Greetings all!
I reserved a Bronco within an hour of preorders opening up, and was one of the first in East Tennessee to have one. I’ve owner a Wrangler as well as two FJ Cruisers, so my “car type’ is pretty obvious: I like a beefy off-road vehicle with retro style. I’ve been awaiting the Scout reveal, and placed a reservation for one. That being said, my Bronco is by far my favorite of the vehicles I’ve owned. I’ll wait to see what the production Scout Traveller offers before making a decision, but I’d bet there a lot of us Bronco/Wrangler drivers in the crowd.
I thought I’d start a thread for those of us driving vehicles that Scout hopes to compete with to share thoughts on what could be better, and what we love, since Scout seems to earnestly be seeking feedback. Here are my thoughts:
-First and foremost, underpromise and over deliver! I was so excited about a Bronco with a hard top, preferably white (as shown at the reveal). While I’m sure COVID played a role, ford was unable to deliver either option in a timely manner. I delayed production once in hopes they’d work things out, but ultimately gave up and settled for a soft top. Scout, just don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Better to surprise us with cool options and features than to lead us down a path of disappointment.
-Heated and Ventilated seats. I live in the South, and unfortunately, I sweat just thinking about the sun. I love the Bronco’s heated seats, but ventilated seats would be a gamechanger. I’ve read Ford avoided this due to potential issues with water exposure. Any car -removable top or not- could suffer exposure to water. Ventilated seats extend opportunities to enjoy these vehicles with windows down and (in Scout’s case) top back. Give us the option, even if it comes with a warning about potential water issues!
-Inductive charging: I love wireless CarPlay, and I thought that, with the inductive charger in the Bronco, I’d never have to plug my phone in. Well, the inductive charger in the Bronco rarely works with my iPhone 14. Even when it does work, it seems to just slow battery drain. It never charges my phone up from where it was when placed on the charger. Please make sure your inductive charger actually charges! Having two -one for driver and one for passenger- would be a huge bonus.
-Early adopter swag: this is a positive from Ford. They were great to send random “surprises” in the mail for those of us in line for a Bronco. From posters to calendar to even a Bronco-themed hammock, these items helped with the wait time, and also helped in building brand identity. I also earned a good number of Ford rewards points that I could use for Bronco merchandise for being an early adopter.
-Events to showcase the vehicle: my wife and I were lucky enough to live just an hour away from the Bronco festival in Townsend Tennessee where Ford showcased the Bronco a solid year prior to release. This sealed the deal for me. It also helped to establish the vehicle’s lineage, as we had a great day checking out all the old Broncos at the event.
-Green! Ok, maybe it’s just me, but having no green option year-one was a huge letdown. Don’t be afraid to offer some cool colors. Not just 6 shades of gray.
-Top Engineering. I know the Traveler Cabana top isn’t removable, but it is a fairly unique design. The Bronco soft top has serious issues with leaks and breaks, even if you baby it. Scout, please have a team of engineers TRY and mess up the Cabana top, so that when it gets to market, it’s bullet proof.
-Style: Y’all already nailed this. I think the style is a perfect mix of retro and modern. I just hope this doesn’t get watered down too much (see point above about over delivering) on the production models, especially that gorgeous interior! (Anyone remember the interiors the first Broncos shown had, vs what we actually could order?)
That’s all I can think of for now. Hopefully others I’ll chime in!
Above all, I love what you’ve done with the vehicle so far! Keep it rugged. Keep it retro! I wish you all huge success, and hope to be driving a Scout in 2027.
I reserved a Bronco within an hour of preorders opening up, and was one of the first in East Tennessee to have one. I’ve owner a Wrangler as well as two FJ Cruisers, so my “car type’ is pretty obvious: I like a beefy off-road vehicle with retro style. I’ve been awaiting the Scout reveal, and placed a reservation for one. That being said, my Bronco is by far my favorite of the vehicles I’ve owned. I’ll wait to see what the production Scout Traveller offers before making a decision, but I’d bet there a lot of us Bronco/Wrangler drivers in the crowd.
I thought I’d start a thread for those of us driving vehicles that Scout hopes to compete with to share thoughts on what could be better, and what we love, since Scout seems to earnestly be seeking feedback. Here are my thoughts:
-First and foremost, underpromise and over deliver! I was so excited about a Bronco with a hard top, preferably white (as shown at the reveal). While I’m sure COVID played a role, ford was unable to deliver either option in a timely manner. I delayed production once in hopes they’d work things out, but ultimately gave up and settled for a soft top. Scout, just don’t promise things you can’t deliver. Better to surprise us with cool options and features than to lead us down a path of disappointment.
-Heated and Ventilated seats. I live in the South, and unfortunately, I sweat just thinking about the sun. I love the Bronco’s heated seats, but ventilated seats would be a gamechanger. I’ve read Ford avoided this due to potential issues with water exposure. Any car -removable top or not- could suffer exposure to water. Ventilated seats extend opportunities to enjoy these vehicles with windows down and (in Scout’s case) top back. Give us the option, even if it comes with a warning about potential water issues!
-Inductive charging: I love wireless CarPlay, and I thought that, with the inductive charger in the Bronco, I’d never have to plug my phone in. Well, the inductive charger in the Bronco rarely works with my iPhone 14. Even when it does work, it seems to just slow battery drain. It never charges my phone up from where it was when placed on the charger. Please make sure your inductive charger actually charges! Having two -one for driver and one for passenger- would be a huge bonus.
-Early adopter swag: this is a positive from Ford. They were great to send random “surprises” in the mail for those of us in line for a Bronco. From posters to calendar to even a Bronco-themed hammock, these items helped with the wait time, and also helped in building brand identity. I also earned a good number of Ford rewards points that I could use for Bronco merchandise for being an early adopter.
-Events to showcase the vehicle: my wife and I were lucky enough to live just an hour away from the Bronco festival in Townsend Tennessee where Ford showcased the Bronco a solid year prior to release. This sealed the deal for me. It also helped to establish the vehicle’s lineage, as we had a great day checking out all the old Broncos at the event.
-Green! Ok, maybe it’s just me, but having no green option year-one was a huge letdown. Don’t be afraid to offer some cool colors. Not just 6 shades of gray.
-Top Engineering. I know the Traveler Cabana top isn’t removable, but it is a fairly unique design. The Bronco soft top has serious issues with leaks and breaks, even if you baby it. Scout, please have a team of engineers TRY and mess up the Cabana top, so that when it gets to market, it’s bullet proof.
-Style: Y’all already nailed this. I think the style is a perfect mix of retro and modern. I just hope this doesn’t get watered down too much (see point above about over delivering) on the production models, especially that gorgeous interior! (Anyone remember the interiors the first Broncos shown had, vs what we actually could order?)
That’s all I can think of for now. Hopefully others I’ll chime in!
Above all, I love what you’ve done with the vehicle so far! Keep it rugged. Keep it retro! I wish you all huge success, and hope to be driving a Scout in 2027.
