20,000-Mile Update

It did not take our Ford Bronco long to reach the halfway mark in its long-term test. We all continue to note how loud it can be at highway speeds, which means we tend to turn up the radio even louder, sometimes bringing to the fore the Bronco’s wireless Apple CarPlay connection issues (dropping out or failing to connect). Those minor gripes, however, do not mean the Bronco has been sitting still and getting no love. In fact, this retro-inspired SUV keeps making its way closer to our hearts and is arguably a current long-term-fleet favorite.

These last 10,000 or so miles have brought additional enthusiasm for the Bronco even if we are still finding little sticking points. Deputy video editor Carlos Lago notes that “the capability-to-comfort ratio is damn near perfect, and it’s satisfying to tool around in even when you’re simply running errands.” However, Lago also brought up a minor annoyance others have noticed too: The rear cargo door opens toward the passenger side of the car. And the fact that you cannot open the rear glass without fully opening the rear door also can be frustrating when loading/unloading your cargo, because you must have the space to fully open the rear door. We sometimes wish we had the convenience of the rear glass being able to open independent of the rear cargo door, but that doesn’t seem possible given the Bronco’s design.

Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga has been spending some time in the Bronco lately and says, “It is super fun to drive the Bronco. The ride is fairly plush, yet the handling is lively. It’s a blast to hustle this big thing, and although I feel guilty about how much I redline it, it’s taking it in stride.”

The Nokian winter tires we installed on the Bronco handled the deep, wet snow with ease and had excellent braking and cornering grip on the slippery stuff. Technical editor Mike Sutton was driving it during one particularly bad blizzard, and the Bronco was one of the only vehicles that was able to keep moving—albeit with multiple stops to help pull or push his neighbors’ cars out of the snow. Still, summer may be the Bronco’s ideal season. Now that the warm weather is here, we all want to drive it with the roof and doors off.

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

Michael Simari|Car and Driver

We decided this was also a good time to add some flair to the long-termer. Since our Bronco came to us without fog lights, we thought that would be a good place to start. We installed Baja Designs’ Ford Squadron Sport/S2 Sport Fog Pocket Light Kit, which starts around $950. The installation process was a bit time-consuming because the lights need to be installed into the frame that goes into the fog-light pocket of the Bronco. That meant we had to get our aim as perfect as possible with each light before putting the entire fog-lamp assembly onto the Bronco. Once we got past that step, the rest was fairly simple. It was easy to connect to the fuse, although hiding the wires required a little strategy. We were able to split the fog lamps across two fuses and two switches in the Bronco, allowing us to switch between bright and superbright.

Next, at a cost of about $900, came the Ford XL80 A-Pillar Light Kit, the installation of which went much faster. With just one light on each side of the setup, the main thing was taking the time to get the aim just right. Once you tighten them down, you must have the right tool handy to loosen and readjust them.

On a trip we took up north, Michigan’s many seasonal two-track roads afforded a good trial for the new gear. The A-pillar lights made it so easy to see both in front of the trail and to the sides—they create such brightness, you’re sure to remember they’re on. But once we got back on the main road, we had to remember to switch off those fog lamps too. Thank you to the friendly locals who didn’t get angry and honk at us for showing them our new fogs.

Since the last update, the Bronco did hit the dealer for one scheduled-maintenance visit, its 20,000-mile service. It included an oil and oil-filter change and an added tire rotation that we requested, for a total of $91. However, the service tech added a $1.50 oil conditioner when changing the oil, something that’s not listed in the normal maintenance schedule. We also had a $120 alignment done, as the steering wheel was slightly off-center when you were going straight, accompanied by a slight pull to the left. But that was certainly the fault of our high jinks and thus categorized under damage and destruction. Our overall fuel economy thus far has gone up one mile per gallon to a whopping 16 mpg, a reminder that this SUV doesn’t make its case with sensible fuel economy—it’s all about fun!

Months in Fleet: 9 months Current Mileage: 25,986 milesAverage Fuel Economy: 16 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 20.8 gal Observed Fuel Range: 330 miles Service: $163 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0 Damage and Destruction: $120

10,000-Mile Update

Wow, time sure flies when you’re having fun! We’ve already plowed through just over 10,000 miles on our long-term Bronco, and it hasn’t slowed down yet. It’s gone on numerous road trips, went off-roading on both dirt and dunes, and even helped to deliver some Meals on Wheels over the Christmas holiday. It’s also spent plenty of time around town and on the freeway, and the ease of switching between two- and four-wheel drive is making it effortless to navigate Michigan’s ever-changing wintry conditions.

While the Bronco continues to be a staff favorite, we can always find something to make a fuss about. One sticking point continues to be the abundant road noise. Someone asked a staffer who was on the phone using Apple CarPlay if he was in a wind tunnel. The noise serves as a constant reminder that we fell flat by not adding a headliner, which is a no-cost option. Technical editor Mike Sutton proclaimed, “I hope whoever decided we should not get the insulated headliner takes this on a road trip so they can see the folly in that call.” Don’t worry, Mike, we’ve started looking into aftermarket-install headliners and will report back to everyone soon.

Another area of discussion has been the manual transmission. Even though we chose it, we aren’t quite sure how to feel about it now. Editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga griped that the gearbox feels “plasticky and vague while shifting,” but he nonetheless found joy in trying to work it like a sports car. The noisy interior makes it hard to hear the engine, so typically, we’d rely on the tach to help us time our shifts. The Bronco’s digital tachometer, however, is small and difficult to read, particularly as it’s too similar to the fuel-level indicator. Deputy video editor Carlos Lago opined that “the shifter feels good, but the engine is so isolated from the cabin that shifting isn’t as satisfying as it should be.” On one hand, the lever’s long throws and nonchalant engagement pair well with the Bronco’s retro vibes. On the other, that makes shifting kind of a chore, especially in urban areas where constant shifting is necessary. When you’re looking to pass or accelerate, the Bronco often requires a downshift to “muster reliable passing power at highway speeds,” noted senior editor Eric Stafford.

Once winter arrived, we replaced the Bronco’s Goodyear Territory MT L315/70R-17 all-terrain tires with Nokian Hakkapeliitta LT3 (non-studded) LT315/70R-17s. Sutton concluded that the “winter tires actually improve the road manners and noise levels.” After we installed the Nokians in the C/D garage, the Bronco went to the dealer for its first regularly scheduled service, which included an oil change and tire rotation. Per the owner’s manual, the tire rotation included the spare tire, but the service techs failed to notice the spare tire didn’t match the rest, leaving us with mismatched tires and a Nokian as the spare. They also did not fully tighten the new spare tire, something Stafford had to do while stopping for fuel on a road trip. After he returned the Bronco, we put the Goodyear spare back in its place and all four Nokians on the ground.

Stafford also experienced another issue. More than once, the digital fuel gauge temporarily did not show that the Bronco was full after he refueled it. The first time it happened, the fuel gauge did not move from its half-full position and didn’t reset until the following morning. This happened one other time during his road trip, and while the fuel gauge eventually updated, it was concerning given that gas stations in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula can be few and far between.

As much as we love our long-term Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwings, BMW M3, and Porsche 718 Cayman GTS, the Bronco has proven even more often requested by C/D staffers. Lago declared: “This thing rules! It made driving in the snow fun and adventurous instead of stressful and nerve-racking.” Sutton maintains that “the timelessly cool design remains one of the Bronco’s greatest strengths.” Stafford’s overall impression is that the Bronco’s ride and handling, roomier interior, and modern features make it a better choice for daily use than the Jeep Wrangler. We still have a lot of miles to cover with the Bronco and intend to use it in all types of terrain. Maybe we can even get testing director Dave VanderWerp to jump this Bronco in sand dunes like he did the First Edition back in July 2021 . . . Dave?

Months in Fleet: 5 months Current Mileage: 13,236 milesAverage Fuel Economy: 15 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 20.8 gal Observed Fuel Range: 310 miles Service: $72 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0Damage and Destruction: $0

Introduction

It was with arms wide open that we welcomed a 2022 Ford Bronco Badlands Sasquatch for a 40,000-mile test. To say we were excited for it to arrive is an understatement. After the Bronco beat the Jeep Wrangler in a comparison test, we were sure it would make for a worthy addition to our long-term fleet. Really, the minute Ford decided to bring the Bronco back for 2021 we were filled with nostalgia and knew we would want to get our greasy paws all over that thing. It’s just a badass off-roading beast that we can take to the Michigan sand dunes and one that will help us get through our long, cold, snowy winter.

In spec’ing our Bronco, we went with what we thought were some obvious choices. We opted for the four-door model for its extra utility. We also decided to go with the seven-speed manual transmission because, well, we love shifting through those gears ourselves (save the manuals!). With that seven-speed manual comes a lower crawl gear for when you want to do some serious off-roading and need that ultrashort gearing to traverse the terrain. We also went with the Badlands trim, which is one step lower than the Wildtrak near the top of the hierarchy; it adds Bilstein position-sensitive dampers and front anti-roll bar disconnect. That gave our Bronco a base price of $48,185, versus $39,475 for the absolutely cheapest way to get a four-door with a manual transmission (Big Bend trim). If we had stuck with that base Badlands, we would have ended up with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, 33-inch tires, and 17-inch gray-painted aluminum wheels. We decided to add the High Package for an additional $2790, which most notably gave us heated front seats, a 12.0-inch touchscreen, a 360-degree-view camera, and a rear camera mirror. Additionally, we tacked on the Sasquatch package for $4090. The Sasquatch package added 35-inch tires, electronic-locking front and rear differentials, and 17-inch beadlock high-gloss black aluminum wheels. To cap it all off we opted for a hard top in gray ($695), a towing package ($595), a modular front bumper with tow hooks ($575), a cargo-area protector ($120), and all-weather floor mats ($160).

After completing the break-in procedure in the owner’s manual, which nonspecifically says to avoid aggressive or high-speed driving, heavy braking, and towing for the first 1000 miles, we laid into it with our initial instrumented testing. The base engine, a 300-hp turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four, powers our Bronco. It delivered a 60-mph time of 7.4 seconds—the Bronco Raptor did it almost two seconds faster at 5.6. That’s also nearly a second slower than another Bronco four-cylinder automatic, which benefits from a brake-torque launch. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort, however, as launches with our manual-trans Bronco started with a redline clutch dump. Our long-termer pulled 0.70 g on the skidpad and came to a halt from 70 mph in 204 feet. This Bronco weighed in at 5073 pounds, making it one of the lighter four-door examples we’ve tested (the Raptor, at 5764 pounds, was the heaviest).

So far the biggest downside to our Bronco is both the wind and interior noise when driving on the highway. With our High package and hard-top option, we got the Marine-grade vinyl seats, and with those seats and our Badlands trim level, a sound-deadening headliner is not automatically included. We could have added it at no cost, but we didn’t, and now we’re wishing we had.

Marc Urbano|Car and Driver

That aside, we look forward to having all sorts of fun with this Bronco over its 40,000 miles with us. Be sure to check back to see where we go and what we do with this awesome off-roading machine.

Months in Fleet: 3 months Current Mileage: 6699 milesAverage Fuel Economy: 16 mpg Fuel Tank Size: 20.8 gal Observed Fuel Range: 330 miles Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0 Damage and Destruction: $0