The new 2021 Ford Bronco has been finally
revealed, reviving one of the most celebrated nameplates in the history of the
American carmaker. The new Ford Bronco returns as both a 2-door and -for the
first time- a 4-door variant and will sit on top of a new family of rugged
off-road models that includes the smaller Bronco Sport.
Ford says the new Bronco was designed for
function, not fashion, with the company “quietly stalking the forums” for years
to find out what customers want from a new Bronco. They even went as far as
benchmarking pretty unconventional vehicles, such as the Polaris RZR, in order
to make sure that the new Bronco would become the leader in the “rugged
utility” segment.
Let’s start from the basics: the new
Bronco offers best-in-class ground clearance, at 294 mm, and
best-in-class water fording capability, at 851 mm. The maximum
breakover angle is 29 degrees with the departure angle at 37.2 degrees. You’ll
also be able to order one with 35-inch tires straight from the factory for the
first time in the segment, which is something you must opt for if you want the
aforementioned figures.
The 2021 Ford Bronco will become available
with two EcoBoost engines: a base 2.3-liter four-cylinder with an expected 270
HP and 420 Nm of torque and a 2.7-liter V6 with 310 HP and 542 Nm of torque.
Transmission options will include a new
seven-speed manual featuring a crawler gear as standard only on four-cylinder
models and a 10-speed automatic. Customers will also get to choose between two
4×4 systems; the base one features a two-speed electronic shift-on-the-fly
transfer case while the optional advanced system comes with a two-speed
electromechanical transfer case with an automatic on-demand 4H engagement. If
you mean serious off-road business and want the best-in-class crawler-gear
ratio of 94.75:1, then you have to opt for the manual four-cylinder Bronco and
the advanced 4×4 system.
Making its debut with the new Ford Bronco
is the company’s so-called Trail Toolbox, a range of technologies to help you
in your off-road adventures. This includes the Trail Control, which is
low-speed cruise control for driving on trails, the Trail Turn Assist, which
tightens the turning radius off-road with the help of torque vectoring, and the
Trail One-Pedal Drive, which helps the driver be more precise and confident
during rock crawling.
Both body styles of the new Ford Bronco
will feature segment-exclusive frameless doors than can be easier to remove
than the model’s main antagonist, the Jeep Wrangler. The longer Bronco can even
store the removed four doors onboard in special protective bags. The side
mirrors are cowl-mounted, meaning that they stay in their place when the doors
are removed.
Two-door Bronco models will feature an
easily removable three-section hard top while four-door variants will feature a
soft top with four removable sections as standard. The latter can be optioned
with both a soft top and a hardtop. Ford claims that each roof panel can be
removed by one person just by unlocking the latches from the interior. In
addition, customers will be given tons of options for personalization that
includes things like different types of doors, modular steel bumpers with
integrated winches, various front grille designs, roof racks, LED light bars,
and even a range of fender flares.
As with the exterior, the interior was
also inspired by the original Bronco: gauges and controls are clearly visible
and intuitive while the design integrates grab handles on both the dash and the
center console. The cabin is also weatherproofed, featuring a rubberized floor
with drain plugs, waterproofed switches, and water-resistant upholstery. The
dashboard can also be fitted with a clever rack for mounting different devices,
including smartphones, action cameras, and more.
Another highlight inside the new Bronco is
Ford’s latest SYNC4 infotainment system, which drives a 12-inch touchscreen
display (an 8-inch display is standard) and features not only over-the-air
updates but off-road navigation as well. The system also uses the 360-degree
camera for off-road spotter views to help the driver’s visibility in demanding
scenarios like rock crawling.
The new Ford Bronco will feature an
exclusive Terrain Management System with up to seven “G.O.A.T.” modes to choose
from: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Sand, with Baja, Mud/Ruts and RockCrawl
for off-road driving. In case you were wondering, G.O.A.T. stands for Goes Over
Any Terrain, a goal that was first set during the development of the original
Bronco. Both the 2-door and 4-door Bronco models are traditional body-on-frame
SUVs, using a fully-boxed, high-strength steel chassis. This enables the new
Bronco to also offer best-in-class suspension travel, with 17 percent more travel
front and rear “than its closest competitor”.
At the front, we get a fully independent
suspension with a Dana AdvanTEK differential for better control and comfort
while at the rear we get a Dana 44 AdvanTEK solid-axle design with coil springs
and five locating links for strength and off-road control. Both axles can be
optioned with Spicer Performa-TRAK locking e-diffs. Speaking of options, the
new Ford Bronco will also be able to be fitted with a set of long-travel,
position-sensitive Bilstein dampers with end-stop valves and a
segment-exclusive optional semi-active hydraulic stabilizer bar than can be
disconnected for maximum articulation.
The range of the 2021 Ford Bronco will
include seven trim levels: Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks, Wildtrak,
Badlands, and the limited to 3,500 units First Edition. If you want the beefy
35-inch tires but don’t want to spend your money on the more expensive trim
levels, we have good news as Ford will make the aptly-named Sasquatch off-road
package available with every trim level. In total, Ford will offer four
“content packages” with the seven trim levels, along with numerous optional
features and more than 200 dealer-installed accessories to further personalize
your new Bronco.
And while Ford hasn’t released yet the
full pricing details of the new Bronco, it did release the base MSRP for the
two-door Bronco with the four-cylinder EcoBoost: US$ 29,995 including the US$ 1,495
destination and delivery fees. Production of the 2021 Ford Bronco will begin in
early 2021, with the first models to arrive in dealerships next spring.
Reservations for both the two- and four-door variants are now open for US$ 100 at
Ford.com.