Jeep owner jealousy?

[brianinca]

Hmmm, I had a last year 2nd gen Ranger and my good friend bought a brand new 97 F-150 ultra-off-road luxo variant (sold it for $8K with 220,000 miles on it! great truck). That giant F-150 was SO much smaller than new F-150's it still blows my mind - the current Ranger is almost the size of an F-150 24 years ago.

We buy scads of fleet trucks at work, Dodge/GM/Ford, and there are multiple new Rangers in the employee parking lots for comparison. The GMT700 trucks our auto shop LOVES to keep on the road look like scale models of pickups compared to brand new Silverados and F-150's. The sheet metal bloat is astounding. The Bronco has the bigger on the outside part down pat.

Edit: Here's a picture of my little parking lot, the fullsize to midsize comparisons are easy to make on daily basis - and an FJ Cruiser parks behind the Dodge on the regular.

Have you ever actually been in one? Its not much bigger than a Wrangler. It looks like it is because the big square fenders are much higher than the bolt on fenders of the jeep.

One thing is for sure it is NOWHERE near full sized. The interior is probably 6" narrower than an F150.

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[DocMike]

Of course. The 4 door I saw felt like a 4 Runner competitor. It did good for a stock vehicle.

I think the Bronco more directly competes with the Wrangler, mainly because the doors and top come off.

 

[sharpsicle]

An article full of anecdotal evidence, and a thread full of anecdotal claims. At least we can keep that part consistent...

 

[bleda2002]

An article full of anecdotal evidence, and a thread full of anecdotal claims. At least we can keep that part consistent...

It's a forum the whole point is to give opinions, else we'd just post spec sheets and instruction manuals.

 

[sharpsicle]

It's a forum the whole point is to give opinions, else we'd just post spec sheets and instruction manuals.

 

[Challenger85]

Without even reading the article it sounds like a "there's nothing to write about so let's make something up".

I really wanted a Bronco since it was first teased. But I just recently backed out. Just too many quality issues, supply chain issues and in all honesty I hate the way Ford packages options to purposely upsell customers. Yeah they are in business to make money. But give the people what they want without making them spend $5k to get options that should already be packaged with other options in lower priced packages.

Don’t even get me started on Ford. There’s not a company I despise more, they have ruined every chance getting a Bronco could be fun. Watching people with DAY OLD RESERVATIONS getting vins recently is enough for me to f’ing scream. My wife still wants a 2 door, I do like them and they’re super cool so we wait. I reserved it for her as a surprise, I was going to order her a big bend with a few options, 12” screen etc and get it in 2021 and surprise her. But noooooo Ford can’t build a hardtop, an engine or keep coolant hoses from getting cut. They hand out priority builds, doubling down on asinine “allocations” so big dealers can sell Broncos while everyone who reserved f’ing waits. I started looking at the B&P last October and I was so pissed off that I couldn’t add the basic items I wanted to the big bend. Next thing I know it’s a Outer Banks, but that interior? God awful ugly. Black diamond? No 12” screen. I really got upgrade to badlands to not have blue or brown seats? Is this the 80’s?

So I had to tell her so she could pick, of course it was the Badlands. My 30K car was now 50K because I wanted a semi attractive interior and a 12” screen. Ruined the fun, ruined the surprise and even she’s now over it and told me to cancel. But I don’t want to because I know she will ask again in a few years lol.

Anyways looking at the Bronco reminded me I love Jeeps so I bought a Jeep. But their system isn’t without fault either with the Wranglers. Can’t get certain things on certain trims without spending enough money.

 

[mike921921]

I just can't get past the Bronco's fem, anime front end (like Rivian). I'm sure 14 year old girls love it - but it's not for me. Will be interesting to see what the aftermarket does to correct it.

 

[PDiddy]

Don’t even get me started on Ford. There’s not a company I despise more, they have ruined every chance getting a Bronco could be fun. Watching people with DAY OLD RESERVATIONS getting vins recently is enough for me to f’ing scream. My wife still wants a 2 door, I do like them and they’re super cool so we wait. I reserved it for her as a surprise, I was going to order her a big bend with a few options, 12” screen etc and get it in 2021 and surprise her. But noooooo Ford can’t build a hardtop, an engine or keep coolant hoses from getting cut. They hand out priority builds, doubling down on asinine “allocations” so big dealers can sell Broncos while everyone who reserved f’ing waits. I started looking at the B&P last October and I was so pissed off that I couldn’t add the basic items I wanted to the big bend. Next thing I know it’s a Outer Banks, but that interior? God awful ugly. Black diamond? No 12” screen. I really got upgrade to badlands to not have blue or brown seats? Is this the 80’s?

So I had to tell her so she could pick, of course it was the Badlands. My 30K car was now 50K because I wanted a semi attractive interior and a 12” screen. Ruined the fun, ruined the surprise and even she’s now over it and told me to cancel. But I don’t want to because I know she will ask again in a few years lol.

Anyways looking at the Bronco reminded me I love Jeeps so I bought a Jeep. But their system isn’t without fault either with the Wranglers. Can’t get certain things on certain trims without spending enough money.

Your a good husband. I would keep the reservation too. We got ours and my wife absolutely loves it. It makes me happy she enjoys it so much. I still prefer my Gladiator but the bronco is a great vehicle.

 

[Challenger85]

Your a good husband. I would keep the reservation too. We got ours and my wife absolutely loves it. It makes me happy she enjoys it so much. I still prefer my Gladiator but the bronco is a great vehicle.

Thanks! I’m glad to hear that, hopefully you don’t have any of the issues the Bronco forum keeps mentioning. Gladiator works best for me!

 

[dcmdon]

Ehhh, it's like a carry pistol. You think a few tenths here and there won't matter, an ounce or two more won't matter. Suddenly, your belt is sagging and you have a bruise on your kidney.

2.5" wider on a hard-to-see-over hood that is DRASTICALLY wider than a JL/JT hood is a LOT.

I agree wholeheartedly on the carry pistol analogy. On .2 inches in length, .2 inches is width, and .2 inches in height and all of a sudden the gun feels huge when you try to carry IWB. (p.s. if your belt actually sags, check out the wilderness tactical instructor belt or frequent flyer belt. The original carry belt)

But with the Bronco, I don't think its actually the hood. I think its the unique way that Jeeps are proportioned. The jeep has blister fenders so the body itself is narrower than the fenders. The Bronco is more traditional with the body going right out to the edges of the fenders.

I was not saying that the Bronco doesn't feel bigger than the Jeep. it does.

But the Bronco is nowhere near full sized. Not by the numbers. And not by how it feels inside. Not even close.

 

[Bucephalus]

I had a reservation. I backed out for a few reasons.

1) the cargo area was small once I saw it in person. Larger than a Wranglers, but smaller than my wife's Volvo Wagon!!! I couldn't fit a dog crate in it that fits in her wagon. This is non-negotiable. I hunt and hike with my dog. He is filthy and often covered in ticks when he gets in.
2) ongoing quality issues.
3) They pushed off what I wanted (a painted hard top) off until MY 2023.
4) The interior looked and felt really cheap once I saw it in person. The Overland on up Gladiator or Wrangler have interiors with more and nicer leather. Nicer dash and controls, etc. The Bronco felt cheap. What makes it even worse is a $33k Bronco SPORT has a nicer interior than a Bronco.
5) Worse rear seat acomondations . My daughters are now old enough where I want them to have somewhere nice to ride. They are teens and still like doing stuff with the family which is awesome.

There are many appealing aspects to it though.

1) drives better than most jeeps on the road. I think I got the best driving jeep made a Gladiator Mojave, and its close.
2) Better engine choices. Sure the Jeep has a 392 and diesel. But those aren't real choices for many people. And they are a huge upcharge. The 4 cylinder bronco moves that thing along great. I drove a manual trans, 2 door with the 4 banger and it was a hoot. The 2.7T I drove in a 4 door with an AT also drove great. Far better than the pentastar.
3) Tech Tech Tech - this doesn't matter to me, but it has created quite a buzz. Goat modes and a 10" screen.

Goat mode?

 

[869 KPH]

Goat mode?

Something like "goes over any terrain"

 

[Bucephalus]

Something like "goes over any terrain"

lol. sure it does.

 

[dcmdon]

Goat mode?

Basically, you put it in a certain terrain mode, like mud, snow, or rock crawl.

and it selects
1) whether to lock the front diff
2) whether to lock the rear diff
3) throttle mapping
4) high or low range
5) traction control on or off
6) stability control on or off
7) sway bar disconnect on or off
8) trail turn assist on or off

So basically if you don't know enough to know what settings to select for a given terrain, it does it for you.

You CAN still select all that stuff manually. In the videos I saw of experienced people driving the Bronco off road, they would select a GOAT mode and then adjust specific items from there.

In fact, you have more options than you do with a jeep when selecting things individually because you can.
1) lock the front diff and not the rear.
2) lock either or both diffs in 4H

One interesting thing the Bronco does allow you to do is lock the front diff and leave the back open. This is used automatically the you engage "Trail Turn Assist". Which is when the inside rear brake locks to help tighten the turning radius. when you turn on trail turn assist, the front axle locks, the rear unlocks. When its on and you reach steering lock, the inside rear brakes activates.

Its pretty slick actually and might be really useful on a long vehicle like the Gladiator.

I suspect that this is coming with some kind of refresh. Competition is good for everyone.

 

[brianinca]

I switched to Hank's Belts a long time ago, so the sagging was more of a concept. Except for 1911's, those will make your belt sag. REAL 1911's, not 9mm aluminum Officer's Kobra Commander Eclipse models.

Full-sized has changed a LOT in 25 years, was my other assertion.

I agree wholeheartedly on the carry pistol analogy. On .2 inches in length, .2 inches is width, and .2 inches in height and all of a sudden the gun feels huge when you try to carry IWB. (p.s. if your belt actually sags, check out the wilderness tactical instructor belt or frequent flyer belt. The original carry belt)

But with the Bronco, I don't think its actually the hood. I think its the unique way that Jeeps are proportioned. The jeep has blister fenders so the body itself is narrower than the fenders. The Bronco is more traditional with the body going right out to the edges of the fenders.

I was not saying that the Bronco doesn't feel bigger than the Jeep. it does.

But the Bronco is nowhere near full sized. Not by the numbers. And not by how it feels inside. Not even close.

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