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Ford Motor Company

This is Hardcore: All-new 2021 Ford Bronco

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Words by Perry Mack

Ford says the Bronco is “Built Wild” to be the most rugged, innovative and connected SUV ever, which is a great slogan. More importantly, did they make it the most capable and customizable off-road SUV in North America? Let’s look at the top features in this highly-anticipated, all-new entry for 2021.

Ford will initially deliver the Bronco with two engine choices, seven drive modes, and 22 credible off-road features. The company also reported that the Bronco is so easily customizable that you can almost break it down to its bones in an hour with a wrench.

Let’s talk powertrain. There are two engines available. The standard engine is the 2.3L EcoBoost inline 4 (also used in the Ford Ranger), which generates 270 hp and 310 lb ft of torque, and the optional 2.7L V6 EcoBoost like the one from the F-150 with 310 hp and 400 lb ft of torque. Since Ford’s marketing department is making a heavy investment in Bronco’s relationship with off-road desert racing, we can also expect a ‘Raptor’ Bronco version in the next couple of years with the High Output 3.5L engine found in the Ford Raptor.

Adding fuel to Ford’s bigger-engine-is-better fire, is Jeep’s new 6.4L V8 Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept. This little gem dispels all complaints that the Wrangler will always be underpowered. It delivers 450 hp, 450 lb-ft of torque and can reach 0-100 kph in five seconds. Jeep released the news of this concept on July 13, 2020, the same day of the Bronco’s official release. As Sherlock Holmes surmised, ”Coincidence? I think not.”

Power is applied to the wheels with either the 10-speed automatic or for the hands-on-the-shift enthusiasts, a new 7-speed manual transmission with six speeds (plus a crawl gear that generates a crawl ratio of 95:1). To give some perspective, a solid all-round 4x4 like the Land Rover Defender will have a crawl ratio of roughly 50:1 and the best beast is currently a manual transmission Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with an incredible crawl ratio of 84:1. With a crawl ratio of 95:1, you can almost climb trees.

Bronco applies that force to the ground with available bead-lock ‘ready’ wheels. Beadlock wheels will allow you to air your tires down to almost zero tire pressure creating a large footprint for maximum traction. Without using this special type of wheel your tire would ‘break the bead’ and fall off the wheel.

Also, its 35” tires fit direct from the factory and are available on every trim level in both 2 and 4-door. This means you won’t need to install a lift to fit 35” tires like other 4x4’s including the Wrangler, and that the Bronco steering and powertrain are built tough enough to handle a bigger tire right from the factory.

Bronco has horsepower, torque, and traction but if it can’t keep the wheels on the ground off-road it has nothing. Ford says it has best-in-class suspension travel with 10” of travel in the front and over 10” in the back, more than the closest ‘segment’ competitor. This, combined with semi-active stabilizer-bar disconnect, gives the Bronco maximum articulation on uneven terrain, which means you keep more wheels on the ground for the best traction possible. Ford also says they’ve designed it so the driver can disconnect and reconnect with the flip of a switch while it’s under load and on an angle.

The front end gets an independent suspension system that’s tuned for off-roading with optional Bilstein position sensitive dampeners for high-speed desert running. The rear end has a traditional solid axle truck suspension.

Every Bronco comes with a two-speed shift-on-the-fly transfer case, but an advanced two-speed electromechanical transfer case is also available, which adds an auto mode for on-demand engagement to select between 2H and 4H. Power is distributed to a Dana 44 solid rear axle and Dana independent front differential unit – both are available with front and rear electronic locking differentials.

There are seven driver-selectable terrain modes, which Ford calls GOAT and stands for “Goes Over Any Terrain.” The five familiar modes include Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Sand, with three more aggressive off-road modes to include Baja, Mud ‘n Ruts and Rock Crawl. GOAT essentially does the thinking for you by choosing shift points, transfer case selection, differential locks, throttle tip-in, and stability control. It should allow more inexperienced off-road drivers to safely push themselves and their Bronco as they explore the backcountry.

As expected, Ford delivered on the driver-assist features with Trail Control – the cruise control for low-speed crawling that’s also found in Ranger and Raptor. A new feature is Trail One-Pedal Drive, which allows the driver to use one pedal to both brake and accelerate. It’s a more intuitive system than the two-foot strategy – one on the brake and one on the gas – used by many off-road drivers to get over tough sections while rock crawling. Another interesting feature is Trail Turn Assist, which sounds really good as it shortens your turning radius for navigating tight trails and mountain switchbacks. It does this by applying the brake to the inside wheel to pivot the Bronco around that point.

By the numbers (and in off-road we love numbers), the Bronco has a 29° breakover angle, 37.2° departure angle, 11.6 inches of ground clearance and a water-fording capability of 33.5 inches. Ford didn’t reveal the approach angle so it won’t be class-leading, and the fact that Ford’s engineers couldn’t squeeze out best-in-class with stock 35” tires must have killed them but by looking at the front end, Ford will be competitive. The benchmark has been the 2-door Wrangler Rubicon with 43.9° approach, 22.6° breakover and 37° departure.

Ford does offer a modular front bumper so drivers can switch to stubby for a better approach angle by removing the end caps, and the bumpers come ready to mount a winch.

Like Mom used to say, never leave home without protection. We aren’t sure what the base models get but the most off-road capable models come with front skid, engine, transmission, transfer case and fuel tank protection. We’re also glad to see rock rails that can support two times the weight of the Bronco. If Ford is on their game, these rails will have hi-lift jack points for trail-side tire changes.

Ford recognizes that we love to personalize our off-road rigs. Both for aesthetics and for performance. They’ve designed the Bronco so we can unbolt many components and replace them as we like. In fact, they say the Bronco can be stripped down to almost its bones in one hour with a wrench, but we expect they mean wrench set. Ford says they’ll offer more than 200 customizable factory-backed parts and accessories at launch, so no two Bronco’s will have to be exactly the same.

Taking a page from the original 1966 Bronco the roof and doors are removable. What’s especially cool is the lack of a crossbar at the B-pillar. It looks a little unnerving from a ‘let’s engineer a roll-cage point of view’, but it should provide a very open-air convertible experience. The doors are quick release light alloy and store in bags, in the back of the Bronco.

Some of our favourite features on the exterior are hood tiedowns that Ford calls Trail Sights, which allow you to add limb risers, extra lights or cameras. They also allow you to see where the Bronco’s front corners are from the driver’s seat. We like the classic upright windshield for good no-distortion visibility, although we know it will suffer from the Wrangler’s ability to attract rock chips.

On the interior we like the standard 8” or even better the optional 12” screen, grab handles for the passenger on the console and instrument panel, the bolt-in ‘bring-your-device’ rail on the dash for phones, GPS, cameras, radios or whatever you like to bring; with power on dash so you don’t have wires over the instrument panel. Key off-road buttons are right on the dash at eye level; you can get rubberized flooring with drains so you can hose down the interior, and marine-grade vinyl seats that don’t care if they get wet; we also like the power at the tailgate for a fridge/freezer, lights or music, and the slide out shelf that’s strong enough to sit on.

On the tech side, the Bronco gets Ford’s Sync 4, Co-Pilot 360, Over the Air software updates, and a Bronco first, the off-road navigation system. We look forward to seeing the class-exclusive Spotter View that Ford says will allow you to see the terrain in front of every tire to help drivers choose the best path through nasty terrain.

Ford has made the Bronco to be available in six trim levels based on how they feel people will use it. It starts at the Base, which is the no-frills SUV that’s ready to be customized into what drivers want – our favourite; Big Bend has more comfort features added on to Base; Black Diamond has more standard heavy-duty features; Outer Banks is for the person who prioritizes style and technology; Wildtrak is the desert-runner of the group – set up for high speed off-road; Badlands is the ultimate rock crawler and desert runner; and the special edition is called First Edition, which has the Badlands’ mechanicals, with the Outer Banks’ interior, and Wildtraks’ exterior features. The First Edition will not be available in Canada.

There are optional features and packages in every trim level as well but Ford is particularly proud of the Sasquatch package – named after Bigfoot, which is the ultimate off-road package and includes 35” tires, 17” beadlock capable wheels, advanced 4x4 drive modes, front and rear locking differentials, and the Bilstein position sensitive dampers. Best of all, it’s available on every trim level including Base.

Bronco will roll into dealer showrooms in the spring of 2021 with pricing for the 2-door Base starting at $40,499 CAD. Pre-orders can be made with a $100 deposit.

Is this enough to make you say the Bronco is North America’s best off-road SUV, if not, how do you think Ford missed the mark?

Watch the full video at https://youtu.be/6n7Kou6LmvU