Bronco fad?

[desertdude59]

I walked into my local dealership two weeks ago and saw a 2024 Sport 4xe for 55k. If it hadn’t been for Ratberts dealer invoice pricing sheet, I probably wouldn’t have ordered a new JLUR last April. Seriously considered cancelling altogether after waiting for 6 months, but decided to hold on as the price increases on everything else wasn’t any better.

Yeah I'm gonna hang onto my Jeep for a while. The prices sure aren't going down. I read somewhere (not sure if it's true) that the EV batteries are only good for about 5-6 years in the wrangler before needing replacement. Not sure where they are getting the info at.

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[Dusty Dude]

Yeah I'm gonna hang onto my Jeep for a while. The prices sure aren't going down. I read somewhere (not sure if it's true) that the EV batteries are only good for about 5-6 years in the wrangler before needing replacement. Not sure where they are getting the info at.

I will be hanging on to mine as well. No complicated 4xe battery system, no complicated e-Torque battery system, no turbo, and the stupid motorcycle ESS battery is being eliminated. The V6 auto is complicated enough as it is…

 

[jac04]

I have had my Wildtrak since October after 4 years of Jeep ownership and heavily modding my 2019 JLUR, then subsequently dumping it. As others have stated, it is different strokes for different folks.

Internet amplification of issues (no matter what brand) is ALWAYS going to trump the good experiences. Had I listened to 1/10 of the things posted on this forum back in August of 2019, I would have ran away from a Jeep as fast as the AMG that I sold to buy it would let me. The EXACT same could be said for the Bronco forum where the 0.1% of issues appear to be 90%.

There will always be things that different form factors (SFA vs IFS) can handle better. My Bronco colleagues will argue that a Bronco can do everything a Jeep can. Not true--it can with a but...you are likely going to break something unless you upgrade and even then there are limitations. The same can be said for a Jeep depending on the use case. You will have to upgrade many things to accomplish certain use cases, or you will break something. A Jeep will never ride as well as the Bronco and for the vast majority of us, despite our penchant for offroading, we all spend a VERY high majority of the time just driving them.

There are countless things that FCA should have crammed up their posteriors from a design perspective and while I will not lament them here, we all know what they are. Ford has some of the same issues. BUT, guess what? All OEMs will. It is the balance of cost/profit that will forever cause decisions to be made that cause us as the ultimate end user to scratch our heads and say WTF.

For me, there are a few things that I miss on the Jeep. The instrumentation (Off-Road Pages) in the Jeep are far better than Ford's rendition--even in the BRaptor. The LED headlights on the Jeep are better as is the internal lighting. G.O.A.T. mode is nice, but I miss the second lever on the console.

With that said, none of that is enough to cause me to move back to a Jeep platform. My lifestyle has changed (wife has 2 bionic knees) and so rock crawling no longer has the allure it once did. I also struggled immensely with the lack of power in the Jeep and just decided to cut my losses versus adding a supercharger or a hemi swap. Oil coolers, auxiliary batteries, lack of heat control were just additional straws on the proverbial camel's back.

Again...different strokes for different folks and neither choice is wrong.

Well said.

I really enjoy my 2021 JT Mojave, especially how it handles the snow with Selec-Trac.

BUT, I don't really use it for anything where I can take advantage of its 'strengths', and I wish it had another 100 hp. They say "happiness is having something to look forward to", so I guess I'll be happy for another year or so until I can get my hands on a Ranger Raptor.

 

[SadRobot]

 

[Whaler27]

I think a lot of it is the cost. Not everyone has the ability to swallow a payment that starts in the mid $700s for a big bend (new base model). Bronco.

I just checked the Ford/Bronco website and the big bend model is the new base model. Looks like they dropped the original base model. The big bend starts at $39k and the ford calculator showed a payment of $735 or something like that.

I know you can have a bigger down payment and get a loan through a credit union for better rates or whatever, but that is still a LOT of money. I gave it the automatic transmission and the Sasquatch package and the payment jumped to $950 (close too).

I think really Jeep is going to struggle with sales in the new year too as wranglers are really expensive too. I think affordability is going to be an issue. A Sport S 4 door now starts at $40k.

Stetson

According to the Autoweek auricle linked earlier, the average new vehicle in the USA is about $50,000, so $40,000 is about 20% below average.

Like real estate costs, vehicle prices have climbed sharply. Most people need a mortgage to buy a home — at least a first home — and the same is true for lots of vehicle buyers. I expect that to translate to slower sales and slower growth in prices. Inflation is slowing, at least for now.

People who choose to finance are seeing bigger payments. On the other hand, fast food jobs in my youth were paying about $2 per hour and now many of them are paying $18 to $19 per hour, at least in Oregon where few people seem inclined to work. A $1000 payment today is an easier lift on a McDonalds paycheck than a $150 payment was in my youth.

 

[rcadden]

I love my Jeep, and don't intend to sell it, but will rather pass it on to my daughter when she turns 16. However, I don't think I'd buy another SFA vehicle. I just don't use the benefits ever - all of the trails I enjoy have been done with a 4runner and/Bronco.

I know I want an SUV vs truck, but I like the size of the Wrangler, and I LOVE being able to open the Sunrider or remove the top.

If the next gen 4runner has a panoramic roof, I'd probably go that route.

I REALLY wish GM would take the new Tahoe body and shrink it down to fit the Colorado base. I think that'd be an awesome combo.

 

[desertdude59]

I will be hanging on to mine as well. No complicated 4xe battery system, no complicated e-Torque battery system, no turbo, and the stupid motorcycle ESS battery is being eliminated. The V6 auto is complicated enough as it is…

Yeah I don't see the need to dump mine. I am slowly modding it, but it works for my situation. I don't think I want to afford a newer Wrangler not that mine is really old.

 

[Dusty Dude]

However, I don't think I'd buy another SFA vehicle. I just don't use the benefits ever…

and I LOVE being able to open the Sunrider or remove the top.

The benefits of the Jeep aren’t all about the SFA, but the SFA is a plus. A LOT of mall crawlers/beachcombers were bought only because of the Sunrider/removable top.

 

[Blueliner3]

A lot of people jump from new vehicle to new vehicle every few years.

The early adopters and gotta-have-its have moved through Bronco territory already and now it’s just another expensive SUV option next to Wrangler and 4Runner.

Plus they already have their Land Cruiser orders in. ?

 

[Stetson]

There is a basic 2023 4 door Sport S Wrangler by my house for 55k. They must think its special.

Add an automatic transmission, a hard top and maybe something else and it adds up quick. The $40k is for the base Sport S with a manual and a soft top.

 

[desertdude59]

Add an automatic transmission, a hard top and maybe something else and it adds up quick. The $40k is for the base Sport S with a manual and a soft top.

It has all that, but personally it's not 55k special to me. You could buy a nice Rubicon for that before. Now that I'd pay the 55k. I do know all those add-ons do get expensive.

 

[coalcracker]

I’m not one of those folks who think I have to “hate” the Bronco because I have a Jeep. I like that there are options and I like that the Bronco is available for folks who want that type of vehicle.

Someone I know had a reservation for a Bronco for like 2 years and finally decided against converting it to an order because he didn’t like the dealership games and the huge markups. I wasn’t there with him but he said he felt like the dealership he was working with was being shady about guaranteeing no markup on his order.

The experience turned him off and he decided he didn’t want a Bronco that badly. And now with interest rates etc, he just decided to keep the paid-off vehicle he already has (older Grand Cherokee).

 

[JLfromCA]

Go on YouTube and search, bronco tie rod broken then , they put heavy duty tie rods on then steering rack Breaks. People are starting to realize it’s just an IFS SUV called bronco.. Even mild off road and they break. Low Ground clearance add in Ford quality. Total fad.. the YouTubers,soccer moms and the mall cruiser people they’re going to switch over to the new IFS land cruiser , Lexus and hybrid 4runners more SUV IFS junk. That will be the new Fad very soon.

 

[Tncdrew]

I have had my Wildtrak since October after 4 years of Jeep ownership and heavily modding my 2019 JLUR, then subsequently dumping it. As others have stated, it is different strokes for different folks.

Internet amplification of issues (no matter what brand) is ALWAYS going to trump the good experiences. Had I listened to 1/10 of the things posted on this forum back in August of 2019, I would have ran away from a Jeep as fast as the AMG that I sold to buy it would let me. The EXACT same could be said for the Bronco forum where the 0.1% of issues appear to be 90%.

There will always be things that different form factors (SFA vs IFS) can handle better. My Bronco colleagues will argue that a Bronco can do everything a Jeep can. Not true--it can with a but...you are likely going to break something unless you upgrade and even then there are limitations. The same can be said for a Jeep depending on the use case. You will have to upgrade many things to accomplish certain use cases, or you will break something. A Jeep will never ride as well as the Bronco and for the vast majority of us, despite our penchant for offroading, we all spend a VERY high majority of the time just driving them.

There are countless things that FCA should have crammed up their posteriors from a design perspective and while I will not lament them here, we all know what they are. Ford has some of the same issues. BUT, guess what? All OEMs will. It is the balance of cost/profit that will forever cause decisions to be made that cause us as the ultimate end user to scratch our heads and say WTF.

For me, there are a few things that I miss on the Jeep. The instrumentation (Off-Road Pages) in the Jeep are far better than Ford's rendition--even in the BRaptor. The LED headlights on the Jeep are better as is the internal lighting. G.O.A.T. mode is nice, but I miss the second lever on the console.

With that said, none of that is enough to cause me to move back to a Jeep platform. My lifestyle has changed (wife has 2 bionic knees) and so rock crawling no longer has the allure it once did. I also struggled immensely with the lack of power in the Jeep and just decided to cut my losses versus adding a supercharger or a hemi swap. Oil coolers, auxiliary batteries, lack of heat control were just additional straws on the proverbial camel's back.

Again...different strokes for different folks and neither choice is wrong.

I was wondering if that's the path you went down.... (hadn't seen you much on here lately).
I'm glad it's working out for you and the wife.
Happy trails! ?

 

[Heimkehr]

Late in 2023, a family member walked away from her planned JLU Sport purchase due to price fatigue. In less than 12 months, $41K eventually shot up to $46K, with absolutely no changes to her modest configuration but for the [no-charge] beige cloth seat option being withdrawn.

By way of comparison, in the span of just 3 years, the price of my JLU Sport increased by $6K. ?

In the same period, the price of the Rube 392 went up by $20K. Fun for the entire family.

Prior to her decision to back out, the entry-level trim on the Bronco was still available. I had suggested that vehicle as a possible alternative and she literally laughed. Fair enough.

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