Ford Bronco ideal for off-road travel
Jesse Colin Young wrote the song “Ridgetop” 50 years ago. It’s a love story about nature and his home in Marin County located down a road with a steep hill and marked with granite, ruts, pine needles and chert.
To celebrate the milestone, Ford should hire the co-founder of the 1960s rock band The Youngbloods as a spokesperson or at least use his music in commercials.
In 2022, a year after the carmaker re-introduced the Bronco following a long hiatus; several special editions debuted, including the Everglades trim. It’s available only as a four-door model equipped with the standard features of the Black Diamond trim. Its singularity is front fenders with depth meter measurement lines for fording water.
The song has a reference to the Golden Gate Bridge, but not to waterways. The lyrics’ featured house was destroyed by fire in 1995. Young,
81, has lived with his second wife in Hawaii for many years.
Remoteness, tranquility and the beauty of the outdoors and its animals are the song’s repeated themes. The Bronco’s forte is its off-road versatility, including advancing across streams. It’s a vehicle to transport occupants out of cities. It’s chock-full of equipment best used for negotiating obstacles that help define the public relations phrase “Built Ford Tough.”
The Bronco originally debuted in 1966. It returned in 2021 after a 25-year hiatus to the rejoicing of longtime enthusiasts. It’s a workhorse. But it’s not practical or efficient as a daily driver in cities or on freeways near the clustered communities where Young chose not to live.
Marketed as among the Bronco’s most rugged offerings, the Everglades trim also features standard: aluminum-alloy wheels, a heavy-duty modular front bumper, and the SYNC 4A twelve-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration and SiriusXM Satellite Radio with 360L (exclusive streaming channels and on-demand content) are also part of the mix.
The reviewed Bronco also featured the Sasquatch package, further emphasizing the vehicle’s off-road desires. Front and rear locking differentials and 35-inch mud terrain-oriented tires dominate the exterior look. There are also 17-inch Beadlock capable wheels, 4.7 final drive ratio, heavy-duty Bilstein position-sensitive monotube shocks and high-clearance fender