Badlands or Wildtrack?

[ep67bro]

So I have been considering upgrading from my 2 door Black Diamond to a 4 door again. Yeah I know the 2door is better looking but the 4 door is really more practical. Every time I drive my wifes 4 door I notice the ride is little better with the longer wheel base, the fuel tank is larger so a little more range, the soft top is more functional to make it open air then the hard top, and of course the rear storage area is much more usable. yeah I can always drive hers but I want my own.

I had a 4 door Badlands briefly in 2022 that I traded for the two door Black Diamond I have now, Yeah I know dumb! But it wasnt a SAS package and I didnt think i needed two 4 doors. After nearly two years of owning it I kind of wish I had the 4 door again.

I really like the options that come on the Badlands with the SAS package, but I have heard the Wildtrack has a better suspension package. Both would be an upgrade from the Black Diamond and I want the factory SAS package as I would like to upgrade wheels and tires in the future. When I build them out on the Ford site typically the Badlands ends up being a little more than the Wild track. The Wild track doesnt have the front sway bar disconnect and no rock rails or full metal skid plates standard but I know you can add them. I would get the 2.7 no matter what model (my 2 door has it and it way nicer than the 2.3) Auto trans is what I want so again available on either model. Soft top I prefer but I may get both tops. I like some of the plush/tech options of the Wildtrack but that is also scary as its just more crap to break! I really would like to take a trip out west in the next few years and do some mild trails along the way. So thats another reason I am considering the upgrade.

What model would you choose and why?

 

[okie4570]

My wife's 22' 2D Badlands with sasq has been great, 2.7l with 47k miles now. If you're not going to actually crawl rocks and get in the dirt or sand, there's no reason not to get the Wildtrak imo. They changed around the suspension offerings last year on the Badlands iirc. It may be better now and include the HOSS 3.0 like the Wildtrak? Don't quote me on that lol

 

[Glass Pony]

The Badlands has the Hoss 2.0 suspension, but I believe both have the heavier steering rack now.
I am entering that same thought process ep67bro. I turned 65 and I'm going to throw a new set of tires on my 1974 and who knows, it might be its last set.

I have a question, is the 4-door any harder to get into than the 2-door? The 2-door door looks a lot bigger.

 

[904Bronco]

The two Door does has a wider door...

 

[okie4570]

The 6G 2D door length is 48 1/2" above the door handle. Not sure about the 4 door front door.

 

[77Bronco636]

We have a Wildtrack and a Raptor, and I have driven several Badlands. The suspension is way better on the Wildtrack compared to the Badlands (can tell the difference immediately) and of course the Raptor is way better then the Wildtrack (night and day, but the Raptor is a different platform all together). The comparison was on all 4 door models, but I did drive a 2 door Badlands and I did like it, but is not practical for our family right now. The 2.0 to 3.0 to 4.0 suspension all follow suit. The 3.0 and 4.0 are designed to ride better at higher speeds (more off road desert style). Hope this helps a bit. Id see if you can test drive some at a dealer so you can compare yourself.

 

[Scoop]

I have a Badsquatch and love it! But the choice is better ride or sway bar disconnect. Sway bar disconnect is helpful for the max 5% of the time you actually wheel it as opposed to a better ride 100% of the time. Choose well!

 

[ep67bro]

Thanks for all the input guys.
Yes the two door has the larger door and is a little easier to get in and out of. But its not a big deal. I am 6ft tall and about 225 so I am not small guy. The door size wouldnt be a factor in picking what model for me.

I think I am going to swing by a dealer and drive a Wild track. I know how the Badlands rides since I had one back in 2022 for about 4 months. It was noticeably better than the Black Diamond. I would love a Raptor but the extra 20 to 30 K for one just dosent make sense. I just cant justify the cost I will most likely never run a Desert or go to Baja with it. It also is too tall to fit in my home garage. The cheapest Raptor I found around me was a 2023 left over for 85K and it was about as bare bones as you can get a Raptor plus I would want one with the body color painted flares, this one didnt have that.

I dove my wifes 4 door again over the weekend and I really am leaning towards getting a four door. Problem I have now is finding one in a color I want! I really love the Hot Pepper Red Metallic but it is a hard color to find and when you narrow it down to a Badlands SAS or Wildtrack the chances of finding one gets even smaller! Second choice would be silver then that Green color. Oh well as my Dad always says I am in a good position because I really don't need to do anything!! LOL

 

[Rob1962]

I like that green metallic.

 

[mustanggarage]

one thing I would add, the reason I went with the badlands is because I wanted the marine grade vinyl seats and full washout floors without carpet. that was the main reason I went badlands over wildtrak.

 

[ep67bro]

Yup I am leaning towards a badlands for the reason of the floor and just over all off road ability. Just seems like a better base to build off of for what i would want to do with it. Unfortunately the two dealers close to me do not have any in stock. I found one i like but its over an hour away and I just havent had the time to go look at it in person.

Now I also have my 67 blown apart all over my shop so I got to get that back together first.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I'm biased but I like the Badlands interior way more. Tan interior colors feel grody to me. The vinyl is so nice for cleanup, which you know from having a BD. The BL charcoal is a nice shade that's not quite black but looks premium,

 

[SevenT]

I vote BL vs. WT. Winner with Sta-Bar disconnect.

 

[ep67bro]

I am trying to work a deal on a badlands right now. Found one that is hot pepper red 4 door SAS. vinyl seats, 2.7 soft top. Pretty basic truck. They are down to 58K for it but want to totally F me on my trade in. Only want to give me 33K for my 2023 BD with only 20K on it. My bronco is like brand new, never been off road ceramic coated since new. KBB is between 36 and 41K. i told them I want at least 38K for it. I am going to stick to my guns. I dont need the bronco that bad. I am also going to work another dealer on a silver Badlands but its a hard top and has a few other options on it. See what they will give me for a trade.

 

[Rob1962]

Why not just sell yours private party. Would think you'd be able to get $38k pretty easily.

 

[Yeller]

Why not just sell yours private party. Would think you'd be able to get $38k pretty easily.

I know the answer, cuz dealing with people is a HUGE pain in the ass that the majority of us despise dealing with them and brings out the side of our personalities that no one wants to deal with or even be around, unless your videoing and hoping to get the next viral wonder, or get one of those in jail

 

[ep67bro]

I know the answer, cuz dealing with people is a HUGE pain in the ass that the majority of us despise dealing with them and brings out the side of our personalities that no one wants to deal with or even be around, unless your videoing and hoping to get the next viral wonder, or get one of those in jail

This exactly!!!!

I cant stand selling newer cars. Classics are easy, newer stuff sucks! people are sketchy, dealing with large sums of money, they want them state inspected, that just opens a can of worms, because the inspectors always find something even if the car is brand new. I would rather just trade it in. I don't have the time to screw around with people.

The dealer just emailed me back and raised the trade to $38,000. So it looks like I will be getting this badlands in the next few days.

 

[Rob1962]

Nice! They will list it for $48,000.

 

[Glass Pony]

This exactly!!!!

I cant stand selling newer cars. Classics are easy, newer stuff sucks! people are sketchy, dealing with large sums of money, they want them state inspected, that just opens a can of worms, because the inspectors always find something even if the car is brand new. I would rather just trade it in. I don't have the time to screw around with people.

The dealer just emailed me back and raised the trade to $38,000. So it looks like I will be getting this badlands in the next few days.

Good for you sticking to your guns! I don't know about Maryland, but in Delaware you only have to pay the taxes on the difference between the one you are trading in and the one you are buying.

 

[ep67bro]

So I picked up my new Badlands today. Dealer made a fair deal and gave me what I wanted for the trade in. I got this from Preston Ford anyone in Eastern MD or Delaware knows Preston. Used the same salesman I got our latest F250s from so they worked with me.

I like it so far, certainly a better ride than my 2 door back diamond, some other smaller differences that are nice like the orange stitching on the seats and dash. The larger screen is nice too. I need to get rubber floor mats it only has the carpet ones, but does have the rubber floor since the seats are vinyl.

One thing I noticed is the V6 has a completely different exhaust note than my 2023 V6 had. Much louder under hard acceleration. I really sounds much better than my old one. Another thing thats good is the soft top seems much quieter than my wifes soft top. But I only drove it about 20 miles and never got above 55mph so we will see.

Next up is install the bumper mounted fog lights I took of my 23. Find a front plate holder that doesn't require drilling into the grill and a few other small mods for the interior. Continue to look for a hard top, and then drive it it for a while.