TFL Tommy talks... Do I Regret Buying My Brand New Jeep Wrangler After Living With The New Ford Bronco For a Week?

[Mikester86]

I hate to say this, because, yaknow, I love my kids and all, and they do ride in the back seat regularly, but..... The view of the sky that my back seat passengers have when I remove the top of my vehicle doesn't register at all when I am making a vehicle purchasing decision. In 20 of the last 25 years, my primary vehicle didn't even have operable rear windows! This seems like a really silly decision from Ford.

Well, they had to one up the Jeep! Lol!

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[summer4x]

Thanks!

Sure. Here are the most recent ones:

Thanks. Looks fantastic.

 

[jessedacri]

I used to believe the same about JLs being no more capable than JKs. But after buying a JL, I discovered that my JL Sahara came from the factory with the same ground clearance as my JKUR Recon. With the Mopar lift and 35s, my Sahara now has slightly more clearance than my JKUR with a Mopar lift. In fact, I have enough room to fit 36s on my Sahara if I wanted; something I couldn't have done to my JKUR.

The new JL axles are proving to be far stronger than JKs, too. You rarely see anyone having broken axles on JLs with 35s any more. Same for the ball joints. The 8-speed automatic gives you a LOT more flexibility with the Command-Trac on the trails. These are all gradual evolutions in capability to be sure, but they add up.

Per 37s on a Raptor...who cares...? I am not the least interested in those things.

eh. I would beg to differ of course, being someone who bent a JL front D44 running only 35s because the stupid FAD housing is made of weak cast pot metal and located in a critical area.

Some things on the JL D44s are stronger but the FAD housing was such an odd choice.
I’d still take a JL Rubicon any day over anything with IFS. These are fun trail rigs, not highway queens.

 

[sentience]

Anything shy of a crossbar to anchor the panels to, will at best be a bandaid fix. It's the downside to prioritizing a more open view from the backseat over function and longevity. And not having that structural crossbar, that jeep took advantage of also using as a sound bar, is a big reason why the broncos sound system is lacking.

Absolutely agree with this. They had the right idea with the long running lap joints for the driver/passenger panels to sit on, but that middle section panel should have had an integrated cross member to bridge both ends, to reduce flex.

Or alternatively, a removable set of strut bars above each set of doors, to reduce roof flex in the first place.

 

[rkj__]

Ah, 100% because that is called 'fit and finish' and if you can't take the time to do that on a $60,000 vehicle, who knows what else was overlooked.

This just goes to show, you can’t please everyone. I’d much rather pay a few pennies less, than have an engine cover for only cosmetic reasons.

 

[lowmpg]

This just goes to show, you can’t please everyone. I’d much rather pay a few pennies less, than have an engine cover for only cosmetic reasons.

More so that if you can't get the little things right, why trust you with an engine, drivetrain and a new vehicle. Make your bed in the morning, if you can't finish that simple task, should you be doing anything else?

 

[Speed331]

I've never had any issues with the JL seats. Never even crossed my mind. I can drive all day long and not experience any sort of discomfort. Same thing with the with getting to the backseats of the two door, or sitting back there which I think it is fun as hell. Then I remember I am only 5'8'' tall, sort of avg build and 32.

I'm 6'4" - 225 and 52. I'm in a 2 door and love the seats. I like the upright position for long hours in the seat way more than the 'recliner' that is in my wife's Discovery. I spend 5-6 hours in it several times a week when I use it for work and have zero back or leg pain. 4 hours in the discovery and my quads and glutes start to ache.
The only comfort addition I made was to add a dead pedal for some extra leg position options...

 

[daveprice7]

Well, they had to one up the Jeep! Lol!

Mission Accomplished. Bronco really nailed that hardtop rattle that the Jeep was sorely missing.

 

[txj2go]

I think the Bronco looks like a reasonable vehicle. 18 months ago we didn't really know what the Bronco would be, we were grasping at clues. It got to be time for me to buy a vehicle and start traveling so I bought a used JLU Sport. I would have considered a Bronco. Today if a Bronco and Jeep were setting there side by side at similar prices I probably would still pick the Jeep. I was hoping the base Bronco might be more reasonably priced. What Tommy didn't really get into much was that the Bronco he was comparing with cost twice what his jeep cost. That is significant. It would be hard to get a V6 or I4 Wrangler beyond $55k, much less up to $70k.

I've never been a Ford fanboy, for many years I was a Chevy fan. I bought a 1990 Taurus SHO and it turned out to be one of the best cars I've owned. My CTS is a good vehicle but it was time for me to buy something with serious offroad capability so I bought the JLU.

Something nobody has quite addressed yet- a lot of people buy the Jeep because it is iconic, different, eyecatching. People like a vehicle that makes them look tough even if they never go offroad. To compete with the Jeep, the Bronco will have to offer this. I don't know if it can.

 

[Notorious]

Now that's f'ing funny! That word will always bring you to mind, buddy...

LOL!! As Intended! You’re a good man Mike!

 

[jeepingib]

All those are generic product line improvements that apply across the board.

What Jeep had been lacking is actual off-road evolution.

The 2021 JL was no more capable off-road than the 2008 JK or even the 2004 TJ Rubicon.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you haven't actually wheeled much, and certainly not in all three of these different Wranglers. Because I have, owned a couple of TJs and a JK before my JL. And I will gladly say that they have definitely improved from one generation to the next.


[QUOTE =gato] Ford has had multiple vehicles on 35" tires (Raptor, F250 Tremor, F350 Tremor, Bronco in all trims).

Now Jeep will have only 1 model Rubicon Xtreme on 35s. And it is only for the 4-door and only on 2 engines.

Meanwhile, Ford has announced and starting to build Raptors with 37" tires, and has been testing Broncos (Warthog ?) with 37" tires.

So, I'm waiting for Jeep's answer to offer 37" tires from the factory like Ford is on the cusp of doing on at least 2 vehicles.
[/QUOTE]
Your benchmark appears to be the size of tires from the factory. Yet the first thing most people change on any SUV or Truck that they plan to wheel is the factory tires and wheels. It's kind of a weak point to make your stand on for what vehicle is more capable than the other.

 

[mgarciaknight]

Ok guys, noticed at the 19:22 minute that the back seat head rest fold down flat FORWARD! Is this a JL 2dr thing, cuz I immediately went to my JLU 4dr and was not able to do it! I would love to be able to do that. Can someone guide me on how to do this if possible?

 

[Outrun]

All those are generic product line improvements that apply across the board.

What Jeep had been lacking is actual off-road evolution.

The 2021 JL was no more capable off-road than the 2008 JK or even the 2004 TJ Rubicon.

Ford has had multiple vehicles on 35" tires (Raptor, F250 Tremor, F350 Tremor, Bronco in all trims).

Now Jeep will have only 1 model Rubicon Xtreme on 35s. And it is only for the 4-door and only on 2 engines.

Meanwhile, Ford has announced and starting to build Raptors with 37" tires, and has been testing Broncos (Warthog ?) with 37" tires.

So, I'm waiting for Jeep's answer to offer 37" tires from the factory like Ford is on the cusp of doing on at least 2 vehicles.

Either your bias is showing or you never went off road. There is a massive difference between the JL, JK, and TJ. Also, the TRX comes with 35's.

Jeep has evolved pretty well over time. Bronco wasn't even around.

 

[Outrun]

"Because COVID" is now the default excuse for any issues in business and industry, to the point of embarrassment.

Can you say "Delta variant" because this is what will be coming very soon.

 

[Atom631]

i really love the idea of the modular top, but its a shame it seems to be poorly made. when i drive on the beach, we pack the shit out of the back and not having the top on limits the amount of stuff i can pack. would be great if i could remove just the tops over the passengers and keep the back on.

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