Ford unveils new Bronco as off-road, open-air Jeep rival for under $30,000
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JUL 13 2020
Michael Wayland
Ford Motor is taking a run at the nation’s No. 1 off-road seller, the Jeep Wrangler, with its highly anticipated relaunch Monday night of the Bronco
SUV — a boxy utility vehicle that developed a cult following after it was discontinued in 1996.
Ford is pricing the new Bronco starting at $29,995, including destination charges, just $205 above a base Jeep Wrangler. Top-end models with
additional features and equipment can top $60,000. A limited “First Edition” Bronco model starts at $60,800, according to Ford’s website.
The two- and four-door Bronco models, according to Ford, are similar in size to the Wrangler, which is regularly among Fiat Chrysler’s best-selling
vehicles in the U.S.
Ford originally confirmed its relaunch in January 2017, but fans had been awaiting the return of the Bronco for years before then.
“It’s a long time coming. The market is waiting and ready,” said Jeff Schuster, president of the Americas and global vehicle forecasts for
research firm LMC Automotive. The Bronco is the Jeep Wrangler’s first direct competitor since General Motors’ Hummer, which is being relaunched
next year, was discontinued in 2009. “We expect this to stack up nicely compared to the Wrangler.”
The Wrangler was seventh in sales last year among all compact SUVs and crossovers, according to LMC.
Like the Wrangler, the new Bronco models feature removable roofs and doors as well as more than 200 factory-backed accessories. All Bronco vehicles,
Ford said, also will come standard with four-wheel drive.
“With Bronco, Ford is making a clear push into the off-road segment of the [North American] SUV market,” Credit Suisse analyst Dan Levy wrote in a
note to investors Monday. “While we expect Wrangler to remain the leader in the off-road segment, we nevertheless see attractive opportunity for
Bronco given its heritage.”
The Bronco, according to Levy, would contribute nearly $1 billion to Ford’s North American pretax earnings if sales reached 125,000 units. That’s
based on profits per vehicle of about $7,500. That would make the Bronco one of Ford’s most profitable models, according to Levy.
Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president of the Americas & International Markets Group, has said the company projects it will sell hundreds of thousands
of new Bronco SUVs a year.
“They’re going to add substantial volume to the company, and they’re going to be growth volume because none of the vehicles exist today,”
Galhotra previously told CNBC. “It is a net-add to the portfolio, net-add to volume and profitable volume.”
Ford unveiled its new “family” of Bronco off-road vehicles, including a smaller Bronco Sport SUV, online with a video narrated by actor Bryan
Cranston.
“This time it’s not just one horse. It’s a whole family,” he said as the vehicles scaled rocks and drove through treacherous terrains.
“Built with the toughness of an F-Series and spirit of a Mustang; built to be the future of off roading.”
The vehicles were also revealed through a partnership with Disney on ABC, ESPN and National Geographic during their 8 p.m. broadcasts. Each ad was
unique to the channel and featured a special guest.
The Bronco Sport is expected to begin arriving in dealerships by the end of this year, followed by the Bronco next spring. Ford began taking $100
refundable deposits for the vehicles Monday night.
Ford compared the Bronco Sport, which will be built on a different vehicle platform than the Bronco, to a Jeep Compass, a less truck-like compact SUV.
The vehicle is expected to be more mainstream than the Bronco but still have off-road capabilities, according to Ford.
“This absolutely belongs in the family of Broncos and will surprise and amaze people,” said Dave Pericak, Ford’s director of icon vehicles such
as the new Bronco models. Ford, according to officials, expects the Bronco and Bronco Sport to appeal to different buyers.
The Bronco, like the Wrangler, features a removable roof as well as doors that can easily be taken off, Ford said. Four-door models come standard with
a cloth soft top. Two-door vehicles come with a standard three-section removable roof system.
The Bronco Sport will be powered by a 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine with a targeted 181 horsepower and 190 pound-foot of torque or a 2.0-liter EcoBoost
engine projected with 245 horsepower and 275 pound-foot of torque. Both engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Bronco will come standard with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine expected to deliver 270 horsepower and 310 pound-foot of torque. A
2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine projected at 310 horsepower and 400 pound-foot of torque also will be available. The engines are combined with a
seven-speed manual transmission or 10-speed automatic transmission.
The Bronco Sport will be produced at the automaker’s factory in Hermosillo Sonora, Mexico. The Bronco will be produced at a plant in Michigan.
Using the Bronco name on several vehicles is part of a larger plan by Ford CEO and President Jim Hackett to leverage the company’s most recognized
and iconic brands to lead its $11 billion restructuring.
“It’s a really big product year. I would say an unprecedented product year,” Galhotra said. “We are building on products that are iconic.”
Ford last month unveiled the next generation of its F-150 pickup, including a new hybrid model, and announced plans to resurrect a well-known
performance model of the Mustang called the Mach 1. It’s also using the “Mach” name for the Mustang Mach-E, an all-electric crossover that’s
expected to go on sale later this year. An all-electric version of the F-150 also is scheduled to be released in the next two years.
Mark Grueber, Bronco consumer marketing manager, declined to comment on any potential all-electric or hybrid versions of the Bronco.
Ford’s Pericak said one of the biggest challenges for his “icons” team is balancing out the history of such well-known vehicles with more modern
design elements and new tech-savvy features.
“The pressure is immense. It’s huge,” he said. “It’s a constant battle to find the balance between leveraging the fantastic and rich
heritage that we have with a lot of these nameplates but not living in the past. That would be a mistake.”
For the Bronco, that included keeping classic design elements but adding useful features such as a new off-road navigation system, large interior
screens and up to seven driver-selectable modes: normal, eco, sport, slippery and sand as well as mud or rock crawl modes for off-road driving.
“We’re going to separate ourselves a bit,” Pericak said regarding Jeep. “We’re not afraid of competition. It’s about time we shake this up
a bit.”
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I was always a little bit surprised that no company had stepped in and competed with the Wrangler; given their brisk sales, in that category.
Certainly, someone could do a more RELIABLE rendition of this type of vehicle.
I could never get past the incredibly poor visibility in the FJ Cruiser. But there was no rag top option that I was aware of.
The Suzuki Samurai was just too short wheel-based to be a comfortable ride.
I never rode in a Geo. But they are long gone. Was there a soft top version of that?
I dont believe Land Rover did anything like that in the last 30-40 years.
The Sport has a, "Twin clutch rear drive unit" sounds very similar to the troublesome "Twin clutch transmission" unit that plagued the Ford Fiesta and
Ford Fusion. My wife has a 2013 Ford Fiesta with the Twin Clutch Transmission. Jerky, Jerky lurching is not my idea of a reliable, good time. I
would avoid any vehicle with that technology.
Personally I would avoid any new model vehicle for a year or two until they get the bugs worked out. Now if someone wanted to give me one that's a
different story. Ford do you hear me?
Then you should buy one and let us know how it works out. Being from AK you should be able to give it a full workout while following an Ice Road
Trucker.
The jeep has poor leg room for tall people like me. Will the bronco be shorty car too?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Watched the video and it does seem that they took this remaking of Bronco very seriously. I’m impressed.
In my old Bronco I had to stop and get out to lock the front hubs into 4 wheel drive. These new cars look so high tech you can probably give voice
commands for anything.
The suspension has no front end droop! The video tries to obscure this 2x with it's use of camera angles and a tall dirt berm! The bumper will need
to be replaced to fit a winch and if the H.O.S.S. goes down, it will need a visit to the dealership - just like the new Land Rover Defender.
The 'Sport' has a Twin clutch rear transmission - possibly the same as what's found on my wife's 2013 Ford Fiesta - the center of a class action
lawsuit.
There will inevitability be a number of comparison videos with the Wrangler, the new Defender and the 4 Runner. But, watch the axle disconnected
suspension droop on these videos - I'm not impressed.
Not exactly
The sport version is similar is size to the 1966 Gen1 bronco, but without the full blown off road capability of the larger version. Think of it as a
small SUV like Jeep sells.
The larger new Bronco built on the Ranger platform size wise is in between the full size bronco which was based on the F150 that ended in 1996 and the
Gen1 Bronco.
"Every Bronco will have four-wheel-drive, with the larger two-door and four-door models having significant off-road capability. Ford is using one of
its global truck platforms for the vehicles. They have a body-on-frame architecture. The smaller Bronco Sport has unibody construction – like
current crossovers on the market."
This is an unusual situation. Two fundamentally different vehicles, body on frame Bronco (which comes in 2 wheelbases) vs. unibody Bronco Sport, that
look very similar with the same (almost) name.
Obviously I'm interested, it's time for me to buy another Baja Cruiser.
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