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Looks Like Ford Bronco is Serious About Taking on the Wrangler

Will you consider the new Bronco?


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Tellurian

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Totally agree on this. The aftermarket for Wranglers will continue to be an advantage. Jeep/Mopar have dipped their toe in on factory options the last couple of years and it will be interesting to see where they draw that line with more competition from the Bronco.

Since most people buy off the lot, the real question is how many of these options will make it into the configurations commonly ordered by dealers. Otherwise it's no different than the Mopar catalog.

Here is where I see the disadvantage of the aftermarket - and this may not be popular. There are a lot of ugly, cheap-looking Jeeps out there. I'm glad people have the option to go on Amazon and spend less than $1,000 and add a bumper, winch, lift, angry grill, and wheels to their Jeep. They should have that option. But it cheapens the brand to me. Ford will have a lot more control over how Broncos are outfitted than Jeep does.
I don’t necessarily see that as a disadvantage - rather, a strength in individualism. While I may not agree with how everyone styles their Jeep, what makes it great is that it is their Jeep and at the price point they could afford at the time. My thought is that a great Jeep is a Jeep that has a happy Jeeper behind the wheel.

The last thing I want is a major corporation dictating how my rig is supposed to look. I view Ford creating all of these accessories simply as a smart business decision. As others have said, it takes a while for the aftermarket to catch up to new launches and Ford can’t afford (pun intended) to wait; they need those options at launch to be as competitive as possible with the current Jeep market.

In the end, Bronco plays off of Jeep and Jeep plays off of Bronco - we all benefit when they do. Ford certainly wouldn’t be reintroducing the Bronco if Jeep hadn’t shown such a great and profitable market segment, and like in every other automotive market Jeep should have to prove their status as the de facto off-roader, not because they’re the only game in town.
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ThirtyOne

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For sure. The flip side to your last sentence though is there will be a lot of the cheaper "accessory" companies rushing to get out product for the Bronco. Could be a lot of ugly Bronco's out there too!
That will take a while if at all. I have friends in the Toyota and Land Rover world and they have never reached the level in the aftermarket that Jeep has. My Land Rover friend tells me that cheap Chinese products basically don't exist.
 

ThirtyOne

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I view Ford creating all of these accessories simply as a smart business decision. As others have said, it takes a while for the aftermarket to catch up to new launches and Ford can’t afford (pun intended) to wait; they need those options at launch to be as competitive as possible with the current Jeep market.
I totally agree. And this is what Ford already does. Go build a Ranger or F-150 on the Ford site and look at the accessories. They already have the infrastructure to deliver accessories from the factory.
 

ThirtyOne

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In the end, Bronco plays off of Jeep and Jeep plays off of Bronco - we all benefit when they do. Ford certainly wouldn’t be reintroducing the Bronco if Jeep hadn’t shown such a great and profitable market segment, and like in every other automotive market Jeep should have to prove their status as the de facto off-roader, not because they’re the only game in town.
Yes. What people need to realize is that this is not a zero-sum game.

When the Ranger and Gladiator were introduced, overall mid-size truck sales went up. They didn't just steal sales from Toyota and GM. The segment grew.

If the segment grows, Jeep will win.
 

jeep364

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My 2 Wranglers have been perfect so far, no issues. My 15 Hemi Overland has been back for a water pump at 50K under warranty, that is it. My 02 4.7 Laredo was never back to dealer for anything, only thing major I had to do was the axle seals.

So yes the Jeep thing is alive and well on my end.

I would pause about Ford Things, go look at the new Explorer launch LOL

or go visit this guys site on Ford Things






I'm a jeep fanboy as much as the rest and considering a jlu or wk2 or wl to replace my beat to hell and back wk (163k, former rental purchased 1 year old, now 13 years old, etc). My jeep has been reliable and I keep up with maintenance (trans, tcase, diffs, etc).

Those videos are great and show failures on ford parts but many have NOTHING to do with what we will see on the Bronco. The bronco / ranger / f150 have normal diffs and tcase with our without drain plugs (my wk rear diff has no drain plug, you have to pull off the pumpkin or suck out the fluid)...there is no reason for any of us to be concerned about "power transfer units" failing. And yes lifetime fluid is stupid on nearly everything....

The 2.7 has been a spectacular engine across the board with some recent complaints due to leaking plastic oil pans. It is probably the most reliable f150 engine right now (and these trucks get a lot of miles and abuse...).

One issue on some recent f150s is ford's weird use of vacuum actuators for the axles (google integrated wheel end IWE issues). Not sure if this is the system they use in the ranger and or the future bronco, but it generally seems to have been sorted out in the f150 in later models.

Just throwing out my 2 cents. Competition is good. I am glad ford is making an effort.
 

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TripleB

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- The modular hardtop is a huge blow to Jeep. The current hardtop for wrangler, even though it is better than the JK, it is till a pita. I even have the toplift pro and would still prefer a modular hardtop 100 times.
- The 2D bronco is rumored to have a decent trunk space. You can still drive something that doesnt look like a school bus and have proper trunk space is a huge pro imo.
- The bronco 's offroad system is going to be more advanced - technologically speaking - than the wrangler. This is subjective, and might not matter, When it comes to off-roading so far, mechanics still beat electronics/software. we will see.
- Towing capacity is going to be much higher than the wrangler.
- Real roof rack option. The bronco is rumored to have a roof cross-bar system that can hold serious weight. I have to admit, the roof rack system for the hardtop offered by mopar is pathetic for current standards.

In my mind the Bronco is already much more practical than the wrangler (theoretically). So it would definitely take customers from Toyota's 4runner and Tacos. In terms of it beating the wrangler, it probably will because of their removable hardtop.

Then it all boils down to the IFS. They keep talking about a G.O.A.T system or whatever, intended for low speed off-roading., and rumors of a suspension that can dynamically change its height. So we will find out next week what kind of magic they can pull out with their IFS. Maybe the Bronco is the next generation off-roader, maybe it is all hype. We will find out. I think it is mostly hype.

One thing I know for sure, in 5 to 7 years we as consumers will have plenty of options. When we are ready to sell our wranglers there will be a clear winner, waiting for us at the dealer.
I think 2 door guys will take a serious look... I've always hated the exposed hinges on wrangles, just not necessary but the purest love them.
 

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I'm a jeep fanboy as much as the rest and considering a jlu or wk2 or wl to replace my beat to hell and back wk (163k, former rental purchased 1 year old, now 13 years old, etc). My jeep has been reliable and I keep up with maintenance (trans, tcase, diffs, etc).

Those videos are great and show failures on ford parts but many have NOTHING to do with what we will see on the Bronco. The bronco / ranger / f150 have normal diffs and tcase with our without drain plugs (my wk rear diff has no drain plug, you have to pull off the pumpkin or suck out the fluid)...there is no reason for any of us to be concerned about "power transfer units" failing. And yes lifetime fluid is stupid on nearly everything....

The 2.7 has been a spectacular engine across the board with some recent complaints due to leaking plastic oil pans. It is probably the most reliable f150 engine right now (and these trucks get a lot of miles and abuse...).

One issue on some recent f150s is ford's weird use of vacuum actuators for the axles (google integrated wheel end IWE issues). Not sure if this is the system they use in the ranger and or the future bronco, but it generally seems to have been sorted out in the f150 in later models.

Just throwing out my 2 cents. Competition is good. I am glad ford is making an effort.
I can't speak for @VNT but I believe that this was to illustrate that current Ford QC is no better than FCA QC. This didn't even mention the Fiesta ST that shipped with the wrong head gasket, and many other problems that Ford has had lately. Since this thread has had several people say that they want the Bronco because they feel that Jeeps quality is not as reliable.
 

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I think 2 door guys will take a serious look... I've always hated the exposed hinges on wrangles, just not necessary but the purest love them.
i like the hinges. But I hate the trunk space on my 2D. the 2D could have a slightly longer wheel base. less body roll and more trunk space. I can manage with the small trunk space, and currently working on setting up a roof rack. I also use my hitch to carry gear on camping trips, but I have to camp on easy to access campsites and offroad somewhere else because of ground clearance issues. I have an aluminum large size hitchrack I can easily take on and off. That fixes trunk space issues for city or road driving. But I would pay more to have at least 20 cubic ft of trunk with the seats.
 

jeepingib

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Bronco is getting a tailgate that either pulls or flips out. Pretty slick!
Looks like it slides out from under a sub floor. That is pretty slick. I don't know if it looks strong enough for my fatass to sit on it though.
 

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Nickp01

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Looks like it slides out from under a sub floor. That is pretty slick. I don't know if it looks strong enough for my fatass to sit on it though.
The insider over on the bronco forums who hinted at the existence of this tailgate a week or so ago also hinted it will hold 400+ pounds.
 

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I can't speak for @VNT but I believe that this was to illustrate that current Ford QC is no better than FCA QC. This didn't even mention the Fiesta ST that shipped with the wrong head gasket, and many other problems that Ford has had lately. Since this thread has had several people say that they want the Bronco because they feel that Jeeps quality is not as reliable.
Fair enough and I agree wholeheartedly.
 

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I think 2 door guys will take a serious look... I've always hated the exposed hinges on wrangles, just not necessary but the purest love them.
I don't mind the exposed hinges, but I do hate the exposed B-pillar on the unlimited. It looks so hacked together when the doors are off. It's bothered my ever since the introduction of the JK, and I thought for sure they would come up with a better solution for the JL, but apparently that is too challenging. And the whole door frame interaction, seals, roof structure, roof supports, etc just seems terribly not thought through.

So I'm glad to see Ford was able to accomplish it with their clean sheet design. And that is what has me excited about the Bronco. While they could have cribbed a cap onto the Ranger, they appear to have taken the time to think through use case scenarios and actually solve many of their benchmark's shortcomings. Of course other problems will probably be created in the process, but I'm looking forward to seeing their efforts.
 

R3D J33P

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I'm just going to laugh when everybody just calls the Bronco a "Jeep" (in reference to a generic term for a small off roader with removable parts)

Let's be honest if you did a quick look you would just think it was a Jeep coming down the road. Even the original Bronco wasn't that much like the CJ's as this thing is to a JL Wrangler .
 

Nickp01

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I'm just going to laugh when everybody just calls the Bronco a "Jeep" (in reference to a generic term for a small off roader with removable parts)

Let's be honest if you did a quick look you would just think it was a Jeep coming down the road. Even the original Bronco wasn't that much like the CJ's as this thing is to a JL Wrangler .
....couldn’t you say that about any vehicle? Trucks all look similar, sedans all look similar, Jeep and bronco will have similarities too. Part of being a convertible SUV with off road functionality
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