One Year Review

[V8 Yankee]

Hey all BS officiondos. After one year and 17464 miles I figured I'd post a review. First thing is to say is after a year I would buy another if I had too. Wasn't what I went to buy but glad I drove away in it.

Living in southern Florida it wasn't like I really needed a 4 wheel drive SUV as my off roading days in Washington State are behind me. More of a nostalgic purchase than anything. The surprise was just how nice it is to drive and dare I say ecomical too.

One of my top likes and biggest surprises is the mpg I get. After 500 hours (12789 miles) I avg 33.6 mpg. Doing the math by hand confirms this. I drive about 80% highway miles and stick to the speed limit. My other like is the rarity of all Bronco styles here in Miami and Southern Florida. Probably seen only 20 other Broncos in a year, kind of makes it unique in my mind. It may not be as refined as higher end SUVs commonly seen here but it suits me and I get compliments quite often. I've added a custom exhaust which sounds awesome, added a true Cold Air Intake, accessories galore, built a bed and rear shelf and added some other mods to increase mpg and to also make it into weekend mini camper.

Other things I added are: ceramic window tinting, ceramic paint coating, UPR Catch Can, hood struts, upgraded lug nuts, console tray, Carhartt dash cover, hood deflector, window deflectors, lettering overlays, rear bumper cover, LED Bulbs, ect.

My dislikes are really not worth mentioning. The GOAT Mode Dial is not very convenient. For a Outer Banks it should have had a better sound system, glove box lighting, hood struts and probably memory seats. Again by no means a big deal, just an opinion and definitely not a deal breaker when I bought it. All in all a great rig even factoring in the recalls.

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[Tigger]

Nice review. You mention the things you added but can you better explain the car you purchased? That is, what options and what packages?

 

[OuterBanks25]

This is good to know. We just acquired our '23 Outer Banks and we're wondering how they're holding up over time. But so far it's been a phenomenal vehicle. It drives great, comfortable, has all the features and then some, looks the part and the fuel economy is starting to get well established. So far I'm up to 27.2 mpg. Not bad at all, that's in the same realm as my EB Maverick.

Regarding a couple of the cons, I'm assuming you don't have the technology package (or since it's a '21 the Outer Banks package) if you don't like the sound system. Ours has the B&O sound system and it's wonderful. The audio is nice and crisp with perfect balancing and not much speaker rattle. Also for 2023, they made the memory seat standard for the Outer Banks and Badlands trims which is a lifesaver, especially with multiple people driving.

 

[V8 Yankee]

Nice review. You mention the things you added but can you better explain the car you purchased? That is, what options and what packages?

My 21 Outer Banks is an off the shelf, standard issue SUV. It has the tech package which I believe comes with all OBs. They also only come with the 1.5. The OBs are considered the "luxury" edition so it has all the bells and whistles. Perfect for Miami, not so good for off roading. The only factory option it doesn't have is a Sun Roof. The B&O sound system is standard as well. These sound systems may have been upgraded in the 23 models. The memory seats are also standard in 23 OBs.

 

[Mark S.]

Perfect for Miami, not so good for off roading.

Lucky for you the only kind of off-roading you can do around Miami requires floats.

 

[V8 Yankee]

Good idea, make BS pontoons a aftermarket option for Florida Broncos

 

[gia_newman]

Nice review, do you have additional pics of the other mods you mentioned? I would love to see the "mini camper" features!

 

[V8 Yankee]

Im finish up a revisi

Nice review, do you have additional pics of the other mods you mentioned? I would love to see the "mini camper" features!
[/QUOTE
I'm finishing up a revision on my back shelf this weekend. Once the paint drys I'll snap a few photos

 

[Barry S.]

My 21 Outer Banks is an off the shelf, standard issue SUV. It has the tech package which I believe comes with all OBs. They also only come with the 1.5. The OBs are considered the "luxury" edition so it has all the bells and whistles. Perfect for Miami, not so good for off roading. The only factory option it doesn't have is a Sun Roof. The B&O sound system is standard as well. These sound systems may have been upgraded in the 23 models. The memory seats are also standard in 23 OBs.

Figured out I've had 17 cars since my college days and my Bronco Sport Big Bend is the most fun car I have ever owned. Only had one car with a moon roof and I never used it. Too cold in winter and too hot in summer. I did have a 55 Olds Super 88 convertible while in college. Definitely a chick magnet but but I just turned 80 and I'm happy with my current chick so no magnet needed.

 

[delm]

Figured out I've had 17 cars since my college days and my Bronco Sport Big Bend is the most fun car I have ever owned. Only had one car with a moon roof and I never used it. Too cold in winter and too hot in summer. I did have a 55 Olds Super 88 convertible while in college. Definitely a chick magnet but but I just turned 80 and I'm happy with my current chick so no magnet needed.

It is a fun car, for sure. And I feel the same way about moon roofs. I’ve had many of them. Hardly ever used any. I found that I only like to use a moon roof on a very cloudy- but preferably rainy - day. If the sun is out, it stays closed. Some people love them. Glad they exist for those people. But I don’t miss a moon roof for a second in the BS.

 

[V8 Yankee]

Nice review, do you have additional pics of the other mods you mentioned? I would love to see the "mini camper" features!

Nice review, do you have additional pics of the other mods you mentioned? I would love to see the "mini camper" features!

Well this weekend I finished my "micro camper" project. On the photo I attached you can see the shelf I made to give some extra stowing space. The shelf also doubles as a table top. You can see a camp table wrapped in a blanket on the shelf. I just add the shelf to make it larger when I set it up. There is plenty of room for more gear if I need to pack for the long haul. The shelf rests on top of the panel that extends out below the windows. I put a full length strip of felt to isolate the wood shelf from the plastic and to act as a anti-rattle pad as well. It's held in place by two rachet straps hooked to the four integral latches built into the cargo area. As you can see I maximized every square inch of space to keep gear in place. The Igloo Cooler with my 1500W Invertor on top is held in place on the sides and from the top. Behind the cooler is a compact Microwave with a Hefty Bin on top, also held in place like the cooler and invertor. To the right of the cooler is a 5lb Fire Extinguisher stowed in the built in side bin. Surprisingly a squashed roll of toilet paper secures it in place.

My sleeping platform is 70" long with a 2.5" Pad, I built a 8" folding extension at the front, just have to move the seat forward about 4" to get full extension of the platform. I stowed the sheets, blanket and pillow under the platform as well as four 8" Hefty Bins that you can see from the back. These bins are perfect for the height I need to compensate for the passenger seat when it's folded down. Inside the bins is food, cooking utensils, car stuff, etc, etc. I built this as a solo camper, for two people I would need a roof top cargo box for sure, for a long haul the roof top unit would be a necessity. Fortunately I still have the floor space and right side rear seat for luggage and other gear, even a third passenger if needed.

The other photos are my custom exhaust and CAI. The exhaust system combined with the CAI increased my mpg an easy 10%, more if I drive conscietiously as well as extra power when needed. The CAI is as close to a true CAI you can get. It utilizes the factory intake from the grill so what ever the outside temperature is. The exhaust really topped it off and sounds awesome. There is no drone or growl, just a deep, smooth sound that sets it apart from the OEM exhaust.

My next addition will be a stand-alone 100Ah Lithium battery with 200W Solar Panels. The engine battery can handle the microwave and my electric stove but it's really not the best setup as the OEM battery is not a deep cycle type. I also have a two burner gas stove in one of the bins for backup. All in all the set up works good for a one person outing and maybe a dog or two as well. There isn't much space to work with so I had to calculate everything to maximize the available space. Fortunately I found everything I needed to fit everything perfectly.

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