Road Trip Thoughts

Paradocks

Badlands
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Doug
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Just returned from a round trip to South Carolina from Pennsylvania in the new BS, and I must say I was impressed. Even though the Badlands is built for rugged off-road adventures it also shines as a capable highway cruiser. I had no issues, averaged a calculated 30.3 MPG, and came to respect the adaptive cruise control, especially on limited access highways with multiple stop lights.

Interstate cruising at 75 MPH was stable, the BS taking curves at speed without any protests. The lane centering worked as anticipated, and the “keep hands on steering wheel” nag was thankfully non-intrusive.

The 2.0 engine had no issues climbing up the Appalachians, especially in the I-77 corridor (those who have travelled through West Virginia/Virginia know what I’m talking about). Mileage really kicked up in the flat low country terrain of South Carolina near the Atlantic coast.

Some negatives would be road and wind noise at high speed (I am basically driving a brick), but cranking up the B&O sound system helped alleviate those issues.

Oh, one final observation. Spring is when all the insects come out. I must have killed hundreds of flying critters either hitting the windshield with a juicy splat, or getting crushed against the front bumper and grill. One poor insect left a gnarly stain on the front grill camera, rendering it nearly unusable until I ran the BS through a car wash. I know…gross.
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Mark S.

Badlands
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Thanks for sharing. Can you please tell us what kind of tires are installed on your Badlands?
 
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Paradocks

Paradocks

Badlands
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Thanks for sharing. Can you please tell us what kind of tires are installed on your Badlands?
The standard Continentals that come with the Badlands trim. I think Cross Contact or something like that.
 

Mark S.

Badlands
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The standard Continentals that come with the Badlands trim. I think Cross Contact or something like that.
Thanks. I just replaced the OE (Falken AT3/W) tires on my Badlands, and I believe the new tires (Toyo AT3) have significantly impacted my fuel economy. I keep a running log of fuel used, and MPGs are quite a bit lower since the tire change. I'm going track mileage for a couple of more months into the summer before I say for sure.
 


Dannyp56

Outer Banks
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I downsized from a 2015 RAM 2500 long bed Cummins 4x4. My last road trip with the RAM was from AZ to WA state to pick up my 74 scout best mileage going up was 16 mpg. Best I've gotten with the BS is 28.
 

Rinzler

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Agree the BS is a great road trip vehicle. I just did a PA to Quebec City via Lake Placid and Montreal in March in my Badlands. Carried 4 people at times. Had a roof clamshell for cargo. Learned the hard way the previous year when one of the guys did a northern trip in an Alfa Stelvio with no cargo add-ons.
Finally doing a trailer cargo package this spring. The roof clamshell has height issues, especially in parking garages which I encountered too often.
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