Article: 2022 Wrangler Xtreme Recon Would Beat The 2021 Bronco With A Lift And Bigger Tires

[T Town]

Yeah, this really pisses me off. I had considered a Bronco for a minute. One big thing that drove me away was how they forced you into higher trim levels to get certain options, like their B&O sound system and a heated steering wheel. Those are part of their "High" pkg which is only available in their more expensive trim levels. I'm guessing some of their reasoning was to get people to spend more money since they knew demand would be high.

Now Jeep says, "Sure, you can have 35" tires, but only on a 4 door." Come on... If I'm willing to spend over $50,000 on a 2 door Rubicon you're not even going to make 35s an option from the factory...?

It’s nice Ford will Squatch any model 2 or 4 door.
On the base it’s not a tire and lift only. You get front and rear independently locking diffs, a regear, a 4auto option in addition 2H, 4H and 4 low and also the bead lock capable wheels.
Next year they will offer all that in a manual too.

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[SlowPoke21]

Didn’t realize you had driven one. Can you tell us about it?

no

 

[FinnCustomKnives]

Sometimes competition can have an undesired effect. Look at the rest of the auto industry: it is one indistinguishable jellybean after another.

Perhaps the reason Wrangler stands out so much today is precisely because it hasn’t had the pressure to change so much over time.

Yeah but when you have absolutely no incentive to do better, progress will be quite slow.

 

[Heimkehr]

This should come as a surprise to absolutely no one.
The 2-door is only around for fan service at this point.

I hesitate to agree, but...

Now that I'm driving a Wrangler, I notice the others one on the road more frequently than I did beforehand. The same could be said for any vehicle that I owned at the time.

Anyway, the ratio of two door Wranglers to their four door brethren that I observe is probably 1:7. As time goes on, I'd wager that the latter number will likely grow as the former remains constant. (By way of example, the ratio of regular cab pickup trucks to their crew cab equivalent is off the chart. That should surprise no one.)

I had considered a Bronco for a minute.
One big thing that drove me away was how they forced you into higher trim levels to get certain options,...

FCA and now Stellantis does exactly the same thing with the Wrangler.

 

[gato]

While the 4-door Bronco and 4-door Wrangler are now more evenly matched at the top trim (Rubicon Xtreme vs Badlands Sasquatch), the Bronco is offering a lot more usable space and all the off-road goodies on the 2-door and lower trims.

For 2 door buyers, specifically, the Bronco is offering all the options. That longer wheelbase and IFS is what the lawyers needed to greenlight the big tires, lift, more HP options on the 2-door.

 

[DanW]

Jeep better give us some interior improvements to compete with the Bronco. Like U connect 5, better seats, a dash that doesn't look a five year old designed etc..

Actually I love the dash. The color on it is made to harken back to the CJ painted dash. You can keep the Ford's hard cheap plastic and wonky Sync. My 8.4 Uconnect works perfectly well. It took a couple updates, but it is great now. Ford Sync is terrible. I hope for their sake they improved it for Bronco.

I agree that the seats could be improved, though. But it isn't a deal breaker. They aren't terrible, in my book.

Jeep was ready for the Bronco. Minimal upgrades to out spec the Bronco. And no matter what Ford does, they can't overcome the limits of the independent front suspension.

 

[DanW]

Well, I could have that 100:1 crawl ratio with just a ring/pinion swap. $600 for the hardware. What do shops typically charge for the installation?

 

[aldo98229]

Yeah but when you have absolutely no incentive to do better, progress will be quite slow.

Indeed. The catch is “progress” requires tradeoffs. You can see this very clearly in Grand Cherokee, Ford Explorer...Chevy Blazer!

Today, 99% of SUVs prioritize daily driving comfort and convenience over off-road capability. Wrangler stands alone for resisting to give up its off-road cred.

I’m not saying progress is bad. But Jeep has to do it more deliberately than most when it comes to Wrangler.

 

[Heimkehr]

Actually I love the dash. The color on it is made to harken back to the CJ painted dash. You can keep the Ford's hard cheap plastic and wonky Sync.

Agreed. The last dashboard that looked correct in/for a Jeep was the YJ-era design.

I still remember wondering why the subsequent dashboard layouts, beginning with the TJ and continuing uninterrupted through the 2018 JK, were trying so hard to ape the anonymous plastic dashboards used in every crap box on the road.

The JL/JLU dashboard design has been properly praised for its return to a clean, functional and retro aesthetic.

 

[DanW]

First Xtreme Recon on the trail gets this sticker:

 

[aldo98229]

On that note...

 

[T Town]

Actually I love the dash. The color on it is made to harken back to the CJ painted dash. You can keep the Ford's hard cheap plastic and wonky Sync. My 8.4 Uconnect works perfectly well. It took a couple updates, but it is great now. Ford Sync is terrible. I hope for their sake they improved it for Bronco.

I agree that the seats could be improved, though. But it isn't a deal breaker. They aren't terrible, in my book.

Jeep was ready for the Bronco. Minimal upgrades to out spec the Bronco. And no matter what Ford does, they can't overcome the limits of the independent front suspension.

Bronco comes with Sync 4. Wireless charging, need the mid pkg I think, and more better all around.

 

[mdkautzman]

Sometimes competition can have an undesired effect. Look at the rest of the auto industry: it is one indistinguishable jellybean after another.

Perhaps the reason Wrangler stands out so much today is precisely because it hasn’t had the pressure to change so much over time.

Good point. Absolutely possible.

 

[pablo_max3045]

Well, I could have that 100:1 crawl ratio with just a ring/pinion swap. $600 for the hardware. What do shops typically charge for the installation?

Yeah... but I'm guessing driving around all the time with that crazy ratio is suboptimal to say the least.
We had a few big fords in the late 80's with the crawler gear. They are pretty great to have.

 

[pablo_max3045]

Actually I love the dash. The color on it is made to harken back to the CJ painted dash. You can keep the Ford's hard cheap plastic and wonky Sync. My 8.4 Uconnect works perfectly well. It took a couple updates, but it is great now.

I also think the Jeep dash looks a lot better than the Ford. Though, I think the Ford body overall looks better.
The new uConnect is quite a bit better than version 4. A lot faster now that its built on Android. Plus they will finally start doing OTA feature updates and such...apparently.
The new Sync system is not that bad either. Though, I only use android auto, so it does not really matter to me so much.

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