Ford’s Jeep slayer
Ford in the US recently unveiled its new Bronco and the Yanks are going bananas over it. But how does this news affect us? The 2021 Bronco model has the same 2.3 EcoBoost engine and 10-speed automatic transmission as in the Ford Ranger. You can therefore have a Bronco serviced locally if Ford decides to make it available in righthand drive. The Bronco is, of sorts, a cross between the F150 and Ranger bakkies.
The Bronco is also available with a 2.7-V6 EcoBoost engine – from the F150 bakkie and a brand new seven-speed manual gearbox (one reverse gear, five forward gears and one crawler gear with a ratio of 95: 1).
In terms of suspension, the Bronco has a Dana 44 fixed rear axle and independent front suspension, also by Dana. We’re not so sure if independent suspension was the right decision, but if you look at how the Americans’ so-called Trophy Trucks perform with their independent suspension in the Baja desert races, Ford may have a point.
The front stabiliser rod can be disengaged from within the cab at the push of a button. The suspension allows you to fit 35” tyres without the need for any modifications.
The gearbox can switch from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive on the go and there are optional electric differential locks for the front and rear axles. The Bronco has seven ride modes that will make life easier for rookies, but experienced drivers can bypass the ride modes and take control of the mechanics themselves if they wish it.
Two features we particularly like are the so-called Trail Assist which enables you to handle slow acceleration and the brakes with just one foot pedal. This system can also brake one wheel when you turn sharply so that the Bronco rotates around that braked wheel as if it were an anchored pivot point.
Ford says it is designing the Bronco so that customers can replace the standard bumpers and body panels with custom parts. Ford also claims you can strip the Bronco down to its basic shell and power train on the ladder-frame chassis within an hour.
Practical elements are waterproof switches in the interior, a tactical rail on the dashboard to mount a GPS and all sorts of goodies, and drain plugs in the floor to let water out
after you’ve driven through a deep river or want to hose down the mud-splattered interior – yes, even the seats.
It seems clear the Bronco will be proverbial Tonka toy that will challenge the Jeep Rubicon, but whether it will be suitable for overlanding isn’t so clear. Sure, its wading depth of 850 mm is good, as is its ground clearance of 210 mm, but with a loading capacity of only 620 kg, it will hardly be able to carry four occupants and a dome tent before you break the law. That’s before fitting a bullbar with a winch and a roof rack with a rooftop tent. That said, if you can overland in a Suzuki Jimny, then nothing stops you from doing the same with a Bronco.
Will it come to South Africa? Ford South Africa says no, but didn’t elaborate on the reasons why. However, it seems like a soft no, because Australia is making some headway in convincing Ford USA to eventually sell the F150 with right-hand drive in that country. And if the Aussies can do it, so can we!
Prices for the Ford Bronco start at $30 000 (about R500 000) to $60 000 (a million rand or so) for the top of the range model. We can but dream.