Thinking about a new car - Bronco Sport thoughts?

[mdeth1313]

My neighbor has a bronco sport and really likes it. There was a recall and while he had it in the tech noticed his water pump was going. Apparently this is an issue with those cars and if they don't catch it you can end up w/ metal shavings in the engine (I don't remember the entire story about how one thing leads to another). Replacement covered under warranty.

Just something to watch for.

[5oakterrace]

I have to transport the bike every time I ride, daily. I put it in a wrangler, 2 door. No back seat. Take off front wheel. Put it in kiddie corner, standing up. Frame is 60. Fits fine. I do not have to take off seat post. We have a Subaru Forester. Do not have to take front wheel off but have to lay bike on it's side. I prefer the wrangler. No idea about bronco.

[benb]

If you want this class of vehicle the Bronco is the only option if you care about crash safety...

[CAAD]

IF you do go this route I would suggest the the new 2025 refresh. Interior looks a little nicer, bigger screen. The AWD system in the badlands is actually pretty legit and is pretty capable.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by CAAD

The AWD system in the badlands is actually pretty legit and is pretty capable.

I mean I get this if you are going to use it.. but I have had my Forester Wilderness and have yet to take it anywhere a regular Forester couldn't go.. it does really look cool though!

[rice rocket]

Originally Posted by sokyroadie

Don’t know about bike capability, but SIL has one and got stuck in his FLAT driveway with 4” of snow. If you live where it snows I would be very wary.

I'm gonna say user error on that one....

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by fourflys

I mean I get this if you are going to use it.. but I have had my Forester Wilderness and have yet to take it anywhere a regular Forester couldn't go.. it does really look cool though!

I rabbit holed this recently and came to a similar conclusion opting for the touring xt (outback) instead of the wilderness. I added falken wild peak a/t tires designed for such vehicles and a hitch and will maybe add skids if I see the need in the future.

[benb]

I'm pretty sure the Wilderness editions are just for people who want more offroad look and are going to keep it clean and polished.

I can't imagine putting up with that low of a MPG to drive a Subaru that's still slow AND it's going to be even worse on the highway.

I wish my Outback was lowered about 10,000x for every one time I don't have enough ground clearance.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by benb

I'm pretty sure the Wilderness editions are just for people who want more offroad look and are going to keep it clean and polished.

I can't imagine putting up with that low of a MPG to drive a Subaru that's still slow AND it's going to be even worse on the highway.

I wish my Outback was lowered about 10,000x for every one time I don't have enough ground clearance.

can't speak for others, but my FW gets around 26/27mpg in mixed driving and doesn't feel any different driving on the highway than any other similar SUV (we have a Crosstrek Sport as well).. and yes, it's not fast, but who buys an SUV to be fast?!?! If I wanted fast(ish), I would have kept my GTI or bought a Golf R or something that is designed to be fast.. even if you buy an Audi SQ5, you are still giving up what you could have had with an S3, etc.. "fast" SUVs are just weird to me.. I do love the look of the SQ5 though..

also, my FW really needs a bath right now.. but the Wilderness editions are more capable then their non-Wilderness cousins since they have a higher clearance, different gearing, and, depending on model, could have a bit different X-Mode.. now whether any of those upgrades are used or not is another thing..

[benb]

Originally Posted by fourflys

can't speak for others, but my FW gets around 26/27mpg in mixed driving and doesn't feel any different driving on the highway than any other similar SUV (we have a Crosstrek Sport as well).. and yes, it's not fast, but who buys an SUV to be fast?!?! If I wanted fast(ish), I would have kept my GTI or bought a Golf R or something that is designed to be fast.. even if you buy an Audi SQ5, you are still giving up what you could have had with an S3, etc.. "fast" SUVs are just weird to me.. I do love the look of the SQ5 though..

I don't know about the Forester.. My Outback is rated 24/30, the Wilderness is rated 19/26 I believe. I would expect the Wilderness to average less than 19mpg driving where I drive unless I'm on a road trip.. traffic is really bad here. Maybe as bad as 15mpg for tanks of gas mostly off the highway? The worst I have seen on mine is as bad as 18mpg in the winter when there wasn't much highway.

If I did it again I would actually get one of the more powerful engines since the base engine is thirsty anyway, so you might as well have the one that is more fun.

But I'm mostly just talking about the big ground clearance causing the car to get floaty from air getting under it at speeds that are barely "middle lane" highway speeds here. We have a lot of sweeping curves on the highway and if traffic is moving 80mph+ the OB is not exactly great, and raising it another 3/4" would not be to my taste. I experience this constantly, whereas even driving on dirt roads is pretty rare. I do think I've been in some situations where I would have gotten stuck in a lot of the competing vehicles, but that's less than 5 times in 12 years.

[fourflys]

fair enough.. I assume you have the non-turbo Outback, which means you have the same engine as in all 2024 or older Foresters.. I know the turbo OBs have worse MPG.. the Wilderness versions get a bit less mpg as it's geared to give you a little more oomph off the line (or on the trail) as I understand it.. as far as traffic, I do live in the North part of the Bay Area.. I don't see the traffic I did when I was commuting to the city, but it's here.. and I rarely drive over 70-75 mph, so no worries with float for me.. even when I drove up to Oregon on the 5 this past summer, I set my cruise at 70 for a 65 zone and 75 for the 70 zone and just let folks pass me.. again, if I wanted cornering prowess, I wouldn't own a Crosstrek, Forester or OB..

Originally Posted by benb

I don't know about the Forester.. My Outback is rated 24/30, the Wilderness is rated 19/26 I believe. I would expect the Wilderness to average less than 19mpg driving where I drive unless I'm on a road trip.. traffic is really bad here. Maybe as bad as 15mpg for tanks of gas mostly off the highway? The worst I have seen on mine is as bad as 18mpg in the winter when there wasn't much highway.

If I did it again I would actually get one of the more powerful engines since the base engine is thirsty anyway, so you might as well have the one that is more fun.

But I'm mostly just talking about the big ground clearance causing the car to get floaty from air getting under it at speeds that are barely "middle lane" highway speeds here. We have a lot of sweeping curves on the highway and if traffic is moving 80mph+ the OB is not exactly great, and raising it another 3/4" would not be to my taste. I experience this constantly, whereas even driving on dirt roads is pretty rare. I do think I've been in some situations where I would have gotten stuck in a lot of the competing vehicles, but that's less than 5 times in 12 years.

[Likes2ridefar]

The obw is not a slow car. It comes standard with the same turbo the XT models come with. I’ve not timed it but I read it outruns their current WRX 0-60mph.

[benb]

The OBW is supposedly 0-60 in 5.8 seconds so definitely not terrible, but you also have to remember it is in a class and pushes into a price range with EVs that are a very similar body style and are absolute rocket ships.

I am not talking about hustling an Outback through twisty roads. It is actually amazing at that compared to similar vehicles due to the flat engine lowering the CG and the fairly sophisticated suspension.

I am talking about it getting floaty just keeping up at highway speeds. It is not a good feeling at all and it is only a highway thing, and I think it is air getting under the car combined with the big travel suspension. Around here it is the kind of driving you see someone go flying by at a hundred miles an hour in say one of the Audis or a Volvo and they are completely oblivious because their car doesn't do this cause it's got 6-7" of clearance instead of 8-10" and a suspension designed with damping with higher speeds in mind.

If they had still offered the Legacy Wagon back when I bought mine though I would have not even test driven the Outback. 99% of the time I am quite certain I would have been way happier with the lower Legacy Wagon style. I have driven the Legacy a fair amount and it is a car with wonderful dynamics. The Outback retains some of that but there is only so much you can do with so much ground clearance.

I just got new tires (different model) and alignment and I'm taking a road trip this weekend, we'll see how it feels. I have had 3 sets of Continentals OEM or pretty close but this time I got Yokohamas that seem to be more highly regarded.

To keep it on topic I haven't driven a Bronco or a Wrangler on the highway. Somehow I'd be surprised if they are any better at high speeds, at least the jacked up ones. And the Forester and Outback probably are both better at hauling bikes.

[p nut]

I had a 2013 Outback and it was one of my favorite cars. 2.5 N/A. CVT.

It wasn’t fast. Not particularly exciting to drive. But so useful. Drove through snowstorms like a champ. Plenty offroad capable for backcountry Utah roads.

I actually loved the CVT, despite my skepticism initially. Drives well enough on the road. Steep high-elevation climbs, it keeps the engine at peak power band. Plus, on road trips, at 70-75 MPH, I got 33-36mpg. Really, no complaints from me.

I’d love a Forester Wilderness. Dual xmode looks like it works well. Slight lift with bigger AT tires would be awesome.