The 2021 Ford Bronco is months away from
production, but that hasn’t stopped the company from teasing a more extreme
variant. Believed to be the Bronco Raptor or Bronco Warthog, the mystery model
is heavily disguised but is based on the four-door variant and is shown going
airborne.
Ford didn’t elaborate, but an inspection
of the undercarriage appears to reveal some beefier components. While nothing
is official, it looks like the model will swap some aluminum components for
steel replacements. There could also be some other changes, but they’re hard to
identify from a single picture.
Ford isn’t say much other than “stay
tuned,” but the automaker promised there’s “even more to love” and suggested
the Bronco doesn’t need a V8 engine. The latter statement echoes Bronco chief
engineer, Eric Loefller, who suggested a V8 doesn’t make much sense as the
company believes customers are more concerned about horsepower, torque and fuel
economy than how many cylinders are under the hood. Loefller also noted the
vehicle’s footprint would give a V8-powered model a “pretty high target, from a
government perspective, in terms of CO2 [emissions].”
While a V8 seems unlikely, it’s believed
the upcoming model could use a 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that produces
around 400 hp and 562 Nm of torque. This would be
a sizable increase over the Bronco’s optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 which has
310 hp and 542 Nm of torque. There’s no word on
when the model will be unveiled, but the launch of the teaser campaign suggests
it might not be too far off.
