The Ford Bronco seems destined to get the
Raptor treatment and the case for this continues to grow as the rumored model
has been mentioned by an employee on LinkedIn. Noticed by Bronco6G, the
employee’s profile says they’re an EDS [Electrical Distribution System] Systems
Engineer who is working on the 2021 Bronco and 2023 Bronco Raptor.
The profile doesn’t elaborate, but there
have been countless rumors about a Bronco Raptor. Early reports suggested the
high-performance model would come equipped with a twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost
V6. The engine is optional on the standard Bronco where it produces 310 hp and 542 Nm of torque. However, we already know it can
be tuned to produce more power as the engine develops 335 hp in the Edge ST.
More recent rumors have suggested the
Bronco Raptor could use a larger 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine. In the Explorer
ST, the mill cranks out 400 hp and 562 Nm of
torque. That would be a healthy 90 hp and 20 Nm more
than the Bronco with the optional 2.7-liter V6. Of course, that’s far from
certain as there has been speculation about a 5.0-liter V8 as well.
Speaking V8s, Jeep is working on a
high-performance Wrangler that was previewed by the Rubicon 392 concept. It
featured a 6.4-liter V8 engine that produced 450 hp and 609 Nm of torque. This enabled the concept to accelerate from 0-96 km/h in less than five seconds. Putting the engine aside, a Bronco
Raptor would presumably feature unique styling as well as an off-road focused
suspension. The standard Bronco is
already pretty hardcore, so it remains to be seen how Ford would improve the
model even further.
