Suddenly feeling stuck between BS OB vs BS BL!!

[tropical2022]

I hope this bronco sport I just had ordered doesn't arrive until 6 or 7 month from now... should be interesting to see how long it takes!

Sponsored

 

[sajohnson]

I hope this bronco sport I just had ordered doesn't arrive until 6 or 7 month from now... should be interesting to see how long it takes!

It would be nice if the timing works out.

I wonder what (if anything) the dealer could do for you if the BL is delivered before the end of your lease? I'm guessing they don't like cars sitting around for more than a few days.

Is it possible to purchase your leased car a month or 2 early, and terminate the lease without paying a hefty penalty?

 

[Stustang05]

Thanks!
I like the cyber orange and cactus gray but ended up choosing AREA51 with carbonized gray roof, front/rear splash guards, moon roof, cargo mat and Co-Pilot360 Assist (forced premium package on me to get certain things) and ebony/roast seats.... and I think that's about it ?

Very similar to what I ordered and hope to get eventually!

 

[tropical2022]

It would be nice if the timing works out.

I wonder what (if anything) the dealer could do for you if the BL is delivered before the end of your lease? I'm guessing they don't like cars sitting around for more than a few days.

Is it possible to purchase your leased car a month or 2 early, and terminate the lease without paying a hefty penalty?

I'll have to check into that. I also put $3,300 down on my current leased car so if I kill the lease early I'll lose some of that too. Hopefully the BS BL will not arrive in only 4 months ?

 

[JerryC]

I don't know how accurate this information is, or if you even care, but my dealer advised taking the cargo mat off the order as it can slow it down. He said that can easily be added later.

I have the cargo mat but I don't think it's needed. The cargo area floor is already rubberized....
But since I don't have anywhere to store it, I leave it installed.

 

[GulfCoastBronco]

Recently saw some front end pics with good lighting of the grill on a Base model and I have to say, I think that grill totally flies under the radar. I think it’s sneaky slick. Probably easier to change that one out as it has no additional camera/radar

 

[Obi_Kwiet]

As others have said, all the BS trim levels are good, there are no bad choices. It just depends on the buyer's priorities and their situation.

Our thinking when deciding which way to go led us to the Badlands, for the following reasons:

* More capable all-wheel drive system.
* Significantly more powerful engine.
* Paddle shifters.
* Transmission fluid cooler.
* PDU is water cooled.
* Front camera.
* Stronger suspension.
* Hydraulic bump stops.
* Skid plates
* Almost 2 feet water fording ability -- because hey, you never know. ;-)

Do we truly NEED any of that stuff? Most of the time, no. Maybe occasionally though.

We do live on what is considered a 'mountain' around here. Our road has a steep hill (~25% grade in spots) with a 90 degree right turn at the bottom and a 90* left half way up. My AWD WRX often can't make it even half way (with winter tires) but my wife's RAV4 with a lockable center diff and Torsen rear has no trouble. Bottom line, to make it up the hill in snow requires more than a typical AWD system.

Also, we sometimes move a log splitter and/or a trailer around on our property.

The rest of the stuff I listed is in the "nice to have but not necessary" category.

We don't drive much, so mpg is not a big issue. Even if we were racking up the miles, the 2 mpg difference in highway mileage is noticeable but not huge. It's a personal choice, but I'd rather have the extra power. The 3 cyl. is no slouch though.

All of our vehicles are/have been manuals. It would be nice if Ford at least made a manual transmission optional (as they do with the big Bronco). The paddle shifters are better than nothing though -- and there are definitely advantages to automatics, esp for people who do a lot of stop and go driving.

The rest is sorta, 'why not?' We probably aren't gonna be rock crawling at Moab, so the skid plates; water cooled PDU; ATF cooler; stronger suspension, etc., is just added insurance. It might help components last longer. Also, we do occasionally tow a 2,000 lb. trailer

I'm typically a 'function over form' person. I care more about mechanicals than many of the options in the premium package. That's why the only extras on ours are the roof rack cross bars and tow package. So the MSRP (incl. dest.) is 'only' $36,465 (there has been a $500 price increase since we ordered).

The BS OB (and BB) is also very nice, and for anyone not doing any serious off-roading -- which if we're honest is 99%+ of us -- is a good, if not better, choice.

The other trims can be less $; they get better mileage; and probably handle better on pavement than the BL.

You sound just like me. Drive all manuals, currently driving a WRX. I'm getting a Badlands, because I moved to Oregon, and I just don't have the clearance to to where I need to in the WRX. I think it has the grip for the most part, but 1st is too high on really steep stuff. I'm not really optomistic that the other BS trims would have as good grip as the WRX, because they are using the same brake torque vectoring, but the AWD bias defaults to the front instead of 50/50 with the WRX.

I plan to abuse my BL on very remote, poorly maintained fire roads and places where I really don't need a breakdown.

I think the BL BS would be amazing with a manual. Of course, at this rate, I'm not sure I'll ever see it.

 

[sajohnson]

You sound just like me. Drive all manuals, currently driving a WRX. I'm getting a Badlands, because I moved to Oregon, and I just don't have the clearance to to where I need to in the WRX. I think it has the grip for the most part, but 1st is too high on really steep stuff. I'm not really optomistic that the other BS trims would have as good grip as the WRX, because they are using the same brake torque vectoring, but the AWD bias defaults to the front instead of 50/50 with the WRX.

I plan to abuse my BL on very remote, poorly maintained fire roads and places where I really don't need a breakdown.

I think the BL BS would be amazing with a manual. Of course, at this rate, I'm not sure I'll ever see it.

Which model year is your WRX? The reason I ask is that the AWD in my 2002 is essentially one wheel drive. I wrote about it in another thread here on the BS Forum, so I won't rehash it all except to say that the VCUs make it only marginally better than having all open diffs. If Subaru was honest, their slogan (at last for the early 5MT WRXs) would be -- "From the wheels that grip to the wheels that slip!"

I'm pretty sure that any trim level BS would be better than my car. I agree that using the brakes (traction control) as part of the AWD system is less than ideal, but it does work to an extent -- and my WRX doesn't even have that. It's a path of least resistance situation. Right rear tire on ice? All the torque goes there.

You're definitely right about 1st gear in the WRX being too high for anything other than very light off-roading. I think 1st tops out at ~30 mph (at redline), and there's very little boost below 12-15 mph (in 1st).

The main thing (as you mentioned) is usually clearance. Of course it depends on the road/trail. No one is going to go rock crawling in a 2WD pickup truck, but many of the roads we've seen out West only require "high clearance vehicles" (if posted). Of course they are usually dry.

I wish we had some fire roads to explore around here. The north end of our road further up the mountain is not maintained, and it's pretty rough in spots, but that section is <1 mile long.

I guess we'll just have to move to Oregon.

 

[sajohnson]

Maybe this should be a new thread, but since we were talking about manual transmissions:

"Are Fake Manual Transmissions Coming? Audi Keeps It Real":


Fake manual transmissions for EVs. They cripple the car to simulate a MT in a gasoline powered vehicle. That's worse than simulated engine noise pumped through the stereo.

 

[Obi_Kwiet]

Which model year is your WRX? The reason I ask is that the AWD in my 2002 is essentially one wheel drive. I wrote about it in another thread here on the BS Forum, so I won't rehash it all except to say that the VCUs make it only marginally better than having all open diffs. If Subaru was honest, their slogan (at last for the early 5MT WRXs) would be -- "From the wheels that grip to the wheels that slip!"

I have a 2015. It really isn't a great setup for off roading. The brake vectoring is *ok*, but it's not going to save you if you have one wheel in the air going up hill. Of course, that doesn't really matter, because the clearance is on 5" on the 2015, and the angles are awful. Plus, the gearing is so high that you'd stall out even if the AWD system could lock up.

That being said, the fact that the torque is already distributed 50/50 keeps the wheels from breaking loose in the first place really well. Ultimately, it simply isn't an off roading vehicle. It's amazingly fun on gravel, but as soon as the surface gets big ruts in it, it's all over.

Honestly, even with all those handicaps, I've found that the low profile tires puncture easily enough that I won't take it on stuff that it would otherwise handle. And I'm running the smallest size wheel they offered.

My badlands finally got a production date today, so hopefully I'll get that before I puncture another sidewall, or my oil pan or something.

 

[sajohnson]

I have a 2015. It really isn't a great setup for off roading. The brake vectoring is *ok*, but it's not going to save you if you have one wheel in the air going up hill. Of course, that doesn't really matter, because the clearance is on 5" on the 2015, and the angles are awful. Plus, the gearing is so high that you'd stall out even if the AWD system could lock up.

That being said, the fact that the torque is already distributed 50/50 keeps the wheels from breaking loose in the first place really well. Ultimately, it simply isn't an off roading vehicle. It's amazingly fun on gravel, but as soon as the surface gets big ruts in it, it's all over.

Honestly, even with all those handicaps, I've found that the low profile tires puncture easily enough that I won't take it on stuff that it would otherwise handle. And I'm running the smallest size wheel they offered.

My badlands finally got a production date today, so hopefully I'll get that before I puncture another sidewall, or my oil pan or something.

I should have been more clear -- I was/am not criticizing my 2002 WRX for its lack of off-road ability. As you pointed out, it clearly is not meant for that -- although the Subaru ads at the time showed a lot of off-road rally racing...

I'm talking about the AWD system itself. I'm not sure about later models like your 2015, but mine only has weak VCUs in the center and rear (the front is open). They transfer very little torque, to the point where it is little better than all open diffs. Also, there is no traction control.

The end result is that if even one (1) tire is on ice, torque will (often) follow the path of least resistance and spin that tire. I say 'often' because it really depends on the situation. If all 4 tires have equal traction -- whether they are on snow; gravel; ice; or dirt -- all 4 will receive equal torque. If torque overcomes traction all 4 will spin. The true test of course is when the car is stopped on an uphill grade and one or more tires have no (or very little) traction. That's when the system in my 2002 is likely to revert to, "From the wheels that grip, to the wheels that slip".

Everything I've said about the AWD system in my 2002 was verified in the shop at our local Ford/Subie dealer, with at least 12 techs watching (and the Ford guys cracking up).

The system in your 2015 may be (and probably is) much better.

Congrats on getting a production date for your BL!

 

[BSPittsburgh]

I went through the exact same thing as you (HATED the ebony and if I'm spending 35k on a car I'm getting leather seats!) except I didn't care about grille but did care about engine. The only one I could find to test drive in Pittsburgh area when I ordered in Nov was a BL and I really liked driving it. Was scared I was going to wait 5 months and buy a car I didn't love driving. OB has plenty of zip for me, and I'm somewhat of an asshole driving in traffic on parkway everyday to work and driving long weekend trips back home. Also I prioritized the inside of the car and I LOVE the navy seats, the luxury interior. I still smile everyday when I get into my car I am so happy.

I haven't read the whole thread but it sounds like grill was more of a sticking point for you than the interior, so happy you went with BL. Even if its weird (like my sticking point on Navy seats) you gotta prioritize what will make you happiest.