The 2021 Ford Bronco – A stronger Revival than Eminem

The all new 2021 Bronco is truely a wild horse engineered to run, climb and crawl its way through untamed terrain

Prakhar K. July 14, 2020

4 minutes read

Pre-production versions of the all-new 2021 Bronco family of all-4x4 rugged SUVs, shown here, include (left) Bronco two-door in Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat, Bronco four-door in Shadow Black and Bronco Sport in Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat.

The 2021 Ford Bronco is the flagship of an all new lineup of 4×4 SUV’s from Ford. The brand is making a comeback after a waiting period of 25 years, since the last Bronco came out (nicknamed G.O.A.T). The result of cutting edge engineering, design and durability testing for off-road performance, the first latest models are set to arrive in spring. The new Bronco has 3 variants- a 2-door, a 4-door and a smaller Sport variant. The Sport comes with additional editions- the Badlands and the First Edition, Base, Big Bend and Outer Banks. For those who don’t know about it, the Bronco is the LandRover Defender of US.

Jim Farley, Ford Chief Operating officer says “We created the Bronco family to elevate every aspect of off-road adventure and equipped them with class-leading chassis hardware and exclusive technologies to raise the bar in the rugged 4×4 segment and take people further into the wild.” He adds that “They’re built with the toughness of an F-series truck and performance spirit of Mustang and come wrapped in one of the most stunning and functional off-road designs that’s true to the original Bronco design DNA.” Now, while I did like Eminem’s Revival, I still think the Bronco is a bigger revival than that. Let’s find out why.

4×4 off- road capability

All the variants feature a 4×4 off-road capability that is flexible and can be tweaked for various terrains. It boasts an exclusive Terrain Management System and up to 7 driving modes like normal, Eco, sand, sport, slippery along with Baja, mud and rock crawl for that off-road conquering. There are two 4×4 systems offered on all models- a base and an advanced 4×4.

Base system- 2-speed electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case.
Advanced system- 2-speed electromechanical transfer case with an auto mode for on-demand to select between 2H and 4H. Power is distributed to a Dana™ 44 AdvanTEK solid rear axle and Dana 44 Advantek independent front differential unit.

Trail sights on the front fenders serve as tie-downs, reminiscent of the first-generation Bronco. (Aftermarket accessories shown not available for sale. Prototype not representative of production vehicle.)

Bronco two-door models come with a standard three-section roof system that is removeable quickly and easily with the first-row panels able to be stowed away on board. Both Bronco two- and four-door models offer the largest overall open-top view in its class to take in the sunshine or to gaze at the stars at night. (Prototype not representative of production vehicle.)

Pre-production 2021 two-door Bronco Black Diamond series in Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat with available Sasquatch™ off-road package.

Pre-production 2021 Bronco four-door Badlands series with available Sasquatch™ off-road package in Cactus Gray in Johnson Valley, California.

Another segment first ‘Trail Toolbox’ provides the driver with innovative tech to improve off-road experience. This includes Trail Control™ for low-speed cruise control and Trail Turn assist that gives controlled turning using ‘torque vectoring’. The new Trail One-Pedal Drive acceleration/braking control makes for more accurate rock crawling. This is coupled with a ground clearance of 11.6 inches. The two and four door can wade a depth of 33.5 inches while the Badlands and First edition can wade up to 23.6 inches.

Performance

All models are powered by a high tech, speed imbued EcoBoost engine®. The Badlands and First Edition is powered by a 2.0-litre with 245 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft of torque while other sport series with 1.5-litre with 181 horsepower and 190 lb.-ft of torque. The 2-door and 4-door ones are powered with a 2.7-litre with 310 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft of torque and a 2.3 litre expected to produce 270 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft of torque. The SUV’s also show-off a high strength steel chassis for best-in-class suspension travel. This machine also delivers a crawl-gear ratio of 94.75:1- the highest in its class.

The four-door 2021 Bronco will have available removeable modular roof sections – left and right front panels, a full-width center panel and a rear section. Roof panels on both two- and four-door models can be easily removed by unlocking the latches from the interior to provide the largest overall open-top view in its class to take in the sunshine or to gaze at the stars at night. (Prototype not representative of production vehicle.)

Outer package

The Sport comes with features like lift gate LED floodlamps, flip glass rear window and slide-out working table.
The 2 and 4 door have a more boxed in shape, and not to forget the quick-release stowable roof panels and doors (on select versions) . They all feature rounded headlamps and the iconic badge embedded front grille.

Though similar in outdoor capabilities, the Sport version is more suitable for those adventure seekers and is great for carrying additional cargo. With the Ford Co-Pilot360™ set of features like pre-collision assist, dynamic brake support, and blind spot information system, the SUV is pretty safety oriented as well.

Ealier this year Ford faced a drop in shares about 7% due to growing COVID-19 concerns. Though they didn’t have to worry much about sales, the epidemic did have traders worried about recession and any such market changes are sure to effect profits. The Bronco lineup may be the confidence boost that seals them an assured profit margin.

Interior styling

Inside, all Bronco models are purpose-built and ready for action. The instrument panel looks inspired by the first-generation model, with gauges and controls clearly visible and intuitive. Colors and materials are inspired by natural palettes and outdoor gear. Ford has not left any stone un-turned to make the Bronco fit in with nature. With off-road functionality paramount, materials are tough and rugged, Ford said.

A multi-function colour LCD instrument panel is front and centre with the transmission shifter/selector and G.O.A.T. modes controller in the centre console. Available grab handles are integrated into the modular instrument panel and centre console, while available MOLLE hooks are mounted in the seatbacks. Attachment points are built into the instrument panel to mount a bring-your-own-device rack, with 12-volt power connections to easily mount cameras, navigation units, phones or other devices.

Further setting Bronco ahead of the off-road competition is an available segment-exclusive 12-inch SYNC® 4 system with over-the-air updates and seamless integration to the FordPass Performance app with off-road navigation – a Bronco class-exclusive feature that allows owners to easily plan, navigate and share their off-road adventures. The SYNC system also displays the available 360-degree camera system with class-exclusive off-road spotter views to provide additional visibility in technical pursuits such as rock crawling.