Exploring the 2023 Ford Bronco Heritage Edition: A Modern Take on a Classic Legend

All right , Mr Mars got a chance to review the new Ford Bronco . We're waiting to hear what you got to say , Mike .

I have to say right up front I got the most comments on this vehicle than any vehicle .

I've ever driven including the Hellcats and stuff . I mean , it's just , people recognize this vehicle . It is so well done with this heritage model . Now , this is the 2023 Ford Bronco . It is the Heritage Edition . This is the two-door model . It is a truck-based SUV . You can get seven different models of the Bronco . This is the sixth generation of it .

It's part of it , but this version they've got two different levels of the heritage and it is a four-pasture vehicle , two-door , just like you remember them , and they've just done it extremely well to make it look the same . But it is obviously much bigger . The one I had came with a race red , so it had the white removable top , had the white grille , the white 17-inch wheels on it and it's just really well done . It had LED headlamps up front that are automatic high beams . The wheels are a 17-inch Oxford white aluminum wheel that's made to look like the old steel wheels . Just really nice looking .

Now , when you get to the inside of this vehicle , again , this is a four-pasture model . They don't even try to make it a five . We had the plaid cloth seats . They're very supportive . The front buckets are heated . The split rear seats that fold are also folded in the plaid cloth . We had the eight-inch center stack in the front and it's always nice to have a little bit bigger , but this one was very good . And the dash on it we had the white dash all the way across . Almost looks like it's plastic . It's not , but that's part of that heritage , look that goes with it . We also had the eight-inch digital screen for the driver to have all the controls and all the information that the driver needs there Locking glove box on it . We had the grab handles . One thing I wanted to note the grab handle coming in off the passenger side , because it is set up . It is a lifted-type vehicle . It's up on the console close to the center stack . It's a reach . It's not up on the pillar where you would think it would be like in a lot of Ford vehicles . So it's . My wife found it a little inconvenient . It worked , but it would have been so much easier and better if it had been up there on the pillar .

Now , up under the hood , we had the 2.3-liter EcoBoost 300 horsepower , 325 pound-feet of torque . It is a V6 option that will get you the 330 horsepower . Main thing about the V6 is the 415 pound-feet of torque . Now I drove this . We were backed by a seven-speed manual transmission . I think it's got more than enough power to go any place . You want A manual transmission . It took first . When I first got in it was dark and I wasn't looking and I went down there and I pushed on the brake and I hit the start button and it wouldn't start . I realized it was a manual so I had to have the clutch , everything in , so it was very unusual to get into one that's new from the factory . So the EPA says you should be looking for 16 in the city , 18 on the highway , with combined about 17 . I happened to get across 301.5 miles , 19.2 miles for the guy in this thing and I was very impressed with that and , like I say , it has more than enough power .

I don't really know why you would want that .

Did you rev it up to like 7,000 RPM ?

before you shifted it . Nah , nah , no point . I mean , this is not what that vehicle is made for , so , but I wish there was some place around where we could do a little rock crawling or something . The other thing we got is a little mud and a little sand . And again , I don't know why you would want a V6 in this vehicle . I think the inline four has got plenty of power .

Now , driving this vehicle out on the road , it's got a little bit of noise . It's got a removable hard top on it , the doors are where you can take them all off , so there's a little more road noise . But it's a little bit heavier and it's bigger , I think , than a lot of its competitors . So it rides surprisingly well with those 17-inch of those big tall tires on it . That part of that is because it's got an independent front suspension which helps with the steering and everything . Now the pricing on it .

Now , this is based . The heritage model that we had is based on a mid-trim level . There is another one that's based on the upper Top of the line model . It will cost you another 20-25 grand , but the base model for a Bronco , according to the press kit , because the Mineroni doesn't have any pricing on this vehicle pre-production type vehicle but from the press kit , 34245 is where you can start on a Bronco .

Now the one-wheel drive , the Heritage model , starts at $44,305 , which really surprised me for what I was driving . The best I can tell the Heritage model is going to start at about $49,000 , trying to figure out what all was on it and what wasn't on it and put it in there . So sub 50 is what I would think . If you want the top of the line model , it's 66.5 , but that's based up there with the Raptor . The only real competitor I thought was applicable was the Jeep Wrangler and I found a Sahara for $45,925 , so about in that same range of $49.50,000 . And I think if you're looking , you really need to go look at this particularly . Like I say , if you like the old school Bronco .

This is definitely something to look at . Well , I'll tell you that Ford loaned me one of those . It was a yellow with the white wheels and white top it was . I loved it and I was very thankful that I got a chance to drive it from Chicago up to Wisconsin and back , and it was great , and I've already reviewed that and I said the same thing it was great .

Now , mine didn't have the manual transmission , it was automatic , but whatever , yeah , I probably wouldn't go for the manual just because if I was rock crawling or something in the sand , you know the manual is a little bit tougher than the automatic . But again , and surprisingly , most of the comments I got were from women . I could hear it . You know wind is down . I'd be going by like left the grocery store .

Oh , I like that , Mike . Oh , look at that .

Bronco oh Mike , oh hi Mike . No , they were saying .

isn't that Bronco Billy ? Hey , this program is available 24-7 on iHeart Radio . Just look for In Wheel Time Car Talk , Maybe also .