Test drove a Bronco Wildtrack.

[aldo98229]

Jeep sells 250k of these a year, and they are the stars of dental building parking lots. 50k of those going to off road enthusiasts sounds about right. Jeep, like Bronco (and I'm sure Bronco will soon be a brand soon, like Ram) is mainly bought for image, as well as removable doors and roof.

There. I fixed it for you.

Wranglers used to be the stars at high school parking lots...when you could buy them new for $12,000. At $60,000...not so much...

My sister in law grew up in a small town in northern British Columbia. She tells fond stories of Jeeping in the bush in a friend’s TJ.

I just can’t imagine young people, or anyone for that matter, in the bush driving a JL. The complexity of the electronics alone renders it unable to venture more than 200 miles from the nearest dealership. And that is the sad reality about modern Jeeps.

I am still undecided if I am going to keep this JL past its warranty. It will depend how the electronics behave, no doubt.

I might just get a XJ or a WJ and build it.

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[Roky]

 

[LarryB]

I agree, I bought mine with all the capability that I want and need. I’ve off-roaded with a JLU sport so the Rubicon is a massive upgrade already.

I will say that I do intend to buy steel bumpers and a winch, but that’s about it.

A while back, I volunteered at an event in the mountains. A “true off-roader” (as he called himself) could not make it to an aid station in a TRD off-road. I took his supplies and made it up easily in my stock Jeep. The only upgrade I have that may have helped is my new AT tires. The vast majority of Wrangler owners can do what they need to do in a stock rig, especially a Rubicon.

 

[cosmokenney]

In this picture, the Wrangler appears to have more ground clearance despite the smaller tires??

 

[Gunfighter]

All I know is ….I am happier and happier I choose the Jeep.

 

[Devil6Dog]

The 5 inches wider interior would be nice. My knee is up against the door lock switches in the JL, it is pretty snug in there. Works fine for my petite wife and it is her car so... She looked at the Bronco sitting on the dealers floor last weekend, she liked it but told me she loves her Jeep more. Good enough for me, my new truck will hopefully show up soon, I love having a big full size interior.

You must be a GIANT...I am 6' 6" and my JL have more than enough room. I appreciate I can extend my left leg. Even with knee bent does't hit anything. Now my hear on the roll bar is a different story

 

[JLUandCJ-7]

In this picture, the Wrangler appears to have more ground clearance despite the smaller tires??

I didn't look for that, but I just googled it and the Bronco Wildtrack (Sasquatch is standard) has 11.5 inches and the Rubicon 10.8.

 

[Sargeoverland]

Everyone is all surprised it drives straight. It’s ifs like and other light duty truck it’ll drive straight

 

[aldo98229]

A while back, I volunteered at an event in the mountains. A “true off-roader” (as he called himself) could not make it to an aid station in a TRD off-road. I took his supplies and made it up easily in my stock Jeep. The only upgrade I have that may have helped is my new AT tires. The vast majority of Wrangler owners can do what they need to do in a stock rig, especially a Rubicon.

Isn't "true off-roader" and "TRD Off-Road" a contradiction in terms...?

In fairness, I owned a 2019 TRD Off-Road: the vehicle was pretty capable; it came stock with a rear locker and sufficient articulation to handle two-thirds of the trails out there.

Its biggest limitation was tire size. The most I could fit without a lift were 31s, and lifting a Tacoma is a very deliberate process. You have to deal with the forward sensor --for the standard ACC-- going haywire after you increase the height of the vehicle, in addition to all the usual challenges of lifting a vehicle with IFS.

Toyota just started offering a factory installed 2-inch lift this year. I believe it allows you to fit 33s. That is real progress. But I had 33s on my stock Sahara...

Where Tacoma shines is in overall value: you get a rear locker, Bilstein shocks, their electronic Crawl Control, leather interior, navigation, etc., for $10,000 less than a comparably equipped Wrangler.

I love my JL, but I am still undecided about what to do when the warranty ends. I don't trust FCA quality enough to own one of their products without a warranty. Especially with so many finicky electronics. And judging from everything I have seen on Bronco, Fords are no betterr.

I hope Toyota offers an alternative when I am ready to come back to market in another 18 months.

 

[Devil6Dog]

I doubt it. 4Runner is ancient as it sits right now. The only reason people still buy them is because it is a Toyota; Bronco is not going to change that.

Bronco is going to sell firstly to Ford loyals who have been waiting decades for something from Ford that competes with Jeep, many who currently own some type of Ford or a Jeep; secondly to yuppies who find their BMW X5s and Audi Q7s don't offer enough cachet any more; thirdly by Instagrammers who have swallowed all the hype Ford has been posting for months.

That was me, saw on IG over a year ago and had to have it. Thank god I moved out of California to Arizona which is literally Jeep Country. Although I think the bronco is nice I Love everything about my jeep, the steering or sometimes lack there of. Makes me feel like I am in control instead of some computer, ability to work on my truck again myself, and the AWESOME Jeep community.

 

[TheEddie]

You say two inches does not matter, and then mentioned that the interior is 5 inches wider. The two inches of track width aren't the real issue, but the 5 inches of extra belt line width is a bit of a problem on several trails. When you are trying to turn between a rock and a hard place that width will cause problems.

Yeah there is a big difference here. Ask all the guys who have nearly put their doors into rocks if another 2.5" on each side would have made any difference.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Isn't "true off-roader" and "TRD Off-Road" a contradiction in terms...?

In fairness, I owned a 2019 TRD Off-Road: the vehicle was pretty capable; it came stock with a rear locker and sufficient articulation to handle two-thirds of the trails out there.

Its biggest limitation was tire size. The most I could fit without a lift were 31s, and lifting a Tacoma is a very deliberate process. You have to deal with the forward sensor --for the standard ACC-- going haywire after you increase the height of the vehicle, in addition to all the usual challenges of lifting a vehicle with IFS.

Toyota just started offering a factory installed 2-inch lift this year. I believe it allows you to fit 33s. That is real progress. But I had 33s on my stock Sahara...

Where Tacoma shines is in overall value: you get a rear locker, Bilstein shocks, their electronic Crawl Control, leather interior, navigation, etc., for $10,000 less than a comparably equipped Wrangler.

I love my JL, but I am still undecided about what to do when the warranty ends. I don't trust FCA quality enough to own one of their products without a warranty. Especially with so many finicky electronics. And judging from everything I have seen on Bronco, Fords are no betterr.

I hope Toyota offers an alternative when I am ready to come back to market in another 18 months.

idk about value when it comes to tacomas/4runners.... the tacoma you just described probably would have fun trying to keep up with a stock sport on AT tires lol. i didnt even know you could get leather in a tacoma lol. when did that start? i remember when they were just basic mini trucks.

 

[aldo98229]

idk about value when it comes to tacomas/4runners.... the tacoma you just described probably would have fun trying to keep up with a stock sport on AT tires lol. i didnt even know you could get leather in a tacoma lol. when did that start? i remember when they were just basic mini trucks.

I believe leather seats appeared on Tacoma on the 2nd generation --it is now on its 3rd gen.

Toyota just added a power driver seat option this year! Those seats need all the adjustment they can get to be able to find a comfortable position.

There is nothing mini nor basic about modern Tacomas. A crew cab is several feet longer that a Wrangler 4-door. And TRD Pros now exceed $50,000; they sell with no discounts.

 

[Zandcwhite]

There is also a big difference in peoples "sample size". Your 20 vehicles in 25 years may seem like a lot but some have owned a lot more. In my 35 years of driving I am over 100 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, from a dozen manufacturers. You have clearly had some bad experiences, as have I. I do not typically go around bashing brands though because my experience is, they all have their moments, I have played the Porsche engine lottery several times.... I buy what works best for me. I might rag on Ram trucks a little but the truth is, I had such bad experiences with GM trucks that I don't ever consider those. I would consider a Ram again but they do not offer the configuration I want.

I wouldn't worry about the Bronco's quality for a second but it took me years to get comfortable with the idea of buying another Jeep. I had a 2004 JGC and a 2007 JKUR, neither what I would consider of good quality... Experiences and opinions definitely vary.

Most definitely, but only a fool would put more weight in someone else's experience than their own. Not to mention, anybody whose ever done any research into the 6.0 knows full well that it is failure prone garbage across tens of thousands of owners. The focus transmission was so bad that Ford was forced to extend the warranty out to 150k miles and buy a bunch of them back in a Class action lawsuit. Maybe I invented the monikers Fix Or Repair Daily and Found On Road Dead from my limited experience? Trust the Bronco to be better quality than any of Fords other 1st gen designs like the raptors with bent frames and back ordered cv shafts if you’d like, but looking at the 3rd grader installed Astro-turf headliner I’m guessing this failed launch has lead to a complete disregard for build quality on these early Broncos.

 

[Pig-Pen]

I believe leather seats appeared on Tacoma on the 2nd generation --it is now on its 3rd gen.

Toyota just added a power driver seat option this year! Those seats need all the adjustment they can get to be able to find a comfortable position.

There is nothing mini nor basic about modern Tacomas. A crew cab is several feet longer that a Wrangler 4-door. And TRD Pros now exceed $50,000; they sell with no discounts.

i recently saw two year old TRD Pro Tacomas at the dealership with like 30k on them for $49k!

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