How will your Ford Bronco perform after owning it for one year? This article is a review on a Bronco, but not just any Bronco, the first edition Ford Bronco after owning it for one year. It outlines everything that has gone right and wrong with the Bronco, but let us talk about why this vehicle is the car of the decade.
Forget the Maverick and the Lightning; the Ford Bronco has to be the most sought-after vehicle of this decade. This is because the car is more complicated than it seems. First of all, the styling perfectly combines retro and modern. Ford took a family vehicle and turned it into a cool-looking car.
Ford also benchmarked the Wrangler- they did a deep dive on the model line-up and the approach angle, departure angle, break-over angle, and all the all-wheel and four-wheel drives. Then they took it to 11 – so, if the Wrangler is a ten, then Bronco is an 11. And this is not just in terms of off-road capabilities but also the model line-up. The vehicle is the perfect combination of on-road and off-road usability.
All You Need To Know
The Ford Bronco we will be reviewing is the first edition sasquatch package which means it comes from the factory 35s and every other feature available on the Bronco. One thing Ford got right about this Bronco is the size – similar to the Wrangler in length but a little bit wider, which is quite smart as it is the perfect-sized vehicle for most uses.
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In the Wrangler, the heavy tire on the rear tailgate is a huge compromise because it creates issues (the hinges tend to break). Luckily, Ford thought about this and made the Bronco sturdier. Ford also made the vehicle a little on-road worthy, so the seats are much more comfortable than the ones in the Wrangler.
The Bronco we will be reviewing has gone on many rugged Colorado off-roads, so the bead lock capable wheels have a significant off-road road rash. The backseat has enough knee and headroom, and the seats are not straight-up, which is pretty good. There is a lot of room in the cargo area to store many items, but you have to open up the tailgate before opening up the glass, which is somewhat stressful.
Under the hood of this vehicle is a 2.7-liter twin-turbo that produces 315 horsepower, which is just about right for this truck. After using the Bronco for a year, there have been zero issues with the powertrain apart from the regular oil change. There was an issue with the first edition roof – it made some weird noises – but Ford replaced it with the Sunrider, which flips back so you can open it up without storing the panels.
Even with the rugged off-roading this truck has been through, it has significantly been problem-free for a year. The interior design of the Bronco is just about right – the vehicle has regular buttons for the volume and turning knob HVC control. On the dashboard, you have all your off-road buttons (sway bar disconnect, front lock or rear lock, turn to assist, and stability control, which is used to return to modern routes).
The Ford Bronco costs about $63,000, but unfortunately, the quality of the plastic used is not so good. For a car of that price, one would have expected the seats to be much nicer and the plastics a little better. In general, the Bronco design trumps the quality. Although nothing has fallen off or been damaged throughout the year, the design does not feel rock solid. This makes it seem like this vehicle was one of the earlier ones that Ford put together hastily.
The major advantage of owning the Bronco first edition sasquatch package is the confidence it gives you when driving off-road. What makes a car good on-road is what makes it bad off-road and vice versa. It is challenging for many manufacturers to achieve this but luckily, driving off-road in the Bronco first edition is exceptionally comfortable.
The Bronco is not exactly good for side-by-side off-roading as it does not have fourteen or eighteen inches of suspension travel or some insane amount. But, it is getting close to this, which is quite remarkable. Even after a year of driving the Bronco, the vehicle still gets a lot of attention from Jeep owners because Ford got the exterior design right.
One of the things Ford did that is quite smarter than Jeep is that they did not attach the side view mirrors to the doors. Instead, they attached them to the vehicle’s body, making it a little easier to detach the doors. They did not only give thought to the mirrors but also the little gun sights in front of the vehicle. They are meant for wires that can be strung to the roof so that tree branches cannot hit the windshield when you are off-roading in deep jungles.
Most of the time, the cameras in modern vehicles are always low-quality, but the Ford Bronco’s camera is super sharp and maintains its high quality after a year. The off-road pages – inclinometer, the rear diff locked – are also equally nice. This Bronco has only gone about 6,000 miles for the whole year with a fuel economy of 16.2 for the first trip and 19.1 for trip two, which is not bad for a vehicle of 35s.
Some people had engine issues with their Ford Bronco – if you are one of those who had engine issues and Ford had to replace the engine under warranty, you can still sell your Bronco for above what you paid for, which is incredible. Sometimes, like with the Toyota Tundra, the issues are more virulent on the forums, and there has not been much news about that recently.
The Bronco is different from a Wrangler – not better or worse because sometimes that is all it takes – and it is highly recommended. The Bronco first edition makes you feel special when you drive it; you feel like the king of the off-road world when driving it, but of course, that special feeling will wear off over time. This is because Ford got it right in every aspect, and 20-30 years from now, people will still be trying to collect this vehicle.
Conclusion
If you have been contemplating whether to get yourself a Bronco because you are quite unsure about its performance and if it will be worth buying after a year, this is your go-ahead article. With the Bronco, users are guaranteed full confidence and comfort during their off-road adventures.
