Going from 21 Big Bend to 22 Badlands - thoughts and impressions

[SportWest]

I'll get to the point: if you're considering a Bronco Sport and can afford both the cost and wait time, place an order for a Badlands with the 2.0L engine. But think twice about the Premium Package.

Background: Sold my 21 Big Bend to CarMax for a nice profit last December. Placed an order for a 22 Badlands (with tow, Assist+, and Premium Package) the same week. With taxes, fees, tire/wheel warranty, and price protection, the Badlands costs all-in about what CarMax paid me last year for the Big Bend lmao. Also got the Ford Credit rates in effect last December (48 months @ 1.9%).

The good:

(1) The 2.0L four banger is a great, peppy engine with the perfect amount of horsepower for the Sport. It also sounds way better than the 1.5L.

(2) No BRRRRRRR/GRRRRRR noise from the transmission at low speeds! What a relief. Based on that mega thread, I'm convinced that a bad batch of transmissions made their way into some 21 builds. The noise I heard was not related to a loose parking brake cable. If nothing else, I'm glad I dumped my 21 with the bum transmission.

(3) Leather-wrapped steering wheel is great.

(4) Fuel economy is what I expected, currently hovering at 24.6 MPG over a few hundred miles (hand calculated).

The bad:

(1) Adding the Premium Package was a mistake. The B&O sound system is not "premium" at all, it sounds like what you'd expect from a "regular," non-cheapo system. My generic "special of the week" aftermarket system from Fry's Electronics (RIP) I put in my old car 12 years ago sounds way better, and I bought it solely because it was discounted.

The seats and accents look great, but the seats are incredibly uncomfortable and stiff. (My leather is perforated FWIW.) After about an hour of driving, my lower back hurts like crazy. I prefer the cloth ones in every respect.

Any suggestions for a lumbar cushion or something?

The wireless charging pad is pretty useless without wireless Sync.

(2) I have a button to pop the hatch, but I'm missing the following bits and bobs compared to MY21:

* No engine cover
* No plastic panel above passenger's feet
* No green light on the start/stop button
* No case for the owners manual
* No temperature displays on the buttons themselves -- this bothers me more than it should
* No folding headrests

The ugly:

(1) The black roof! I prefer the Cactus Grey roof and I'm seriously considering a white roof wrap if I keep the car long-term.

What's next?

(1) Making the driver's seat more comfortable is priority one. If I can't get that resolved through adjustments or aftermarket cushions, I'm selling the car for another profit and calling it quits on the Sport. Unfortunately the seats really are that uncomfortable to me, and it's one of those things that will ruin an otherwise excellent vehicle.

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[Elegance]

(2) No BRRRRRRR/GRRRRRR noise from the transmission at low speeds! What a relief. Based on that mega thread, I'm convinced that a bad batch of transmissions made their way into some 21 builds. The noise I heard was not related to a loose parking brake cable. If nothing else, I'm glad I dumped my 21 with the bum transmission.

Thank GOODNESS. Thank you for confirming this. My 21 BB makes all kinds of funky noises around 1500 RPM and I was so looking forward to a nice quiet 2.0L next month. Can hardly wait for it to arrive now. Nice writeup, appreciate you sharing.

 

[SportWest]

Thank GOODNESS. Thank you for confirming this. My 21 BB makes all kinds of funky noises around 1500 RPM

Exact same symptoms on my old Big Bend. I was able to consistently reproduce the noise by cruising in parking lots at 1400-1500 RPM. One mechanic basically told me it's not an issue because Ford transmissions are just loud.

 

[Wolf256]

Have you tried adjusting the lumbar support? I made around trip from Seattle to Los Angeles. Between the premium seating and the smooth ride, I had a great trip and plan to do it again.

My dealer supplied the panel on the passenger side, but had to wait as it was back ordered.

 

[SgtT11B]

I found the seats in the premium BL to be very comfortable. The B&O sounds good but you have to play with the levels. The equalization from the factory is horrible.

 

[69cuda340s]

Seats in my '21 with Badlands Package are very nice. But when it was brand new the cushions felt stiff for first week or two the softened up now they are great.

Anyway sad to hear you not comfortable in yours.

 

[Folkman]

I went from a 21 OB to a 21 BL (almost even trade at the dealer).

My BL does not have the premium upgrades and I don’t really miss any of them. 19$ netted me wireless charging. 89$ netted me wireless CarPlay (carlinkit 3.0) and the seats are WAY easier to clean than the leather from the OB. Especially with all the sandy dust here in Phoenix.

Don’t get me wrong, the OB was NICE. But the BL is better. And I am not sure I would have done this in the lower trims. Maybe…. But the BL didn’t even sniff.

 

[Adam CW]

I'll get to the point: if you're considering a Bronco Sport and can afford both the cost and wait time, place an order for a Badlands with the 2.0L engine. But think twice about the Premium Package.

Background: Sold my 21 Big Bend to CarMax for a nice profit last December. Placed an order for a 22 Badlands (with tow, Assist+, and Premium Package) the same week. With taxes, fees, tire/wheel warranty, and price protection, the Badlands costs all-in about what CarMax paid me last year for the Big Bend lmao. Also got the Ford Credit rates in effect last December (48 months @ 1.9%).

The good:

(1) The 2.0L four banger is a great, peppy engine with the perfect amount of horsepower for the Sport. It also sounds way better than the 1.5L.

(2) No BRRRRRRR/GRRRRRR noise from the transmission at low speeds! What a relief. Based on that mega thread, I'm convinced that a bad batch of transmissions made their way into some 21 builds. The noise I heard was not related to a loose parking brake cable. If nothing else, I'm glad I dumped my 21 with the bum transmission.

(3) Leather-wrapped steering wheel is great.

(4) Fuel economy is what I expected, currently hovering at 24.6 MPG over a few hundred miles (hand calculated).

The bad:

(1) Adding the Premium Package was a mistake. The B&O sound system is not "premium" at all, it sounds like what you'd expect from a "regular," non-cheapo system. My generic "special of the week" aftermarket system from Fry's Electronics (RIP) I put in my old car 12 years ago sounds way better, and I bought it solely because it was discounted.

The seats and accents look great, but the seats are incredibly uncomfortable and stiff. (My leather is perforated FWIW.) After about an hour of driving, my lower back hurts like crazy. I prefer the cloth ones in every respect.

Any suggestions for a lumbar cushion or something?

The wireless charging pad is pretty useless without wireless Sync.

(2) I have a button to pop the hatch, but I'm missing the following bits and bobs compared to MY21:

* No engine cover
* No plastic panel above passenger's feet
* No green light on the start/stop button
* No case for the owners manual
* No temperature displays on the buttons themselves -- this bothers me more than it should
* No folding headrests

The ugly:

(1) The black roof! I prefer the Cactus Grey roof and I'm seriously considering a white roof wrap if I keep the car long-term.

What's next?

(1) Making the driver's seat more comfortable is priority one. If I can't get that resolved through adjustments or aftermarket cushions, I'm selling the car for another profit and calling it quits on the Sport. Unfortunately the seats really are that uncomfortable to me, and it's one of those things that will ruin an otherwise excellent vehicle.

Thank GOODNESS. Thank you for confirming this. My 21 BB makes all kinds of funky noises around 1500 RPM and I was so looking forward to a nice quiet 2.0L next month. Can hardly wait for it to arrive now. Nice writeup, appreciate you sharing.

Exact same symptoms on my old Big Bend. I was able to consistently reproduce the noise by cruising in parking lots at 1400-1500 RPM. One mechanic basically told me it's not an issue because Ford transmissions are just loud.

We test drove a Big Bend with the 1.5 and could not believe how noisy and rough it sounded and felt, especially at lower speeds, compared to our 2019 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD.

Even our 2016 Fusion with the older 1.5 was much quieter and smoother than the Big Bend.

The mechanic’s claim that Ford transmissions are loud is ridiculous!

 

[SportWest]

Have you tried adjusting the lumbar support? I made around trip from Seattle to Los Angeles. Between the premium seating and the smooth ride, I had a great trip and plan to do it again.

Testing different configs now. Short drives are OK -- not comfortable but not painful. Drove for two straight hours recently and my back ached for the rest of the day.

I ordered this small cushion recommended in another thread. The seat size doesn't leave much room for larger cushions. My hope is a decent pad/cushion plus the right seat + steering wheel settings will make it tolerable.

 

[MJE]

What's next?

(1) Making the driver's seat more comfortable is priority one. If I can't get that resolved through adjustments or aftermarket cushions, I'm selling the car for another profit and calling it quits on the Sport. Unfortunately the seats really are that uncomfortable to me, and it's one of those things that will ruin an otherwise excellent vehicle.
[/QUOTE]
This is where I’m at too. I almost can’t handle the seats & it’s ruining what should be a great vehicle for me. I’m only 47, but my body ages in dog years so perhaps at this age I just need better seats than what’s provided at this price point. I found adjusting the seat constantly was critical to comfort & over 8 hrs I compressed it enough that it finally seemed to be acceptable. Until I got in it the next day driving around the city.

The issue is it feels like the seat cushion is collapsing on the left side. So if I sit what I think is straight in the seat I have to brace my left leg against the dead pedal to hold myself. A 10 way seat might help in that regard, but overall these seats I think just need better materials. I”m not sure how I didn’t identify that on the test drive, my drive was in an OB so maybe the different fabric just changed things enough that I didn’t notice it, or maybe I was so eager on the Bronco & to be out of my Explorer (which I did come to enjoy in the end even if it always felt a size too large) that I just didn’t notice.

I will give my dealer credit. A quick check yesterday morning found nothing wrong, but they are ordering a new seat cushion. +1 for service for sure. The service guy did say he had to sit a little odd in his own car too. Dude, I know everybody’s body is different, but if you’re not sitting properly in your car it’s not the right fit for you.

Unfortunately this has caused me huge anxiety not only for the financial implications but also what I see myself as. My original replacement plan was a full size closer to retirement. So I probably need to stay the course & not give up on the Sport quite yet to see what I can learn from the experience to make a more optimal choice next time around. I’d probably be visiting lots again now if there was anything to buy & if I at all knew what a suitable replacement might be. There seems to be little compelling out there. Perhaps a Corsair? I like everything else about this car. Surely all the C2 platform vehicles can’t have seats this bad. Visiting my Mom this week I plan to try her RDX as well, see if I can get used to non-Ford controls or even see Myself in a ‘not American’ brand car.

Chatting with my neighbor & friend last night, he felt for me on this issue because while there are many things you can live with, seat positioning becomes a bug me every time you get in to drive. Ok for as long as this is getting, my plan of attack is this:
1. Have the dealer complete warranty work to replace the cushion. It will either fix the problem, or it won’t.
2. If not, and I’m suspecting not, I’ll take it to another dealer just for a visual inspection to make sure that on a different day they don’t see anything odd with the seat structure. Probably not.
3. I plan to buy that seat cushion recommended. It came up in a link of top cushions for long drives my Mom sent. Nobody should have to do this in a new car costing nearly $50K, but if it helps live with it.
4. After exhausting those options, if I go this far, I’ll go visit an upholstery shop. THey must have some expertise on working with modern car seats. They’ll either tell me they can just work on old classic car bench seats. Or that they get this kind of request all the time to fix bad seats on modern cars & have some aftermarket options that could help.
5. Nobody makes money trading cars here. I wanted a decade or more car but if this isn’t that I won’t hesitate to trade again as soon as needed. I just don‘t know on what yet, but I’m probably also not quite there yet.

 

[Tall Timbers]

The seats are comfortable for me and I love the charging pad. The only problem is I tend to forget to grab the phone off the pad when I exit the vehicle.

 

[Elegance]

I've seen a lot of folks complaining about the seats. Firm seats are better for your spine and encourage good posture. That's why all the expensive computer chairs like Secret Lab and Herman Miller are made of a more rigid foam that doesn't conform to your body. When I test drove a Badlands, I noticed those seats are the same concept. Uncomfortable at first for some who aren't used to firm seating, but firm seats are what you should be utilizing for long sitting periods. You'll be sore at first because your body isn't adapted to the correct posture.

If your seats are collapsing or otherwise have defects, that isn't right. If you're sore because the cushioning is firmer than your body is used to, that is intended and recommended.

 

[69cuda340s]

Been several ppl complained about lop sided and/or leaning seats. Sounds like defect. Ford either had an assembly problem and/or got batches of defective seat components from suppliers.

I highly recommend take long long test drives before signing any papers. I took mine on 45 min test drive back roads, high way, bumpy roads ect before I was ready to accept. But my prev car was low mile in excellent shape so I didn't have to buy and definately would have walk if any issues were seen given lousy dealer service and some lemons are slipping through....

 

[AmazingSieve]

It’s funny how personal and differing the experiences are with the premium seats. I actually think they’re too soft and need more support, particularly on the left but bolster.

Like MJE I kind of chicken wing my left leg while driving and add in a bad hip from playing goalie for so long my left hip gets pretty sore on extended drives and I’m only 36.

And I really would like a tilt feature. My legs do numb while driving and if I could just tilt it down a hair that would be so helpful.

 

[BravoAlpha]

Great review. I learned here, and from family at Ford to skip the premium Pkg. I did. I don’t regret the cloth seats either. although the leather looks better

I‘ve had 2 adults complain about the front seats. They don’t bother me. its a thing I guess

You dont like the black top??? I love it. My white Badlands with the dark carbon grey wheels with tinted windows and black top…it might be my favorite thing! It’s so…..Range-Rover-ish.

no folding headrest. My last 9 vehicles all had folding headrest and the BS doesn’t it …..didn’t bother me before, but now it does

so thanks for that ?

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