]

This is exactly that all the hullabaloo has been about on the forum, with Dealerships "stealing" people's orders... either directly, or by inflating the prices so much that the reservation holder walks and leaves the Bronco for the dealership to sell to the highest bidder...

(Obviously in this case, it seems like it was an honest acquisition by the dealership and they did the right thing by not marking it up.(

I've come to the conclusion that dealer hijinks will likely backfire in this situation, if the 20% "true to order" number rumored is accurate. I think 20% isn't an overly aggressive number to imagine walking away. Dealerships who try to manufacture stock to sell by ordering without permission or charging ADM that encourages people to walk away are going to end up with more than 20% non-takers.

Now, maybe that's worth it to some, and I don't know what the penalties actually are, but if the end "non-take" rate is under 15% from the initial round of orders I'll be surprised.

 

[NotoriousBDP]

Congrats on your Bronco! No one has any right to flame you for this. If anything, they should be happy that a cancelled order went to a different reservation holder, instead of some random rich guy. We should all be hoping that reservation holders are taken care of, before the general public has access.

Congrats, indeed! +1 to what @BaseSquatch said. Really glad to see this is going to someone who has a Bronco res to begin with, and equally pleased to see the dealer was fair. Enjoy!!

 

[Heart2]

Great looking Bronco. Congratulations!

 

[goatman]

I've leaned BaseSas... then find the steelies someone took off their BD and buy them up quickly. BaseSas would leave me more room to make changes/additions like that in my budget too.

That's what I'm thinking. The price benefit of baseSAS leaves funds for upgrades without feeling like money was blown on factory options. I really like a Badlands, for the lockers, skid plates, rock rails, sway bar, etc, but can't justify the price difference. We'll tow this behind the motorhome and my wife needs to get in it easily, which is another vote for the BL. I'm thinking I'll sell the baseSAS rims and tires and put on a non-black set of nice wheels and 33's. That also gives me 33's on 4.7 gearing, which might be nice with the 2.3.

 

[SpiderMonkey871]

So, I am a little hesitant to post for the potential flaming, but here it goes… I picked up a 4-door Badlands over the weekend. I have two reservations, a very early (day 2 I think) and an October Granger one. I didn’t place an order in the first round because I have been fully on board the BaseManSquatch train essentially since they announced it. However, the more things have pushed out, the worse that decision seemed to get. I actually reached out to my local dealer and asked them to give me first dibs if anyone decided they didn’t want their order when it came in, but I figured it would be a long shot to get a combination of options I wanted. That said, the only thing I was really completely committed to was a manual transmission. Well, late last week a dealer in another state had a customer decline to take their order. It was a manual Area 51 Badlands, which I really like. I was pretty set on a 2-door, but figured I could always trade it later for the BaseManSquatch. So the moral of the story is that if you’re really ready for a Bronco and fairly flexible on options, pay attention and just be ready to pull the trigger quickly. I did not get a deal, but I paid MSRP with no ADM or prep fees. I think in this market that is very fair. Also, after taking one look in person and driving it for a few days, I am not likely going to trade it. Pictures really just don’t do any justice to Broncos. They look so much better in person. Right off the bat, I can say it definitely drives better than our 2020 JLU on the highway. It’s noticeable, but I don’t mind the solid axle on the Jeep and never found it to be as bad as some people make it out to be. I find it humorous all the strong opinions on the differences between the two vehicles. They are so similar. The Bronco is definitely better in some ways and I think the Jeep is better in some ways, but I love both of them. Not really having a huge brand loyalty, I feel like I can answer questions objectively if anyone has any. I am really looking forward to comparing the off-road performance and will try to post up some info when I can get around to that.

One thing this forum will get a kick out of, the Jeep developed the dreaded rear main seal leak literally on the way to pick up the Bronco. In response, the Bronco decided to give me the airbag light. I assumed the Bronco would have some minor issues given how early we are in production. So, not really unexpected…. Oh, one last point, the Jeep crushed the Bronco in fuel economy on the way home. I’m not sure how much that’s impacted by hardtop Jeep vs big wind-catching open convertible top on the Bronco, but a 4ish hour highway trip yielded 19.2mpg in the Bronco and almost 27mpg in the Jeep. I don’t really care about fuel economy, but I thought it was an interesting stat.

Quick edit: I meant to add that this is a straight up bare Badlands. It has zero options. No mid, nothing. But it does not at all feel like a stripped vehicle. After driving this, I honestly think even a base with no options would feel well-equipped. The only thing I wish I had was heated seats and that’s easy enough to add.

Congratulations! I think you played the game well. There will be a lot of orders not claimed. If Ford made the deposit just a few hundred more there wouldn't have been so many reservations, IMHO.

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