Just got home from Bronco event...

[viper88]

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.

You might be right about the Bronco Sport selling more than the full Bronco. That might cut into Cherokee sales and not as many Wrangler sales.

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[Mikester86]

Want a contender, buy a Jeep Wrangler. Want a pretender, buy a Ford Bronco.

 

[viper88]

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 dealers.

But judging by initial photos of the interior, comments by those who have seen Bronco up close, and by truly independent videos reports, Bronco 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 to sell. Yet all the indications are, when we 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.

Not sure if this is even remotely true? I herd Ford wants to offer a Bronco experience to showcase the off road capabilities of the Bronco. Ford certainly had more time to work on QC due to covid. Hopefully they took advantage of the shutdown and delays.

 

[aldo98229]

Not sure if this is even remotely true? I herd Ford wants to offer a Bronco experience to showcase the off road capabilities of the Bronco. Ford certainly had more time to work on QC due to covid. Hopefully they took advantage of the shutdown and delays.

There’s already evidence filtering out that Bronco assembly quality, fit and finish and choice of materials are not where they need to be. COVID or not.

If they haven’t done a homerun there, I am not sure they have done a homerun elsewhere as they claim.

Ford is the master of blowing its own trumpet. But, as I have seen time and time again, Ford products are just not all there when you get to take a closer look.

 

[EugeneTheJeep]

All we have to compare so far are specs and appearance. Clearly the way it looks will affect how it sells, but what about the way it DRIVES??

I have not driven one, but I suspect the IFS will yield the smooth ‘sedan’ driving experience of every other new car today, even pickups. Some will prefer this whether or not they know what an IFS is.

I like driving a Jeep with two solid axles, ON and OFF road. I think I’m not the only one. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go test drive one and see. As far as I’m concerned, the rest of the differences are just details...

 

[captainstabbins]

FORD Found on range dead....

 

[aldo98229]

All we have to compare so far are specs and appearance. Clearly the way it looks will affect how it sells, but what about the way it DRIVES??

I have not driven one, but I suspect the IFS will yield the smooth ‘sedan’ driving experience of every other new car today, even pickups. Some will prefer this whether or not they know what an IFS is.

I like driving a Jeep with two solid axles, ON and OFF road. I think I’m not the only one. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go test drive one and see. As far as I’m concerned, the rest of the differences are just details...

Anything drives better than a Wrangler, period. Chances are a Ford Escape, too, is going to drive better than a Ford Bronco. So, clearly, that alone, is not going to suffice.

Bronco is going to be compromised on the trail by that IFS, no matter how fancy Ford makes it to be. In fact, every video I’ve seen of Bronco going over rocks, the thing is bouncing as opposed to crawling. That is not a good sign.

Where Bronco is likely going to outshine Wrangler is going fast through the desert. There have been excellent desert runners before, including Ford’s own Raptor, and people have continued to buy Wranglers in droves.

At the end of the day, Bronco really needs to outshine Wrangler in the overall “fun” factor. The boxy styling, removable soft top and doors take Bronco in that direction. But my feeling is that Ford has gone about all this too seriously to end up being more “fun” that the real deal.

 

[ThirtyOne]

You might be right about the Bronco Sport selling more than the full Bronco. That might cut into Cherokee sales and not as many Wrangler sales.

I think the data so far is also showing that it is cannibalizing sales of the Escape and other small Ford SUVs too.

 

[jimim]

the amount of bronco sports i see in my area is kinda wacky. i see at least 2-3 a day. i'm on the road a good portion of my day all over the place around here, but there are a lot already out in the wild. i really figured it would not do well . . . so i'm sure once the bronco comes out it will be all over the place. people are going to buy it cause it's new. my one neighbor is a perfect example of that. i buys a new truck every time ford, dodge, or chevy comes out with an updated model. only a matter of time till the dodge TRX shows up.

 

[ThirtyOne]

the amount of bronco sports i see in my area is kinda wacky. i see at least 2-3 a day. i'm on the road a good portion of my day all over the place around here, but there are a lot already out in the wild. i really figured it would not do well . . . so i'm sure once the bronco comes out it will be all over the place. people are going to buy it cause it's new. my one neighbor is a perfect example of that. i buys a new truck every time ford, dodge, or chevy comes out with an updated model. only a matter of time till the dodge TRX shows up.

Yeah I don't think we will really know how the Bronco will do until 2023. There will be an initial wave based on excitement for the new vehicle.

 

[aldo98229]

Bronco Sports are more visible, too, as a result of their look-at-me styling.

By comparison, you could be staring right at a brand-new Ford Escape and not even notice it is there.

 

[Neos281]

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

Public test drives have not yet begun here in the US although some dealers have confirmed that their mannequin/demos were produced last week. Ford is currently doing dealer event tours and showings but are not allowing reservation holders and potential buyers to test drive the vehicle. I was fortunate enough to see the Bronco a few months ago at the Filson event here in Seattle

Can you actually test drive a new big Bronco in Canada?

 

[Asuriyan]

I'm not rushing out to buy a bronco or anything, but I do have to chuckle about the fit and finish comments. My '18 JLU with hard plastic trim that shifts at the slightest touch would like a word. Especially the bottom trim pieces around the doors.

Interestingly enough, this was fixed for the '21 model. I discovered this when removing that trim on the passenger side to run the ground for my dashcam, having just pulled it from my '18. There's a bunch of extra structure and two more clips; it was much harder to pull off, and it snapped back in snugly when I was done. The adjacent piece running up the B-pillar is also more secure. On my old one I could push it out with my thumb.

There seem to be a bunch of tiny little quality of life improvements on the 2021s that were not on the previous model years, in fact, in addition to the well-known ones like the new steering gear. There's a rain channel along the front roofline that does well at keeping water mostly out of the cabin when I open the door in the rain. The windshield frame and firewall area have a bunch of extra foam that wasn't there before, and it cuts the wind noise by what seems like half. The sun visor frame is redesigned. The backup camera is actually usable at night, and the field of view and guidelines are much more natural. The hardtop storage bag is better padded and slightly larger around the corners, making it easier to zip...

Are some of these changes in response to the looming threat of the Bronco? Probably. But it's also pretty obvious that the Wrangler and all its new variants are designed by a bunch of people that really love what they're making, and my new Wrangler has a level of fit and finish and a sense of attention to detail that I didn't think was possible for a Chrysler product. Yeah, it's still got some foibles, but the "evolutionary, not revolutionary" formula is really paying dividends, and I think it's going to take Ford at least a few years to get the Bronco anywhere close to that level of polish.

 

[Strommen95]

I have not driven one, but I suspect the IFS will yield the smooth ‘sedan’ driving experience of every other new car today, even pickups. Some will prefer this whether or not they know what an IFS is.

I like driving a Jeep with two solid axles, ON and OFF road. I think I’m not the only one. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, go test drive one and see. As far as I’m concerned, the rest of the differences are just details...

I completely agree. 99% of people prefer IFS for on road driving whether they know what it is or not. With that said, many people buy a Jeep because they want a “truck feel” even though it’s not a truck. The fact a Jeep rides like a Jeep and the Bronco will ride like everything else on the road today is not a positive for Ford. This is a niche market where people are buying something different, that includes the ride.

 

[four low]

Interestingly enough, this was fixed for the '21 model. I discovered this when removing that trim on the passenger side to run the ground for my dashcam, having just pulled it from my '18. There's a bunch of extra structure and two more clips; it was much harder to pull off, and it snapped back in snugly when I was done. The adjacent piece running up the B-pillar is also more secure. On my old one I could push it out with my thumb.

There seem to be a bunch of tiny little quality of life improvements on the 2021s that were not on the previous model years, in fact, in addition to the well-known ones like the new steering gear. There's a rain channel along the front roofline that does well at keeping water mostly out of the cabin when I open the door in the rain. The windshield frame and firewall area have a bunch of extra foam that wasn't there before, and it cuts the wind noise by what seems like half. The sun visor frame is redesigned. The backup camera is actually usable at night, and the field of view and guidelines are much more natural. The hardtop storage bag is better padded and slightly larger around the corners, making it easier to zip...

Are some of these changes in response to the looming threat of the Bronco? Probably. But it's also pretty obvious that the Wrangler and all its new variants are designed by a bunch of people that really love what they're making, and my new Wrangler has a level of fit and finish and a sense of attention to detail that I didn't think was possible for a Chrysler product. Yeah, it's still got some foibles, but the "evolutionary, not revolutionary" formula is really paying dividends, and I think it's going to take Ford at least a few years to get the Bronco anywhere close to that level of polish.

A brief diversion, could take a pix of that rain channel along the front roof line that diverts water better ? Glad to hear visor frame improved. Now for the 2 door front seat not folding back..
Coincidental to Bronco or not, improvements to detail are welcome, thank you Jeep

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