Bronco Interior- what am I missing?

[LKG]

Years ago I got very excited when Ford announced it’d be bringing Bronco back.

Then it cancelled it. Then it brought it back. Then it canceled it again. Brought it back again.

Over the next several years Ford kept showing updates to its dealers but no one else. When spy photos got leaked, Ford blacklisted those channels that shared the photos.

Ford then started a media campaign showing computer generated videos of Broncos running over rocks at unrealistic speeds that anyone who has ever off-roader knows parts would break in real life.

The launch dates kept getting pushed back, again and again.

Ford then came up with an elaborate “reservation” scheme. Every time the press asked where Bronco was, Ford would use the reservation numbers as proof of the vehicle's popularity, even though none had yet been sold.

Ford then launched a “guerrilla marketing” campaign by which it created a roster of fake “independent” YouTube channels and forum accounts to attempt to “influence” public opinion. The vehicle intro kept getting pushed back, and back again.

When Bronco finally hit showrooms...it didn’t. Production was down to a trickle. Ford blamed suppliers, COVID and chip shortages. Dealers started playing all sorts of games, screwing customers over reservations, price commitments, etc.

First year Broncos shipped with all sorts of quality issues. Ford was then caught parking thousands of unfinished Broncos in a giant vacant lot in Michigan while they waited to retrofit parts on them.

By the time Bronco finally hit showrooms my original excitement had turned to disgust.

Last February I got to see several Broncos up close. I was shocked with the acres of hard plastics on the doors and throughout the interior, the wobbly frameless windows, the cheap badges and fenders, etc.

Bronco looks good from far, but is far from good up close. No thanks.

I'm probably as biased as a guy can get but I think Ford has really screwed the pooch on the bronco, and I mean repeatedly. I genuinely feel bad for all of those people that waited on orders for month after month while ford attempted to bolster numbers and pushed product to dealers instead of taking care of their customers.

I know Jeep is is far from perfect but I think Ford management should be ashamed of themselves and way they've treated their "fan base". I will say the next gen bronco and a JL refresh could get really interesting.

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[CarbonSteel]

FCA just needs to up the HP/TQ of the 3.6L or some other 6 cylinder configuration to meet that of the 2.7 Ecoboost and I'd be happ(ier).

 

[Deleted member 59498]

FCA just needs to up the HP/TQ of the 3.6L or some other 6 cylinder configuration to meet that of the 2.7 Ecoboost and I'd be happ(ier).

We need da Hurricane mythical unicorn engine!

 

[Headbarcode]

Totally agree with all your comments- their designers did a nice job incorporating customer feedback around off-road functionality. I’ll be curious to see how Jeep responds. I was speaking more from an aesthetic standpoint. So many auto journalists rave about it. I just find it underwhelming.

I wouldn't be too quick to give bronco designers much credit.

Grab handles on the side of the dash vs the a-pillars, which are useless for climbing in or bracing oneself when traversing a steep decline.

No cross bar on the top of the sports cage, because they prioritized back seat passengers being able to see the whole cloud vs 80% of it, over structural integrity.

Expensive side mirrors attached to the body. Great for legalities sake while driving down main Street with an ice cream cone in one hand and a leg hanging out of the vehicle. Not so great when they are left vulnerable during the true reason that the doors are removable in the first place, and are very expensive to replace.

They never thought about adding a winch, which is one of the most common offroad additions, until after the design was put into production. The afterthought result is a mount protruding over a foot forward of the front bumper that actually lessens approach angle.

Front lower shock mounting studs that hang below the lower wishbones, begging to be sheered off and rendering the vehicle undriveable.

No rear passenger ac vents, but they felt the need to mold in the warning "not a step" for those who would think to use a thin plastic shelf as a step stool. Not much faith in the intelligence of their consumer base.

A rear softop opening method that is anything but functional.

The list goes on when it comes to examples of the bronco not being designed by people who take offroading seriously. Is the Wrangler perfect? What is? Still, the reality is that the Wrangler was designed with offroad capability as it's first priority and commuting as a close enough second, shy of interfering with the first. The Bronco was designed with those priorities switched around.

 

[Geronimo]

The big screen is way better in the bronco for sure. and not just bigger, but more functional. you can run two apps side by side in a split screen configuration, for one example. better user interface.

I will keep my Wranglers for Dusy Ershim, Moab, the rubicon, hot springs, Trutch Mtn, destruction bay, and let my grandkids play with their xbox. Apps suck, Jeeps are for wheeling. Did the Bronco thing back in the 60s, then I grew up.

LOL Im just breaking your spools.....

 

[2nd 392]

I wouldn't be too quick to give bronco designers much credit.

Grab handles on the side of the dash vs the a-pillars, which are useless for climbing in or bracing oneself when traversing a steep decline.

No cross bar on the top of the sports cage, because they prioritized back seat passengers being able to see the whole cloud vs 80% of it, over structural integrity.

Expensive side mirrors attached to the body. Great for legalities sake while driving down main Street with an ice cream cone in one hand and a leg hanging out of the vehicle. Not so great when they are left vulnerable during the true reason that the doors are removable in the first place, and are very expensive to replace.

They never thought about adding a winch, which is one of the most common offroad additions, until after the design was put into production. The afterthought result is a mount protruding over a foot forward of the front bumper that actually lessens approach angle.

Front lower shock mounting studs that hang below the lower wishbones, begging to be sheered off and rendering the vehicle undriveable.

No rear passenger ac vents, but they felt the need to mold in the warning "not a step" for those who would think to use a thin plastic shelf as a step stool. Not much faith in the intelligence of their consumer base.

A rear softop opening method that is anything but functional.

The list goes on when it comes to examples of the bronco not being designed by people who take offroading seriously. Is the Wrangler perfect? What is? Still, the reality is that the Wrangler was designed with offroad capability as it's first priority and commuting as a close enough second, shy of interfering with the first. The Bronco was designed with those priorities switched around.

1. You have the steering wheel, the passenger is on their own…..2. Looks and marketing are more important…..3. When the mirrors are ripped off the body will be damaged beyond reinstalling, no new mirror cost……4. Most buyers won’t need a winch at the mall…..5. Shock mounts— see #4…….6. Buyers sit in front and they are properly regarding the intelligence of their buyers……7. A little snow and the top will be wide open…..8. Yep-Per targeted sales.

 

[Kyanche]

Meh. I've seen a few broncos in person now and my opinion hasn't changed. They're not my cup of tea lol. The dashboard is very plain and the gauge cluster on the normal non-raptor version is hideous.

I'll give them kudos for all the interior color options. They have blue seats as an option! That's cool in my book.

 

[KenP]

Meh….there’s just something about having a Jeep. Wifey always wanted one, finally got her one in 2020 & she couldn’t be happier with her Willy. I’m a long time Ford guy, moved to Ram myself this year. More about function than bling & good grief, the dang chimes & crap that come with Ford are enough to put anybody in a straight jacket.

 

[21JLURDG]

My temporary wandering eye is fixed when I see the interior of the Bronco. I hate the way the mon leather seats look and don’t find the dash appealing. It looks cheap whereas I find the JL clean, functional and more modern.

I'm not a great fan of the Bronco interior. OTH, I'm also not a fan of the JL interior. I feel the JL dash was optimized for aesthetics instead of functionality. Jeep knows most of us modify our vehicles but did not factor their interior design with this in mind. The JL dash is much bigger than a typical sedan dash and close to a pickup truck dash. Yet, it's very difficult to find a non-intrusive location to mount a cell phone, transceiver radio, drivetrain monitor unit, additional switches (beyond the 4 Jeep aux switches), etc. Adding accessories in the cabin many times comes down to a trade-off between visibility or interference with knees/buttons/vents/passenger comfort.

 

[JLUHT]

Meh….there’s just something about having a Jeep. Wifey always wanted one, finally got her one in 2020 & she couldn’t be happier with her Willy. I’m a long time Ford guy, moved to Ram myself this year. More about function than bling & good grief, the dang chimes & crap that come with Ford are enough to put anybody in a straight jacket.

an unfortunate name but: FORScan can solve many if not all of your dang chimes on the Ford, I've been fighting them on the Jeep with no FORScan solution.

I think the new Broncos look good if a bit deceivingly like a Jeep haven't been in one yet.

 

[graytag]

I'm not a great fan of the Bronco interior. OTH, I'm also not a fan of the JL interior. I feel the JL dash was optimized for aesthetics instead of functionality. Jeep knows most of us modify our vehicles but did not factor their interior design with this in mind. The JL dash is much bigger than a typical sedan dash and close to a pickup truck dash. Yet, it's very difficult to find a non-intrusive location to mount a cell phone, transceiver radio, drivetrain monitor unit, additional switches (beyond the 4 Jeep aux switches), etc. Adding accessories in the cabin many times comes down to a trade-off between visibility or interference with knees/buttons/vents/passenger comfort.

As someone who keeps most of my Jeep mods, exterior, I can’t disagree as I haven’t felt the pain of interior mod compromises. I will say I like the upright and intuitive layout with big buttons. Maybe it’s coming from a guy who drove German cars and old Jeeps for years- I got used to compromising on lack of cup holders(German) and lack of tech(Jeep). I find the JLU to be a solid compromise. I’m also fairly confident the Jeep interior will age better without the massive screen.
I’m happy utilizing CarPlay and just putting my phone between the bottom of center console and shifter box- fits perfectly.

 

[Strommen95]

I think a lot of people really WANTED the Bronco to happen and built up a lot of thoughts and ideas and fantasy surrounding it.

Which is why this forum was nauseating in 2020. The fanboys illuded that the Bronco would be as capable as a Wrangler, be sportier, drive like a Crossover SUV, have better fuel mileage & no cabin noise, tow like a mid sized pick up and have significantly better quality control.

It's none of the above.

 

[Headbarcode]

I'm not a great fan of the Bronco interior. OTH, I'm also not a fan of the JL interior. I feel the JL dash was optimized for aesthetics instead of functionality. Jeep knows most of us modify our vehicles but did not factor their interior design with this in mind. The JL dash is much bigger than a typical sedan dash and close to a pickup truck dash. Yet, it's very difficult to find a non-intrusive location to mount a cell phone, transceiver radio, drivetrain monitor unit, additional switches (beyond the 4 Jeep aux switches), etc. Adding accessories in the cabin many times comes down to a trade-off between visibility or interference with knees/buttons/vents/passenger comfort.

Um, yeah, I'm gonna have to disagree.

Most vehicle owners don't install communication radios or need more than the factory aux switches, so there's no sense in them having to pay for factory stuff they don't want. For those of us that do, we have a huge aftermarket with a lot of high quality parts.

I added the SwitchPros programmable 8 switch controller panel to the a-pillar grab handle. It integrated seamlessly with the Jeep in every way. My Jeep is sitting 5.5-6" over stock height and on 40's, so I need to use the grab handle to pull myself up and in. The switch panel is no where near being in the way of that. When they are needed, that location puts them in a perfect and easy spot for use on the fly.

Cool Tech makes a nice mic holder that doesn't interfere with anything, is out of the passengers way, and still easy to grab.

I added a throttle controller panel that fits perfectly in a spot that's out of the way, yet easily accessible.

Onboard air that's ready to go at a flip of a switch, but out of the way in a spot that would otherwise serve no purpose.

The aftermarket fills in all of the extras, and generally offers more bang for the buck vs factory upgrade parts. I just wanted to give them some credit for providing quality parts that seamlessly integrate with our Jeeps without any downsides. And Jeep for providing a great interior to start off with.

 

[COJeeper]

I have a confession, in weak moments, I catch myself admiring a new Bronco. I’ve had 3 TJs, a YJ and my current 4Xe lest you bust my chops too quickly. My temporary wandering eye is fixed when I see the interior of the Bronco. I hate the way the mon leather seats look and don’t find the dash appealing. It looks cheap whereas I find the JL clean, functional and more modern. Most auto reviewers disagree with me.

Comfort, you’re missing the comfort. They’re super comfortable inside.

 

[Jeep Dude]

Um, yeah, I'm gonna have to disagree.

Most vehicle owners don't install communication radios or need more than the factory aux switches, so there's no sense in them having to pay for factory stuff they don't want. For those of us that do, we have a huge aftermarket with a lot of high quality parts.

I added the SwitchPros programmable 8 switch controller panel to the a-pillar grab handle. It integrated seamlessly with the Jeep in every way. My Jeep is sitting 5.5-6" over stock height and on 40's, so I need to use the grab handle to pull myself up and in. The switch panel is no where near being in the way of that. When they are needed, that location puts them in a perfect and easy spot for use on the fly.

Cool Tech makes a nice mic holder that doesn't interfere with anything, is out of the passengers way, and still easy to grab.

I added a throttle controller panel that fits perfectly in a spot that's out of the way, yet easily accessible.

Onboard air that's ready to go at a flip of a switch, but out of the way in a spot that would otherwise serve no purpose.

The aftermarket fills in all of the extras, and generally offers more bang for the buck vs factory upgrade parts. I just wanted to give them some credit for providing quality parts that seamlessly integrate with our Jeeps without any downsides. And Jeep for providing a great interior to start off with.

Me likey 🦾

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