Bobaloo

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My thoughts on this Baby Bronc:
( Base model In Shadow Black)
928 miles in my first month of ownership, that's about average each month with no road trips.
My 1.5L has broken In a bit or the computer has learned how to please me, not sure, A.I. is like that.

1st:
The Auto stop/start I decided to leave alone and it has blended into my driving with no Issues or
Intrusion as far as I'm concerned. Again I am never In heavy traffic.
I have learned that IF I might want a fast take off I ease up on the brake and it starts up for me,
then I can press the brake back down and It will continue running. I have to cross 6 mph to reset this stop start sequence.

2nd:
Eco mode Is the only mode where engine can shut down one of the three cylinders I think.
I am hoping someone enlightens me on this.

I never notice it when in any other drive mode only Eco.
Anyway when this happens I can just barely feel it in the steering wheel.
It makes the engine feel doggy but holds speed In cruise control just fine.
I do not see any fuel savings using ECO but have only used it on one tank so I am not
closing the book on ECO but so far I'll pass and stay In the 'Normal' drive mode. If I could notice
a fuel savings of even 1 mpg I'd use it more. Time will tell on that one.

3rd:
Sport mode, Ok that's fun, Love the shift points a bit higher up the tac when I'm In the switch backs. I don't drive hard when I do this, I drive tight. I never push this engine, never will.

4th: The Gravel climb up to my house has a three way Intersection half way up. I go on up and can see up. But when I take the left to go down and around I am pointed up so far I cannot see over the hood enough to see an approaching car or someone walking. We have a Big Convex
Mirror there and it helps but still I creep through that spot.

5th:
I keep screwing up my trip meters and average mpg's. I seem to have a thing for resetting too much. I erased my long term average mpg today, no biggie, I'll get it right one day, hey I'm and Old Fart what can I say.

Last but not least:
* The LED head lights are fantastic ! Let there be Light ! I can see !!!
( My 2004 Escape has old school candles out front, they suck.)
* My Wipers front and rear are silent ! That's a first for me.
* This Base model handles great rides great and tracking is fantastic ! It steers exactly where
I want It to go, No wandering ! (The Tires need 33 psi cold no more and no less)
* Seats are great, control placement Is just right for me.

After one month I am still 100% happy with This Ford.
Ok I'm done.
Great report after your first month! Do you notice the "fake engine growl" upon acceleration, sort of like a V-6 engine maybe? Some reviewers comment on that, I haven't driven one yet.
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Freeskierdude

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Hey! I was wondering how to put in 4W lock that you speak of? This is my 1st 4WD vehicle & I didn’t see an option to put into 4W & my dealership said it was automatic 4WD, thanks!
The 4 wheel lock is only on the Badlands and First Edition. All other trims you have to turst that it goes 4wd when needed.
If you go into the dashboard screen menu you can select and then show the intelligent 4wd screen. It will show you what wheels the car is sending the power too. I found the 4wd will kick on in sharp turns with decent acceleration and anytime the car feels any bit of slip at all, like even when the slip is imperceptible to the driver.
 
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Great report after your first month! Do you notice the "fake engine growl" upon acceleration, sort of like a V-6 engine maybe? Some reviewers comment on that, I haven't driven one yet.
Nope noticed nothing odd at all. This little Dragon pulls just fine on all points.
Just today I found myself on a front row seat at the last light out of town.
I switched into Sport Mode,
Smoothly rolled off the line and pushed the throttle down some.
I had it shifting at or a bit above 4500 rpm up to 65 mph then I dropped it In cruise control
and took the GOAT back to normal.
No drama,
Again It's a smooth little engine to me.

It's still cold up here and wet today, I guess I'll have to do this again with the windows down.
I do hear the engine but nothing stands out to me.
 
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Thanks for all the impressions. I'm very curious too about your 2nd point - if the cylinder deactivation only happens in Eco mode. And I assume the BS always starts up in Normal mode regardless of last mode used - correct?
You are correct, My Bronc/Sport/Base always starts up In normal mode.

My still unanswered question is, "Does cylinder deactivation only happens in Eco mode?"
 

tRex

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Bronco Sport
My thoughts on this Baby Bronc:
( Base model In Shadow Black)
928 miles in my first month of ownership, that's about average each month with no road trips.
My 1.5L has broken In a bit or the computer has learned how to please me, not sure, A.I. is like that.

1st:
The Auto stop/start I decided to leave alone and it has blended into my driving with no Issues or
Intrusion as far as I'm concerned. Again I am never In heavy traffic.
I have learned that IF I might want a fast take off I ease up on the brake and it starts up for me,
then I can press the brake back down and It will continue running. I have to cross 6 mph to reset this stop start sequence.

2nd:
Eco mode Is the only mode where engine can shut down one of the three cylinders I think.
I am hoping someone enlightens me on this.

I never notice it when in any other drive mode only Eco.
Anyway when this happens I can just barely feel it in the steering wheel.
It makes the engine feel doggy but holds speed In cruise control just fine.
I do not see any fuel savings using ECO but have only used it on one tank so I am not
closing the book on ECO but so far I'll pass and stay In the 'Normal' drive mode. If I could notice
a fuel savings of even 1 mpg I'd use it more. Time will tell on that one.

3rd:
Sport mode, Ok that's fun, Love the shift points a bit higher up the tac when I'm In the switch backs. I don't drive hard when I do this, I drive tight. I never push this engine, never will.

4th: The Gravel climb up to my house has a three way Intersection half way up. I go on up and can see up. But when I take the left to go down and around I am pointed up so far I cannot see over the hood enough to see an approaching car or someone walking. We have a Big Convex
Mirror there and it helps but still I creep through that spot.

5th:
I keep screwing up my trip meters and average mpg's. I seem to have a thing for resetting too much. I erased my long term average mpg today, no biggie, I'll get it right one day, hey I'm and Old Fart what can I say.

Last but not least:
* The LED head lights are fantastic ! Let there be Light ! I can see !!!
( My 2004 Escape has old school candles out front, they suck.)
* My Wipers front and rear are silent ! That's a first for me.
* This Base model handles great rides great and tracking is fantastic ! It steers exactly where
I want It to go, No wandering ! (The Tires need 33 psi cold no more and no less)
* Seats are great, control placement Is just right for me.

After one month I am still 100% happy with This Ford.
Ok I'm done.
Front trail cam on the Badlands would take care of that high turn visibility on the "trail."
 


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Front trail cam on the Badlands would take care of that high turn visibility on the "trail."
Yes but I cannot justify the additional cost for such a small challenge that I already worked through by altering my approach line. If I planned real offroad jaunts In my area I'd need far more than any Bronco Sport offers, like double the ground clearance.
 

Tom House

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Hey! I was wondering how to put in 4W lock that you speak of? This is my 1st 4WD vehicle & I didn’t see an option to put into 4W & my dealership said it was automatic 4WD, thanks!
The "lock" is a "locking differential" -- only the BL and FE have it. Your car is always in 4WD, but the BL can "lock" the rear end so both wheels turn at same time. It's not a true locking diff, hence the quotes.
 

Freeskierdude

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The "lock" is a "locking differential" -- only the BL and FE have it. Your car is always in 4WD, but the BL can "lock" the rear end so both wheels turn at same time. It's not a true locking diff, hence the quotes.
It's always ready to go into 4wd. The 4wd lock on the BL and FE makes it so it doesn't actively switch between fwd and 4wd. This is separate from the "diff lock". Not having the 4wd lock isn't much of a disadvantage especially on the road. The intelligent 4wd system is damn good on all trims
 

Tom House

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It's always ready to go into 4wd. The 4wd lock on the BL and FE makes it so it doesn't actively switch between fwd and 4wd. This is separate from the "diff lock". Not having the 4wd lock isn't much of a disadvantage especially on the road. The intelligent 4wd system is damn good on all trims
Ah, I didn't realize you could officially turn 4WD on in the off-road trims.
 


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How do you know? I'm dying for a review of of the lower trims off-road. Everything out there is a review of the BL.
Freeskierdude said:
"The intelligent 4wd system is damn good on all trims"

And It Is BUT The upper levels are the ones with the 4x4 'Clamping" diff's as In a fluid lock up for rock crawling and such.
The lower end models like my base will still "Unload" a diff to non traction wheel If It gets loose like up off the ground.
It's all In the owners manual and that's in this forum, download it.

Think of it this way,
My five mode GOAT is for two track dirt roads, sand and mud.
The Seven Mode GOAT Is for climbing rocks and putting power on the ground when only three
wheels are on the ground, or two, as the Fluid clutch Diff will not unload.
This system can direct 100% of the torque to the wheel with traction and NOT the air borne or slipping wheel.
That's an OFF road 4X4
I think of my Base models 5 mode GOAT as an advanced tunable All wheel drive.

As for an OFF road review of the base system, I would not expect one because It cannot hang with the Jeeps and BL Broncs that can lock up differentials and direct all the torque to a given wheel.
 
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Ponyrider

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Can you change goat modes while the vehicle is moving? The manual doesn't say, and my salesperson hesitated before he said yes.
 

Freeskierdude

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I should have clarified. What i really meant is that the 4wd system responds really fast on the lower trims, I bet
 

Tom House

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Freeskierdude said:
"The intelligent 4wd system is damn good on all trims"

And It Is BUT The upper levels are the ones with the 4x4 'Clamping" diff's as In a fluid lock up for rock crawling and such.
The lower end models like my base will still "Unload" a diff to non traction wheel If It gets loose like up off the ground.
It's all In the owners manual and that's in this forum, download it.

Think of it this way,
My five mode GOAT is for two track dirt roads, sand and mud.
The Seven Mode GOAT Is for climbing rocks and putting power on the ground when only three
wheels are on the ground, or two, as the Fluid clutch Diff will not unload.
This system can direct 100% of the torque to the wheel with traction and NOT the air borne or slipping wheel.
That's an OFF road 4X4
I think of my Base model 5 mode GOAT as an advanced tunable All wheel drive.

As for an OFF road review of the base system, I would not expect one because It cannot hang the Jeeps and BL Broncs that can lock up differentials and direct all the torque to a given wheel.
This is great info. You're right, I suppose I could read the manual, but does the Base BS in lower not use the brakes to direct traction to the wheel with grip? Like Subaru's X-Mode, or, crap, I forget what Honda calls it, but their AWD system does something similar, at least in the new "outdoors" Passport model.
 

Tom House

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I should have clarified. What i really meant is that the 4wd system responds really fast on the lower trims, I bet
Yeah, I'm curious about this too. This is the problem with so many reviews just being of the BL, which, understandably is what Ford lends out to reviewers, since they make more $$ of those. For example, Subaru's AWD is mechanically always "on," whereas Toyota and so many others wait until wheel slip before AWD kicks in. I have no idea if that's how Ford's works or not.

I'm pretty sure I'm just going to get the Big Bronco because I want the space for the whole family on adventures, but I am very attracted to the BS. But as a modded Subaru owner, it looks like the BS in anything other than a BL edition isn't going to be a significant enough off-road upgrade for me to make it worth buying, but until I get a good understanding of what the lower trims BS can do, it's all speculation. But for the BL price, might as well get a Big Bend Bronco 4-door with a locking rear diff and manual trans.
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