Looks Like Ford Bronco is Serious About Taking on the Wrangler

[Stampede.Offroad]

I had picked the CJ5 because it was built in the same time frame as the EB at the top of the stack that was meant to be Ford's competitor in that space.

Bronco was bigger then, and it sounds like the new Bronco is going to be bigger than the JL in a few dimensions too. They've both plumped up quite a bit.

.

.

Sponsored

 

[cosine]

My JLR has a MSRP of $50K. The 2 door Defender has a $49K MSRP and has a lot of standard equipment. It's right there with a nicely equipped Rubicon or Sahara. FCA is at the bottom of every QC and customer satisfaction survey so I am not sure how Range Rover compares? Range Rover also has a year more bumper-to-bumper warranty. The Defender benched marked the Wrangler. The crawling crowd will probably not take a second look at the Defender but mall crawlers might. It might not be as capable crawling and not have a open roof but I think some shoppers will take a peek. The Defender will probably make up for the lack of ultimate crawling with superior on-road performance which is what a lot of the newer Wrangler owners seem to want. They come from traditional SUVs and are not comfortable or used to the Wrangler steering.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/land-rover/defender/2020/2020-land-rover-defender-first-look-review/

i hear you. and will agree that fca gone down with the bottom of the barrel qc and service. but land rover isnt all that great either. i know a couple of guys that had land rovers and had more problems with them and service was no help. granted that the land rover is competing with jeep offering a luxury vehicle for off road fun. but how many of these are you going to see leaving the pavement. yes i know the same would apply to the jl. but you will find more wrangles off roading than the defenders. the land rover customers will be based on that they own a luxury suv to hit the ski slopes. i rather own a jeep vs defender. they look much better and dont need all the fancy crap.

 

[viper88]

i hear you. and will agree that fca gone down with the bottom of the barrel qc and service. but land rover isnt all that great either. i know a couple of guys that had land rovers and had more problems with them and service was no help. granted that the land rover is competing with jeep offering a luxury vehicle for off road fun. but how many of these are you going to see leaving the pavement. yes i know the same would apply to the jl. but you will find more wrangles off roading than the defenders. the land rover customers will be based on that they own a luxury suv to hit the ski slopes. i rather own a jeep vs defender. they look much better and dont need all the fancy crap.

I love my JLR but I'd be lying if I said I was not curious about the Defender. Same with the Bronco.

 

[cosine]

I love my JLR but I'd be lying if I said I was not curious about the Defender. Same with the Bronco.

same here. i would check the bronco, maybe as a 2nd vehicle, but keeping my jl foe a long time.

 

[roaniecowpony]

I would be surprised if any maker seriously challenges or even attempts to challenge Jeep in their niche market of serious off-roaders. That market is supported with aftermarket products which has decades of development. Where Jeep will see a challenge, IMO, is in the SUV/light off-road market. Jeep brought that on themselves when they tread into that market area with the introduction of the Unlimited in 2006. I think the Bronco/Defender is unlikely to be as serious an off-road machine as a Jeep, mainly because serious off-road machines aren't where the money is. It's the illusion of an off-road machine that makes money. Look at the entire SUV market. It started from people wanting something with a more rough and tough image than a station wagon. Jeep recognizes this and is making their vehicles more comfy and car like with all the whistles and bells, while still trying to hold onto their functional off-road heritage.

But let's face it. Anyone that uses their Jeep for mostly grocery runs and commuting, with a little light off-roading on rare occasions, and is fed up with Jeep's lack of quality, will jump at something made by a maker with a history of making better quality vehicles if it even resembles a rough and tough off-road vehicle. So, I think the new Bronco will be a big hit without air-lockers, Dana 44s, or 4.0/1 xfer cases. Some big, noisy tires with faux beadlocks, high fenders, a square shape and some off-road lights and BAM!

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

Bronco will not have a disconnecting swaybar or SFA according to insiders.



Shook the tree for a while this morning, that's what fell out.

 

[Formattc]

I once thought that the Ford vs. Chevy vs. MOPAR thing was just friendly jabbing among friends and that in reality their quality was comparable. I no longer think this after seeing the problems that friends have had with Ford products. My best bud is making the conversion after being a lifelong Ford man, after is his third F150 in a row with the 330 CI Triton V8 shelled an engine. I've had other friends who have had major electrical issues with their Ford products that not even a dealer's service department could solve. I will never own a Ford product, they really are junk.

 

[Litfuse]

I once thought that the Ford vs. Chevy vs. MOPAR thing was just friendly jabbing among friends and that in reality their quality was comparable. I no longer think this after seeing the problems that friends have had with Ford products. My best bud is making the conversion after being a lifelong Ford man, after is his third F150 in a row with the 330 CI Triton V8 shelled an engine. I've had other friends who have had major electrical issues with their Ford products that not even a dealer's service department could solve. I will never own a Ford product, they really are junk.

It seems like with the desire for buyers to have the greatest creature comforts in their vehicles paired with tough EPA regulations, manufactures are making vehicles so complicated, when things go wrong, it is tough to diagnose and fix. Either way, cars are more reliable today than they have ever been.

 

[four low]

In the Old Days, before DarpaNet, if my vehicle broke, I could fix it, bailing wire, duct tape, tin cans. Now, I need an App to get a flatbed, there's no fixing it now..

 

[Compression-Ignition]

In the Old Days, before DarpaNet, if my vehicle broke, I could fix it, bailing wire, duct tape, tin cans. Now, I need an App to get a flatbed, there's no fixing it now..

That's pretty good, I'm gonna borrow that.

 

[Nickp01]

https://www.autonews.com/nada-show/ford-plans-bronco-reveal-march-dealers-learn-details

Well Bronco is here it sounds like in 45 days. Hold onto your butts!

 

[four low]

But wait ! There's More ! The Bronco, and the smaller BRONCO SPORT ! Sounds as if Ford will have their accessories ready to go too. Availability late this year, 2021 for the bigger Bronco ?

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

Other than knowing we don't have to wait until June 20th ... nothing surprising.

BTW -- can anyone tell me when the Wrangler production will be down this year so I know what the deadline is for getting a 2020 order in.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

Did you notice in the article Ford expects to sell over 200,000 units.

Of crossover baby-Broncos and midsize SUV BroncoBroncos of both wheelbases all added together. It seems ambitious, but not far fetched for all three models combined over a year after they're launched.

 

[Dave91gt]

I once thought that the Ford vs. Chevy vs. MOPAR thing was just friendly jabbing among friends and that in reality their quality was comparable. I no longer think this after seeing the problems that friends have had with Ford products. My best bud is making the conversion after being a lifelong Ford man, after is his third F150 in a row with the 330 CI Triton V8 shelled an engine. I've had other friends who have had major electrical issues with their Ford products that not even a dealer's service department could solve. I will never own a Ford product, they really are junk.

As a lifelong Ford owner, I married into a Mopar family. My in laws have some really incredible old musclecars. My brother in law is an engine builder and his vehicles have always been Dodge trucks or SUV’s. Father in law has several road runners, a cool 73 Challenger he’s building, Max wedge wagon, etc. I’ve been around them going on 23 years. I’ve had a few Dodge trucks myself. A couple gas trucks and a 24v Cummins.
I’ll be the counterpart to the “Ford products are junk” opinion. Wife and I have put a ton of miles between us in Ford vehicles since we’ve been together and not one of them has ever been a lemon. We've had a few Triton engines, several ecoboosts, a 5.0 F150, and now a 6.7 PSD. Wife loved her ecoboosts- first was a 2013 Explorer Sport and then our 2015 Expedition. She only traded it when we sent our oldest off to college. She got her JLU then.
Bottom line is all manufacturers make junk. And they make great ones. I work for a tier 1 auto supplier and meet with the product engineers from the big automakers.
There’s a difference in their thinking of quality and engineering / design.
In the end, I personally am Ford first and FCA 2nd. That’s really only Jeep and RAM specifically.
I’ve got the other friends that have left FCA products due to poor quality.
HEMI lifter issues- yep. Steering and suspension issues? Transmission issues?Yep. Electrical? Yep. One coworker had a Jeep Renegade go up in flames on the interstate with her granddaughter inside (they got out ok). Was deemed electrical- she had 8 trips documented at the dealer for electrical issues and there was never a root cause determined. It took it burning on the side of the interstate for FCA to take notice and only then did they step up. But honestly- that’s every automaker.
Our JLU is plagued by the wandering steering and the radio that chooses when it wants to work. She’s already waiting on the Bronco. If it checks the boxes for style and fun factor, the JLU will be gone. She hates the steering. Her TJ is her favorite Jeep and it will never be sold.

Sponsored