I would only consider the 4 door version of either one. At first blush the Ford looks much cheaper, but by the time you upgrade the engine and additional comparable options, they are somewhat similar in price.
I will test drive both before I make my choice, but while I was initially leaning toward the Defender, the ability to remove the roof panels and doors of the Bronco has me leaning towards Ford.
Both vehicles are very utilitarian and while I will off-road from time to time, it will primarily be my daily commuter to/from work. The Defender has a much larger towing capacity, but I don’t really tow anything.
Any thoughts, criticisms, or cautions are welcome.
All I really know about them is what I’ve read in car blogs, but are you considering the Bronco or Bronco Sport? Since you mention the removable roof panels, I assume the Bronco. My understanding is that the regular Bronco is meant to be the serious off-roader, a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler. Which is to say it sacrifices comfort for off road capability. Whereas the Bronco Sport is more like the Grand Cherokee, more comfort oriented but still capable of some light off-roading. I don’t really know enough about the Defender to compare it to either of the Bronco models. But I guess you should ask yourself just how much off road capability you need, and how much comfort you are willing to sacrifice in your commuter vehicle in order to get it. (But who am I to talk? I commute in a Miata, not exactly a comfortable car either.) I guess I didn’t really answer you question, since I only really compared the two Bronco models.
And then there is reliability. I’ve heard the same thing as pool, that Land Rover is way down at the bottom of the pack in that regard. I’ve always understood Fords were reasonably reliable. Just for that reason alone I would lean towards the Ford.
I am looking at the Bronco, also. I actually put down my $100 to reserve my place in line. If I may ask, why are you looking at the Bronco, as opposed to a 4WD or AWD SUV like a Santa Fe? If you are rarely going to go off-road, the Bronco seems like a poor choice. Although, as you mention, it is significantly less expensive than the Defender. Even the base Bronco would give you all the off-road you probably need. The reason it gets more expensive is mostly due to additional off-road capability (I am looking at the “Black Diamond” version - which adds bash plates and a wash-down interior). I don’t intend to do any extreme off-roading, but I would like to be able to go places that I currently can’t, mostly for astrophotography. I also want a vehicle that is easy to clean up after carrying the dogs.
It’s a new car, so data is lacking, but Ford makes better vehicles, especially in the larger segment. Even if reliability is identical, you will find more support for the Bronco. Granted, in a couple years it will likely be harder to find your car in a parking lot than a LR.
Not all those people will end up buying one. The deposit is refundable and the it’s a marketing ploy. There will be plenty in late '21 once they start rolling off the factory floor.
It’s claimed that every Land Rover should come with a Toyota RAV4 that you tow around for when the Land Rover breaks down. I’ve known 2 Land Rover owners. Both said they liked the truck when it was new, but that so many electrical issues developed, they’d never own one again. Lots of weird stuff, like the radio wouldn’t work unless the wipers were on.
Well, two years later and I finally received my 4 door '22 Bronco Wildtrak. I’ve had it about 2 weeks and completely satisfied. It drives like a truck, but much better than a Jeep. Very smooth ride in comparison. Already done a few trails (not rock crawling) and it eats up the trails. Very fun.
And I was completely wrong about dealer availability, and I did put down a reservation in early August 2020. There are folks that reserved before me that aren’t expecting to receive their Bronco until 2023 due to supply chain constraints on the model and options they chose.
Dealers that are able to get ahold of dealer stock units are marking these things up above MSRP from $5,000 to $20,000, and they are selling. I had a great dealer that I negotiated a dealer invoice price back in 2020 when I reserved and they stood by their word when it came time for me to take delivery.
First time owning a Ford. Hopefully it will all go well.
Sweet! You will like the Badlands, and especially the modular bumper.
If your state requires a front plate, I would recommend the Sto N Sho front plate braket.
It mounts on the center bolt on the underside of the bumper and it allows you to easily remove the front plate if you’re off roading and worry about it dragging.
Thanks. My milage on the now 8 year old Volvo was 80,000. Dealer offered me $13k as a trade in. I sold it to an acquaintance for his daughter for $16,500. I paid $39k for it in 2014. That’s pretty good that it retained over 40% of it’s value after 8 years.
