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I do like the Bronco but as a toy - not so much as a daily driver. I have driven several and they are fun for sure.
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What are your thoughts on the Bronco as a daily driver? Sometimes I day dream about trading the GX for a Bronco with a manual transmission, but living in MN a convertible is not ideal, and I haven't had a chance to drive the hardtop version but I imagine it would be pretty loud still.
It's a totally different experience from the GX and even the Wrangler. It's still loud compared to the Lexus, no doubt about that, but I bet you could do a lot with some Dynamat/insulation and the padding/Hotheads type stuff for the roof panels.
Haven't had this one on the highway yet, only up to around 50 MPH locally, but should have some decent time at highway speed this weekend. Even around town you definitely still know it isn't a fixed-roof SUV; I don't doubt the stock Goodyears contribute to the noise and some of the compliance issues, but there are certainly roof-on-metal noises that only exist in this type of vehicle.
That said, it's in the 90s here now with a heat index in the 100s and I was just out driving the Bronco. It was perfectly pleasant inside with the A/C set to 67 and the fan set to 4 (it goes to 7). The A/C absolutely cranks.
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- #224
Went a totally different direction. I'm going to use this as my daily for a bit and then build it out similar to what Lucky8 did with their L405 RR. Supercharged V8 is awesome.
Very cool!
Lucky8 ran a trail up in MA called Old Florida Road in their Defender, it made it through but sounds like there was a buttload of winching. That trail has been on my wheeling bucket list for a while, hoping to tackle it this year.
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- #226
Yea - Land RoVer Denver does a bunch of stuff with Defenders. They kitted one out and did the Rubicon.
I think I’m done with the hardcore trail stuff. I just want something that’ll get me away from all the people!
I think I’m done with the hardcore trail stuff. I just want something that’ll get me away from all the people!
Update (Bronco left a few days ago)
It's as expected on the highway. Louder and less refined than the GX but quieter and more composed than the Wrangler. That said it's totally livable, but a fixed-roof experience it certainly isn't even with the hard top.
That said, the 2.3L with the 7MT is a ******* great thing to spend time in and I would replace my GX with one in a heartbeat if I knew it was anywhere near as reliable (and/or I actually had the funds to do so).
Agree with you about just wanting to get away. Yeah, with front and rear lockers, regeared and current tire size, I can keep up with most anyone in rock gardens and squeezes (except the most hard core rigs that are usually not street legal), but GX's are too expensive to be buckling body panels and breaking things. I have all those extra mods for getting me out of trouble, not trying to find trouble. My wife and I just prefer to find nice quiet remote places to camp and hang out for a day or so.
Thanks for the follow-up, that is good to hear! I will have to at least go test drive a Bronco with a manual transmission. I love the GX for the quiet and comfort, but it might just be a little too grown-up for me.
Since my wife and I got married, we have always had reliable cars, mainly due to my monologues about how reliable cars will save you money in the long term. there is usually an inverse relationship between "fun" and reliable. we currently have 2 vehicles, one is 9 years old, the other is 8.
She recently mentioned to me that she is sick of our reliable cars and brings up some fun cars like the Bronco, Wrangler, Audi RS cars.
Broncos in this area are almost exclusively driven by women in their 30s and 40s. Bright colors, big tires, and squeaky cleanSince my wife and I got married, we have always had reliable cars, mainly due to my monologues about how reliable cars will save you money in the long term. there is usually an inverse relationship between "fun" and reliable. we currently have 2 vehicles, one is 9 years old, the other is 8.
She recently mentioned to me that she is sick of our reliable cars and brings up some fun cars like the Bronco, Wrangler, Audi RS cars.
. I have not seen a single one with a spec of dirt on it around here; I only infrequently see them with a male driver. Even the high-trim Bronco Raptors are usually female driven.Conversely, perhaps 15-20% of the Jeeps around here are dirty, the remainder have N-fab stump-catching steps, off-brand off-road tires, wheels that are far too big, vinyl cut stickers with the driver's initials or political messaging on the back window, and a pile of cheap Amazon-purchased rubber duckies on the dashboard. I would estimate >50% of their drivers are female.
I don't doubt that both are fun to drive and I caught myself admiring a JL the other day as it had real off road armor and other parts on it, some battle scars, and it was dirty. But I am going to stick with my GX, and the fun-to-drive nature of a GX can be vastly improved with old-school hot rodding tricks like engine, transmission, and drivetrain mods to made them sound better, respond better, and be faster.
So my wife will fit right in. doesnt help that she currently has a subaru and she has been asked if she's les more than once.Broncos in this area are almost exclusively driven by women in their 30s and 40s. Bright colors, big tires, and squeaky clean
Conversely, perhaps 15-20% of the Jeeps around here are dirty, the remainder have N-fab stump-catching steps, off-brand off-road tires, wheels that are far too big, vinyl cut stickers with the driver's initials or political messaging on the back window, and a pile of cheap Amazon-purchased rubber duckies on the dashboard. I would estimate >50% of their drivers are female.
I don't doubt that both are fun to drive and I caught myself admiring a JL the other day as it had real off road armor and other parts on it, some battle scars, and it was dirty. But I am going to stick with my GX, and the fun-to-drive nature of a GX can be vastly improved with old-school hot rodding tricks like engine, transmission, and drivetrain mods to made them sound better, respond better, and be faster.
I had a '00 Forester for over a decade. I certainly got many les jokes from my friends, but the 5MT, 50/50 torque split center diff, and EJ25 noises made the very fun to drive, and it usually had a bike or canoe on top or hiking gear in the back. I never once felt emasculated driving it, instead it was positive as I was driving a fun car on my way to a fun activity.
To be honest most post-2010 Subies are ugly, unreliable, slow, and boring - I don't blame your wife for wanting to unload hers. My wife drove an 2014 Outback for almost a decade and couldn't wait to get out of it and into the Highlander Hybrid we got her (a 100% mom car but a vastly better vehicle in every way than the Outback ever could be).
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If she want's something fun, get a used Miata. An absolute kick-in-the-pants fun, affordable and reliable.Since my wife and I got married, we have always had reliable cars, mainly due to my monologues about how reliable cars will save you money in the long term. there is usually an inverse relationship between "fun" and reliable. we currently have 2 vehicles, one is 9 years old, the other is 8.
She recently mentioned to me that she is sick of our reliable cars and brings up some fun cars like the Bronco, Wrangler, Audi RS cars.
If you use that as a weekend driver, it should have minimal impact on your auto insurance.
I found a Bronco locally with the 7mt and 2.3l Ecoboost, it really was a hoot, that engine was really grunty and made some pretty fun sounds. The particular vehicle I found had a hardtop that howled at freeway speeds; there was a seam right over my head, and the frameless window was not sealed well. It was fine by myself because I could drown it out with the radio, but it was honestly loud enough that I think it would have been difficult to have a conversation without raising your voice. I plan to test drive another to see if it was a defect of that roof, but that was a bit of a letdown.
Yeah the roof is shockingly noisy. Numbers tell one story but to me it feels even louder on the highway than the hardtop Wrangler.
I've had a Wrangler as a rental and was pleasantly surprised with the road noise. Granted it was nowhere near as posh and quiet as my 19-year old GX is, but it wasn't like I was driving tractor either.