Bronco vs Jeep Wrangler mega thread

[aldo98229]

I remember when the Recon was launched a good amount of people were complaining how forum members were knocking Jeep for putting out a fluff special edition. I wonder how those same people feel now? The Recon presently as the top of the line Rubicon trim needs to be upgraded by the time Broncos hit showrooms floors. Jeep should go all out with upgraded axles, 37s, 4.88 gears, a winch and skids from the factory. It doesn’t need to be a V8, it needs to be a legitimate hardcore off-roader from the factory with a warranty to boot.

Jeeps issue combatting the Bronco is not the Wrangler itself but it’s bloated options and lack of value in comparison. They could make up on most of this by upgrading straight from the factory and creating better option packages.

A Recon with a factory 2” lift, 35” tires, Selec-Trac and available V6 would widen its appeal overnight. None of that would be that difficult to add, either.

And give it a new hood sticker that reads RUBECON...

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[cbrenthus]

I had a '13 Mustang GT Premium and loved it. Would love to go to a Bronco, here are my thoughts:

Bronco Pros:
IFS - I would love to have a btter handling highway vehicle
Doors stored on board
Mirrors stay on when doors removed
Looks like hard top is much easier to remove, possibly able to remove alone without a winch

Bronco Cons (for me, my opinion)
Lack of fun colors, orange is OK, but I really love my Mojito
Interior looks hideous to me
Not a big fan of turbos
Price plus ADM - as mentioned, I've seen ridiculous markups in my area for Fords compared

If they offered a V8, or if they turn out to have amazing mileage, I might go take a look. But as it stands I won't be walking into a Ford dealer anytime soon. Of course, even if I wanted one I wouldn't be stepping in a Ford dealer anytime soon as it will probably be 2 years before many of us can realistically buy one. How many delays have they had just releasing this thing? Do we think they are actually going to stick to the promised production date? Then the first year will be all pre-orders or ADM, either way, you're not getting one under sticker for probably 2 years from right now.

Bottom line, they're neat, but I love my '19 Mojito Rubi and don't plan on getting rid of her for a long time

 

[jeepingib]

I've made my opinion clear on the 392 Concept in that thread. It would be nice, but it's likely just another pipe dream. I think that Jeep could have easily stepped up and just put 35's and 4.56s on the Recon and Mohave to put this issue to bed. That is really the only thing that the Bronco has over the Wrangler for off road performance.

 

[Headbarcode]

I prefer having my wife in something capable. She's currently in a Nissan juke with awd and ground clearance in between a car and an suv. We both want her to get out of it before age sets in and turns out into a money pit.

Very soon after I got my Rubi, she started making noise about possibly getting herself a 2 door Punk'n Rubicon. She doesn't share my offroad interests, so wouldn't fully utilize the capability, but the Sahara is only available with 4 doors and the Sport doesn't get all of the features that she likes about mine.

That idea died after a couple hours of running errands, in a mix of highway and back roads, behind the wheel of my JLUR. Overall she liked everything about it, but it made her realize how much she prefers a car-like ride over a truck-like one. It's the nature of the solid axle, while on road, that turned her off.

I've been showing her the teasers that Ford has been putting out, and she is interested in seeing the full reveal and eventually some test drives of the 2 door model. I've told her my thoughts that it will be quite a capable vehicle, but will be designed to prioritize on road handling over its off road capabilities. Whereas Jeep shoots for the best on road ride and handling possible, without sacrificing so much as an ounce of its off road prowess.

I'm hoping it turns into a great vehicle, that my wife likes it's looks and how it drives, and I might get to play around with a 2022 model down the road.

Everything up to this point was copy pasted from my post afew days ago on the now locked thread.

My wife and I watched the videos last night, and she loves the 2 door. She wants to do the $100 reservation. Her words, not mine. And to paint a little picture, she's a nurse who was top of her class with highest GPA, 3rd degree black belt, and is one of the biggest tomboys I've known.

"It's so bubbly and cute! And everything's so simple to use because of buttons and knobs, instead of levers. They even put the grab handles down low, rather than up on the a-pillars."

She is zeroed in on the Badlands, because she prefers the smaller engine with the 10 speed and auto 4h. And add the sasquatch and a bunch of the tech packages. We tried to use the build it function, but after waiting, they only list the Sport model. I hope it fairs well. It's making her more interested in possibly joining me off road, because it would get her more hands on rather than just riding along. Fingers crossed!

 

[Thinman]

Just saw this posted at https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...lift-kit-37-tires-doors-and-top-removed.1866/

Bronco on 2" factory lift kit and 37's

somebody had mentioned the proportions appearing off, too much body, and I never saw it till this picture.

can this guy even see over the dash?

 

[danzy55]

I wouldn't have used what team are you on, personally. I've spent lots of $$$$ with Jeep over the years on 7 Wranglers and now a Gladiator. I'm about competition, I watched the Bronco last night and have been checking out various reviews so far. I personally like the look kinda old Bronco/International Scout look.
I do like the fact they solved many of the small pet pevs that a lot of Wrangler owners have expressed for years. Love the body mount mirrors, love the coupe style doors kinda half door look. God knows I've been wondering why they launched the JL in 2018 showing off half doors and then again this week with the 392 tease again half doors. It somethings feels FCA just doesn't give a shit. Like still using crappy head lights on a $30K base SUV, really in this day and age no they would rather squeeze every penny out of us as possible. Do I care about solid axles vs independent......no these have always been my daily drivers. I go off road but I'm just not going to take a $50K Gladiator and run the risk of beating the shit outta it against some boulders. If I wanted that I'd go buy an old YJ or TJ and use it.
Bottom line I sure hope FCA listens now and not take a loyal community for granted. Maybe my next $40K will go into Ford's pocket, time will tell.

 

[SecondTJ]

Jeep needs to answer by giving Rubicon 4.88 gears and 35’s, while then giving 4.10 as an option on the rest of the lineup

 

[StrikeZ]

I saw the videos and from what I got out of them, the new Bronco turns you into a rock climber?

 

[Oilburner]

"It's so bubbly and cute! And everything's so simple to use because of buttons and knobs, instead of levers. They even put the grab handles down low, rather than up on the a-pillars."

LOL my wife took one look at it and said "Looks like the 'Jelly Bean' (FJ) had a 'Special Needs' child"

 

[imperial4ever]

I don’t see how the Bronco won’t take a massive chunk out of Wrangler sales unless FCA plays their old game of discounting things to between 15-25% and just playing the price game. The base 2 door comes with a hard top, AC and LED headlights standard, all with a more powerful base engine, and arguably better manual transmission. I would wager that it will handle exponentially better on the road too. There’s a lot of info and options to wade through with the Bronco which is great for the consumer. Going through the resources made my head spin.

Kudos to Ford for investing billions in developing a vehicle with such a low niche market. If Ford can nail the quality, reliability and the after-the-sale dealership experience, Jeep will be in trouble.

 

[Thill444]

if ou

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2020-customer-service-index-csi-study

My last two sports cars have been Ford's (Focus RS, GT350). The problem I have with JD Power is it does not address longer term reliability. Just in terms of Consumer Reports I see Jeep ranked 26th and Ford ranked 16th. Not defending Jeep here, as I just had my whole A/C unit replaced on my 11 month old JL Wrangler (and it took them forever to get the part), but Ford has lots of issues.

The 2.3L tubo 4 cylinder engine, for example, in the Focus RS was a disaster. That engine is a modified engine found on the Mustang, and Ford mistakenly put the Mustang head gasket (at the factory) on thousands and thousands of Focus RS's instead of the correct head gasket. They realized it after many cars had destroyed engines and had to issue a massive recall that took many months because of parts shortages.

I currently own a GT350 and, well, those engines are having tons of failures too with some owners who have less than 5K miles on their third complete long block.

If you were paying attention to the Explorer rollout it has been a complete disaster. So bad that Ford had to ship all of them (once they are built on the line in Illinois, to a different Ford factory to fix all the issues). There are reports of gangs running the Ford Explorer factory and causing issues.

It's bad.

 

[Thill444]

Some examples:
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2020-ford-explorer-launch-problems-lessons-shareholder-meeting/

From another article:
"What the CEO wasn’t counting on was for a problematic plant to cause trouble again. The Chicago factory, fined twice in the last two decades by federal workplace-harassment regulators, is riven with dissension that’s hampering productivity and quality, according to people familiar with the situation.

Roving groups of workers are intimidating other employees, creating a hostile environment, the people said. That’s driving up turnover and leaving some vehicle assembly unfinished, contributing to the company having to complete the work at the Michigan factory or at dealerships, the people said."

 

[Mikester86]

I was going to order the 2021 Wrangler, but I decided to hold off. No rush to get a new vehicle. I will wait to test drive the Bronco and go from there.

See, the Bronco is already taking sales away, LOL. Even if it's for a little while.

 

[Headbarcode]

LOL my wife took one look at it and said "Looks like the 'Jelly Bean' (FJ) had a 'Special Needs' child"

I don't think it looks bad at all, but it definitely has a bit too much of a feminine touch to be making claims about outperforming the wrangler in any way beyond vehicle sales numbers. I'm happy that my wife is happy and excited, that's why I held back the chuckle as soon as i saw the grab handle so down low. I immediately envisioned her reach for my Rubis handle when getting in. Lol

 

[Litfuse]

somebody had mentioned the proportions appearing off, too much body, and I never saw it till this picture.

can this guy even see over the dash?

I completely agree. I love the styling of the Bronco, but this pic has me concerned for the its size. I remember hopping out of my TJ and into a JK thinking about how large the new generation was compared to the TJ. Hmm...this darn Bronco May be too large for my liking.

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