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The original was posted on /r/cars by /u/LetOk8529 on 2025-02-28 23:40:58+00:00.
I purchased a leftover 2023 Bronco Badlands 2 door in August. I traded my 20 Mustang GT in for it. Here are my thoughts:
Why?
I factory ordered the Mustang right at the beginning of COVID. Sticker was like 43k or something. We get Ford plan pricing, so I believe OTD was like 38k. I drove it for 4 years and put about 40,000 miles on it. It held its value surprisingly well. I wanted to unlock some of the equity and wanted a change of pace.
The Deal
I got 31,500 for my Mustang. The sticker on the Bronco was 56k. Ford had a $6500 rebate and I put all of the Mustangs equity down (like 25k). I financed the remainder at my credit Union at 2.25%.
What else did I consider?
Originally I was going to order a 2024 basic OBX as it appeared in my budget. I decided I really do not like the look of body colored mirrors / handles / fenders and thought it looked kind of doofy on normal all seasons.
I kind of randomly stumbled on the fact that the leftover 23s had such a strong rebate. This made badlands more in my budget. I found three within an hour of my house that were appropriate configurations. I wanted cactus grey, eruption green, or antimatter blue. All were very similar (non Sasquatch badlands) with the differences being the green had the 2.3 and side steps while the other two has no side steps and the V6.
Why I decided on the one I did:
I decided on a 2023 Badlands Non Sasquatch with the high package in eruption green. It has the 2.3l eco boost and side “hoop steps”. Color and cost were my deciding factors. The green dealer agreed to a reasonable trade over the phone and it was also the only green one I could find (the green looks REALLY nice)
The 2.7 early issues also kind of scared me off. The 2.3 is a much more proven engine and I don’t think I’ll need the extra torque as I’ll never tow and I won’t be rock crawling a nearly 60,000 truck.
The good:
I’ve really enjoyed driving it year round. It’s certainly not as fast as the Mustang, but feels way quicker than I expected especially keeping its weight in mind.
Top removal is certainly easy enough with the only annoying part being the large back piece. Its weight is kind of awkwardly distributed so two people are needed. When not in use, it sits on a cart in my garage. I ran completely topless from Aug-Sep and intend to be fully topless all summer this year. The doors are also removable, but I’m kind of afraid to be that exposed when driving so I’ll probably never take those off.
Gas mileage is better than advertised. I work remotely, so it’s mostly used in city applications here I’m averaging about 19mpg (sticker is 17).
I really love how much ford wants you to do things to make it your own. Modifications are super easy and usually wherever you see a Bronco branded screw, you can remove them and add modifications. I added a light bar that was really easy to wire up with the included aux switches and added some mud flaps (the factory tires really like to throw rocks). You also have to get the luxury package to get a built in garage door opener. With how often I intend to park topless with the windows open, I ordered the visor separately and installed it myself in about 20 mins. It also seems kind of pointless to get the off-road trim but then lose the wash out floors and waterproof seats by getting the luxury package.
It really does make you feel like nothing else on the road. Compared to the Mustang, I feel like I’m sitting on the shoulders of a giant.
Living in the Midwest, it’s also nice having a car I can drive year round. We had a really bad snow storm a few months ago. I went out onto unplowed side streets and never lost confidence. I’ve only taken it off road very lightly, but want to try some heavier off road tests once everything thaws.
It’s really nice to look at too. It has received way more compliments than the Mustang. The green paint looks so good in the sun and I really don’t think anyone does retro futurism quite like Ford.
The tool kit they provide to remove the roof and doors appears to be high quality.
The bad:
Build quality isn’t great. Lots of cheap plastic (I guess a benefit is you can hose it down). Panels gaps aren’t very consistent and there are some panel fitment issues.
Under warranty, I’m currently on my second hard top and have a shock recall pending. It was also in for the passenger window not sealing properly.
Road noise is bad. We took it on a short 3 hour road trip and the wind noise was kind of exhausting.
I didn’t get the luxury package because the adaptive cruise is useless in the Bronco as it will not take you down to a stop and restart like some other ford cars. Kind of inexcusable this is one of the few models that can’t do that.
It wasn’t clear that you lose the rock rails by getting the “removable hoop steps”. I may take these off and fit some factory rock rails takeoffs.
The upgraded stereo is garbage. I know you’re acoustically limited in this car, but it’s laughably bad.
I kind of wish I found one with the ford performance bumper. This is the “capable bumper”. It’s full steel, but you can’t really mount anything to it.
Conclusion:
I certainly won’t keep it forever, but it’s really a lot of fun. I enjoy driving it in both hot and cold weather. Sometimes I miss the V8 rumble, but you really feel like the king of the road in this thing.
So far my entire life I’ve done Mustang to SUV and then back usually keeping each one 4 years or so. Realistically, I’ll probably be in the market for a V8 Mustang in 2028 (if they’re still making them)
One of the reviews I watched really summed it up perfectly. “It’s like a child. It definitely has its flaws and makes mistakes, but at the end of the day you irrationally love it”.
It has glaring issues, but I can’t help but smile every time I drive it.