Just got home from Bronco event...

[Dyolfknip74]

You sure it wasn't the smaller Bronco Sport? The big Bronco hasn't made it to dealerships for public test drives yet. Also, white/grey color you mentioned sounds like Cactus Grey which has a blueish tint

Yes they have. I saw one parked at a house around the corner from me, 3 days ago. And I'm in Canada.

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[ThirtyOne]

The 4Runner is selling just fine? Not my cup of tea, I can't stand the things, but they sure do move a lot of them.

I don't consider 130,000/year to be a big seller. Wranglers sell twice that many.

 

[ThirtyOne]

Will all due respect, the 4Runner and the modern FJ aren't Jeeps - no taking the doors off, or putting the top down. When shopping for a Jeep, I never even considered them.

For what I (and seemingly so many others) wanted, there really was no competition, which has allowed Jeep to sell well even with less than ideal reliability.

The Bronco, on the other hand, is an actual, real competitor with similar capabilities to a Jeep. If the Bronco was available a year ago I'd have given it serious consideration and of course reliability would have been a factor.

I don't doubt that the Bronco will be a competitor to the Wrangler. Anyone who is not a die-hard Wrangler guy should cross-shop the Bronco. And there are a lot of Ford fans that will lean towards the Bronco that may have bought a Wrangler in the past.

Maybe you are right. But I have a hard time believing that 250,000 buyers/year have been saying "I really care about reliability, but I care about taking my doors off more." Buyers will buy the one that is priced better, looks better, and has better street cred. Or in the case of a small minority perform better off-road.

 

[ThirtyOne]

Bronco has INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION so I will NOT be buying one. That one detail will be it’s “achilles’ heel”!!!

Jeep is not selling 250,000 Wranglers a year to people who even know what IFS is. Only a small minority will care.

 

[Goin2drt]

They will sell just fine. From soccer Moms to hard core off roaders. Plenty will buy them. It will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales and if you think they won't, well I can't help you. This Bronco (not the Sport for all those that keep confusing them) will take directly from Wrangler sales.

As per the OP thanks for sharing. I wonder if the ones you saw were still pre-production ones? I have heard both sides that ZERO actual production Broncos are on the road yet and things could still be changed up a bit. That one pic from the back left with the top flipped back looks awful. It looks like the top doesn't fit well at all.

 

[Goin2drt]

Bronco has INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION so I will NOT be buying one. That one detail will be it’s “achilles’ heel”!!!

Less than 1%, ok maybe even less than that know, care or even could tell you the difference. This will be the farthest thing from its Achilles heel. It will be looks, price, dependability, availability, after market selection etc etc that will ALL be more of an issue for most.

 

[sk00pie]

They will sell just fine. From soccer Moms to hard core off roaders. Plenty will buy them. It will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales and if you think they won't, well I can't help you. This Bronco (not the Sport for all those that keep confusing them) will take directly from Wrangler sales.

As per the OP thanks for sharing. I wonder if the ones you saw were still pre-production ones? I have heard both sides that ZERO actual production Broncos are on the road yet and things could still be changed up a bit. That one pic from the back left with the top flipped back looks awful. It looks like the top doesn't fit well at all.

That's true could have been pre production. They weren't for sale. brought in with out of state plates just for the event.

 

[viper88]

The Bronco will poach Wrangler sales. Ford is doing a nice job with the marketing. The power both engines make is nice. The factory option and accessory list is very impressive. All Ford needs to do is make sure quality control is there and it will be a home run for them. Get Ford dealers to treat customers better than JEEP dealers do and the Bronco will be a Grand Slam.

 

[ThirtyOne]

They will sell just fine. From soccer Moms to hard core off roaders. Plenty will buy them. It will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales and if you think they won't, well I can't help you. This Bronco (not the Sport for all those that keep confusing them) will take directly from Wrangler sales.

What will be considered a success?

If Broncos sell 125,000 like the 4Runner and Wranglers go down to 200,000, is that success? Because that is what I am expecting. I think the Bronco Sport will sell more than the full Bronco.

 

[Strommen95]

They will sell just fine. From soccer Moms to hard core off roaders. Plenty will buy them. It will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales and if you think they won't, well I can't help you. This Bronco (not the Sport for all those that keep confusing them) will take directly from Wrangler sales.

If you don't think the Hummer will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales, I can't help you. If you don't think the FJ Cruiser will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales, I can't help you. If you don't think the Exterra will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales, I can't help you. If you don't think the 4Runner or Tacoma will take a chunk out of Wrangler sales, I can't help you. If you don't think the Gladiator will cannibalize and steal Wrangler sales, I can't help you. Here we are years later and none of them have even put a dent in the Wranglers demographics.

It's more likely to introduce new people to the off-road segment than it is to significantly affect Wrangler sales. In fact, in the long term it's possible Ford might help sell more Wranglers especially if the Bronco launches like the 2020 Explorer did.

 

[JeezAJeep]

Sorry "TJ"...is that what you wanted to hear?

 

[Mikeoso]

Those are the helicopter hooks like Humvees had so you can airdrop Broncos into war zones.

Truth! The next step in wannabe tacticool.

 

[aldo98229]

Sorry "TJ"...is that what you wanted to hear?

Nah, his sense of humor was too subtle.

There is no “1996” TJ. YJ ran through 1995; TJ appeared in 1996 as a “1997.”

 

[DHW]

I just noticed they had to put a tire chock on the silver Bronco. Can't even stop it from rolling uncontrollably down a slight incline!! Ford quality indeed, smh...

 

[aldo98229]

The Bronco will poach Wrangler sales. Ford is doing a nice job with the marketing. The power both engines make is nice. The factory option and accessory list is very impressive. All Ford needs to do is make sure quality control is there and it will be a home run for them. Get Ford dealers to treat customers better than JEEP dealers do and the Bronco will be a Grand Slam.

Ford is indeed doing a lot of marketing —too much IMO; and Ford dealerships do look and feel a LOT nicer than those dingy Jeep dealer caves.

But judging by initial photos of the interior, comments by those who have seen Bronco up close, and by truly independent video reports, Ford already lost the race to impress with excellent assembly quality, superior fit-and-finish and better materials.

If history continues to repeat itself, Jeep Wrangler doesn’t need spotless assembly quality or fine interior materials —or even fine customer service— to sell. Yet all early indications are, when we finally put the two together, Bronco is going to fall short in that department.

And this is all going to happen in the showroom, well before anyone has even a chance to compare them on the trail.

The magazines are going to give Bronco a lot of kudos for top effort, but my hunch is they are going to continue giving Wrangler the top spot when it comes to the trail.

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