Bronco features to make Jeep envious
As I listened to the Bronco brain trust outline highlights of Ford’s upcoming off-roader, I could practically hear Jeep Wrangler strategists slapping their heads: “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Because they didn’t have to. The Wrangler, direct descendant of nearly 80 years of vehicles with great off-road ability, doesn’t have anything to prove.
The 2021 Ford Bronco, due to go on sale next spring, does. It’s heir to a modest tradition of quirky and customizable pickups and SUVs Ford built from 1966 to ’96. Most drivers have never seen one on the road. The Wrangler, with imagebuilding predecessors all the way back to the World War II Willys Jeep, is ubiquitous on American roads, trails and in film, TV and streaming around the world.
Wranglers have a loyal, built-in audience. The Bronco needs to create passion for a family of SUVs, inspiring buyers to choose a nameplate they may never have heard of.
It needs to be so head-slappingly innovative and good that owners will dedicate themselves to proving they’re smarter and better than Jeep drivers they never gave much thought to before they became Bronco-nistas.
That’s why Ford’s best and brightest pulled out all the stops, from a rail to mount GoPros and iPhones to onboard space to store the Bronco’s removable doors.
On paper, the results looks good. Here’s some of what the Bronco team did. 11.6 inches of ground clearance 33-inch water fording Independent front suspension with nearly 10 inches of wheel travel
More than 10 inches of rear wheel travel
Electronic disconnecting front stabilizer bar that automatically reconnects at road speed
Available Bilstein position-sensitive shocks
A frame-based chassis that’s the second generation of Ford’s global midsize pickup architecture
Fully boxed frame
A seven-speed manual transmission that will have a “crawl” gear for ratios as high a 95:1 for the most extreme terrain
Standard transmission
Optional front and rear locking Dana differentials
Automatic differential lock and eight driving modes
Standard 2.3L turbocharged fourcylinder
iiiiiiii10-speed automatic producing 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque
Optional 2.7L twin-turbo V6 with 310 hp and 400 pound-feet of torque
iRemovable doors and hard and soft tops
Four-door models have standard soft top, two-doors a hard top
Lightweight doors that are easy to remove and can be stowed in the vehicle
Side mirrors mounted on the body, so they’re still available when the doors are off
No roof crossbeam between the Bpillars so rear passengers have a clear view when the top is removed
Removable bumper caps for narrow trails
Removable front-passenger grab handles on the dash and center console
Power ports in the dash for easy connection to cameras and other gear on an auxiliary device rail
iiiiiiiiRubberized flooring with drains and removable plugs
Optional marine-grade vinyl seats A slide-out tailgate you can sit on Built-in bottle opener
An available app with maps of offroad trails
360-degree cameras, spotters for each wheels
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The smaller Bronco Sport will go on sale late this year, months before the Bronco. Using the same platform as the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair, it has a unibody construction and less off-road capability than the truck-based Bronco. All-wheel drive is standard, though it wouldn’t be shocking to see a frontdrive model at some point.
The Bronco Sport shares key Bronco design elements, including round headlights and an upright windshield. It’s success is likely to depend heavily on the larger Bronco’s ability to create an aura of off-road capability.
Early Ford materials highlight the Sport’s maneuverability in town and ability in deep sand and for “highspeed” off-roading as opposed to the Bronco’ emphasis on rock crawling, fording water and the like. The base engine is a 181-hp 1.5L turbocharged threecylinder. A 2.0L turbo four-cylinder producing 245-hp will be optional.