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Just got home from Bronco event...

sk00pie

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My local Ford dealer held a Bronco event this morning showcasing 2 new Broncos. Here are my (possibly biased?) thoughts.

Exterior
- Overall the exterior looks great in person. Seems a bit wider than my Wrangler but similar footprint.
- Big fan of the antimatter blue color, really deep and sparkly in person.
- Silver was fine. Doesn't have the gray ish gunmetal feel of the Wrangler silver.
- The soft top exterior looked fine until you get to the back windows. Even in closed position extremely wavy, fit and finish seemed very poor.
- I hate the trim level badges, if you'd even call them badges? Think refrigerator magnets.

Interior
- Interior was a huge let down. The overall quality seemed extremely low. Hard plastic everywhere out of what seemed like a 1990s van.
- The inside ceiling of the soft top was maybe the worst part. Extremely loose and bare metal looking bars that were totally unfinished.
- Leather also felt extremely cheap. Thin, already wrinkled somehow, like you could rip it open with your fingernail.
- The rear tail gate had this weird hydraulic arm to it which actually made opening it harder than the Wrangler.
- Also even though it's the wider car the trunk opening is way more narrow.
- There are these random blue plastic accents on the climate vents and other areas that looked and felt cheap.

Overall probably better looking in person than I was thinking. Interior and just the quality fit and finish in general noticeably lower than the Wrangler.
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... IMG_0992
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... IMG_0993
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... IMG_0994
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... IMG_0995
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Gunfighter

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I saw about 5 Broncos at Silver Lake Sand Dunes a few weeks ago. Not a fan of the boxy body style and yes, the interior looked gimmicky and plastic added to the cheap look. The fender flares remind me of landscape edging. On the plus side the Broncos seemed to have good performance on the sand. Made me feel happier that I bought my Jeep seeing that I was going to hold out for the Bronco.
 
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sk00pie

sk00pie

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I saw about 5 Broncos at Silver Lake Sand Dunes a few weeks ago. Not a fan of the boxy body style and yes, the interior looked gimmicky and plastic added to the cheap look. The fender flares remind me of landscape edging. on the plus side the Broncos seemed to have good performance on the sand. Made me feel happier that I bought my Jeep seeing that I was going to hold out for the Bronco.
Yep exactly felt the same. I do really like the exterior, I'm sure the hard top more so. But that interior was just a gimmicky cheap hard plastic mess.
 

Rcarpen22

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I agree with just about everything you said and I have a couple of Bronco reservations. One caveat. I think the two you saw both had the marine grade vinyl seats, so that’s why it doesn’t feel like leather. The leather on the steering wheel feels awful though. So cheap. Overall, I much prefer the interior in a JL.
 

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Any 2doors? 4dr looks terrible IMO.
 

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sk00pie

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I agree with just about everything you said and I have a couple of Bronco reservations. One caveat. I think the two you saw both had the marine grade vinyl seats, so that’s why it doesn’t feel like leather. The leather on the steering wheel feels awful though. So cheap. Overall, I much prefer the interior in a JL.
Ah they did yes. That would explain it. If I would to build one I personally think they look better in 2 door and hard top. With the simplest interior options would be curious to see.
 

aldo98229

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Thank you for sharing.

Yes, Ford's cost-cutting was pretty evident on a YouTube video by Joe Raiti I posted last week. He zooms closely and you can see the cheap plastics on the LED headlights; side badges that look like those you find at the bottom of a Corn Flakes box; a generic-looking interior; the loose-fitting soft top; a messy engine bay, etc. Interesting that your in-person experience confirms what we saw online.

For all the hard time I like to give FCA, they have us used to pretty nice interior materials and interfaces, with good attention to detail and sense of design. Particularly against comparable Fords, GMs, Toyotas, Hondas and Subarus. Mazda and VW interiors and overall design are perhaps one cut above.
 

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To think I was a bit concerned that my soft top side windows developed a slight bow in them. That Bronco soft top looks terrible. Thats gonna be some serious highway flapping.
 
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That soft top looks terrible - open and closed. are they making in-house or is bestop involved?
that was my question as well. Looks extremely loose fitting.

The leather being wrinkly and soft mayjust be the leather type the used. That’s how it is in our Navigator, it’s still durable and awesome to sit in.
 

L1011

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They had retractable queue belts around the Bronco?!? Seriously? Thanks for giving us your impressions. It's of no surprise that the Bronco has been cheapened down to maximize profit even more. Ugh...
 

Steel8083

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Trying to figure out those pladtic pieces at top front of fenders, do they serve a purpose? Personally not liking the look
 
 



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