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Here are our 300 miles initial impressions of the 2022 BS Badlands (order date of 11/2/21) including premium package, Falken WP A/T tires/17" carbon grey wheels and tow package. When we ordered, there was no demo to test drive, so we were very curious on driving characteristics. Please note - we are attempting to break-in the vehicle gently, so no heavy acceleration, braking, hard off-roading, etc.
Drive – We are super impressed with the drive comfort and sound dampening…even without that engine cover that so many people desire. This is much more car like then we expected but also seems to absorb big bumps quite well. There are no rattles or unusual sounds.
Steering – This is my biggest complaint but realize I like tight steering and road feel (but have owned a Ram 2500). The Badlands steering in normal mode is loose. Reminds me of an old Buick sedan...comfortable but does not inspire me to push in corners which is probably good with its higher center of gravity. I have not run it hard in Sport mode at this time and I understand that should stiffen the road feel.
Power – The 2.0 liter is surprisingly strong. I have been trying to baby the thing, but it does want to run. It had no problem climbing to 12,200 feet (Eisenhower Tunnel) even with a reasonably light touch on the accelerator.
Braking – Again, we are in break-in period. They seem to work reasonably well.
Traction – Very impressed, and highly recommend at this point, the Falken WP A/T tires but have not used off-road. They are beasts in the snow… certainly the best non-snow tires I have ever used. Plus, I am very impressed how smooth riding and quite they are at highway speeds.
Comfort and Entertainment System – For what it is, the Badlands is very comfortable. The heater works great. Based on its reputation and price, I expected more from the B&O sound system.
Delivery/defects – The sales rep knows I am fairly demanding/anal and said he checked out the BS prior to our arrival and it was perfect... We did come with the very helpful checklist from the Bronco6G forum along with items suggested on this Forum. The only item we noted during our inspection (beyond having the dealer remove their badge) was:
1. Pilar Trim Piece - Driver side rear pilar trim piece was defective/not attached properly (non-functional [bs] cosmetic plastic trim) and needs to be replaced.
Subsequent to our delivery, we noted:
1. Rubberized Flooring appears to be wrinkled and poorly installed in places. We sent the dealer pics and will bring it
2. Windshield wipers – Passenger side windshield wiper does not go down properly after auto-wipe. The dealer will checkout and thinks they can adjust. I know this has been discussed on this Forum and some people think it is a "feature."
After 100 miles, - I checked the torque on the wheel lug nuts (no, I did not bring my torque wrench to our vehicle pickup inspection). I found that the lug nuts needed a slight amount of additional torque (I have a few torque wrenches so am confident that mine is reasonably accurate)
Key Fob, Ford tech, etc. - The key fob is huge which is ridicules (how about a Tesla style app and with a backup credit card) and Ford tech/websites, and owner’s manual are buggy and need quality improvements.
Future additions – We will probably add a roof crossbars to carry gear and weather tech type floor mats to replace the standard ones that absorb mud and water.
Drive – We are super impressed with the drive comfort and sound dampening…even without that engine cover that so many people desire. This is much more car like then we expected but also seems to absorb big bumps quite well. There are no rattles or unusual sounds.
Steering – This is my biggest complaint but realize I like tight steering and road feel (but have owned a Ram 2500). The Badlands steering in normal mode is loose. Reminds me of an old Buick sedan...comfortable but does not inspire me to push in corners which is probably good with its higher center of gravity. I have not run it hard in Sport mode at this time and I understand that should stiffen the road feel.
Power – The 2.0 liter is surprisingly strong. I have been trying to baby the thing, but it does want to run. It had no problem climbing to 12,200 feet (Eisenhower Tunnel) even with a reasonably light touch on the accelerator.
Braking – Again, we are in break-in period. They seem to work reasonably well.
Traction – Very impressed, and highly recommend at this point, the Falken WP A/T tires but have not used off-road. They are beasts in the snow… certainly the best non-snow tires I have ever used. Plus, I am very impressed how smooth riding and quite they are at highway speeds.
Comfort and Entertainment System – For what it is, the Badlands is very comfortable. The heater works great. Based on its reputation and price, I expected more from the B&O sound system.
Delivery/defects – The sales rep knows I am fairly demanding/anal and said he checked out the BS prior to our arrival and it was perfect... We did come with the very helpful checklist from the Bronco6G forum along with items suggested on this Forum. The only item we noted during our inspection (beyond having the dealer remove their badge) was:
1. Pilar Trim Piece - Driver side rear pilar trim piece was defective/not attached properly (non-functional [bs] cosmetic plastic trim) and needs to be replaced.
Subsequent to our delivery, we noted:
1. Rubberized Flooring appears to be wrinkled and poorly installed in places. We sent the dealer pics and will bring it
2. Windshield wipers – Passenger side windshield wiper does not go down properly after auto-wipe. The dealer will checkout and thinks they can adjust. I know this has been discussed on this Forum and some people think it is a "feature."
After 100 miles, - I checked the torque on the wheel lug nuts (no, I did not bring my torque wrench to our vehicle pickup inspection). I found that the lug nuts needed a slight amount of additional torque (I have a few torque wrenches so am confident that mine is reasonably accurate)
Key Fob, Ford tech, etc. - The key fob is huge which is ridicules (how about a Tesla style app and with a backup credit card) and Ford tech/websites, and owner’s manual are buggy and need quality improvements.
Future additions – We will probably add a roof crossbars to carry gear and weather tech type floor mats to replace the standard ones that absorb mud and water.
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