New Ford Bronco aimed at the Jeep Gladiator

[mtnbkr]

So things like locking diffs and unlocking sway bars are useless for the kinds of driving that 99.9% of the buyers of these things are actually going to do

I've lifted wheels offroading in my 4Runner, so I would be able to put those features to use, just not often.

That said, I wouldn't be buying a new Bronco for that purpose. But, if I were to buy a new Bronco, and could afford the option package to give me the locking diffs and unlocking sway bars, I'd do it knowing that I'd eventually use them to good effect.

I guess that makes me one of the 0.1%.

Chris

[rob_s]

I've lifted wheels offroading in my 4Runner, so I would be able to put those features to use, just not often.

That said, I wouldn't be buying a new Bronco for that purpose. But, if I were to buy a new Bronco, and could afford the option package to give me the locking diffs and unlocking sway bars, I'd do it knowing that I'd eventually use them to good effect.

I guess that makes me one of the 0.1%.

Chris

It wouldn’t, because you said you wouldn’t do it with a new one, presumably because of the cost:risk.

But there are also a fair number of people that are both well off enough not to care about the financial risk, and still enough of an enthusiast that they’d push the vehicle to the limits that make those features desirable.

And meanwhile the dadbods get to brag about having the same features around the water cooler at the office. “Yeah, I’d have bought the Jeep, but you know they never offered that unlocking sway bar from the factory. Now that Ford final,y offers that shit in the Bronco I was able to get one of those... oh man hold my coffee that’s the kids school calling and I think junior has a bloody nose... I gotta go.”

[mtnbkr]

It wouldn’t, because you said you wouldn’t do it with a new one, presumably because of the cost:risk.

But there are also a fair number of people that are both well off enough not to care about the financial risk, and still enough of an enthusiast that they’d push the vehicle to the limits that make those features desirable.

And meanwhile the dadbods get to brag about having the same features around the water cooler at the office. “Yeah, I’d have bought the Jeep, but you know they never offered that unlocking sway bar from the factory. Now that Ford final,y offers that shit in the Bronco I was able to get one of those... oh man hold my coffee that’s the kids school calling and I think junior has a bloody nose... I gotta go.”

Nope. I wouldn't be in the market for a new Bronco because I'm not generally in the market for new vehicles period (value proposition is too low). However, I wouldn't hesitate to take a new SUV, assuming adequate ground clearance and off-road features, into the places I take my 4Runner. Those trails are generally safe for properly equipped 4x4s (I'm not suicidal). But they do have dips and drops that are more than IFS can manage with a sway bar attached, and mud and rocks sometimes call for locking diffs (or creative driving or winching).

Speaking of which, this has to be the first time I've heard of remote-disengage sway bars. Prior, you had some sort of cotter pin arrangement that allowed you to "break" the end link to disconnect the sway bars. It was always a pita to get on the ground to disconnect them at the trailhead, then reconnect them once you were done before getting back on the highway. That's why I just lived with the "handicap" and never bothered with them myself.

Chris

[fixer]

I think this is cool in general.

I like Jeep getting real competition for a factory rock crawler if you will.

After looking at the specs, I'm still on the 4runner-forever-train.

I like an SUV that can be a trail vehicle and a family car. The Bronco and JK just don't have enough interior room.

[GJM]

We currently own a 2006, 2016 and 2018 4Runner. They are reliable, have great resale value and hold a bunch of stuff.

However, Toyota seriously needs to start investing in the 4Runner, as opposed to having the same product for ten years. Looking at our 2018, the technology (blue tooth, no Apple Car Play, no blind spot monitoring) sucks, there is almost no place to lay your phone, the cup holders suck (too few and every time we lift our Yeti, the rubber insert comes out with the Yeti), the gas mileage sucks, the engine is too small, and there is no heated steering wheel.

Toyota needs to get with it.

[vaspence]

Nope. I wouldn't be in the market for a new Bronco because I'm not generally in the market for new vehicles period (value proposition is too low). However, I wouldn't hesitate to take a new SUV, assuming adequate ground clearance and off-road features, into the places I take my 4Runner. Those trails are generally safe for properly equipped 4x4s (I'm not suicidal). But they do have dips and drops that are more than IFS can manage with a sway bar attached, and mud and rocks sometimes call for locking diffs (or creative driving or winching).

Speaking of which, this has to be the first time I've heard of remote-disengage sway bars. Prior, you had some sort of cotter pin arrangement that allowed you to "break" the end link to disconnect the sway bars. It was always a pita to get on the ground to disconnect them at the trailhead, then reconnect them once you were done before getting back on the highway. That's why I just lived with the "handicap" and never bothered with them myself.

Chris

It’s definitely a nice feature to have even if it isn’t used often (I forget I have it). Time will tell how well the electric parts will hold up.

Speaking of the off road ability of stock SUVs, I took a basic 4wd class with my kid a few weeks ago. There was a stock 4Runner (2014?), stock Lexus 470 and a newer stock Jeep Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk and lastly a 2000s Ford Ranger. All had street tires except the Ranger he had all terrains. They drove everything those of us with Rubicons and mud terrains did. I was very impressed with the ability of these vehicles.

[Maple Syrup Actual]

Well, I like it - of course now that I'm a parent I will probably prioritize hockey lessons and RESP payments over a vehicle so presumably I won't have another nice thing for at least fifteen or twenty years. But the 4runner won't last forever and I will need to replace it with something eventually; if these shake out well this would probably be a fairly practical choice. I had to drive 200km of off-road the other day and although I didn't need all the capability of the 4runner to make it through, I wouldn't have attempted it with much less. A bit of a capability buffer would be a nice investment in the safety of the occupants; you're a long way from help out there.

[vaspence]

We currently own a 2006, 2016 and 2018 4Runner. They are reliable, have great resale value and hold a bunch of stuff.

However, Toyota seriously needs to start investing in the 4Runner, as opposed to having the same product for ten years. Looking at our 2018, the technology (blue tooth, no Apple Car Play, no blind spot monitoring) sucks, there is almost no place to lay your phone, the cup holders suck (too few and every time we lift our Yeti, the rubber insert comes out with the Yeti), the gas mileage sucks, the engine is too small, and there is no heated steering wheel.

Toyota needs to get with it.

I agree with the technology part. My wife has a 2019 Lexus GX 460 (no car play), our 2019 Wrangler has car play and better factory nav than the Lexus. Importantly for those of us with kids the Wrangler has 4 usb-a and 3 usb-c ports with 4 of these in the rear. I think the Lexus has 2?.

[BehindBlueI's]

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/2...co-price-msrp/

Pricing info:

The two-door, base-model Bronco with no options will cost $29,995, including the $1,495 destination charge. That's a little more than the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Sport's $29,790 price (also including destination), but the base Bronco will likely be a bit less Spartan inside than the Jeep. Those interested in a Bronco with four doors will find a $34,695 price after destination, or $3,395 more than the four-door Wrangler Sport.

The Wildtrak...the most expensive standard Bronco trim at $50,370 to start.

[Borderland]

We currently own a 2006, 2016 and 2018 4Runner. They are reliable, have great resale value and hold a bunch of stuff.

However, Toyota seriously needs to start investing in the 4Runner, as opposed to having the same product for ten years. Looking at our 2018, the technology (blue tooth, no Apple Car Play, no blind spot monitoring) sucks, there is almost no place to lay your phone, the cup holders suck (too few and every time we lift our Yeti, the rubber insert comes out with the Yeti), the gas mileage sucks, the engine is too small, and there is no heated steering wheel.

Toyota needs to get with it.

I have a 2019 that I purchases at the end of the model year. I had a 97 4R that I liked a lot so just bought another one. This one has a very good rear camera, good android connection (not sure about iphone), has a decent ride, plenty of space, decent seats, 4H/4L, heated steering wheel and a bunch of other stuff I'll never use. MPG is 21.3 avg and has enough power but it definitely isn't a turbo. I don't care for those anyway as they break and get expensive. I had one.

The thing with the 4R is they're just a good solid vehicle with a good reputation. They're also built in Japan where they still have some quality control. I had a 2007 Chev I bought new and it was nothing but a money pit. When I sold that thing it was one of the happier days of my life. I've had 5 new Toyota's. They all made 150K or more without any problems. I started buying Toyota's in 78.