{"id":28046,"date":"2021-10-02T13:45:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:45:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=28046"},"modified":"2021-10-02T13:45:24","modified_gmt":"2021-10-02T17:45:24","slug":"payne-bronco-and-wrangler-lock-horns-at-detroit-4fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/10\/payne-bronco-and-wrangler-lock-horns-at-detroit-4fest","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Bronco and Wrangler lock horns at Detroit 4Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holly<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 When the going gets tough, the tough get going.<\/p>\n

Rain put a damper on the first Motor Bella auto show at M1 Concourse Sept. 21-26. But 30 miles north at Holly Oaks ORV Park\u2019s third annual Detroit 4Fest, the water just added spice to the off-road recipe. Holly Oaks is\u00a0home to an epic\u00a0off-road playground of dirt, sand, hills, bogs\u00a0and trails spread out over 192 acres and 200 feet of elevation change.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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It’s a grown-ups sandbox that attracted 1,200 off-road lovers for a weekend of fun \u2014 including this big, 6\u20195\u201d kid. It also brought Jeep Wranglers and Ford Broncos face-to-face in the most anticipated rivalry since a Camaro and Mustang first squared off at a Woodward stoplight.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d said King of the Hammers founder Dave Cole as I handed him the keys to my four-door 2022 Ford Bronco tester.<\/p>\n

Cole is no stranger to off-road playgrounds. He\u2019s won the Baja 1000, Pikes Peak\u00a0and countless other off-road races in extreme, Ultra4 off-road beasts. His California-based King of the Hammers is one of the country\u2019s premier off-road racing series. This was his first taste of Holly Oaks (it just opened last fall), and it\u00a0didn\u2019t take him long to find the biggest challenges.<\/p>\n

Darlene\u2019s Ridge rises 125\u00a0feet above the sandy floor of Holly Oaks. Getting\u00a0to the top requires traversing a narrow\u00a030-degree gully that gets steeper as you climb. After days of rain, the trail was slipperier\u00a0than an oily rope.<\/p>\n

\"Dave<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe can get to the top of that,\u201d Cole confidently declared after watching a 4×4 surrender after a failed assault that ended two-thirds of the way up.<\/p>\n

Our Bronco is built for this kind of insane terrain.<\/p>\n

Dressed in striking Area 51 Blue, the new Ford got a lot of looks in my neighborhood before I headed out to Holly. My neighbor Heather covets it for her next vehicle and liked its smooth ride, all-digital display, wireless smartphone connectivity and roomy interior (the Bronco has about two more inches of shoulder\/legroom in front and seven more cubic feet for cargo than arch-rival Wrangler).<\/p>\n

But the ute\u2019s enormous, meaty\u00a035-inch tires on bead-lockable 17-inch wheels are there for a reason. Part of the $4,495 Sasquatch package (available on every Bronco model), they complemented our armored Black Diamond trim (rock rails, washable interior, seven drive modes, steel bumpers, skid plates) to make the truck-based SUV a dirt-eating monster: electromechanical transfer case, locking front\/rear axles, bulging plastic fenders, higher ground clearance, and brawny Bilstein shocks. Oh\u00a0joy!<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Cole dialed the GOAT (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) mode selector to Mud\/Ruts, then selected 4-wheel-drive Low.<\/p>\n

WAAUUUGH!<\/em>\u00a0We charged up the incline … only to fall back at the summit, all four wheels churning helplessly. We reversed back down. Tried again. Failed. Cole toggled 4-HIGH for the next assault.<\/p>\n

WAAUUUGH!\u00a0<\/em>Short again. Off-roading is a social sport. A crowd was gathering at the summit to watch what the new Bronco kid on the block could do. \u201cTry it in manual mode, both lockers on!\u201d advised a bystander (now that’s a guy who knows his Broncos!).<\/p>\n

We watched two side-by-sides and a Toyota truck fail. Our turn again.<\/p>\n

WAAAUUUGH!<\/em>\u00a0We made it, the front wheels leaving the ground as we cleared the top. A roar went up from the crowd. Cole punched the Trail Turn Assist feature and did doughnuts in celebration.<\/p>\n

Cole went hunting for more obstacles. Then I went hunting for more. Then I handed the wheel to Jeremy, with a Bronco on order, and he found still more. By the end of the afternoon, the Bronco\u2019s blue patina was barely visible, obscured by a layer of mud and dirt\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Bronco\u2019s best color.<\/p>\n

For years, Mustang, Camaro\u00a0and Challenger muscle cars have tested each other at stoplights, twisted roads\u00a0and race tracks. Now the Bronco and Wrangler are headlining new battlefields where the asphalt ends \u2014 alongside Chevy Colorado ZR2s, Ford Raptors, Ram Rebels\u00a0and a growing herd of mudders.<\/p>\n

Like their muscle car brethren, off-road competition will raise all boats \u2014 er, SUVs.<\/p>\n

\"Wet<\/p>\n
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Wrangler has already upped its game with an Xtreme Recon package that offers 35-inch tires and specially tuned shocks resulting in best-in-class\u00a012.9-inches of ground clearance, approach angle (47.4 degrees), breakover angle (26.7 degrees)\u00a0and departure angle (40.4).<\/p>\n

Those tools came in handy in even trickier Holly Oaks conditions when I hit the trails pre-4Fest in a steady rain. The Xterme package benefits a lineup that has a big head start on Bronco in drivetrains.<\/p>\n

The Wrangler can be had in turbo-4, V-6, diesel, 4xe plug-in electric, and \u2014 my favorite \u2014\u00a0V-8 392 mode.<\/p>\n

\"Jeep<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s 392 as in the same 392-cubic-inch bear at the heart of a Dodge Challenger Scat Pack.\u00a0RRRAOOWWRR! g<\/em>rowled the Jeep 392 Rubicon as I fired it up. My co-pilot was Jim Morrison, Jeep CEO and a passionate off-roader himself who calls Holly Oaks his backyard.<\/p>\n

We hammered around the park\u2019s muddy trails in 4-LOW, putting the Jeep\u2019s trusty twin lockers and detachable sway bars to good use over rocks, hills\u00a0and gullies. But the 392\u2019s secret sauce is 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque.<\/p>\n

\"2021<\/p>\n
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Grinding up another impossible grade, we tested the Rubicon\u2019s Selec-Speed\u00a0Control, which senses slip in all four corners \u2014 then distributes torque where needed. We hit a deep rut of mud that challenged even this tool of electronic wizardry \u2014 the Jeep slipping, sliding, struggling to get out of the hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust 392 it!\u201d said Morrison.<\/p>\n

I planted my right foot and the Wrangler exploded out of the hole like a mortar shell, scampering to the summit. Ya\u2019 gotta have a V-8.<\/p>\n

On the trail over the weekend, Bronco and Wrangler owners happily co-existed. Like muscle car track days, off-roaders are\u00a0family. They help their neighbors stuck in swamps, on hills, over rocks.<\/p>\n

After the park closes, the discussions will grow more heated over dinner as partisans compare their steeds. Jeep owners will highlight authenticity born in World War II, twin solid axles, manual transfer case shifter.<\/p>\n

Bronco riders will boast of modern tech, better on-road manners thanks to an independent front suspension, even a front hood that’s easier to open.<\/p>\n

For my money (and, ahem, these warriors ain\u2019t cheap), they are both correct. They give us motorheads more options for when the going gets tough.<\/p>\n

2022 Ford Bronco Black Diamond<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front engine, four-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $40,835, including $1,495 destination fee ($48,325 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder<\/p>\n

Power: 300 horsepower, 325 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 10-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.0 seconds (Motor Trend est.); towing capacity, 3,500 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 5,100 pounds (<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 20 city\/22 highway\/21 combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Easy-to-use off-road tools; those big 35-inch tires<\/p>\n

Lows: Feels floaty on freeway; gets pricey<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n

2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vehicle type: Front engine, four-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact SUV<\/p>\n

Price: $74,995, including $1,495 destination fee ($78,545 as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 6.4-liter V-8<\/p>\n

Power: 470 horsepower, 470 pound-feet torque<\/p>\n

Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (mfr.); towing capacity, 3,500 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight: 5,100 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 13 city\/17 highway\/14 combined<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Go anywhere attitude; OMG V-8<\/p>\n

Lows: Transfer case shifter requires some muscle; gets pricey<\/p>\n

Overall: 4 stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Holly\u00a0\u2014 When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Rain put a damper on the first Motor Bella auto show at M1 Concourse Sept. 21-26. But 30 miles north at Holly Oaks ORV Park\u2019s third annual Detroit 4Fest, the water just added spice to the off-road recipe. Holly Oaks is\u00a0home to an epic\u00a0off-road playground […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28046"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28046"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28047,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28046\/revisions\/28047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}