Hi fellas, new member here with my first post. And glad to be here. I am in a quandry on whether to order the new Ford Bronco, or buy a new Defender 90. I like the 2 door shorter boxy body style of both. I was hoping to get your advise. I am sure you know the Bronco has about a one year wait. That vs ordering the Defender 90, which it seems would be delivered in about 10 weeks. I know there positives and negatives to each vehicle. Thats why I am here. To learn all I can about Defenders before making a decision. Its a great website. Just by doing some initial browsing. Anyway I want to thank you for taking the time and give me your thoughts. Greatings from the Jersey shore.

 

The simple answer is this. The only thing they have in common is their off-road capabilities. Both do well in that category. Aside from that they are two different machines and are not an apples to apples comparison. If you want a more refined, comfortable cabin, get the Defender. If you want a more utilitarian, rugged feel get the Bronco. The Defender will probably be riddled with problems (sorry but true). The Bronco will have less electronics to break. The Defender will be more comfortable on road trips. The Bronco will feel more manly. The Bronco looks awesome (just my opinion). The Defender looks good. To each his own and good luck!

Also, I think the Bronco has a lousy towing capacity v. The Defender but somebody can fact check that.

 

any reason you are leaving out the Jeep Wrangler - they have a diesel engine available - that is the way I am going - keeping my minter D1 - LR died after 2016

 

Thank you for yourthoughts. Could I ask you to elaborate a bit more on "problems" associated with the 90. I am just trying to learn. And thanks again.

 

Disco. Thank you also. The reason I am leaving out the jeep is I have had a few of them. Jeeps have their share of problems to. The diesel is a plus, but the ride quality and that often hear of "death wobble" in the front end. For a bit I considered the Gladiator Mojave. But I am narrowed down to the Defender 90 and Bronco. Oh, I still have a soft spot for ******/Jepp. My 1952 M38, a total nut and bolt restoration. I bought it as you see it.

 

Just read the 2021/2022 Defender threads here. Riddled with problems. New ones everyday. For a $75k+ vehicle, that’s just unacceptable. Cool Jeep by the way. That's the only Jeep I would own.

Here’s a new one:

https://landroverforums.com/forum/ne...-110-a-108420/

For what it's worth, I've been a LR enthusiast for 20 years. I had high hopes for the new Defender. A little hesitant at first due to the design but it grew on me. After the last few years and all the problems, dealer hate stories, I can't justify buying one.

 

yes please read the Defender 2020 thread - you would be tossing $60-$100K down the toilet if you buy one - of course meaning if you can get one or when you might get one

 

I also looked at the new Ford Bronco and I paid $150 to get on the preorder list! But, they never contacted me, kept my $150 and when I called them there were so many recalls and production issues the only way I was getting one was if I waited until the end of 2022 (due to roof and large tire / wheel issues. I drove the Bronco Badlands with larger wheels which they have only available to rent at the dealer and it was not good. Rattling in the back area, many blindspots and otherwise noisy. Very disappointed after waiting so long to drive one.

I then drove the new Defender 90 (same day as the Bronco) and was hooked. No difference in the ride whatsoever. While I believe the Bronco may be a better offroad vehicle, I believe the Defender 90 is capable but who would take a $75K vehicle off road anyway! Perhaps on dirt or gravel, but not over boulders!

I purchased the 2022 Defender 90, X-Dynamic SE trim, all black, 22" wheels, and absolutely love it. Best vehicle I've ever driven with the air ride, quiet, great sound system, not too much gadgets; just about the classiest vehicle I've ever been in.

To me, no comparison, but to each their own, right?

Cheers!

Stuart

 

I had a 2020 Defender 110 and sold it when our new Bronco came in and we picked it up on Saturday. We ordered the Bronco first night. Paid list price for it. Carvana is selling lesser equipped ones for $25K more than we paid for ours so it seemed like a smart money move. We also lost only $1000 on the Defender we put 9000 miles on.

I agree with most all of the comments here from others.

Our 110 had all the off road goodies on it. Great off road vehicle for us. Steel wheels, fully automatic 4WD, towing package, locking diffs, etc.

The defender feels bigger and cushier than the Bronco. It is a great highway car. It has comfortable seats. It is wider up front. The windshield is bigger. It has lots of storage cubbies up front. The rear seat has more legroom. The automatic is fairly slushy. We liked it. It did have a few issues although nothing like some of the other people here. The A-pillar problem (solved myself with a single pop rivet). The windshield cracking for no reason. Occasional electrical oddities. Everything had to be pressed twice or more to work, from the locking to the unlocking to even shifting from forward to reverse or vice-versa. They are definitely some quirky vehicles. Compared to my Rolls-Royce, however, they are like a Japanese car!

The Bronco rides harder (no air suspension), is louder, cruder, quicker to accelerate, has a 10 spd auto, the hardtop comes off in sections, and can be worked on by any Ford dealer. It was also $15K less than the Rover and will have great resale value for another year or so. The stereo isn’t as good. The doors feel light and flimsy. It doesn’t rattle. The 4wd system is not as sophisticated as the LR. It seems to be more nimble and have a tighter steering radius.

Those are my thoughts. I realize you are talking 2-door vs 4. You may consider a wrangler as they are cheaper still and more widely available. Defenders and Broncos are both really hard to find.

 

Prepare to have a good relationship with your stealership with either one. That will be the extra price paid to be the guy with the latest model. Fwiw, Ford might work out its bugs eventually, LR's can have bugs that never go away. But that theory can go either way. The complexity of the issues these new space shuttles on wheels have, are sometimes more than the under-trained techs in stealerships can handle. At least not in the time they are allowed to spend on any one vehicle. They only have a few specialists at most in each shop. So they shoot parts cannons at your truck, one part at a time, and let you figure out if it's fixed or not. Then you come back in, every time the parts cannon misses the mark. Some fun. Not worth the premium price for a new model with bugs to me.