Outer Banks first road trip thoughts

DMEARC

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I picked up my Outer Banks on Friday and immediately set out on a 380 mile round trip. It has every option expect the tow package.

TL;DR: it’s a great vehicle that is capable of 35+mpg.

My favorite feature is definitely the CoPilot 360+. The adaptive cruise and lane centering works wonderfully. It had no problem steering itself down the highway and keeping distance from the car in front of me. Even a bit of stop and go traffic was no problem, as it would brake and speed up as needed. The speed sign recognition is really cool and will automatically set your speed according to the last speed limit sign it saw.

The nav system is also very nice. I had no problems using voice commands. A nice little touch is that the center screen in between the RPM and MPH gauges will automatically change to nav guidance when you are within 2 miles of your next turn. After that, it returns to whatever information was being displayed previously.

The seats are comfortable and the drivers seat is adjustable through a wide range of options. The seat heaters heat up quickly. The leather feels nice.

Fuel economy in Eco mode is excellent. The first leg (approx. 190 miles) yielded 33.6 mpg, the return leg was even better at 35.6. That would yield a theoretical maximum range of 536 miles per tank. After driving 380 miles I still showed 156 miles of range left.

The Bang and Olufsen radio sounded wonderful. The surround sound setting really fills the cabin.

Fit and finish seem fine. No issues noted. There is minimum wind noise on the highway. The Bronco Sport has a nice, solid feel.

The 1.5 liter engine has adequate power and acceleration. Really, it does. In Normal and Sport modes the vehicle has no problem keeping up. In Eco mode you’ll notice the sluggishness during acceleration but when it can give you 35+ mpg, who cares? Changing the modes is easy and quick so you can start with one and change to the other when needed.

I’m very pleased. It’s a great looking vehicle and an excellent road trip platform.
Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks first road trip thoughts 15F3F922-B7E0-498F-99D4-3A96AB259E25
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fourthgear

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Nice to hear , we are very pleased with ours , its the Wife's daily driver & we are looking forward to a good weekend road trip . We picked ours up 2 1/2 hour drive from our house , so we had a good ride back with it , at night no less & I drove all the way back , I like it . 2000 miles on it already .
 

omahafordowner

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I have been thinking about going out and picking up an Outer Banks instead of waiting until at the earliest July for my Badlands, I just don't know if I can live with a 3 cylinder.
 
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I have the badlands so take that with a grain of salt for comparison and I live in a pretty mountainous area but on my 600 mile road trip I averaged 25.2 MPGs cruising in eco mode. I do not however have the 360 assist optioned and as such do not have the adaptive cruise control which could lead to more aggressive accel and deccel when I’m doing it manually. Either way I love the ride quality (for a softroader) and enjoyed every mile of the trip. Very impressed you were able to keep the MPGs that high. Were you running premium or standard fuel? I used standard.
 
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DMEARC

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I have the badlands so take that with a grain of salt for comparison and I live in a pretty mountainous area but on my 600 mile road trip I averaged 25.2 MPGs cruising in eco mode. I do not however have the 360 assist optioned and as such do not have the adaptive cruise control which could lead to more aggressive accel and deccel when I’m doing it manually. Either way I love the ride quality (for a softroader) and enjoyed every mile of the trip. Very impressed you were able to keep the MPGs that high. Were you running premium or standard fuel? I used standard.
The fuel was added by the dealer, so I’m assuming they put in the cheapest they could find ?.
 


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DMEARC

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I have been thinking about going out and picking up an Outer Banks instead of waiting until at the earliest July for my Badlands, I just don't know if I can live with a 3 cylinder.
Take one for a test drive. It really isn‘t bad.
Let’s face it, if you want a high performance SUV, it’s not going to be a Ford.
 
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The fuel was added by the dealer, so I’m assuming they put in the cheapest they could find ?.
I guess I just dog mine too hard or pulling up the appalachians is too much strain to keep the MPGs up. I’ll have to play around with it and get used to the throttle. I only have about 1300 miles on mine as of right now. Absolute joy to drive though. I’m finding myself making excuses to drive it places.
 

SportWest

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Thanks for sharing, this solidifies my choice to hunt for a BB or OB with Assist+ because I'll be doing a lot of road trips over the next few years. I'm also impressed with the fuel economy you achieved.

"Take one for a test drive. It really isn‘t bad."

During my test drive, I never 'noticed' the engine because performance was about what I'd expect for a subcompact SUV. My only concern is with the longevity and long-term reliability of a three-cylinder engine with a turbo and wet timing belt.
 
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Rojo13

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Great review. Wish I had that Nav package. I have to use AirPlay for mine (or wired Sync) and it doesn't interact with Center Screen. Mine must have been a canceled order and I have no 360, no OB package, but I just jumped at the chance anyway!!
 
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DMEARC

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Thanks for sharing, this solidifies my choice to hunt for a BB or OB with Assist+ because I'll be doing a lot of road trips over the next few years. I'm also impressed with the fuel economy you achieved.

"Take one for a test drive. It really isn‘t bad."

During my test drive, I never 'noticed' the engine because performance was about what I'd expect for an engine in the subcompact SUV class. My only concern is with the longevity and long-term reliability of a three-cylinder engine with a turbo and wet timing belt.
The Assist+ is so cool, especially on long highway drives. The lane centering has its limits, but it will basically steer you down the highway.
 


lewismd12

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This is cool to see. In June I am going from NY to Wyoming for a road trip. Will utilize Eco etc. Just got my OB couple days ago.
 

omahafordowner

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Take one for a test drive. It really isn‘t bad.
Let’s face it, if you want a high performance SUV, it’s not going to be a Ford.
I am coming from a Flex Limited with the 3.5 which actually is pretty close to high performance.
 

JerryC

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Waiting on our BS... Or Rav4 has lane centering and adaptive cruise control. Once you have them you can't live without them :)
Especially on solo road trips when you want to grab a snack, pop open a soda, clean your glasses , anytime you just need a couple of seconds.

Most people don't know how good adaptive cruise is for around town. Regular cruise isn't with the effort in moderate traffic but adaptive is different. It has saved me from many speed traps around town.

35 MPG is fantastic in a BS. We had 2017 Focus that did 38 hwy and I though that was good.
 
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DMEARC

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I am coming from a Flex Limited with the 3.5 which actually is pretty close to high performance.
I think of Porsche Cayenne, Alfa Stelvio, or Jaguar F Pace when I say high performance.
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