Resurrected after a 25-year hiatus, the Bronco is the sweetheart of the U.S. automotive market because of its classy looks, off-road capability, extensive options, and affordable price point. There are, alas, a few bad things about it that TFL is much obliged to single out, one by one.
From bad to worst, the first dislike on the list comes in the guise of the hood prop rod. You’d expect a strut or two struts to make things easier, but Ford chose to cut corners in this regard. Tommy Mica of The Fast Lane isn’t all that impressed by the B&O premium sound system, which isn’t as crisp as the higher-end stereos in the Jeep Wrangler two-door JL and four-door JLU.
Number three on the dislike list comes courtesy of Andre Smirnov, who isn’t happy with the access to the rear cargo area if you opt for the soft top. The swing-open gate is alright, but the canvas top needs to be lifted and fixed in position with a prop rod while you place your groceries in the trunk.
The awkwardness continues with the very upright position of the rear seats, which may be tiresome on longer journeys. As for the worst dislike of them all, the payload capability leaves much to be desired. The nicely-equipped Bronco Badlands four-door utility vehicle in the following video can’t do better than 1,070 pounds (485 kilograms), while the JLU Rubicon manages 1,351 pounds (613 kilograms) with the 3.6-liter Pentastar engine.
As for the good points, The Fast Lane totally loves the tie-down points on the top of the front fenders. The soft top is straightforward to operate, and the frameless doors are relatively easy to remove, too, because the side mirrors are mounted on the A-pillars. Tommy also makes a case for the manual transmission of the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, which features a crawler gear for extreme off-road capability when the going gets rocky.
Power choices further include a 2.7-liter EcoBoost that’s exclusively offered with a 10-speed automatic, and of course, you can use regular or premium gasoline depending on availability in your area. The best thing about the Bronco? That would be the off-road capability, which is made better by the Sasquatch Package thanks to better suspension bits, high-clearance fenders, a 4.7 final drive ratio for the electronic-locking axles, and beefy tires.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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