Ford’s new 2021 Bronco will revive iconic model after 24-year hiatus

Paved roads were never quite fully on the agenda when Ford conceived the iconic Ford Bronco that made its debut in 1965. However, by 1996, it decided to discontinue the production of the rugged two-door SUV as it conceded to a market that at the time favoured sedans and sportscars over SUVs.

Consumer demand has come full circle and with a renewed focus on SUVs, Ford has – wisely – decide to revive the Bronco with an all-new two-door model for 2021, alongside its first ever four-door Bronco too.

The sixth-generation Bronco is built on the Ford Ranger platform and, as the carmaker says, is “built with the toughness of an F-Series and the performance spirit of a Mustang.”

It has spared no effort in making this a thoroughbred 21st century tough-as-nails machine.

Bronco’s terrain management system has what it calls G.O.A.T – Go Over All Terrain – and has seven drive modes including Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Sand, with Baja, Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl to help do just that.

Even the 4×4 isn’t a standard one, but instead features two 4×4 setups. A base 4×4 offers a two-speed electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case. The advanced 4×4 setup meanwhile delivers a two-speed electromechanical transfer case that adds an auto mode for on-demand engagement to shift between 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive modes.

A Trail Turn assist tightens turning radiuses in off-road conditions using a torque vectoring and Trail Control – an equivalent of cruise control, but used here for low-speed offroad driving conditions.

It has 11.6-inch ground clearance, and a maximum of 29-degree breakover angle and 37.2-degree departure angle, along with a water wading depth of upto 33.5 inches.

The car has a suspension travel at the front and rear that is, it says, 17 per cent more than its competitors. Optional rock rails available for it are designed to take the entire weight of the vehicle onto it as the car’s monstrous 35-inch wheels navigate it out of quagmires.

The Bronco will feature a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine, expected to generate 310hp of power and 400 lb-ft of torque, while the 2.3-liter variant of the four-cylinder EcoBoost will generate 270hp and 310 lb-ft of torque.

Both of these will be petrol models and they will feature a 10-speed automatic transmission that delivers a crawl ratio of 67.8:1.

Additionally, the four-cylinder variant will also feature a 7-speed manual transmission with a crawler gear ratio of 94.75:1.

From a design perspective, Ford didn’t pick up where it left off from the model it discontinued in 1996, but rather went back to the drawings of the original one that broke cover in the Sixties – it’s a vintage-style, all-original back-to-the-basics retro design that’s hard to fault. The two-door models have a three-section roof system, while the four-door variants have four removable roof sections, and an option for a soft roof too.

Production of the new models will begin at Ford’s plant in Wayne, Michigan, early next year, with deliveries to showrooms expected to commence in the second half of 2021. Ford is currently offering it at a base price of $29,995.

Welcome back, Bronco.