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I just spent a month in the Moab, Utah area and had the opportunity to take my 2021 stock Badlands on some epic road trips.
Some areas I hit were: Sections of the White Rim road in Canyonlands, the road to Paul Bunyons Potty in the Needles District, the Gemini Bridges Road, the 4X4 road in Arches from Sand Dune arch to Balanced Rock, the road to the Secret Spire near Canyonlands, Cathedral Valley loop in Capitol Reef, the road to White Pocket, Arizona and the very rough road to Toroweap Point on the Grand Canyon North Rim. Many of these are rated high clearance 4X4 only.
I am happy to report the Bronco did excellent. I used nearly every mode but mostly stayed in Normal. The Sandy Mode got me through some very deep sand to White Pocket. In fact, when I stopped at a trailhead beforehand to use the bathroom, a girl with a Tacoma asked where I was going. When I told her, she expressed doubts the Bronco could handle the deep sand. It did. I will say I kept my momentum going so as not to get bogged down.
At Toroweap and other roads, there was some rock crawling required which the Sport handled very well. I also plowed through mud on a couple of occasions without a problem.
I did tear a small piece fabric liner beneath the BS which illustrated the only limitation I found: its clearance. A couple of times I had to turn around because the rock drop-offs were too steep and I feared getting the Bronco high centered or damaged. I also got some "pinstriping from bushes alongside the roads but it all buffed out. The Bronco Sport is not a Jeep and will not go some places a Jeep can. But I found those places to be far and few between.
On the 4X4 road from Sand Dune Arch to Balanced Rock, I felt it was dicey in spots but came out just fine. I went on the same road a few days later in a friend's Jeep and it beat the heck out of me. I had a sore back for two days. The BS is a much more pliant ride.
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There are a couple of things I will change to my Bronco before I go out there again. I will at the least lift the front wheels by 1.5 inches, install a front bumper bashplate, and replace the fabric liner section with a metal skid plate
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There was a rock climbing section on the Gemini Bridges road that I did not think I could clear. I saw a side by side go ahead of me and decided I'd give it a try. Again, the Bronco performed great. When I got the to the bridges, I saw the family in the side by side and said "Well, that was fun." The wife told me she couldn't believe such a pretty car was able to get there. Haha.
Some areas I hit were: Sections of the White Rim road in Canyonlands, the road to Paul Bunyons Potty in the Needles District, the Gemini Bridges Road, the 4X4 road in Arches from Sand Dune arch to Balanced Rock, the road to the Secret Spire near Canyonlands, Cathedral Valley loop in Capitol Reef, the road to White Pocket, Arizona and the very rough road to Toroweap Point on the Grand Canyon North Rim. Many of these are rated high clearance 4X4 only.
I am happy to report the Bronco did excellent. I used nearly every mode but mostly stayed in Normal. The Sandy Mode got me through some very deep sand to White Pocket. In fact, when I stopped at a trailhead beforehand to use the bathroom, a girl with a Tacoma asked where I was going. When I told her, she expressed doubts the Bronco could handle the deep sand. It did. I will say I kept my momentum going so as not to get bogged down.
At Toroweap and other roads, there was some rock crawling required which the Sport handled very well. I also plowed through mud on a couple of occasions without a problem.
I did tear a small piece fabric liner beneath the BS which illustrated the only limitation I found: its clearance. A couple of times I had to turn around because the rock drop-offs were too steep and I feared getting the Bronco high centered or damaged. I also got some "pinstriping from bushes alongside the roads but it all buffed out. The Bronco Sport is not a Jeep and will not go some places a Jeep can. But I found those places to be far and few between.
On the 4X4 road from Sand Dune Arch to Balanced Rock, I felt it was dicey in spots but came out just fine. I went on the same road a few days later in a friend's Jeep and it beat the heck out of me. I had a sore back for two days. The BS is a much more pliant ride.
.
There are a couple of things I will change to my Bronco before I go out there again. I will at the least lift the front wheels by 1.5 inches, install a front bumper bashplate, and replace the fabric liner section with a metal skid plate
.
There was a rock climbing section on the Gemini Bridges road that I did not think I could clear. I saw a side by side go ahead of me and decided I'd give it a try. Again, the Bronco performed great. When I got the to the bridges, I saw the family in the side by side and said "Well, that was fun." The wife told me she couldn't believe such a pretty car was able to get there. Haha.
