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Thanks for sharing. It has made me decide that I need to "get out there" in 2024.
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Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics - A Moab trip and ownership summary (Bronco Sport Heritage)
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Thanks! Happy to share. A little positive publicity goes a long way.
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Loved reading about your road trip, and the cross bar adventure as well. Great write up! Became obsessed with the Bronco Sport after renting one out west. A great vehicle.
I am impressed with the gas mileage obtained on some not so smooth and friendly road surfaces.
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I think a couple of other data points would help fill in the picture- average speed for each tank, altitude change (hilliness?).
Speed seemed to be the worst offender, and I think westbound = generally uphill = worse mileage. But that’s spec.
"Final assessment - safe, comfortable (enough), reliable, efficient (ish). Capable of reasonably interesting off-road stuff, straight out of the box. I didn't even air down the tires at all. If anyone's worried about whether the 1.5 has the guts, it passes going uphill and keeps up with traffic at whatever speed I choose."
So, the 23 Heritage is not fitted with the 2.0L and the Badlands style trim? Does this mean you were tackling these obstacles without the benefit of the more stout GOAT modes and the rear "lockers"?
So, the 23 Heritage is not fitted with the 2.0L and the Badlands style trim? Does this mean you were tackling these obstacles without the benefit of the more stout GOAT modes and the rear "lockers"?
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Yes, you are correct. Basically a gussied up Big Bend.
1.5L Dragon powerplant, 8(?) spd automatic, just the two GOATy modes - slippery and sand, the basic rear diff, OEM tires.
I tend to keep tires a few PSI over OEM recommendation, and do so with the Sport, especially for long highway rides. I considered airing down. But didn’t. Except on some long washboard roads. But there isn’t enough air to let out to make washboard roads not suck.
Wow, thanks for sharing those pics and videos. So, did you keep it in normal for all the fun stuff or try sand? I hear two schools of thought on those for us with only the 2 GOATy (like that, stole it from you) modes.
Is that the Ford Accessories Thule carrying case on the roof ?As previously noted, I have 'dynamic honesty' about what I'm likely to do when the Good Idea Fairy comes a'callin'. What follows will be a combination Trip Report and Ownership Update, with some mileage and maintenance stats just to spice (?) things up.
Purchased a new 2023 B S Heritage on April 30th this year. One routine oil change/tire rotation courtesy of the dealership prior to this.
Three trips to the dealership to get the OEM crossbars installed. Comedy of errors. The bars are different between Badlands/First Editions and the unwashed masses. Mechanically disinclined oil change tech was tasked with the initial installation. They clearly didn't fit. He applied enough force to break the allen wrench. THEN went for help. Second iteration of the effort was ... the same wrong bars shipped in. I watched five or six techs and service reps orbiting the Sport in the service bay as they tried to figure it out. I let someone know - not for the first time - that there are two different parts. OK, third visit went fairly smoothly. We'll just leave that there.
I occasionally get the road trip itch. I haven't gone west, so this seemed like as good a time as any, although not as good a time as could be. It was chilly. Anyhow, 26 October load up and head to Gainesville to visit my son at UF. Next day hit the road in earnest to do some sightseeing heading westerly. Visited Birmingham, AL, Memphis, TN, then kinda skipped along to New Mexico. Santa Fe to Pagosa Springs, CO, to Moab.
First excitement was on Willow Springs. One descent down a rock face left Panda Express teetering back and forth on diagonal wheels. Never having done THAT before, it was an arresting experience. There were other obstacles along the way, too. Got to see some dinosaur tracks and great scenery. Just other-worldly fantastic landscapes. I understand Georgia O'Keeffe a little better now. Camped at the highest point I could get to (Juniper Camp ground) on the way to Porcupine Rim. Camping was closed at Porcupine Rim.
I went back down Sand Flats Road to the park entrance and waited to see some people ascend Fins and Things. There wasn't a lot of action, so I started talking to the booth attendant. She said Baby Lion's Back, around the corner, was a good starting point. I nosed up, and it looked like the approach angle was ok, so I started up. I paused to see if the hitch would drag. No problem. Up I went. A little tire-squealing later and I was on top. If you haven't been there. it's a nice view. Then you get to the end of the short trail ... and it drops precipitously. I got out to look around and the first thought was "She set me up!" Sharp, steep, scary drop ahead. Oh, wait, there was a more manageable if nearly as frightening a drop more to the right. "Ok, I can do this." Creep down... creep down... wheels lock and slide out of control the final few feet into the mud puddle at the bottom. Mission Accomplished.
Go to Moab. See the amazing scenery. See the dinosaur tracks in different places. See the petroglyphs. Take on some of the off-roading. Hike, bike, float. It's all there. Some good food in town too.
Baby Lions Back approach
Willow Creek by the dino trax
Baby Lions Back Ascent and Traverse
No, I did not.
Willow Creek Rd
Final Checkup
Final video - one time the infotainment center shut off and restarted on its own. Then another time it came on and wouldn't shut off. Like it was possessed. And it was 10/31.
Return trip ran down to Las Cruces, Los Alamos, El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Tallahassee and home.
Departing Odometer: 5490.9 (starting fill-up)
Ending Odometer: 10548.3 (ending fill-up)
Trip Odometer: 5007.2 in the driveway
Indicated MPG: 28.3
Calculated MPG: 26.55
Undercarriage exam at end = no damage at all. Mud flaps do drag and make a lot of noise, but didn't suffer any significant damage. I definitely impacted the Plastic Rock Rails (?) more than once and they suffered no damage either.
Final assessment - safe, comfortable (enough), reliable, efficient (ish). Capable of reasonably interesting off-road stuff, straight out of the box. I didn't even air down the tires at all. If anyone's worried about whether the 1.5 has the guts, it passes going uphill and keeps up with traffic at whatever speed I choose. It's not a Rubicon or a Mustang. It's a reasonable compromise that gets you (got me) everywhere I wanted to go, when I wanted to go there, and with good performance and mileage. Silly box on top and all. Safe travels!
Sebastian FL Gainesville Tifton Ga Brookside AL West Memphis Arkansas Cherokee OK Shawnee OK top up for cold night Shamrock TX San Jon NM Santa Fe NM Bayfield CO Moab UT top up for day & camping Pagosa Springs CO Corona NM Las Cruces NM Ft. Stockton TX Kerrville TX Anahuac TX Rayne LA Waveland MS Tallahassee FL Sebastian FL End of trip Miles Gallons MPG
OP
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Ha! Yours for the taking. I put it in Sand to disable traction control going up the ascent face. Otherwise, on all the other roads and obstacles over a few days out there it stayed in Normal or Sport. Sport kept the revs a little higher for easier throttle control for that (not) massive rock crawlin' going on.
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No, that's the cheapo Cabelas 10' roof box I picked up at Bass Pro a couple of days before I hit the road. And, it is cheapo, but it did the job. There were a LOT of bug parts inside the box at the end of the trip, but nothing got wet when I drove through rain on the highway.
Cool, thanks for the update, I wish you could disable traction control easier, but it takes a few windows on the stupid screen. I was thinking sport might be useful in some off road situations so glad to hear it being used here.
Awesome post! But you missed a great detour, i’m frim El Paso originally, we have a place in Cloudcroft , NM. From Las Cruces you can stop by White Sands Park then through Alamogordo and up to Cloudcroft a great little Village, the best Texas BBQ you’ll ever have at Mad Jacks, Cloudcroft Brewery and pizza. They have a brand new beautiful hotel or you can stay or just have dinner at The famous Lodge Hotel which is haunted by Lady Rebecca, and play golf at the Lodge Golf Course. Lots of trails, visit Ruidoso an hour away, great food, visit the Inn of the Mountain Gods and Casino, take the 54 back to El Paso to get back on the I-10. Cloudcroft is at 9000 ft elevation. Great camping and hiking too!As previously noted, I have 'dynamic honesty' about what I'm likely to do when the Good Idea Fairy comes a'callin'. What follows will be a combination Trip Report and Ownership Update, with some mileage and maintenance stats just to spice (?) things up.
Purchased a new 2023 B S Heritage on April 30th this year. One routine oil change/tire rotation courtesy of the dealership prior to this.
Three trips to the dealership to get the OEM crossbars installed. Comedy of errors. The bars are different between Badlands/First Editions and the unwashed masses. Mechanically disinclined oil change tech was tasked with the initial installation. They clearly didn't fit. He applied enough force to break the allen wrench. THEN went for help. Second iteration of the effort was ... the same wrong bars shipped in. I watched five or six techs and service reps orbiting the Sport in the service bay as they tried to figure it out. I let someone know - not for the first time - that there are two different parts. OK, third visit went fairly smoothly. We'll just leave that there.
I occasionally get the road trip itch. I haven't gone west, so this seemed like as good a time as any, although not as good a time as could be. It was chilly. Anyhow, 26 October load up and head to Gainesville to visit my son at UF. Next day hit the road in earnest to do some sightseeing heading westerly. Visited Birmingham, AL, Memphis, TN, then kinda skipped along to New Mexico. Santa Fe to Pagosa Springs, CO, to Moab.
First excitement was on Willow Springs. One descent down a rock face left Panda Express teetering back and forth on diagonal wheels. Never having done THAT before, it was an arresting experience. There were other obstacles along the way, too. Got to see some dinosaur tracks and great scenery. Just other-worldly fantastic landscapes. I understand Georgia O'Keeffe a little better now. Camped at the highest point I could get to (Juniper Camp ground) on the way to Porcupine Rim. Camping was closed at Porcupine Rim.
I went back down Sand Flats Road to the park entrance and waited to see some people ascend Fins and Things. There wasn't a lot of action, so I started talking to the booth attendant. She said Baby Lion's Back, around the corner, was a good starting point. I nosed up, and it looked like the approach angle was ok, so I started up. I paused to see if the hitch would drag. No problem. Up I went. A little tire-squealing later and I was on top. If you haven't been there. it's a nice view. Then you get to the end of the short trail ... and it drops precipitously. I got out to look around and the first thought was "She set me up!" Sharp, steep, scary drop ahead. Oh, wait, there was a more manageable if nearly as frightening a drop more to the right. "Ok, I can do this." Creep down... creep down... wheels lock and slide out of control the final few feet into the mud puddle at the bottom. Mission Accomplished.
Go to Moab. See the amazing scenery. See the dinosaur tracks in different places. See the petroglyphs. Take on some of the off-roading. Hike, bike, float. It's all there. Some good food in town too.
Baby Lions Back approach
Willow Creek by the dino trax
Baby Lions Back Ascent and Traverse
No, I did not.
Willow Creek Rd
Final Checkup
Final video - one time the infotainment center shut off and restarted on its own. Then another time it came on and wouldn't shut off. Like it was possessed. And it was 10/31.
Return trip ran down to Las Cruces, Los Alamos, El Paso, Houston, New Orleans, Tallahassee and home.
Departing Odometer: 5490.9 (starting fill-up)
Ending Odometer: 10548.3 (ending fill-up)
Trip Odometer: 5007.2 in the driveway
Indicated MPG: 28.3
Calculated MPG: 26.55
Undercarriage exam at end = no damage at all. Mud flaps do drag and make a lot of noise, but didn't suffer any significant damage. I definitely impacted the Plastic Rock Rails (?) more than once and they suffered no damage either.
Final assessment - safe, comfortable (enough), reliable, efficient (ish). Capable of reasonably interesting off-road stuff, straight out of the box. I didn't even air down the tires at all. If anyone's worried about whether the 1.5 has the guts, it passes going uphill and keeps up with traffic at whatever speed I choose. It's not a Rubicon or a Mustang. It's a reasonable compromise that gets you (got me) everywhere I wanted to go, when I wanted to go there, and with good performance and mileage. Silly box on top and all. Safe travels!
Sebastian FL Gainesville Tifton Ga Brookside AL West Memphis Arkansas Cherokee OK Shawnee OK top up for cold night Shamrock TX San Jon NM Santa Fe NM Bayfield CO Moab UT top up for day & camping Pagosa Springs CO Corona NM Las Cruces NM Ft. Stockton TX Kerrville TX Anahuac TX Rayne LA Waveland MS Tallahassee FL Sebastian FL End of trip Miles Gallons MPG
Last edited:
OP
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Now you're trying to make me feel like I need to start planning another Southwest Road Trip.
Mission Accomplished.
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