Bronco Sport Quality in Real Life

NotAnonymous

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Since a number of folks here are now actually driving their own Sports, what has your general impression been in terms of design and manufacturing quality? Any particular issues come up so far?
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Elboy

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Since a number of folks here are now actually driving their own Sports, what has your general impression been in terms of design and manufacturing quality? Any particular issues come up so far?
i’ve owned a badlands for about 3 weeks now. basic impression is everything is very nice in my opinion. badlands unique cloth feels very high quality and comfortable, inside detailing is nice and ergonomic. only thing that feels on the cheaper side is the steering wheel imo. it doesn’t bother me but since it’s what i’m touching 99% of the time, a nicer steering wheel finish wouldn’t hurt. but i personally love the design & feel of everything.

only issue so far is apple carplay, songs i play have a slight hiccup every once in a while
 
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NotAnonymous

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i’ve owned a badlands for about 3 weeks now. basic impression is everything is very nice in my opinion. badlands unique cloth feels very high quality and comfortable, inside detailing is nice and ergonomic. only thing that feels on the cheaper side is the steering wheel imo. it doesn’t bother me but since it’s what i’m touching 99% of the time, a nicer steering wheel finish wouldn’t hurt. but i personally love the design & feel of everything.

only issue so far is apple carplay, songs i play have a slight hiccup every once in a while
Thx - appreciate that! I'm considering adding the Badlands Package if I go the Sport route, so that would take care of the steering wheel thing. LOL Test drove a BL/BL this past weekend and it was definitely a nice ride. The storage behind the back seats was smaller than I thought when seeing it in person, but when going on long trips those back seats will be down anyway.
 

McBrideless

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i’ve owned a badlands for about 3 weeks now. basic impression is everything is very nice in my opinion. badlands unique cloth feels very high quality and comfortable, inside detailing is nice and ergonomic. only thing that feels on the cheaper side is the steering wheel imo. it doesn’t bother me but since it’s what i’m touching 99% of the time, a nicer steering wheel finish wouldn’t hurt. but i personally love the design & feel of everything.

only issue so far is apple carplay, songs i play have a slight hiccup every once in a while
Have you considered a steering wheel cover? Do you know the diameter by chance? I’m waiting for my badlands (not BL package) to come in and I’m planning to get a suede steering wheel cover for it because I also didn’t like the feel of the steering wheels on the ones I test drove.
 

MKohlman

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We've had a Rapid Red Badlands since New Year's Eve, only about 100 miles on it so far, but I did have it in the Garage this weekend doing a more extended inspection and some mild dressing-up.

Build quality impressions so far are good. Like others, possibly the only annoyance is the steering wheel as while it doesn't have to be actual leather, I feel they could have done better, at least at the Badlands trim level. My Fiesta ST (which is my Daily Driver - The Bronco is my wife's primary ride) cost way less and has a steering wheel that is 10 times nicer. But I'd have still bought it anyway.

The rest of the interior, while I know I've seen some criticism about it being too much plastic & rubber, actually appeals to me. I've owned two 1st gen Escapes and a Honda Ridgeline from the SUV side of things and while I liked them all (and loved the Ridgeline), every time I muddied up the carpeting, had dogs in the back, or went camping it would almost make me cringe. The "rubberized" with removable carpet mats approach to the Badlands works perfect for me.

Fit and finish are surprisingly good for a an early production model (Build Date was 12/8), I have yet to find an issue there. Was a little surprised to see that the black roof appears to be a wrap (at least on the sides going into the roof it is) it does make me wonder if that is going to be an issue 10 years down the road.

Seats on the base Badlands are really nice in my opinion, not really a leather person for seating so they work well for me. Again some folks have griped that the seat cushion is too short, but my 5'2" wife thinks they are perfect, so it is a matter of taste.

No mechanical bugs/flaws yet, but it is still a bit early.
 


SportWest

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The rest of the interior, while I know I've seen some criticism about it being too much plastic & rubber, actually appeals to me. I've owned two 1st gen Escapes and a Honda Ridgeline from the SUV side of things and while I liked them all (and loved the Ridgeline), every time I muddied up the carpeting, had dogs in the back, or went camping it would almost make me cringe. The "rubberized" with removable carpet mats approach to the Badlands works perfect for me.
Same, checked out a BL+BL a few weeks ago and liked the interior. Simple and clean design, not as 'busy' as the Subaru I checked out the same weekend.
 

Dave B

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We’ve had our Outer Banks since just before Christmas. I’m happy with the build quality, seems to be nicer than our previous Escape. I couldn’t be happier, I’m glad we ordered what we did, the seats are nice, and the heater leather steering wheel is amazing.
 

BigB'sBrono21

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We have about 2200 miles on ours so far. I have no complaints whatsoever. It did take me a few days to get use to 3 cylinder sound though. It's a different rhythm to get use to. Seats are comfortable, and it is really fun to drive. I am loving the experience of people stopping and asking about it, pointing, head turning. My wife and I just chuckle. It really has been fun to drive.
 

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At 550 miles now. I purchased my Shadow Black Base model on Dec 19.
Don't understand the steering wheel complaints at all.
Seat size, comfort, position, back seat leg room. It's like Ford designed all this to fit a 5'11" tall 165 pound person.
I resemble that remark btw.
The 1.5L engine feels just right to me.
Sometimes with all the windows up and radio off it sounds a little like a diesel engine. I've never felt the need for a larger less effecient more powerful engine and am getting a 26 mpg avg. But I can see the need if I pulled a small trailer or did any serious crawling in the woods. I will add that I'd have to travel 50 miles just to get to an Interstate but still it boogies right up to 80 plenty quick for me. I'm not a me first person so again horse power is fine for my needs. I like the available torque coming on at such a low RPM then holding a good pull so far up the tach.
I've never felt I was working this little engine hard.
IMHO Ford quality is #1.
Ford Is gonna sell a bunch of these baby bronc's,
Just wait till the big boy toy comes online.........
 

GimmeBadlands

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I ordered Cyber Orange BL/BL in late October. As that's supposedly a late availability colour, I did NOT expect to see it before March/2021. Well.... it arrived YESTERDAY! I was so happy to have a chance to drive it, and confirm that I LOVE it, but decided not to purchase, as the timing just wasn't right. I only had it a few hours, but I was very impressed with the build quality. I also LOVE Cyber Orange, but my husband wasn't too keen on it. So now I'm torn as to whether I will order Rapid Red or Area 51 next time. I will again order BL/BL, with 235's. The only creature features it's missing that I wish were available are: memory seats, integrated garage opener. My husband would like a power liftgate, but I don't care about that.
 


Elboy

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At 550 miles now. I purchased my Shadow Black Base model on Dec 19.
Don't understand the steering wheel complaints at all.
Seat size, comfort, position, back seat leg room. It's like Ford designed all this to fit a 5'11" tall 165 pound person.
I resemble that remark btw.
The 1.5L engine feels just right to me.
Sometimes with all the windows up and radio off it sounds a little like a diesel engine. I've never felt the need for a larger less effecient more powerful engine and am getting a 26 mpg avg. But I can see the need if I pulled a small trailer or did any serious crawling in the woods. I will add that I'd have to travel 50 miles just to get to an Interstate but still it boogies right up to 80 plenty quick for me. I'm not a me first person so again horse power is fine for my needs. I like the available torque coming on at such a low RPM then holding a good pull so far up the tach.
I've never felt I was working this little engine hard.
IMHO Ford quality is #1.
Ford Is gonna sell a bunch of these baby bronc's,
Just wait till the big boy toy comes online.........
im at 6’0” and agree it fits like a glove to me haha. nothing seems too far out of reach or too close to me, seat sits great at all adjustable heights.

but just clarifying my (and possibly others) comment on the steering wheel was not a complaint at all. doing research before hand and test driving, if I had any complaints i wouldn’t have bought it. so clarifying, i have no complaints whatsoever but in my personal opinion (**which is not a universal opinion / fact) the steering wheel felt on the cheaper side to me, enough for me to notice it. any bumps / taps on it you could tell it’s hollow, well at least it feels hollow, and with my steering style the texture is a bit abrasive on my skin. and that’s all the input i have for the steering wheel. again, my opinion / perspective and not a complaint lol. the steering wheel is fine, and obviously not a deal breaker, i love my non BL package, badlands.

no buyers remorse here, but if i were to rewind to ordering the sport, i probably would’ve gone with the Big Bend instead of Badlands. sufficient power in the BB, plus it’s about $4-5k cheaper than the badlands. main reason i got Badlands at the time was the factory skid plates and the extra HP. i also accounted for the extra ground clearance plus factory AT tires the badlands comes with which was a requirement for me. so it made more sense to go with the badlands instead. i probably won’t be doing any major modding anytime soon lol.

averaging 24mpg, including highway city and off-roading / idling. which i think is great for what it is! also wanted to note i saw a slight increase in mpg after 1000 miles. currently at 2000 miles
 

olly12

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Was a little surprised to see that the black roof appears to be a wrap (at least on the sides going into the roof it is) it does make me wonder if that is going to be an issue 10 years down the road.
The black roof is a wrap?? So it's painted body color underneath it? Interesting, wraps aren't known for longevity....
 

BigB'sBrono21

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I guess the positive would be, if you wanted the black roof on yours, doing a wrap on it could give you the look you want with a cheaper option than repainting.
 

olly12

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Ford Bronco Sport Bronco Sport Quality in Real Life 1610483713843


Snapshot from a video. I'm not expert on wraps. Look like paint or vinyl wrap to this crowd?
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