Bronco II vs Bronco Sport off-road

[MJE]

Just going off memory from a test drive over a year ago. The base BL was nicer than just driveline hardware upgrades to a base model.

Front camera, wheels and tires, seats and interior trim, something about the grill and headlights. I think back then there was no tow option for the Base (for a good recovery point). But then again, it was over a year ago.

I definitely agree there are a bunch of upgrades over base on the ‘base’ BL over the completely ‘base’ model. I think the order guide points out what it offers over the BB model. In particular Paying Extra for wheels & tires makes it just more expensive for those who want to add their own anyways.

So now I’m curious. I was thinking the BL with no options was close to the ‘base’ or at least ‘BB’ model but for the mechanical upgrades. Now I just have to check.

A ‘base’ right now is $29,555. That‘s a bit more than The $19,995 of the Maverick. Actually I’m not sure how they can sell It that much cheaper than the BS. A BL if I don’t add anything to it is $36,230 all in. Though I don’t know exactly how much of that cost difference is due to mechanical upgrades, I can’t imagine it all is. So yeah contrary to my thinking, there still has to be room to take a fair more out of the BL if you just want the mechanical upgrades.

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[AndyMac204]

bronco 2 are awesome. plain and simple. plus super rare, especially up here in canada if you can find a rust free one. same goes for the old rangers.
old bronc 2 has ground clearance, and a true mechanical 4x4 system.
the sports have some clearance, and more electronic, newer tech awd systems.
either way, they both cool.
what about those 5.0 awd exploders? those were meeeooow.

 

[JerryC]

A ‘base’ right now is $29,555. That‘s a bit more than The $19,995 of the Maverick. Actually I’m not sure how they can sell It that much cheaper than the BS.

No AWD on the base Maverick but that's not nearly enough to make up the difference.

IMHO, some possibilities....
R&D costs for the Maverick are lower due to borrowing some from BS.
BS pricing is set for retail market where the base Maverick is really aimed at commercial (auto parts delivery, parcel package delivery, medical delivery, etc).
Ford screwed up by thinking a really low MSRP was needed to build interest in a new mini truck.
CAFE, Ford needs lots of 40mpg vehicle sales to avoid CAFE penalties.

 

[MJE]

No AWD on the base Maverick but that's not nearly enough to make up the difference.

IMHO, some possibilities....
R&D costs for the Maverick are lower due to borrowing some from BS.
BS pricing is set for retail market where the base Maverick is really aimed at commercial (auto parts delivery, parcel package delivery, medical delivery, etc).
Ford screwed up by thinking a really low MSRP was needed to build interest in a new mini truck.
CAFE, Ford needs lots of 40mpg vehicle sales to avoid CAFE penalties.

Thanks for that, any of the 4 make sense to me, & I’d thought of none of that. Perhaps the least likely being they screwed up pricing it lower than the market is willing to pay as surely they did their homework on that, but actually when you think about it, this is potentially the most likely. I’m not sure they anticipated so much demand for it, they probably expected marginal numbers, potentially some taking away from Ranger sales, & didn’t realize it’d be the hit it has become. Even the Santa Cruz (and the ridge line before that, though it’s a size larger) put out respectable, but still marginal numbers. But a cheap new vehicle that’s also desirable? The Maverick is about the only choice.

 

[Warpious]

https://www.motortrend.com/features/ford-bronco-ii-history-epic-disaster/
I was hoping to google up something, but came up empty. I must be the only person who thinks they could’ve really relived the retro era calling the Sport the Bronco II. Apparently according to this article at least, this is why they didn’t do that. I still want one though.

Yikes...cool article though!

And the point about the CAFE penalties in the later posts...I agree, but at least they're pushing these out as gas turbos and not freaking electrics, good luck finding a charging station off road.

 

[MJE]

Yikes...cool article though!

And the point about the CAFE penalties in the later posts...I agree, but at least they're pushing these out as gas turbos and not freaking electrics, good luck finding a charging station off road.

Agreed! Here electrics definitely don’t make sense. I’d actually consider a Mach E but you’d never be able to leave the city with it. I’m always amazed when I see a Tesla from Florida or something up here. I mean to try to plan out electric charging stops over vast empty areas to make that kind of distance is difficult enough. But yes off-road, there’s really no way one might work unless you can drive to the trail drive the trail, and drive home all on one charge. I’m assuming in the future they’ll make more sense, but I don’t need to be an early adopter now trying to get ahead of the curve.

 

[Warpious]

Wife literally had a conversation with a friend of hers yesterday whos son can't drive his Mach E to come see them because there's not a charging station that would give him the range to make it. But you know, GM and others are going to have an "all electric fleet" by 2030 ie ONE generation of vehicles from now...

 

[MJE]

Wife literally had a conversation with a friend of hers yesterday whos son can't drive his Mach E to come see them because there's not a charging station that would give him the range to make it. But you know, GM and others are going to have an "all electric fleet" by 2030 ie ONE generation of vehicles from now...

Yes, I think they’re all a little optimistic to go full electric in under a decade. They still only make sense for city commuters for people who don’t have a 2nd car to leave the city. I can believe it, with an electric I couldn’t go visit my folks either. I’m glad such cool cars exist, but they’re still a small niche for good reason.

 

[Warpious]

They make sense for a lot of East and West Coasters...wider open states, or in your case the open spaces of Canada...not so much, not to mention, how do batteries hold up in the the Minus temps lol!

 

[rootdoc]

I had an '88 Bronco II and loved it! Too bad the Bronco Sport doesn't have a higher vertical clearance and a slightly longer wheel base.

 

[JerryC]

I had an '88 Bronco II and loved it! Too bad the Bronco Sport doesn't have a higher vertical clearance and a slightly longer wheel base.

I thought it odd that Ford shortened the BS down from the Escape. I've not read why they did that. A couple extra inches of legroom would have quieted down the reviewers some.

I on the other hand appreciate the shorter length because I can easily open the hatch with my garage door down and still have plenty of room in front of the front bumper.

 

[Jrl]

Yes, I think they’re all a little optimistic to go full electric in under a decade. They still only make sense for city commuters for people who don’t have a 2nd car to leave the city. I can believe it, with an electric I couldn’t go visit my folks either. I’m glad such cool cars exist, but they’re still a small niche for good reason.

Great for around town , but I think for anything other than that, my opinion is a passing thing that will be gone in no time .

 

[Flash3x]

Great for around town , but I think for anything other than that, my opinion is a passing thing that will be gone in no time .

Electric vehicles will be fantastic for certain people and certain situations now and in the future. The problem is government is going to keep shoving them down our throat regardless of the person or situation.

 

[JerryC]

Great for around town , but I think for anything other than that, my opinion is a passing thing that will be gone in no time .

In about ten years when large numbers of people are scrapping electric cars because the battery replacement is close to or greater then the value of the vehicle is going to come to a head.

Even if batteries get less expensive the disposal fees for old batteries is going to be huge.

I might have said this on this forum before, just think of New Orleans full of electric cars and mass transit staring down the barrel of another Katrina like hurricane.

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