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Just got home from Bronco event...

COBill

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Yes, lockers are there to shrug off wheel lift, but having all 4 tires on the ground equals more stability. And maintaining full contact to a higher threshold of whoops equals enhanced capability. It raises the safety margin.
I don't think it's really that big a deal, rather like inside rear wheel lift on hard corners at speed on some sports cars.

Arguably offset by the improved safety/performance on-road where the majority of both vehicles will spend most of their time.

Either way it seems like a wash, but I don't have a dog in this hunt.
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F2F

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Do open-diff Broncos have something like BLD?
 

thance

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Many times I've read this same thing. That someone won't be climbing rocks, so the bronco will be fine. A deep rut in a dirt path will require the same level of articulation as a rock.

Here's a prime example, taken from the original reveal video last year. And within seconds of this clip, the camera person cleverly used a rock on the side of the path to obscure yet another wheel lift and it wasn't climbing a rock. It was a simple rut in a dirt path.

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Those posters on 6g are simply making excuses and kidding themselves by saying that they "don't care about rocks anyway".
The front tires are not moving at all. Looks like it's in rear wheel drive and we can't see where there action is.
 

qnet

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Do open-diff Broncos have something like BLD?
That's a good question. I was going to order mine with a rear locker, but after having a Jeep, it would have to be either a Base Sasquatch or badlands.
 
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F2F

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That's a good question. I was going to order mine with a rear locker, but after having a Jeep, it would have to be either a Base Sasquatch or badlands.
I agree with you. I would think they would have something similar as something that heavy wouldn’t get far without it.
 

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aldo98229

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If you have lockers I don't get what the big deal is about one wheel being off the ground; as far as making it up the trail it simply doesn't matter and seems to be a big deal simply because it's an advantage to having solid axles rather than IFS.
If you have ever been in that situation then you know what the big deal is.
 

aldo98229

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Then you really haven't.

I almost flipped my 2009 JKR going downhill over a chute on Cleghorn Mountain. Turning into a switchback, my front passenger-side tire caught air; when the weight of the engine dropped the left side of the Jeep into the chute, it almost flipped over. It didn't by a miracle. Major pucker moment.

Took it as one of those life's lessons.

That trail was more extreme than anything Tommy shows on that video. Plus he was catching air going uphill. It is much easier to balance the weight of the vehicle going up than going down.
 
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Headbarcode

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The front tires are not moving at all. Looks like it's in rear wheel drive and we can't see where there action is.
In this specific clip, the bronco was deliberately stopped mid rut in the trail to demonstrate that the front sway bar disconnect can operate under a load. Both rear tires were on the ground at the time. What it also demonstrated is that it doesn't take much to lift a tire.
 

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COBill

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Then you really haven't.

I almost flipped my 2009 JKR going downhill over a chute on Cleghorn Mountain. Turning into a switchback, my front passenger-side tire caught air; when the weight of the engine dropped the left side of the Jeep into the chute, it almost flipped over. It didn't by a miracle. Major pucker moment.
That's because you were driving a vehicle in which having a wheel in the air is a rare occurrence, not one designed to handle it as a vehicle with IFS is.

Watching the videos where this happens it doesn't look scary, it looks fun.

I agree, your experience was scary, but as in your case it shows that any unexpected incident off-road in any vehicle can be vehicle/life threatening.
 

syismaster1

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My local Ford dealer held a Bronco event this morning showcasing 2 new Broncos. Here are my (possibly biased?) thoughts.

Exterior
- Overall the exterior looks great in person. Seems a bit wider than my Wrangler but similar footprint.
- Big fan of the antimatter blue color, really deep and sparkly in person.
- Silver was fine. Doesn't have the gray ish gunmetal feel of the Wrangler silver.
- The soft top exterior looked fine until you get to the back windows. Even in closed position extremely wavy, fit and finish seemed very poor.
- I hate the trim level badges, if you'd even call them badges? Think refrigerator magnets.

Interior
- Interior was a huge let down. The overall quality seemed extremely low. Hard plastic everywhere out of what seemed like a 1990s van.
- The inside ceiling of the soft top was maybe the worst part. Extremely loose and bare metal looking bars that were totally unfinished.
- Leather also felt extremely cheap. Thin, already wrinkled somehow, like you could rip it open with your fingernail.
- The rear tail gate had this weird hydraulic arm to it which actually made opening it harder than the Wrangler.
- Also even though it's the wider car the trunk opening is way more narrow.
- There are these random blue plastic accents on the climate vents and other areas that looked and felt cheap.

Overall probably better looking in person than I was thinking. Interior and just the quality fit and finish in general noticeably lower than the Wrangler.
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I’ve waited a few weeks for my Jeep order to come in and my curiosity got the best of me so I went to test drive a Bronco.
Wildtrack with the Sasquatch and 2.7 V6
It was alright, maybe my expectations were through the roof given the countless YouTube videos I’ve watched raving about it but it didn’t blow me away like I expected.
It definitely felt bigger and looked cool with the 35” but it made me realize how much more excited I was for my Jeep (which also comes with 35” from the factory now).
The interior had a bigger screen which was snappy and fast but the rest cohesively just didn’t feel up to the 58k price this one was at.
The exterior of the Bronco in my opinion REQUIRES the Sasquatch package. It just looks wrong without it.
I honestly went in thinking I’d cancel my Jeep order and wait for a Bronco now but no Bronco for me yet.
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... 473C4177-F8B2-4C75-AE47-7EFCB51E029D
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... C9080F27-20B0-4053-88A8-6FB0C5BA8385
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... FA48F347-AA61-47CC-BE04-18551CC6F3DD
Jeep Wrangler JL Just got home from Bronco event... 4D3367AD-F234-4294-9FED-2DE5ED0EF7F2
 
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wibornz

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Personally I agree: the Rubicon looked more at ease on the trail than the Bronco. But at the end of the video, Bronco got two thumbs up (from Roman and Tommy), Rubicon got one (from Nathan. Kase was in the Jeep but he didn’t vote).

My guess is the result was close enough for them to decide to give this one to Bronco. Doing so keeps viewers’ interest up. I’m sure they will be putting 35s on the Wrangler and doing it again. And I’ll be watching!

Whether I agree with their verdict or not, I found the video highly entertaining. The trail looks much like those I go on, and over time we have learned to know each of the characters. Tommy’s bleeped cussing alone was worth it!

Theres no way I can go back to Car and Driver or Motor Trend... 😫
They did Red Cone Pass. It is a great trail. One of my more favorite ones in Colorado.
 

wibornz

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If you have lockers I don't get what the big deal is about one wheel being off the ground; as far as making it up the trail it simply doesn't matter and seems to be a big deal simply because it's an advantage to having solid axles rather than IFS.
tires off the ground is how you end up on your side or upside-down .
 
 



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