T-dubz

True, although aesthetically I find a fixed roof to look better too. The Broncos hard top has a bunch of seams and creases all over the place, although the rest of the body DOES look good enough to where I could overlook that if it is quiet enough. I’m also slightly worried about the roof leaking, but that’s something we won’t know about for a couple of years.

Honestly I don’t know. The last Jeep I rode in was pretty loud but that was years ago.

I think the new ranger is supposed to get a hybrid as well so that’s another power train it could have. The fixed roof is the big draw for me though. I have a 45 min highway commute. I’m not sure I could handle the road noise from the bronco. The explorer timberline will probably fill this role and I would consider it if I didn’t already have an explorer. I also think it will be at a higher price point than the Everest would be.

Well I kinda thought of it as the edge or explorer would be the regular version much like the escape, then the Everest would be the off road version like the bronco sport. There’s obviously the bronco, but I consider that a different segment since it has the removable roof. An off road oriented vehicle with a fixed roof and more luxuries is more up my alley. Basically a 4Runner competitor. highlander = explorer 4runner = Everest I know ford won’t do it for the reason you said, but they did come out with the bronco sport when the escape was already in the segment. And a lot of the parts/development is shared with the ranger so maybe it wouldn’t be too expensive to make either.

Those corsairs are nice. I just realized they have the monochromatic packages on it as well now and it looks good in pristine white.

I like two doors as much as the next guy, but I’d rather see the effort be spent on bringing the Everest here instead. I know it will never happen, but that’s my ideal suv.

I actually like the design of Acura’s, especially the new TLX (it needs a larger backseat for its size though). This MDX looks nice too. The only problem is I don’t think the designs age well.

This perfectly sums it up. The f150 is a great vehicle. I have owned several over the years, but they are getting pretty big. I don’t think they will fit in most garages anymore which is a deal breaker for me. They are also getting expensive. XL’s can have an MSRP in the 40’s. the maverick will appeal to those same people that buy compact SUVs like the escape or bronco sport but like the capability of carrying something a bit larger every once in a while. The ridgeline is a cool little truck with some nice features, but it just doesn’t look very good. If Ford can make the maverick look “truck-like” and give it some of the cool features like the ridgeline, I think it could do really well.

You guys up north got it rough. It might snow maybe once every few years here and it’s never more than a few flurries. The downside is I’ve never seen more than around 2 inches of snow, but man is it exciting for the kids when it actually happens.

Never said they were the exact same, I said they had a similar shape, meaning this style has been done before, it’s not something new. Like I’ve always said the sport is more of a continuation of the older escape.

I mean if you can see the similarities I don’t know what to tell you. It’s plain as day to me.

I like the styling, but it’s not revolutionary. It’s basically the same shape as the previous escape. I don’t think best in class 4wd or off road capability will really matter either. Sure it’s a selling point, but in the end this is still going to be a daily driver for the majority of people. Accessories are great but really how many roof racks do you need?. Jeep also has the better colors in my opinion and I’m not a Jeep fan by any means. The sport wins on style. The others win on price. The features are a toss up.

That’s crazy seeing how stock is completely different around the country. The dealers around me are the complete opposite, but of course there’s no need for them here. When the weather rarely gets bad, everyone just stays home.

I’m pretty sure you have to get the optional package to get the leather steering wheel. Seems like a big oversight to me and it was mentioned in several of the reviews I read. I haven’t had a plastic steering wheel since the 90’s and it’s not like I’m driving luxury cars over here.

I completely agree on the styling, I can’t stand FCA or Subaru designs ?.

I think you are down playing how big a factor price is, especially in this segment. Here is a list of the incentives for its current competition: compass - up to $4250 depending on trim cherokee - up to $3750 depending on trim Renegade - up to $3500 depending on trim Crosstrek - no incentives but the top of the line model starts at $27k so it has a substantially lower price. There is a substantial price difference between the going rate for the competition and the msrp of the sport. IMO the emotional purchases will go away with the early adopters and the sport will be just another crossover in a year. It will need to be more competitive on price.

Well at one point the escape was supposed to have higher ATP’s too, but now it has a ton of money on the hood. And why would it lose money? Do you think the sum of its parts cost more than the escape? Is the escape losing money on the low end?

Will the escapes pricing influence what the sport might eventually sell for? In my area, Escape SE’s now have $5500 in incentives. That would make an AWD SE sell for $24,500. Compared to a Big Bend sport at $30k (no incentives) it becomes a compelling option at a substantial discount over the sport.

Doug demuro’s review also said something similar about the 2.0 which kind of surprised me. I wonder if these guys are used to driving so many different types of cars that it gets hard to judge performance relative to the segment? 2.0 has been pretty quick for me, but I coming from a 4 cyl fusion. I guess if your driving super cars all the time it might be hard to appreciate the 2.0.

I’ve heard this mentioned numerous times as well, but an article just came out about how Farleys input on the sport changed its design from something curvy like the escape to what we got now. https://fordauthority.com/2020/12/ford-bronco-sport-lacked-identity-prior-to-ceo-jim-farleys-input/ “According to the story, the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport initially resembled something with a more swept back and curvy profile. Currently, one major Ford product sports a similar appearance: the all-new 2020 Ford Escape. Management wasn’t enamored with those early sketches, and the Bronco Sport program languished until 2017, which is when Farley stepped in to provide some guidance for the team. He offered two words that ended up serving as an inspiration for the designers involved with its creation: “honest” and “robust.” They interpreted those words as a green light to reshape the Ford Bronco Sport into something more upright, boxy, and functional. Basically, a design that more clearly channeled the bigger Bronco’s DNA.”

Yep. I’m excited to see what the next gen ranger tremor will look like now.

https://www.motor1.com/news/458917/2021-ford-f150-tremor-debut/ more pics at the link

What are your impressions of its size? From just reading the dimensions, I’ve always thought it should have been bigger (escape size). I think the extra storage space would have been good. I know there will be plenty of head room, but I’ve never had that be a problem in any vehicle. I took some screen grabs from dougs review and it looked pretty tiny with him in it and next to it. I think he’s 6’3”.

Doesn’t the Mach e get hubcaps? I think the California route 1 has them.

It depends on the audience. I think those that come from a 4x4 background will see them as cool and those that are coming from other crossovers or cars will see them as spares. Either way, options are good, I just wish there were more of them. Ford continues to struggle in the wheel department IMO on most of its vehicles.