TFL compares 4xe, Bronco, and Defender on serious off-road trail

[entropy]

that land rover tho.... what a disaster.

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[Zandcwhite]

Can confirm. Got to ride around with them, it was amazing even though I’ll admit I’m 100% biased. Yes you can get a SFA vehicle to be extremely good in the rough stuff at speed. But the amount of work you’d have to put into it to match a stock bronco would be extremely high. (Just like getting a stock Bronco to be as good as a lightly modded JL in the rocks would be extremely high.)The Bronco when pushed to the limits really feels like a stiff Polaris Rzr. It isn’t like riding on a cloud like a Rzr is, but that’s because it feels so planted (and the body roll in a Rzr would get annoying as a daily…) And just like how you can put tons of work into a wrangler to get it good in the desert, there will be long arm kits and all sorts of crazy options for the IFS.

You don’t need a ton of work to make a JL good in the desert, a shock and spring upgrade is basically all the jeepspeed guys are allowed and most of those guys would destroy a stock bronco across the desert. We are talking $3k or less in parts that can be installed in an afternoon by anyone with a socket set and a floor jack. Even in stock form our jlu did fine in the desert at 80+mph. Getting the bronco to match the JL in the rocks is a whole other animal. The 2 biggest complaints about it I’ve seen are size/maneuverability and articulation(or lack there of). I’m sure long travel kits will be available, but like those kits for other ifs rigs, they will be $12-15k in parts and require a component fabricator to install. After you put $20k in the bronco suspension you’ll have the same articulation as the jl, but it will now be 6” wider and less maneuverable. It is brilliant marketing on Ford‘s part, but don’t confuse a ride along with a professional race driver in a sponsored rig with bopping along in a buddies JL who doesn’t have the skills or the willingness to push the limits in his personal vehicle. Stock for stock, the bronco is slightly better in the desert, and worse on most types of trails. Mod dollar for mod dollar the JL pulls away faster than it did in tfl’s drag race thanks to the ease of modding a solid axle rig.

 

[TheRealTVGuy]

Raptor owners in Southern California and surrounding areas.

And guys in rental Wranglers on the trails of Joshua Tree. (Ask me how I know) There’s just something special about being in a Jeep with the top down going 55mph down a dirt trail and sliding around corners.

Huge smiles that day.

 

[Steve F]

Spot the IFS They do it all in the outback challenge and SFA rules the roost for it's simplicity, strength and ease of lift etc even seems to manage OK in the high speed stuff.

 

[rkj__]

Spot the IFS They do it all in the outback challenge and SFA rules the roost for it's simplicity, strength and ease of lift etc even seems to manage OK in the high speed stuff.

Yes, SFA rules off road. It is awesome in the rocks, and it can hang in the outback / desert.
Do we really need to keep beating that dead horse?
Bronco has IFS, and it will work well for people who spend more time on road than off road.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Yes, SFA rules off road. It is awesome in the rocks, and it can hang in the outback / desert.
Do we really need to keep beating that dead horse?
Bronco has IFS, and it will work well for people who spend more time on road than off road.

We have some Bronco fan boys on the JL forum who seem convinced that the rav4 ifs in the Bronco makes it raptor like off road and that simply isn't true. Short arm ifs has more in common with a Honda Ridgeline than a raptor or an ultra 4 car. The Bronco will be a better road car for those who want their off road vehicle to drive like an explorer.

 

[Steve F]

Yes, SFA rules off road. It is awesome in the rocks, and it can hang in the outback / desert.
Do we really need to keep beating that dead horse?
Bronco has IFS, and it will work well for people who spend more time on road than off road.

Did you not enjoy the video It was more an excuse to show a bit of Aussie wheelin'. Don't get me wrong, IFS is great, my car has it and it's brilliant on the road

 

[rkj__]

Did you not enjoy the video

I'm sure it's a really great video, but I just skipped through it lightning quick.

 

[T Town]

We have some Bronco fan boys on the JL forum who seem convinced that the rav4 ifs in the Bronco makes it raptor like off road and that simply isn't true. Short arm ifs has more in common with a Honda Ridgeline than a raptor or an ultra 4 car. The Bronco will be a better road car for those who want their off road vehicle to drive like an explorer.

I’m a fan boy of all sorts of off-road vehicles. I don’t need the best or worst, I need the vehicle that grabs me and if it does a good job on the trail that’s great. All this splitting hairs is just arguing. The Bronco will do great and give their owners a smiley face.
When asked why I got a VW GTI over whatever else was available all I could say was the car got into my head. Add to that it’s a great thing to drive and I’m happy. Is it the best? No. Is it wonderful? Oh yes.
Both Jeep and Bronco drivers will be having fun out there while we are are all typing on keyboards seeking validation or defending ideals. Winning arguments is weak sauce compared to having fun.
Is it obvious I’m an old boomer with no horse in this race?

 

[av8or]

It’ll be interesting in the future to see how many Broncos end up with a solid axle for better off-road performance. I’m betting you will see more Broncos with straight axles than wranglers with IFS.

 

[omega145]

Bronco has IFS, and it will work well for people who spend more time on road than off road.

Isn't that almost everyone including 95% of forum members? A tiny subset of people will buy a brand new Wrangler OR Bronco and do more miles off road than on. I know this is a Wrangler forum but its wild to see people not rationally viewing the Bronco vs Wrangler "debate" on either this forum or the Bronco forum.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Isn't that almost everyone including 95% of forum members? A tiny subset of people will buy a brand new Wrangler OR Bronco and do more miles off road than on. I know this is a Wrangler forum but its wild to see people not rationally viewing the Bronco vs Wrangler "debate" on either this forum or the Bronco forum.

Unless it's a trailer queen, nobody does more trail miles than road miles. We have done numerous trips of 300+ miles off road over a long weekend, and virtually allof them had at least double that driving to/from the area we were going wheeling. That being said, we wheel alone most of the time. I'll take the simple, durable, and more easily repairable solid axle every time. Both vehicles are more than capable off road, but the one flexed out section shows you which is better. That being said, they both are available with lockers and it boils down to personal preference. If the Bronco is anything like my 06 superduty or 2013 focus, it's great that the seats are more comfortable as waiting for a tow truck can take hours.

 

[Outrun]

You don’t need a ton of work to make a JL good in the desert, a shock and spring upgrade is basically all the jeepspeed guys are allowed and most of those guys would destroy a stock bronco across the desert. We are talking $3k or less in parts that can be installed in an afternoon by anyone with a socket set and a floor jack. Even in stock form our jlu did fine in the desert at 80+mph. Getting the bronco to match the JL in the rocks is a whole other animal. The 2 biggest complaints about it I’ve seen are size/maneuverability and articulation(or lack there of). I’m sure long travel kits will be available, but like those kits for other ifs rigs, they will be $12-15k in parts and require a component fabricator to install. After you put $20k in the bronco suspension you’ll have the same articulation as the jl, but it will now be 6” wider and less maneuverable. It is brilliant marketing on Ford‘s part, but don’t confuse a ride along with a professional race driver in a sponsored rig with bopping along in a buddies JL who doesn’t have the skills or the willingness to push the limits in his personal vehicle. Stock for stock, the bronco is slightly better in the desert, and worse on most types of trails. Mod dollar for mod dollar the JL pulls away faster than it did in tfl’s drag race thanks to the ease of modding a solid axle rig.

When he posted his post it just demonstrated exactly how little he knows about every vehicle and off roading. Saying massive work to get a Jeep as good as a stock Bronco or saying a Bronco is like a RZR is laughable.

 

[NBB]

Watched a little more of the video. The TFL crew seems to cater to the mall crawler audience. That trail is pretty easy, really - a 4 out of 10 on the Moab scale. Waiting for Lite Brite crew to take delivery of theirs and trash it on some real trails.

 

[entropy]

Watched a little more of the video. The TFL crew seems to cater to the mall crawler audience. That trail is pretty easy, really - a 4 out of 10 on the Moab scale. Waiting for Lite Brite crew to take delivery of theirs and trash it on some real trails.

Lite brite is a circus. theyll trash any vehicle. The kind of off roading TFL does is what most of the amateur off roaders do. If you really think those are mall crawlers, and think that real off roaders are those who laugh at flipping jeeps like they burned 90% of their grey matter, then well enjoy the circus, they always need more clowns.

TFL has much more professional content. Lite Brite show makes me wanna puke sometimes. Everyones on cocaine on that show.

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