I compared a Ford Bronco Raptor with a Rubicon 392 (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
This test is the best proof of the great power of pig capitalism;
For decades, Jeep engineers fell asleep with the aging Fantastar engine and 33-inch tires until a new enemy appeared, the Ford Bronco, which ignited the extreme 4x4 scene in one second.
Three years after the introduction of the first Bronco, we take the professional 'Raptor' version to the test and put the ultimate Jeep in front of it, the Wrangler Rubicon 392 with an absolutely hysterical 8V engine.
The 392 is not imported to Israel by Semlat, it came to us with the enthusiasm of a rival Keller Baruch from Super Jeep, a parallel import agency specializing in the most extreme off-road vehicles.
The orange raptor is strong and towering, the cabin is modern, the suspension system is amazing.
The gray 392 is more compact, a motoring classic with a breathtaking 6.4 liter engine (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Already in the previous test we conducted between Bronco and Rubicon, we admired the performance of the SUVs;
But today we are talking about high-end versions with absolutely fantastic capabilities.
The off-road performance, the engine suppliers, suspensions, everything is grandiose and extreme.
The problem is that the prices have also exploded with NIS 780,000 for the Jeep Wrangler 392 'Extreme Empty', and NIS 775,000 as the base price of the Raptor.
With such high-end cars, the importance of parameters such as driving comfort, fuel consumption, passenger indulgences, etc. is reduced. Jeepers who spend a lot of money on a car that is neither luxurious nor particularly pampering are looking for performance, excitement, and the highest step (temporary name) on the SUV ladder in the world
The Jeep smiles with the iconic face for 75 years, round headlights and the 7-stripe grille.
The Bronco is square and towers over the 37-inch tires (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Design:
The two contenders are very similar to the ones we tested at the end of 2021. Same bodies, same tire sizes, seemingly the same cars.
But the Raptor is 17 centimeters wider than the Wildtrack version (which is grown as such), 6 centimeters taller than it and weighs 225 kilograms more.
These changes are due to the need to increase the axle spacing, install even higher suspensions, and stiffer assemblies.
The Raptor will be easily recognized by its wild-sized black wings and orange headlights.
The Wrangler 392 is also larger than the version we tested at the time, as evidenced by four real exhausts, and plenty of other details.
Which one is more beautiful?
Each and his taste.
The iconic design of the Jeep has been burned into the minds of field mice for seventy years, it is more refined and I like it more.
The Bronco is less well known, but it is big and cubic, some will prefer it - choose for yourself.
On the right is a relatively spacious and luxurious Bronco, this is a very comfortable and completely modern vehicle.
On the left is a relatively crowded and less up-to-date Rubicon, both upholstered in leather and full of treats and accessories (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Passenger cabins:
The passenger cabins have not undergone a significant upgrade compared to the base versions.
They keep a freaking roof and doors, which make them noisier than they should be.
These are extreme versions, but you have to remember that even the most extreme jeep spends most of its time on the road and in traffic jams.
I will not bother to repeat here the details of the passenger compartments, which you can find in our previous test;
We will come back and note that the passenger cabin of the Bronco is more luxurious, ventilated, spacious and luxurious, with a larger multimedia screen and today, also with a digital dashboard and RPM meter worthy of its name. What is surprising in the Bronco is the lack of grab handles to help passengers climb on board, and stabilize themselves while driving on trails Quick. The Wrangler 392 also got pampering points and leather upholstery, but it's still a cramped cabin over five years old, with outdated DNA. I could write to you that the Bronco's cabin resembles an iPhone 14 while the Jeep resembles a Samsung 52A,
But I prefer to give you as an example the driver's seat backrest adjustment mechanism - while the Bronco adjusts with electric motors, in the Jeep you have to push your fingers between the door and the seat, and pull the tarpaulin strap;
Rabak, Jeep, we're in 2023!
A landslide victory for the Bronco cabin.
On the right is Joy Byrne, in the left corner is rival Keller Baruch.
Every off-road adventure begins with deflation;
The big tires will be happy to be satisfied even with a pressure of 12 PSI (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Engine/Fuel Performance:
The cabins dictate the quality of life, but the drive starts under the hood.
Ford engineers took a relatively conservative approach;
The 'Ecoboost' 6V 2.7 liter engine originally provides a very respectable 330 horsepower.
For the Raptor version, the volume was increased to 3.0 liters and with additional changes it now provides 400 hp and 60 kg.
This extra power flies the Bronco from standstill to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds, an amazing figure for a heavy off-road beast. The acceleration is sharp and stunning, from a standstill or in intermediate accelerations, the 10-speed gearbox always finds a suitable gear ratio. The only complaint against the Raptor engine is a little reaction Hesitant in the first meters, this is a bit surprising in a sporty engine armed with two turbochargers.
Where is the parking lot tonight? (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
The second claim is that as soon as you put the Rubicon 392 next to the Raptor, the Raptor becomes a much less exciting vehicle.
The 8V 6.4 liter Hemi installed in the Jeep blows growling and growling, it throws you off the place with huge exhaust crackles, the acceleration to 100 takes 4.1 seconds, it's absolutely crazy!
These are not only Jeep's 480 horses (against Bronco's 418), but also a 270-kilogram advantage over the older Bronco.
Both instruments play an intoxicating exhaust concert but the Jeep Composer was unrestrained, producing a racetrack concert, no less.
The Jeep is faster in every situation and at every speed, but when leaving the place it just tears up the asphalt, flying forward like an electric sports car.
The 392 provides non-stop prey (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Fuel consumption is not an interesting figure, but even here the Jeep has an advantage, which is more economical.
In a calm intercity drive, the Bronco managed to get 6.5-7.0 kilometers from every liter, the Wrangler is more economical by about 5% and even more.
On the highway they will burn a liter for every 3-4 km and in the off-road the consumption will drop to 2.5 to 3.0 per kilometer. The Bronco's electric 4x4 combination does not always function immediately, we liked Jeep's mechanical levers better - they are less indulgent, but always Ready for command. Here too, a clear victory for Jeep's engine performance.
The Bronco and the Jeep will also take you on relaxed family trips, they will never disappoint you (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Comfort and handling:
After we're done riding and fluttering wheels, we relax a bit and we're cruising along the trail.
Fast, very fast.
The Wrangler is much better than a standard Rubicon, but it's also very frenetic.
Bounces and skips, happy to enter slips and exit turns like a ballistic missile.
The 392 is an amazing Fun Mobil but the truth is that I am a bit tired, I liked the restrained behavior of the Bronco better.
The Raptor also knows how to fly on trails, enter a turn and drift out, and behave like an extreme hooligan.
But the Bronco is more balanced and quieter, the independent suspension is more precise than the Jeep's live axle, the 37-inch tires work better than the Jeep's 35.
The Bronco is able to sew miles of bumpy trail at the pace of a dedicated race car, instilling in you a confidence and ease that we have never encountered in a car that left a regular showroom.
The Bronco irons paths in a phenomenal way, allows you to have fun with it without pressure (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
For speedy trail weaving with the Bronco you place 'Baja' in the driving style dial, the suspension stiffens as required, the steering is firm and the red car smooths every path and straightens every turn.
The 392 was faster when exiting a turn, but in flowing sections and sharp turns we liked the Bronco better, which is reassuring with precise and predictable behavior;
It is less scary than the jeep whose wounded growls I heard even from a distance of hundreds of meters.
Ahhhhh, did you want to know about the comfort of driving on the road?
Is it really interesting to you, with such land animals?
Here too, the Bronco is more comfortable and pampering, absorbs disruptions better and irons out the Israeli asphalt, which at times looks like a nervous rally stage.
Comfort and behavior section: the Bronco is more efficient and faster, the Jeep is more exciting.
Big axles and tires, lateral differential locks, fine body angles and extreme suspension moves, these tools also know how to crawl in very technical sections (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Off-road technical:
Both vehicles have serious off-road tires, crawler power transmission, two lateral locking differentials, and excellent body angles.
On the towering dunes they danced like ballerinas, the 392 taking advantage of its superior power, the Raptor floating better on the 37 tires.
Both climbed knives at 90 degrees, occasionally flying through the air, the Bronco landing on the ground better and more restrained than the Jeep.
We tried to find foul obstacles that would overwhelm the tools, but we didn't find any - the test area had rolling hills with huge crossings, occasional boulders, and steep climbs.
The two examinees swallowed everything with demonstrable boredom, no matter where they pointed the steering wheel.
Yariv Keller had returned a few days before with two such tools from the challenging Nakhal Adsa, and he passionately claims that the Bronco actually climbed better on the extreme rock steps.
The 392 may have a slight edge over the front suspension but the Bronco is no sucker: it has excellent suspension travel in the rear and 13 inches of front travel, more room and tires, better approach angles and in short - the Bronco is proof that Ford's brave choice In independent racks, it was very successful.
The Bronco is very powerful, but the 392 engine is even more so - it explodes and grumbles all the time, it's a V8 that shakes and barks 'like it used to'.
There are no such things! (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
The bottom line
The two test vehicles are the closest thing to a pure racing car, which you can buy in a showroom in Israel.
They are focused on performance and motor capabilities, armed with all the technologies, and there is no other brand that can even come close to them.
This is self-evident in the case of the Rubicon, which has been strengthened over decades of adherence to the values of the Jeep brand, with a consistent and focused evolution.
The Bronco's leap to the top of the pyramid is a little more surprising.
The 'Bronco' brand was once a thing but it was abandoned for decades, until its sudden revival in 2019.
Precisely because of this delay, Ford engineers were able to design the Bronco more up-to-date and sophisticated, to keep the off-road capabilities and dare to choose independent front suspensions.
The last few years have placed the Wrangler and the Bronco in the status of a duel in the mythical style of Mercedes-BMW, Lamborghini-Ferrari and other fierce contenders.
I fell in love with the perfect homogeneity of the Bronco, it is strong enough for me and adds a lot of confidence, in any situation (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Joy Byrne and Enochi participated in the test, as well as Yariv Keller from 'Super Jeep' who brought the 392.
Yariv is a car marketer but he is also (mostly) a criminal and off-roader, participates in rally races, and is a completely objective consultant - because he sells both Broncos and Wranglers.
The three of us unanimously crowned the Bronco as the best extreme SUV of the two.
The Bronco is more comfortable and accurate on the road and off-road, the quality of life on board is significantly better than the 392, it is more spacious and ventilated.
Jeep's engine performance is better, but the Bronco also gives everything you could ask for, without building a dedicated racing car.
So we unanimously decided and I would really be happy to disappear towards the horizon, aboard the red bronco.
Joy and Rival grew up on the Jeep brand but they state that the Bronco is better, in almost every aspect.
Despite this, their hearts went to the maddening 392 (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
Yariv and Joy didn't think so;
Joey surprised me by saying that despite crowning the Bronco as the better vehicle, he would take home the Jeep.
"If I'm already investing NIS 800,000 in an extreme car, I want the most extreme one available" Joy explained enthusiastically.
I'm not ready to give up the crazy 8V of the 392, with the sound of the exhausts and the hysterical accelerations.
I'm willing to compromise ride comfort and interior space to get the higher agility of the Jeep, the nostalgic thrills and the iconic look that's been burned into my mind since the age of 16." So said Joy and Rival and the three of us agreed that these are amazing cars, suitable for extreme seekers on a budget Big and beefy. Where else can you go from this summit? In a few months, a special edition of the "Twenty Years Rubicon" will be presented with a 392 and an electric 4xe that will wear 37 tires, and in the corridors of Ford there are fears about an even more powerful Raptor-R. You know what else will come out of the two monsters God?
Thanks to Rival Keller Baruch from"
On the technical side
I compared a Ford Bronco Raptor with a Rubicon 392 (Photo: Rami Gilboa)
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Vehicle tests
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Wrangler
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