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This year I got a 2022 bronco sport outer banks, I was the second owner at just 11,000 miles. After just 1 month I couldn't tolerate driving it any longer and got rid of it. Visually the vehicle is great and the seats are extremely comfortable. It's also great on gas, I averaged around 32 mpg.
The unfortunate part is the transmission. It's an 8 speed transmission and you feel EVERY SINGLE 1... of those 8 shifts. That's fine if you are off roading but as a daily driver this is extremely annoying. Especially the shifts from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd can really jerk you around. It's a common issue that according to the service center is normal for that transmission. People will try using different G.O.A.T modes to even out the shifts but it doesn't help much. Imagine driving after work and you're tired, maybe have a headache and the car is jerking your head around. Then you hit traffic and have to keep going through those lower shifts which are the worst ones.
ThIs is my personal opinion as someone who transitioned from an extremely smooth Ford CVT transmission, so depending on what you're used to those shifts may not bother you. Also, highway driving is wonderful since there is no shifting, if that's what you need it for there's no issue. It's the daily around town drivers that should steer clear of getting this car.
The Bluetooth system has a very long lag of 3-5ms. If you're playing music from your phone expect a lag from the time you click skip to when it actually takes the action. When playing videos on your phone the sound from the car speakers will not match the picture on your device. I've updated the system to the latest version and it does not solve this issue.
There's no automatic lift gate but they try to sell you on the fact that the glass opens separately which would be great but it's too small. Taking an average grocery bag which most people will be loading weekly it will not fit in that space. with how small the opening is, makes it very situational maybe lumber. But for most an automatic lift gate is more functional.
The adaptive cruise control also has flaws, Because it uses the lines to steer If there is an exit lane that does not have the dashed lines separating it, the car may try to exit you from the road, a few times i really had to fight the steering wheel to keep going straight. It also has a problem with cars merging into your lane in front of you and may break unexpectedly because it either doesn't understand what's happening or it can't measure the cars speed until it's registered in front of you. I've tried adjusting the following distance but I think it has to do more with the pre-collision system.
That brings me to the issue with the pre collision system. I've seen this with cars making a U turn in front of me but there is no turn lane. As a human I know the car will U turn out of my lane in plenty of time but the bronco sport doesn't understand that action and thinks the car is just stopping in the road. The collision system has gone off every time and it is loud and a bit terrifying. If you live somewhere were U turns are made often without a left turn lane this will be a nuisance.
This model is one that squeaks or moans when you reverse. It's a common and known issue for many owners and can be very loud when it occurs. According to service there is a temporary fix only that may last for a short period found in a service bulletin, but no permanent solutions as of now. If you leave early in the morning, be prepared to position your car so that you do not need to reverse. Otherwise you may be waking up your family.
This one is probably a personal issue but I'm 5'7" and I like to have a high seating position. my arm could not reach on the center console at all and just barely on the door armrest. The sun visor has a curve on one side, once flipped down the curve keeps it from sitting properly, partially blocking your view while driving. This is a common issue people mention, Of course lowering your chair down may solve both of those problems but you might not be as comfortable.
The auto start stop feature turns on every time the car is started. You can turn it off but you must turn it off every time. I've noticed at times when the engine restarts it violently jerks the whole car. The 3 cylinder engine although great on gas is known to have more vibration and idle noise than a 4+ cylinder engine. This is apparent if I placed my hand on the steering wheel while stopped the vibration shook my watch back and forth, feels like one of those push gas lawn mowers. However, for me the auto start stop feature didn't function at colder temperatures so maybe colder climates may not have to deal with this feature as much.
Overall, I could have looked past all of these issues, but the transmission shifts were just too unbearable for me. I hope some of these issues I've listed can help inform those that are looking to purchase. And once again these are my opinions based on my experience.
The unfortunate part is the transmission. It's an 8 speed transmission and you feel EVERY SINGLE 1... of those 8 shifts. That's fine if you are off roading but as a daily driver this is extremely annoying. Especially the shifts from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd can really jerk you around. It's a common issue that according to the service center is normal for that transmission. People will try using different G.O.A.T modes to even out the shifts but it doesn't help much. Imagine driving after work and you're tired, maybe have a headache and the car is jerking your head around. Then you hit traffic and have to keep going through those lower shifts which are the worst ones.
ThIs is my personal opinion as someone who transitioned from an extremely smooth Ford CVT transmission, so depending on what you're used to those shifts may not bother you. Also, highway driving is wonderful since there is no shifting, if that's what you need it for there's no issue. It's the daily around town drivers that should steer clear of getting this car.
The Bluetooth system has a very long lag of 3-5ms. If you're playing music from your phone expect a lag from the time you click skip to when it actually takes the action. When playing videos on your phone the sound from the car speakers will not match the picture on your device. I've updated the system to the latest version and it does not solve this issue.
There's no automatic lift gate but they try to sell you on the fact that the glass opens separately which would be great but it's too small. Taking an average grocery bag which most people will be loading weekly it will not fit in that space. with how small the opening is, makes it very situational maybe lumber. But for most an automatic lift gate is more functional.
The adaptive cruise control also has flaws, Because it uses the lines to steer If there is an exit lane that does not have the dashed lines separating it, the car may try to exit you from the road, a few times i really had to fight the steering wheel to keep going straight. It also has a problem with cars merging into your lane in front of you and may break unexpectedly because it either doesn't understand what's happening or it can't measure the cars speed until it's registered in front of you. I've tried adjusting the following distance but I think it has to do more with the pre-collision system.
That brings me to the issue with the pre collision system. I've seen this with cars making a U turn in front of me but there is no turn lane. As a human I know the car will U turn out of my lane in plenty of time but the bronco sport doesn't understand that action and thinks the car is just stopping in the road. The collision system has gone off every time and it is loud and a bit terrifying. If you live somewhere were U turns are made often without a left turn lane this will be a nuisance.
This model is one that squeaks or moans when you reverse. It's a common and known issue for many owners and can be very loud when it occurs. According to service there is a temporary fix only that may last for a short period found in a service bulletin, but no permanent solutions as of now. If you leave early in the morning, be prepared to position your car so that you do not need to reverse. Otherwise you may be waking up your family.
This one is probably a personal issue but I'm 5'7" and I like to have a high seating position. my arm could not reach on the center console at all and just barely on the door armrest. The sun visor has a curve on one side, once flipped down the curve keeps it from sitting properly, partially blocking your view while driving. This is a common issue people mention, Of course lowering your chair down may solve both of those problems but you might not be as comfortable.
The auto start stop feature turns on every time the car is started. You can turn it off but you must turn it off every time. I've noticed at times when the engine restarts it violently jerks the whole car. The 3 cylinder engine although great on gas is known to have more vibration and idle noise than a 4+ cylinder engine. This is apparent if I placed my hand on the steering wheel while stopped the vibration shook my watch back and forth, feels like one of those push gas lawn mowers. However, for me the auto start stop feature didn't function at colder temperatures so maybe colder climates may not have to deal with this feature as much.
Overall, I could have looked past all of these issues, but the transmission shifts were just too unbearable for me. I hope some of these issues I've listed can help inform those that are looking to purchase. And once again these are my opinions based on my experience.
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