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We are thinking of moving to a location in which off road capabilities in our primary vehicle would be highly desirable, so after doing my research I started looking for a BS Badlands. I located one in dealer stock with a premium package and traded my 2017 explorer limited fwd with 2.0 liter. Here are my initial thoughts after about a week with the badlands.
I purchased the explorer for the interior space and passenger comfort for road trips. It had a 3 row bucket, bucket bench 6 passenger configuration. As empty nesters, We used the third row once in 5 years and the second row was primarily used for the dogs. I was able to transport 8’ lumber with the rear hatch closed and haul lots of stuff from the garden center whenever my wife would get in the landscaping improvement mode(fairly frequently) I had some concerns with downsizing bit here are my initial thoughts.
The rear cargo volume in the BS with the rear seats up seems to have a similar amount of space as the explorer, with the rear sets folded the space difference is noticeable. The cargo organizer in the BS allows me to contain packages very well so stuff doesn’t slide around, similar to having the third row folded in the explorer making a grocery bag pocket. The floor mat package for the BS is awesome, making an easily cleaned space for garden center runs while the explorer carpeted space was always getting dirty. The rubber mats in the 2nd row are great to collect dog fur which used to get tangled in the explorer’s carpet. IMO both inexpensive options are highly desirable
I am able to haul small amounts of 8’ lumber in the BS with the hatch window open and secured with a bungee cord.
I occasionally have to shuttle my boat from our house to the mechanic and will have to see how the BS will do for a short journey at a couple of hundred pounds over specified capacity.
From an on road driving experience my initial thoughts are as follows: the BS driving position is more comfortable and visibility is much better than the explorer. Since both vehicles have the 2.0 turbo but the BS is lighter it seems that the bronco is quicker but since it’s only got a couple of hundred miles on the clock I haven’t used sport mode and pushed the drivetrain yet. Even with the shorter wheelbase the cornering and body roll characteristics are very similar in feel.
I can’t wait to have the opportunity to use the goat modes but can’t report on that yet.
as far as amenities are concerned, I really miss the cooled seats in the explorer as we live in the southeast and it’s really hot outside right now. Not a showstopper but I did miss the automatic wipers when driving in the rain today. The bronco does not have factory nav and I was concerned about having a functioning navigation system in areas without cell service which is probable when needing goat mode. However, I installed the app Sygic which stores maps on my iPhone and works through CarPlay, so hopefully that resolves that issue. The B&O audio in the bronco is better than the explorer but like the explorer doesn’t have enough amplifier power to play streamed lossless audio at the volume I sometimes want to listen at. With SiriusXM source there’s plenty of decibels but the lower source levels while streaming having me reaching maximum volume setting at times.
as a summary, I am very happy with the acquisition of the bronco and it is better suited for what we envision or needs in a primary vehicle will be for the future. It looks great is very comfortable for two people with a solid but not overbearing ride on paved roads.
off-road capability and thoughts to follow in the near future
I purchased the explorer for the interior space and passenger comfort for road trips. It had a 3 row bucket, bucket bench 6 passenger configuration. As empty nesters, We used the third row once in 5 years and the second row was primarily used for the dogs. I was able to transport 8’ lumber with the rear hatch closed and haul lots of stuff from the garden center whenever my wife would get in the landscaping improvement mode(fairly frequently) I had some concerns with downsizing bit here are my initial thoughts.
The rear cargo volume in the BS with the rear seats up seems to have a similar amount of space as the explorer, with the rear sets folded the space difference is noticeable. The cargo organizer in the BS allows me to contain packages very well so stuff doesn’t slide around, similar to having the third row folded in the explorer making a grocery bag pocket. The floor mat package for the BS is awesome, making an easily cleaned space for garden center runs while the explorer carpeted space was always getting dirty. The rubber mats in the 2nd row are great to collect dog fur which used to get tangled in the explorer’s carpet. IMO both inexpensive options are highly desirable
I am able to haul small amounts of 8’ lumber in the BS with the hatch window open and secured with a bungee cord.
I occasionally have to shuttle my boat from our house to the mechanic and will have to see how the BS will do for a short journey at a couple of hundred pounds over specified capacity.
From an on road driving experience my initial thoughts are as follows: the BS driving position is more comfortable and visibility is much better than the explorer. Since both vehicles have the 2.0 turbo but the BS is lighter it seems that the bronco is quicker but since it’s only got a couple of hundred miles on the clock I haven’t used sport mode and pushed the drivetrain yet. Even with the shorter wheelbase the cornering and body roll characteristics are very similar in feel.
I can’t wait to have the opportunity to use the goat modes but can’t report on that yet.
as far as amenities are concerned, I really miss the cooled seats in the explorer as we live in the southeast and it’s really hot outside right now. Not a showstopper but I did miss the automatic wipers when driving in the rain today. The bronco does not have factory nav and I was concerned about having a functioning navigation system in areas without cell service which is probable when needing goat mode. However, I installed the app Sygic which stores maps on my iPhone and works through CarPlay, so hopefully that resolves that issue. The B&O audio in the bronco is better than the explorer but like the explorer doesn’t have enough amplifier power to play streamed lossless audio at the volume I sometimes want to listen at. With SiriusXM source there’s plenty of decibels but the lower source levels while streaming having me reaching maximum volume setting at times.
as a summary, I am very happy with the acquisition of the bronco and it is better suited for what we envision or needs in a primary vehicle will be for the future. It looks great is very comfortable for two people with a solid but not overbearing ride on paved roads.
off-road capability and thoughts to follow in the near future
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