ROUGH, TOUGH & LOOKING GOOD
Ford aims to appeal to wider range of outdoor enthusiasts with revamp
I haven’t driven it yet, but here’s my early verdict: The new Ford Bronco looks buckin’ cool. Ford has finally unveiled it, virtually, of course, because of pandemic restrictions.
The Bronco was introduced for 1966 as a direct competitor to Jeep. Ford interviewed Jeep owners to see what they didn’t like about their vehicles, and engineered those improvements into the Bronco — and the automaker says it did the same this time, to try to out-wrangle the Wrangler.
The original Bronco was later joined by the smaller Bronco II, and now alongside is the milder Bronco Sport. The first Bronco also came as a pickup truck, but so far there’s no announcement of one to tackle Jeep’s Gladiator.
The Bronco Sport hits showrooms later this year, while the Bronco will arrive next spring, in two- or four-door configurations. Buyers can reserve any of them right now for $100.
The Bronco will range from $40,199 for the base two-door to $61,994 for the top-trim fourdoor. The Sport starts at $32,199 and tops out at $40,199.
The Bronco sits on a fully boxed frame and it’s meant to be modular. Ford says with a wrench and an hour, you can “strip it almost to its bare bones,” making it easier to install some of the 200-plus accessories offered at launch. The bumper caps come off for more clearance, the inside grab handles can be moved around, and roof cargo such as a canoe can be tied to the hood loops, which double as trail sights.
The doors are frameless and come off — they weigh about 21 kilograms each — and unlike with Wrangler, they stow inside the vehicle and the mirrors stay on the body (although Jeep still has that folding windshield in its favour). Depending on the Bronco’s trim, you get a cloth top, or a removable hard roof with smaller, easier-to-handle sections. The crossbar is behind the rear seat, so everyone gets a full view of the sky.
There are six trim levels: Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks, and the tougher Wildtrak and Badlands. The U.S. also gets a limited “Special Edition” at launch.
Every Bronco engine is turbocharged, or Ecoboost in Ford-speak. The base is a 2.3-litre four-cylinder, making 270 horsepower and 310 poundfeet of torque. The upgrade is a twin-turbo 2.7-L V-6, for 310 hp and 400 lb-ft — more horsepower than any production Wrangler, and you only get more torque if you opt for Jeep’s diesel engine.
Ford’s four-cylinder can be ordered with a seven-speed manual transmission that’s a six-speed with a “crawler” gear. A 10-speed automatic is optional on the four and standard on the V6. Two transfer cases will be available, depending on trim: two-speed with shift-on-the-fly, or an advanced system with an “auto” 4x4 setting that can be used on pavement as well as off-road.
Equipped with 35-inch tires, the gnarliest four-door Bronco gives you 11.5 inches of ground clearance, a 43.2-degree approach angle, 26.3-degree breakover, and 37-degree departure. Maximum towing capacity on all models is 3,500 lbs.
For those new to off-road, selectable drive modes include mud/ruts and rock crawl. There’s
Trail Control, which works as low-speed cruise control, and one-pedal drive that operates both brake and throttle for the roughest stuff. You can attach a dash rack to mount a phone or Gopro, and there are cameras in front of the wheels so you don’t need a spotter.
Once you’re back in base camp, swing open the hatch, slide out the tailgate seat, and open your beverage with the built-in bottle opener. While it still has a retro-style feel to it, the Bronco will offer several higher-tech features, such as Sync 4 infotainment, over-the-air vehicle updates to reduce dealer visits, and off-road navigation that can track and capture where you’ve been, so you can share it with fellow off-roaders.
The Bronco Sport will also take you off the pavement, but not quite as deep into the wilds. It’s a unibody, based on the same platform that underpins the Ford Escape. All trims have a fourwheel system that prioritizes power to the front and sends more to the rear as required, but the Badlands trim adds a twinclutch rear unit with differential lock, and can deliver all rear-axle torque to one wheel if the other loses traction.
The standard Sport engine is a 1.5-L Ecoboost three-cylinder engine, making 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque, while the upgrade is a 2.0-L Ecoboost engine with 245 hp and 275 lb-ft, provided you’re running on premium fuel. That’s the annoying way some automakers are now presenting their power numbers to make them as high as possible, so expect a little less grunt on the regular-grade gas most people will use. Both engines come with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Bronco’s target customers prefer to drive into the wilderness, while Sport buyers tend to park at the edge and venture in themselves. So two mountain bikes can fit standing up in the Sport’s cargo area, and optional accessories include a tent and ladder for sleeping on the roof. The liftgate includes floodlights, and you can get a slide-out table to go under them.
The Sport is meant for those who want comfort during the week and blackflies on the weekend, and will get them there with more off-road capability than Ford’s other compact sport utes. But it’s that hardcore Bronco that’s the big news here, and I can’t wait to get it on a trail to see what it’ll do. There’s no question that it looks the part. Now we just have to see if its creators really did out-jeep the Jeep.