Bronco? Ranger? Bronco Sport? What should I buy?

[hellb0y]

I watched some guys try to off road a Plymouth Roadrunner once — worked right up ’til that first stream fording

I’ve been seeing crazy ones lately…eg, just saw an Audi A8 climb a muddy hill where most people would immediately assume you need a diff lock ????

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[BLUEOVALRACER]

I've had my Badlands for over 4 years, I would choose the Ranger or a Maverick, to me they are just more useful than the Sport. Either can carry or tow more if needed and it's also nice to just be able to throw whatever into the bed.

That's why i went with the 2025 AWD 2.0 EB Maverick after having a BS BB and missing a Truck Bed since i had a bunch of F-150's before the BS BB. I hauled 30 1.5 Cubic Feet Mulch bags in the Maverick a couple weeks ago.The mulch didn't squat the Rear End down as much as i thought and my Maverick Has a Payload of 1,491 lb.s which is pretty good IMO some loaded F-150 Super Crew cabs have less Payload than My Maverick Does.

 

[BLUEOVALRACER]

If you are smart, it shouldn't be a Ford product. As I said in another thread, my 22 BSOB is the first Ford that I have ever owned. I cannot believe the number of recalls (4) that I have experienced in the three years of ownership. And, the service advisor told me to expect at least two more! This, coupled with the recalls on a number of other Ford models, should be a clear message to you.

So would you Rather them not Recall them? And when the Part that was recalled goes bad and you would have to Pay out of Pocket for it if it's out of Warranty?

 

[Warped9]

It’s easy to become indecisive when you like different vehicles for some of the same and different reasons because they all appeal to you in some way or other. You really find yourself overthinking and second guessing yourself—been there, done that. Unless you’re on a deadline you don’t need to rush it, and eventually you’ll likely find yourself gravitating to one in particular.

There is no real perfect solution. Everything is a trade off in some way. It’s a matter of finding the one with the least compromises.

 

[NMhunter]

My Badlands has a 1-1/2" lift and skid plates on the catalytic converter and driver's side. It has taken m eevery place I've wanted to go, including some pretty difficult trails. It rides like a car on the highway, and handles off road amazingly well. I've driven it in sand, mud, and snow, and it handles it all. My long term gas mileage reads 27.3 mpg. I get as high as 33 mpg when driving below 60 mph.

Clearance is the only issue off road, and if you're careful picking your path, you can get around most obstacles.

I was hunting in the desert with my lifted Superduty and following the tracks of my friends old 2 wheel drive Ranger. He was able to drive around the washout, but my big truck had to drive through it. I bent the step under the driver's door.

The only reason to go with a bigger vehicle is towing and payload, or serious off roading.

 

[MKC1911]

I traded my Ranger in for a Bronco Sport, so I have driven both. The Ranger had more power with the 2.3l engine, but mine was not 4x4. Either will work, but if you go with a Ranger I suggest getting a 4x4. I never got stuck with the Ranger, but I was concerned a couple times with steep gravel hills.

On a whim I traded my 21 Ranger Tremor in for a 24 BSBL. While the BS is nice it has nowhere near the capabilities that the Ranger had & I do miss that.

I really liked that truck & not sure I would do the trade if I had it to do over.

 

[tconstan]

So would you Rather them not Recall them? And when the Part that was recalled goes bad and you would have to Pay out of Pocket for it if it's out of Warranty?

 

[tconstan]

My problem is "why so many recalls" over all product lines. For the past thirty years I have owned Japanese and Korean vehicles and have not experienced this many recalls let alone TSBs. Additionally, why did it take Ford nearly three years to correct the "whale moan" sound when the vehicle is in reverse. Hey, I understand brand loyalty but it seems as though Ford's quality control is an afterthought.

 

[Mark S.]

didn't want to go crazy off-roading but for the same reason you stated but I wanted something good for the highways and the freeways.

This is the genius of the Bronco Sport for me; the car is so capable off-road, yet has such good road manners. Yes, some will say it's not the best at either on- or off-road, but that's exactly the point. Life is full of tradeoffs, and the tradeoffs inherent in the Bronco Sport fit my needs nicely.

 

[Mark S.]

one is a proper truck, 4WD, low range, you can upsize the tires, go convertible, slap all sorts of accessories you can think of…the other is a cute little SUV that is built on a modified platform of the Focus

One is a truck and rides like and returns the fuel economy of a truck on the road; the other is the most capable off-roader in its class and drives like and returns the fuel economy of a car on the road.

 

[Mark S.]

My problem is "why so many recalls" over all product lines. For the past thirty years I have owned Japanese and Korean vehicles and have not experienced this many recalls let alone TSBs. Additionally, why did it take Ford nearly three years to correct the "whale moan" sound when the vehicle is in reverse. Hey, I understand brand loyalty but it seems as though Ford's quality control is an afterthought.

While it's true that Ford owners have dealt with more recalls than owners of other vehicles, the number of recalls for ALL vehicles have increased in the past decade or so, mainly due to increasing vehicle complexity.

 

[SoCalBonanza]

Last November I bought a BS BL, and I LOVED it. It was fun to drive, and I thought it looked great. I had the package with electric seats, so they can go up and down. You would have to be way over 7' for your head to hit with the seat all the way down.
In early May, I did the Bronco OffRoadeo in Moab. It was AMAZING! The hardest obstacle we did was a "2, maybe 3" according to our instructor. The following 3 days I wandered various trails around Moab. The BS was good on all the 2s, scraped on half of the 3s, and scraped on both of the 4s. I am NOT a rock crawler at all, and have no interest in such challenges. But I went on "easy" trails, that the books/guides said any 4WD should be able to do. But I was not able to do them without minor damage. On one of the 4s, I seriously wondered if I would be able to get out. (Yes, I was the stupid novice.)
On the drive home from Moab, I decided the BS just did not have sufficient clearance to do the pretty easy stuff in Moab. I looked into lifting it, and larger tires. Both have lots of issues with geometry, alignment, handling, etc.
And so 2 weeks ago, I traded the BS in for a 2024 Bronco WildTrak.

So what do I recommend for a person that just wants to do easy stuff and see amazing places? I recommend the full-sized Bronco. That gives you some margin, and more confidence to expand the envelope a bit.
(And the driving/handling of the full-sized versus the Sport? The Sport is, well, sportier. But the full-size is quite fun, and because of the large tires, you don't feel the bumps as much.)

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Last November I bought a BS BL, and I LOVED it. It was fun to drive, and I thought it looked great. I had the package with electric seats, so they can go up and down. You would have to be way over 7' for your head to hit with the seat all the way down.
In early May, I did the Bronco OffRoadeo in Moab. It was AMAZING! The hardest obstacle we did was a "2, maybe 3" according to our instructor. The following 3 days I wandered various trails around Moab. The BS was good on all the 2s, scraped on half of the 3s, and scraped on both of the 4s. I am NOT a rock crawler at all, and have no interest in such challenges. But I went on "easy" trails, that the books/guides said any 4WD should be able to do. But I was not able to do them without minor damage. On one of the 4s, I seriously wondered if I would be able to get out. (Yes, I was the stupid novice.)
On the drive home from Moab, I decided the BS just did not have sufficient clearance to do the pretty easy stuff in Moab. I looked into lifting it, and larger tires. Both have lots of issues with geometry, alignment, handling, etc.
And so 2 weeks ago, I traded the BS in for a 2024 Bronco WildTrak.

So what do I recommend for a person that just wants to do easy stuff and see amazing places? I recommend the full-sized Bronco. That gives you some margin, and more confidence to expand the envelope a bit.
(And the driving/handling of the full-sized versus the Sport? The Sport is, well, sportier. But the full-size is quite fun, and because of the large tires, you don't feel the bumps as much.)

That’s one of the biggest downfalls of the Sport with regards to going off road. It’s not that it can’t and with a good spotter or plenty of experience you can do a lot with it. We have taken it places we probably shouldn’t have but I done this for nearly 50 years. But the full size with the Sasquatch package makes it effortless and without fear of getting hung up or stuck or damaged. But even with 35’s it still has it challenges considering it’s not uncommon now for people running 37’s or 40’s. Atleast with the full size it’s relatively easy to upgrade with larger tires. The other issue is the gearing. In 4 low, my final gear ratio is nearly 100 to 1. That makes it much easier to get over obstacles and do it without having to “send it”.

I still feel the Sport is smoother riding if that’s important and I get slightly better gas milage in it compared to my full size. If going off road is the primary usage, I’d go full size. For good all around use, I like the Sport. Like Dirty Harry said, “A mon got’s to know his limitations”. If hauling a lot of stuff or lots of towing, I’d go with the Ranger.

 

[Unicorn]

Any of those will do what you're asking.
The full sized Bronco is likely the best off road, depending on specific trim and packages. A little shorter than the Ranger so you're angles are better and it'll fit better on trails that aren't so wide open.
The Ranger will give the best cargo, whether carrying or towing.

The Bronco Sport is great for beaches, logging roads, and what is generally called soft roading. It's as least as capable, and likely better with the Badlands and Sasquatch package, than a Subaru Forester or Crosstrek other than a little less ground clearance (unless you get the Badlands with Sasquatch package, then it's the same as the non Wilderness versions at 8.7in). Or do a lift kit. The locking clutches on the Sport, the Badlands especialy, makes up for that, and the sasquatch package adds the water cooled PTU and the better cooling for the radiator and transmission. That's a huge weakness of the Subarus, the CVT in them is more sensitive to heat than a normal automatic transmission. People have had them start to overheat and go into limp mode, or even stop if they pushed them too hard, until they cooled.

I'm replacing my Forester with a few mods with a Bronco Sport Badlands with Sasquatch package as soon are Ford finishes getting it built and shipped. I've done pretty much what you're wanting to do with the Forester and have 100% confidence that the Bronco Sport will do as well or likely better (because of the closer to true locking rear and center diffs), and larger tires.

Now if money weren't an option, I'd have said screw it and bought the full size 4 door Bronco Badlands with Sasquatch package and a few mods... but they were over $20k more than what I ordered. Yeah, one of the lower trim levels would still be more capable than the Sport, but if I'm going to go for something, I might as well get one of the better models.

And to throw some confusion in, there's also the Maverick. I was looking at that before the Sport. More cargo room, but longer. Kind of like looking at the full size Bronco and the Ranger. I was looking at the Ranger a while ago, but it's almost as large as a full sized truck was a few years ago. I parked my older F150 next to a Toyota Tacoma a few days ago, and I've been at lights next to Rangers, and it's like wow, they are only a few inches shorter. I don't need a pickup quite that big for a daily driver and weekend warrior drive. My f150 is for dump runs and picking up soil for the raised garden beds, wood, etc.

 

[Unicorn]

Put some aggressive off-road oriented tires on your Bronco Sport Badlands and it will take you just about anywhere you want to go.

Watch these:

He likely could have done that final section if he'd have been willing to accept a few more bumps and scrapes I'm hoping I quoted the right video... the one with the green Badlands. Video always lies, but it seems like he shouldn't have had such a hard time with the bumps before, though some of those were pretty deep.

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