The Highs and Lows
The Bronco’s biggest strength is its packaging. It’s a solid SUV that’s rugged and purpose-built. It doesn’t masquerade as something it’s not. It looks the part, it’s spacious and relatively comfortable inside—or at least as comfortable as an off-roader of this type can be. Its trunk is big enough to pack whatever gear you may need, whether you’re into rock-climbing, scuba diving, or just putting away a humongous stroller or week’s worth of groceries.
As I mentioned above, the cabin is a loud place. And yes, I understand that this is an off-road vehicle and it’s going to be louder than the average SUV. But I rode in the backseat of my friend’s new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon while I had the Bronco, and I found it to be much quieter than the Ford even when equipped with larger, mud-terrain tires. The location of the Bronco’s window switches, too, is bothersome. They’re built into the armrest stack, and they’re just cumbersome to operate with your right hand. I know there’s a reason for keeping them off the doors (because the doors are removable), but they could’ve been repositioned to a more ergonomic spot like the center console or even on the doors themselves. After all, if you remove the doors, you won’t need the freakin’ switches.
Ford Bronco Features, Options, and Competition
As a four-door Black Diamond model, the test car sat right smack in the middle of the Bronco spectrum in terms of equipment and price. It featured a rear locking differential, front and rear metal bumpers, rock rails, heavy-duty skid plates, and seven different selectable driving modes as standard. Inside, it was equipped with vinyl trim and cloth seats, an eight-inch touchscreen running SYNC4 with basic media functions, and HVAC as standard. Optional equipment included a molded hardtop ($695), cargo area rubber mat ($120), towing package ($595), keyless entry keypad ($110), and roof rails with crossbars ($365).