LC250 vs. Ford Bronco off-road

Blue Bear · Wednesday at 8:03 PM

I'll preface this comment by saying that I think the Bronco is a great machine and probably slightly more capable off-road. Having said that, I came upon a slow moving Bronco on a 2/10 trail today (think potholes, rocks, and lots of washboard) and ended up passing the Bronco. I'd like to say the Bronco showed some etiquette by pulling to the left and letting me pass, but the driver was not that gracious. Instead, I had to zip by the wide stance Bronco (man, those things would be tough on a narrow trail!) and never saw him again in my rear-view mirror. Just one more reason to love the LC - it's a lot smoother off-road than the Bronco.

RideWithYanu · Wednesday at 8:12 PM

I’ve yet to even encounter one on the trails. They’re all over the city I live in though!

Defender-LC · Wednesday at 8:59 PM

I sat in one at a dealer today while I had a different vehicle in service. 97k msrp and it was a sea of plastic with vinyl seats. I’m good.

APIOQM · Thursday at 9:31 AM

The 250 probably does a better job of smoothing out the trail, but the Bronco with a front locker and higher clearance will be better for the real technical stuff.

DubDub · Thursday at 9:59 AM

My brother and I, even in our 40's, still have a fair amount of sibling rivalry. He had a BRaptor that he recently traded for a Badlands. They are definitely chunky feeling, especially with those ridiculous flares and 37s his first one had. I got to spend a good amount of time goofing off with his new BL earlier this year. There are some Ford-tisms for sure, but overall a very nice truck. Of course, I like my truck better.

That being said, I don't believe, for even half a second, that my LC is even nearly as capable as his off-road. I could be wrong, but he and I were comparing numbers and the Bronco BL came in smaller in almost every single category, even weight, except (maybe) height and (definitely) ground clearance where the Bronco wins on those 35s. His cladding is stronger, his articulation is impressive. Not sure of wheelbase, but I feel like his might be longer. I know mine is more torquey. He also got into his for $10k less than I got my LC.

The Braptor? Those prices are way up there, and he traded his $90k MSRP for over $100K. They are definitely bigger in every single way. BUT, I definitely don't think I would excel in any category compared to that.

RideWithYanu · Thursday at 10:51 AM

The Bronco Raptors are rotting away on dealer lots, likely due to the price. Very few people in the USA want to pay $100k for an off-road-focused SUV (which is why very few people wanted a $100k Land Cruiser before they switched to the Prado variant for the USA).

It’s the problem with edge-case enthusiasts (like some of us on this forum, author included): we always think everyone else wants the same things as us, but the manufacturers understandably choose to target the desires of the masses.

southernLC · Thursday at 11:15 AM

I own a Bronco and a LC. Off road, there is no comparison, the Bronco is better. That being said, the two are not competitors. I would rather have the LC on a road trip and the Bronco off road, especially if things get challenging.

katekebo · Thursday at 11:19 AM

I will just repeat the ad that Toyota used to run in South Africa ...
Land Rover used to put billboards saying "A Land Rover will take you anywhere", so Toyota put their own billboards next to Land Rover's saying "A Land Cruiser will take you there ... and bring you back home".
I had a close look at the Bronco under the hood. I would NEVER go off-road in one alone. This is thing is so flimsy mechanically that it begs to fail at the most inconvenient time. I have see condoms thicker than the coolant hoses in the Bronco.

どこへでも行き、生きて帰ってこられる

Blue Bear · Thursday at 11:36 AM

APIOQM said:
The 250 probably does a better job of smoothing out the trail, but the Bronco with a front locker and higher clearance will be better for the real technical stuff.

Exactly my thoughts. And, the LC is so much better on the road for both daily driving and road tripping.

Blue Bear · Thursday at 11:38 AM

southernLC said:
I own a Bronco and a LC. Off road, there is no comparison, the Bronco is better. That being said, the two are not competitors. I would rather have the LC on a road trip and the Bronco off road, especially if things get challenging.

I'm a fan of the Bronco, too - just not what I wanted or needed.

ct1958 · Thursday at 11:51 AM

If I had the funds, I would pick a 2 door Bronco with a stick just to enjoy going topless in the fall.

fftfk · Thursday at 12:13 PM

southernLC said:
I own a Bronco and a LC. Off road, there is no comparison, the Bronco is better. That being said, the two are not competitors. I would rather have the LC on a road trip and the Bronco off road, especially if things get challenging.

As a formed owner of a bronco and current owner of a Land Cruiser…I agree. I know they get compared but I do t really think it is a fair comparison. The bronco should be compared to Jeeps.

LcAz · Thursday at 12:43 PM

Bronco is a Wrangler direct competitor. Land Rover is really the only LC direct competitor. Any one who DD's a Bronco or Wrangler either has a short commute or buys a prius as a DD. You know it is bad if you are willing to DD drive a Prius. As far as offroading, the LC can hold its own with the Wrangler and Bronco (we are talking stock, any vehicle can be made to dominate offroad ala morvaire). Where the Bronco and Wrangler will have the advantage is in technical rock crawling, which is just a small sliver of offroading, but weight and clearance are king. And the LC lags in both.

TakaraLC · Thursday at 1:19 PM

LcAz said:
Bronco is a Wrangler direct competitor. Land Rover is really the only LC direct competitor. Any one who DD's a Bronco or Wrangler either has a short commute or buys a prius as a DD. You know it is bad if you are willing to DD drive a Prius. As far as offroading, the LC can hold its own with the Wrangler and Bronco (we are talking stock, any vehicle can be made to dominate offroad ala morvaire). Where the Bronco and Wrangler will have the advantage is in technical rock crawling, which is just a small sliver of offroading, but weight and clearance are king. And the LC lags in both.

And LC is arguably the best vehicle at its class. While neither Bronco or Wrangler are, G-wagon is.

zxrider11 · Thursday at 2:13 PM

RideWithYanu · Thursday at 2:17 PM

zxrider11 said:

None of these guys should be allowed to drive a vehicle off road, let alone judge capabilities

LCOceans · Thursday at 9:43 PM

What about an LC with basic modifications - 2" lift and 35's? Would this be a different story in terms of off-road capabilities between the LC and Bronco? Or Bronco still the winner?

RideWithYanu · Thursday at 10:32 PM

LCOceans said:
What about an LC with basic modifications - 2" lift and 35's? Would this be a different story in terms of off-road capabilities between the LC and Bronco? Or Bronco still the winner?

Front locker still stands out - but I’m taking the Land Cruiser all day anyway.

teghogh · Thursday at 11:42 PM

Boy have I underestimated the delusion level of our fellow Prada Landcruiser owners. There is absolutely no comparison between lc250 and Bronco raptor offroad and Onroad. Sure Landcruiser will hold its own the same way a propeller plane holds its own against a f35. I mean come on guys please make this stop. This is getting embarrassing . The Bronco raptor can be had for mid 70s after discounts.
I’ve had both the badlands and the Bronco raptor and the only place they fall short of lc250 is cabin noise due to the stupid removable top that never gets removed . Other than that they the bronco raptor rides far better than lc, much more stout power train and let’s not even get started on offroad spec

Engine: 3.0L EcoBoost V6 with 418 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque.
Suspension: High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) 4.0 with FOX Live Valve 3.1 Internal Bypass Semi-Active Dampers. This system is designed for high-speed desert running and provides significant wheel travel (13 inches in the front).
Tires: Standard 37-inch BFGoodrich All-Terrain K02 tires on beadlock-capable wheels.
Drivetrain: Advanced 4x4 system with a two-speed transfer case and a 3.06 4x4 LO ratio for an impressive 67.7:1 crawl ratio. It also features electronic-locking front and rear axles.
Off-road Angles:
- Approach Angle: 47.2°
- Breakover Angle: 30.8°
- Departure Angle: 40.5°
Ground Clearance: 13.1 inches.
Other Features: Heavy-duty modular front bumper, steel bash plates, and various G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes, including Baja and Rock Crawl.