Was planning to buy a Bronco, now thinking a Ranger instead???

[ecoope]

Hi all,

I have decided to buy a second vehicle, something more for me than the family. I want something that I can go off-road with. I’m not going to be doing any extreme off-roading, I just want to be able to take off into the woods, explore logging roads, etc. I really like the look of the Bronco and love the modular approach to the vehicles and how customizable they are. But I had real trouble finding the vehicle I wanted, at the price I wanted. So I have become frustrated and have given up on a Bronco and need to move to plan B...

I really wanted a Bronco with the 2.7L engine and suitable 4 x 4 stuff (locker diff, skid plates, etc.). Plus I liked that the Bronco is built on a real frame. It occurred to me that the Ranger is on the same frame and available with the same engine. I could get a Ranger with the FX4 Off-Road Package and save 10K over the price of a similar Bronco. It seems to me, on paper at least, the Ranger should be equally capable for the kind of off road driving I would be interested in, plus it would do other truck stuff and pack more junk than the 2-door Bronco I wanted. Am I right? Or maybe I would be better looking at the Bronco Sport, which is a much different vehicle?

I am really uncertain and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks

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[ColeTrainsRR]

i traded my Bronco Badlands for a Ranger Raptor. No regrets at all. i used the lockers all of 2 times and took it to the offroad park once. Otherwise everything it was used for is on hunting trails during deer season. A truck bed is far more useable for myself.

 

[ecoope]

i traded my Bronco Badlands for a Ranger Raptor. No regrets at all. i used the lockers all of 2 times and took it to the offroad park once. Otherwise everything it was used for is on hunting trails during deer season. A truck bed is far more useable for myself.

Thanks. The Raptor seems like quite the beast. Outside of my price range though. The Ranger XLT with off-road package is what I was considering.

 

[Yonder_MN]

I've driven both and ended up with a maxed-out Lariat with the 2.7 and the FX4 package. Happy with the whole thing! Good hunting!

- Joe

 

[Sauce]

I was shocked at how much more an equivalent Bronco cost as well. The Ranger Raptor seems like a steal compared to a BRaptor and the price difference continues down the range. I don’t get it with the Bronco.

 

[SuperDave150]

Hi all,

I have decided to buy a second vehicle, something more for me than the family. I want something that I can go off-road with. I’m not going to be doing any extreme off-roading, I just want to be able to take off into the woods, explore logging roads, etc. I really like the look of the Bronco and love the modular approach to the vehicles and how customizable they are. But I had real trouble finding the vehicle I wanted, at the price I wanted. So I have become frustrated and have given up on a Bronco and need to move to plan B...

I really wanted a Bronco with the 2.7L engine and suitable 4 x 4 stuff (locker diff, skid plates, etc.). Plus I liked that the Bronco is built on a real frame. It occurred to me that the Ranger is on the same frame and available with the same engine. I could get a Ranger with the FX4 Off-Road Package and save 10K over the price of a similar Bronco. It seems to me, on paper at least, the Ranger should be equally capable for the kind of off road driving I would be interested in, plus it would do other truck stuff and pack more junk than the 2-door Bronco I wanted. Am I right? Or maybe I would be better looking at the Bronco Sport, which is a much different vehicle?

I am really uncertain and would really appreciate any advice.

Thanks

@ecoope I have had a Bronco (4 door, 2.7 v6, lockers) for a couple of years now. The fact is that I’m ready to trade it for a Ranger. Living with a Bronco is like living with a cartoon car - everything is exaggerated to the point of being a nuisance as a daily driver. The Ranger is way more refined, quieter, gets better fuel economy. Plus I miss having the practicality of a pickup.

 

[ColeTrainsRR]

@ecoope I have had a Bronco (4 door, 2.7 v6, lockers) for a couple of years now. The fact is that I’m ready to trade it for a Ranger. Living with a Bronco is like living with a cartoon car - everything is exaggerated to the point of being a nuisance as a daily driver. The Ranger is way more refined, quieter, gets better fuel economy. Plus I miss having the practicality of a pickup.

right on the money

 

[Bushmechanic]

I did take a Bronco for a test drive. To me, it felt and sounded like driving a porta-john. That's the image that kept popping into my head throughout the interestingly lengthy and varied drive.

If it was a proper wagon, I'd probably be driving one. It's more appropriate for local conditions.

 

[Bushmechanic]

Just about everything about it is preferable, to me, off-pavement. I just couldn't tolerate that hard top.

I'd never remove it, so it's all that racket and complication for nothing.

 

[SubNuke]

I traded a Bronco Wildtrak that I had customized quite a bit for a Ranger Raptor. I still miss the Bronco but only because it was so unique I think. The Ranger offers a lot of creature comforts and a smoother ride, albeit lower, than the Bronco. And I offroaded my Bronco a couple times a year at most. But I had upgraded it as if I was gonna use it twice a month. Attached is a pic of my Wildtrak that I traded for the Ranger Raptor.

 

[FreezingFlatlander]

I agonized between the Bronco and Ranger but after talking to people that had the Bronco I realized that for my needs the Ranger was a better choice. Everybody I talked to loved their Broncos though which says a lot for the Bronco. It comes down to what's best for you. For me, I have some mud & snow to contend with but either would be fine with that. I use a vehicle more for longer distance trips but heard the Bronco had quite a bit of wind noise and was getting 17 mpg. I would never remove the roof. In the end I went with the Ranger 2.3 and have been happy with it but have to admit that the looks of the Bronco are appealing.

 

[Aardvark]

I was similarly unsure and test-drove two different Broncos as well as the Rangers back-to-back. For me it was less about off-road and admittedly the first thing was looks & how great the Bronco looks especially with the Sasquatch. But driving that Bronco and then the Ranger back-to-back convinced me in about 2 minutes that I had no business buying the Bronco. Ignoring off-roading, the big advantages of the Ranger, to me, were (i) having a truck bed, (ii) the smooth on-road driving experience of the Ranger vs. the Bronco, and that's before we even get to the serious wind noise issues at highway speed on the Bronco. Yeah it looks great, but no regrets whatsoever.

You mentioned the Bronco Sport, personally that has zero appeal to me in any way.

 

[Bushmechanic]

I was similarly unsure and test-drove two different Broncos as well as the Rangers back-to-back. For me it was less about off-road and admittedly the first thing was looks & how great the Bronco looks especially with the Sasquatch. But driving that Bronco and then the Ranger back-to-back convinced me in about 2 minutes that I had no business buying the Bronco. Ignoring off-roading, the big advantages of the Ranger, to me, were (i) having a truck bed, (ii) the smooth on-road driving experience of the Ranger vs. the Bronco, and that's before we even get to the serious wind noise issues at highway speed on the Bronco. Yeah it looks great, but no regrets whatsoever.

You mentioned the Bronco Sport, personally that has zero appeal to me in any way.

I don't know what it is about those Sports, but they're selling like hotcakes, around here.

People must really be enjoying them.

 

[White willy]

Get both lol

 

[RonM_TX]

I don't know what it is about those Sports, but they're selling like hotcakes, around here.

People must really be enjoying them.

The price is what is selling them. Basically they are a boxy Ford Escape , much better looking than the Escape also. Dealerships are offering big discounts on them which is driving sales. Some are discounted into the high $20K range. That puts them in direct competition with the Escape.

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