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JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco

ThirtyOne

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I know Ford is going after the Wrangler in marketing, but I don’t see them competing any more than the 4Runner competes with the Wrangler.
I think the 4Runner is going to get hit harder than Wrangler when these finally come out. But then it comes to perceived reliability. The Bronco will have to have an amazing test drive impression to outweigh the notorious reliability when compared to Toyota, even if that measurement isn’t what it used to be.
I know we have some die hard Ford fanbois on here, but the Bronco has a tough uphill battle. It’s the Dr Pepper in a war between Pepsi and Coke.
Well I disagree on this. This is like a Ram 1500 versus an F-150. The Bronco is clearly head-to-head with the Wrangler.

While it's not a Jeep, it's a jeep.

And the Toyota reliability has been good for only about 130,000 sales/year for the 4Runner. It just doesn't matter in this segment. It is not a minivan.

I can't imagine not cross-shopping the Wrangler and Bronco.
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BuyHold

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The Bronco staff said they have been driving them across the country. So they are functional. But they did say they were pre-production and there may be some slight changes.
That is cool! Hope I am not coming across as a Bronco skeptic; I am actually excited to see one once it is in the hands of the public. So far though the Bronco release has just been, in my opinion, an overly drawn out and excessively choreographed affair. The delays, to be fair, don't seem to 100% Ford's fault due to what I understand is unforeseen supply challenges. Just waiting for the time when Ford removes the "pre-production" disclaimers and lets some real consumers drive and truly review these things. I do expect them to be pretty good but we will see.
 

Richtor

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I didn’t want to get involved in this debate, but I’ll chime in.

I just don’t like Fords. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Overall the Bronco looks nice and capable, but I DO NOT like or trust Ford motors. I’ve spoken to a few local mechanics as well as seen some YouTube’s videos, and the all seem to have a common opinion that Ford motors aren’t made well. If you take one apart you’ll see a lot of built up residue in the block that typically other motors wouldn’t have.

I really hope the Bronco is solid, because I want to see this platform do well and not give customers problems. I am skeptical of anything that’s extremely hyped, the marketing has been incredible to make sells, but does the mechanical aspect hold up long term? We shall see. I like to put my money where I know I get a lot for it, and I typically look for longevity with every purchase. I drive a JLU, all manual. I want the least amount of electronics and moving parts for that very reason. Call me an old soul.
Interesting as one of the first letters I got from Jeep was an extended 150k mile warranty on my heads. They don’t give these out unless there are problems. 12 JL Rubicon.
Also considering Ford sells about one million trucks a year I don’t think the problem is so widespread as you say. Have you seen the engine sign off test? It’s crazy!
At the end of the day, The Bronco will be a nice off roader. We just will not see many of them on the trail. It is kind of like the Toyota 4Runner. Great off roader, but you just don't see many of them on the trail.

I was up running trails over the weekend. Saw a lot of Jeeps, A LOT of Jeeps, and one 4runner. This will be the same thing with the Bronco.
The Bronco group and trail run group will be huge. Though it will take a few years for production to catch up. Raptor crew heading out....

Not sure about the Bronco's on trails as we don't have many major trails around here but I'm starting to see a few on the road. I have no problem giving credit where credit is due and when it comes to overall looks of the Bronco well lets just say there is no credit due.....they just don't have that rough and tough go anywhere kind of look. jmo
Are you speaking about oem? The base oem Jeep does not look go anywhere.
 

8flat

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I dont know that serious crawler and IFS go together. lol. The bronco will never be taken serious with IFS and tech. Now if they go super wide we might be talking, and it appears ford is experimenting with that. But reasonable width axles just wont cut it comparably and the reason they had to go GOAT to cover up its inadequacies.

The bronco will be fun as hell going fast though...but so will the 392. I just wish the bronco was better looking....not to mention on the show room floor...like 2 years ago. lol
I used to think that IFS was almost required for any high-speed off roading, until I pushed my JLUR to the limits on a real rough rocky backroad through the mountains......speeds up to ~50mph over a lot of big rock, small ledges, creek crossings etc.....and holy shit these things ride and perform better at speed than going slow. I was freaking amazed. I race dirt bikes (cross country) and have a good understanding of suspension performance over nasty terrain, I walked away super impressed.

My only complaint is wheel hop in sand and snow, other than that I'm not sure the bronco IFS will have a big advantage for the JL's SFA?? Thoughts?
 

SleepEatJeepRepeat

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FYI i did succesffuly not on purpose jump my jeep bombing out on a riverwash in anzo borrego this weekend.. nothing broke except one of the straps i use to hold down my cooler, and the only damage from that was my buddies tuna fish sandwich exploded all over the back.. #jeepscanfly #neverallowtunainyourjeep
 

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Thus far all the Bronco represents is a concept vehicle with marketing hype. I am optimistic that the vehicle, when they actually build one for and deliver one to the public, will be good. The empty marketing is getting old at this point. Maybe just me.
Yeah, I think everyone has had enough of the pre-launch marketing at this point.

Even youtubers are openly acknowledging that Bronco Nation and other channels are part of a coordinated corporate campaign —albeit purposely designed to appear “independent.”
 

8flat

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FYI i did succesffuly not on purpose jump my jeep bombing out on a riverwash in anzo borrego this weekend.. nothing broke except one of the straps i use to hold down my cooler, and the only damage from that was my buddies tuna fish sandwich exploded all over the back.. #jeepscanfly #neverallowtunainyourjeep
HAHA!
I literally want to jump mine. Nothing crazy, maybe 18" of air, and get a mid-flight picture. I think it'll handle it fine depending on the on/off ramp setup
 

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That is cool! Hope I am not coming across as a Bronco skeptic; I am actually excited to see one once it is in the hands of the public. So far though the Bronco release has just been, in my opinion, an overly drawn out and excessively choreographed affair. The delays, to be fair, don't seem to 100% Ford's fault due to what I understand is unforeseen supply challenges. Just waiting for the time when Ford removes the "pre-production" disclaimers and lets some real consumers drive and truly review these things. I do expect them to be pretty good but we will see.
Dealership reps start driving them next week in Austin to get trained for sales. They are going to do that for the next month, customers will get their hands on them at the beginning of July is my understanding.
Couldn’t be more wrong. The Bronco competes with the Wrangler in the same way a Raptor competes with a PowerWagon.
Those are two vehicles that aren’t even in the same segment. The closest analogy is the Tacoma vs Gladiator and if you think those two aren’t competitors idk what to tell you. (Also the Bronco has a significantly closer feature set to the Wrangler than the Tacoma does to the gladiator.)
 

SleepEatJeepRepeat

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HAHA!
I literally want to jump mine. Nothing crazy, maybe 18" of air, and get a mid-flight picture. I think it'll handle it fine depending on the on/off ramp setup
ya i have rock krawler suspension with upgraded control arms.. not sure bout your set up.. but i got about 18" inches or so.. my wife would say 6" but i say 18" lol
 

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The Bronco group and trail run group will be huge. Though it will take a few years for production to catch up. Raptor crew heading out....
That raptor group looked huge. Mean while over the weekend in the Jeep world in Mesick Michigan.

Hey lets get together and bless our Jeeps for the upcoming season of wheeling....

Jeep Wrangler JL JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco 1620062756611



This is about 10 am. There was Jeeps showing up like this until mid afternoon.
Jeep Wrangler JL JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco 1620062824585



Jeep Wrangler JL JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco 1620062857139


There where so many trail runs after the gathering, you could literally choose if you wanted to go on a huge 50+ Jeep trail ride or go with a smaller group. I put together a group of about 10 or 12 Jeeps and wheeled for about 4 hours.

Jeep Wrangler JL JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco 1620063186154
 

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4xFUN

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I love my JLR and have done a lot of mods/upgrades to make it exactly the way I wanted...I actually enjoyed doing some of the mods, others made me cuss like I was back in the service. Highly unlikely I will be trading her anytime soon-unless Jeep offers a 392 2-door!

That said, if I were buying/ordering in the near future, I would take a hard look at both Wrangler & Bronco 2-door models. Being able to factory order 35's on 17x8.5 wheels with 4.70 gears would save a good $4K+ in upgrades right from the start...and a lot of cussing/fussing with gear/axle upgrades.
 

ThirtyOne

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That’s what you’re not getting. Bronco and Wrangler buyers aren’t from the same pool. Just like Raptor/PowerWagon buyers aren’t. There’s some crossover because both are off road capable, and both will get you to the campsite, but they don’t compete beyond that. Just look at the body shape of the Bronco. It looks cool, but trail visibility is going to be horrid.
Well you just aren't getting it. They have 360 degree cameras for trail visibility. They have a rotary dial with traction control modes. It is a different take, but it is an off-roader.

Is there a subset of Wrangler buyers where the Bronco just isn't what they want? Of course. But most will at least look. And to the casual buyer they are clearly in the same class. Honestly if you put Jeep badging on it, it could be a Wrangler concept vehicle. That's how close they are when you are standing next to one.

Jeep is not selling 200,000 Wranglers a year to people who think like you.
 

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That’s what you’re not getting. Bronco and Wrangler buyers aren’t from the same pool. Just like Raptor/PowerWagon buyers aren’t. There’s some crossover because both are off road capable, and both will get you to the campsite, but they don’t compete beyond that. Just look at the body shape of the Bronco. It looks cool, but trail visibility is going to be horrid.
Probably 50% of newer Wrangler owners couldn’t even tell you the cylinder count of their engine. Let alone the front suspension architecture.

Like I said, the closest comparison is Gladiator vs Tacoma. And if you don’t think those two are cross shopped or direct competitors then no vehicle competes with any other vehicle in your world because unless they are identical in specs/capability/design then they don’t compete with each other.
 

ThirtyOne

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A 360 camera is a cool toy, I’ll give you that, but it doesn’t beat actual visibility.
A majority of Wrangler buyers/owners won’t move to a truck like the Bronco. And the ones that do would have probably bought a Sahara anyway.
The majority of Jeep buyers buy Sport S and Sahara.

Wrangler is not a niche enthusiast vehicle. They sell 200,000/year. Those people are going to cross-shop the Bronco. You and your buddies (and I) won’t. I get that. But we are not the majority.
 

SleepEatJeepRepeat

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The majority of Jeep buyers buy Sport S and Sahara.

Wrangler is not a niche enthusiast vehicle. They sell 200,000/year. Those people are going to cross-shop the Bronco. You and your buddies (and I) won’t. I get that. But we are not the majority.
Ford will sell a ton of broco's it will impact Jeep sales no way it won't.. jeep has had the TRUE offroad semgment all to themselves for years with some mild competition from toyota. It has to affect sales, and it won't just be the sport/Sahara crowd.. the Bronco has chops.. it's not perfect but it is a nice vehicle. Jeep will need to up it's game to protect market share even in the Rubicon/Badlands segment. I am not going to lie.. i love my jeep.. but i will look at both 4 -5 years from now when I look to refresh my fleet.
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