New Big Bend owner

[montpeliervt]

Overall I'm enjoying my new 2022 Bronco Sport Big Bend when I get to drive it. I picked it up the weekend before Thanksgiving after waiting a month for it to come in, part of a batch the dealership ordered in August.

At one point I was told that they wanted my "ownership experience" to be a positive one, and this is the first time I've felt like I spent money on an "ownership experience," which isn't what I was in the market for, instead of a car. Getting to the point where I just have a car I can hop in has been a huge preoccupation the past few weeks.

I traded in a base model Subaru Impreza. Our other car's a base model Forester. This was an upgrade for me, and the most I've paid for a car. I went for the "environmental protection package," with undercoating, interior treatment, and ceramic coating to protect it.

They drove it 40 miles away mid-morning on a Tuesday and drove it back the next morning. In pouring rain. On the highway. When I drove it home from the dealership, there were splotches all over the windshield. I got home and found oily streaks all over the hood and in spots on one door. I wiped them off. In the rain.

I was less than thrilled. And then I found a scratch.

They encouraged me to get it in Monday morning to make it right, and I did. And then on Wednesday I found out the salesperson went home sick Monday and it had sat there for 2 days that it could've been in my driveway. They drove it to another shop that day to get the scratch painted. Then it was supposed to go back to the detailing shop for the ceramic coating to be fixed up. Then the detailing shop wouldn't give them any assurances on curing and at that point it was going to be there til the following Monday because they wouldn't open the garage to get it out on Saturday. We spent the day back and forth on this, shaking my confidence.

I took it back Thursday instead. They're paying for a local shop to go over it, that I visited in person and that I'll drive it to. That appointment's in January.

It's ski season here in VT. I've spent weeks dealing with this, waiting to put my roof rack on. I used my rewards points to buy a set of snow tires, and that appointment isn't until January.

Meanwhile, every time I look at it in the sun, I find more scratches. I've read on here about how easily the black door pillars scratch, but adjacent to those I noticed scratches etched into the rear passenger window today in addition to one I previously found on the driver's window. Another email to the salesperson.

Overall it's a fun vehicle. It's the right size. It performs and handles well. It's got a good balance of technology and keeping things simple and intuitive.

Other observations from my experience, some of which others have pointed out on here:

• The unavoidable glare from the protrusions on the hood in my eyes.
• Little buttons that aren't really usable with gloves on, including the rear window wiper and radio controls.
• I miss having the radio controls in a joypad configuration like my Forester had—I still can't remember which side changes stations and which does volume, and whether they're the inner or outer buttons—but I like that I can dismiss messages in the instrument cluster with the OK button. The Forester wouldn't shut up if my wiper fluid was low, and I'm accustomed to seeing my speed there.
• I miss adaptive cruise control. I got used to that if I came up on someone on the highway.
• Rotary gear selectors are dumb.
• Yes, the sun visors are too big. The sun gets really low in the sky up here, and you need to flip them down, but they completely block traffic lights. It's not a big windshield, but still.
• The wipers that require you start the car, turn them on, and stop them halfway up the arc to lift them away from the windshield, which we do here when it snows! I bought a FrostGuard, as someone here cited. I bought one for the Forester, too.
• I feel a vibration around 1,500 RPM in Standard mode around here, also cited in the forums. And I've noticed my brakes squeaking around town after wet weather.

I haven't bought a Ford since 2005 or 2006. I liked the folks I worked with. This all seems to be a bigger issue with services and products breaking down, and everyone on the other side of the transaction acting like we're all in this together working through problems that have solutions. I have a job, thank you. I don't need to be helping you do yours so I can get what I paid for. The time that I've spent this fall staying on top of things and checking in on things and insisting that things get done right is mind-boggling. YMMV and Caveat Emptor!

Sponsored

 

[Mark S.]

Overall I'm enjoying my new 2022 Bronco Sport Big Bend when I get to drive it. Overall it's a fun vehicle. It's the right size. It performs and handles well. It's got a good balance of technology and keeping things simple and intuitive.

Glad you like yours; we love ours! Sorry to hear about the issues you've been having. See my responses to specific issues below.

• I miss having the radio controls in a joypad configuration like my Forester had—I still can't remember which side changes stations and which does volume, and whether they're the inner or outer buttons—but I like that I can dismiss messages in the instrument cluster with the OK button. The Forester wouldn't shut up if my wiper fluid was low, and I'm accustomed to seeing my speed there.

Aren't the control knobs on your car labeled? You should be able to control the volume with the steering wheel controls. If you don't like to use those I just remind myself that the volume knob (outside rotary switch) is the one closest to the driver, because you shouldn't have to reach clear across the dash to adjust the volume.

• Rotary gear selectors are dumb.

I got used to it fairly rapidly. And I like that I don't have to give up half of my center console to a shift stalk.

• Yes, the sun visors are too big. The sun gets really low in the sky up here, and you need to flip them down, but they completely block traffic lights. It's not a big windshield, but still.

I'm not sure I understand your issue here. If the sun is visible in the windshield it's generally at or below the angle of traffic lights.

• The wipers that require you start the car, turn them on, and stop them halfway up the arc to lift them away from the windshield, which we do here when it snows! I bought a FrostGuard, as someone here cited. I bought one for the Forester, too.

I've never had that problem; I can rotate my wipers up by hand. You have to remember to push them flat on the window before starting the car or they will scrape on the back edge of the hood when they reset to their parked position.

I haven't bought a Ford since 2005 or 2006. I liked the folks I worked with. This all seems to be a bigger issue with services and products breaking down, and everyone on the other side of the transaction acting like we're all in this together working through problems that have solutions. I have a job, thank you. I don't need to be helping you do yours so I can get what I paid for. The time that I've spent this fall staying on top of things and checking in on things and insisting that things get done right is mind-boggling. YMMV and Caveat Emptor!

Is there another dealership in your area you can work with? The difference in quality of service between dealerships can be significant.

 

[montpeliervt]

Aren't the control knobs on your car labeled? You should be able to control the volume with the steering wheel controls.

They are, but I'm accustomed to a crosshair where left/right is back/forward, and up/down is volume. No thought required. Labels mean I'm looking down every time I skip radio stations to remember where I'm supposed to reach. And I can't just do everything with 1 thumb.

If the sun is visible in the windshield it's generally at or below the angle of traffic lights.

The sun's not visible in the windshield if put the visor down, and neither are the traffic lights.

I've never had that problem; I can rotate my wipers up by hand. You have to remember to push them flat on the window before starting the car or they will scrape on the back edge of the hood when they reset to their parked position.

Someone on here cited a Ford bulletin that said to start the car to position them before raising them. The Bronco Sport apparently isn't the only car with wipers below the hoodline, so it's not a unique issue, but it's non-intuitive and extra steps either way.

Is there another dealership in your area you can work with? The difference in quality of service between dealerships can be significant.

Yeah, but this is still the issue. I don't want to be in a position where every day is a phone call or dropping off a vehicle or waiting for the next step. They've paid for everything. It's things that shouldn't have happened.

And no...not in Central Vermont. Anything else is an unreasonable drive away.

 

[Mark S.]

The sun's not visible in the windshield if put the visor down, and neither are the traffic lights.

I think you missed my point. If the sun is at the same angle in the windshield as traffic lights then you must block the light in order to cover the sun. The only time this wouldn't be true is if the sun is at a higher angle than traffic lights. Then you can simply angle the visor down until the sun is blocked but not the traffic lights. In other words, don't flip all the way forward, just angle it down far enough to block the sun.

 

[tjbronco]

I can move the windshield wipers anywhere on the windshield by hand when the car is not running. Sort of weird - never had a car that would let me do that. A neat feature, considering the wipers hide when not in use. So it is not too bad in snow - I think traditional hidden wipers are harder to deal with.
Also - you can put a digital display of your speed in the center of the screen - you just have to turn on the option - in one of the steering wheel menus I think. I use that all the time.

 

[montpeliervt]

Also - you can put a digital display of your speed in the center of the screen - you just have to turn on the option - in one of the steering wheel menus I think. I use that all the time.

I have this enabled. I didn't say I didn't. I said in my Forester a message would appear and wouldn't go away, when I was expecting to see the speed there. I said I liked that the Bronco Sport lets me clear a message by pressing OK.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

The sun visors are probably my biggest annoyance with the sport and “big” is relative here. There are a few times a year when I am forced to drive directly into the morning sun. The fix is easy, just not intuitive. I have it only folded down part way rather than flat against the windshield because it hits the A pillar before it can reach the windshield.

Secondly, I’m also not a fan of the hidden windshields but this has been a thing with many cars for decades. The fix is not something I use. Yes, they move easily by hand, but then you will join the many on here that have complained about mysterious paint chips on the edge of the hood. It’s really not that mysterious to most. I also live in an area that get frequent ice and snow so this is probably a point I wish was different but it’s small potatoes compared to how otherwise good this car is for my purposes.

Sponsored