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JL Wrangler vs New Ford Bronco

JLtherig

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And how did the FJ do? The reason it is out of production is directly because it was marketed as a direct Wrangler competitor and it failed in that respect.

I didn't say anywhere that the Everest could not off road. I said it would fail as a Wrangler competitor (if Ford chooses to bill it as a direct competitor).The Everest has been shown to be a capable off road vehicle and it sells decently well in Australia but you will be hard pressed to find many Wrangler owners/fans jumping ship for an Everest wearing Bronco clothing.

Ford will take the existing T6 architecture and make minor changes keeping most of the same hardware and specifications while giving it a Bronco sheet metal facelift.I have no doubt the vehicle will sell based on its name and image alone, but if Ford wants to claim this is a true Wrangler competitor it will have to prove it on the trail and in that respect it will not even be close. The Bronco has always been a lifestyle off roader. It's going to stay as such, and maybe even more so in this next iteration after learning lessons from the FJ.
Dude, you're drowning in that Kool-Aid. And I'm sorry to tell you, you don't have it figured out as well as you think.

Ford isn't exactly a crash strapped company. With products like the Raptor, I doubt the Bronco will be as half-assed a truck as you suggest. As is, the Everest matches the capability of the Land Cruiser Prado, which is saying a lot. The immediate stand out qualities the Wrangler has going for it over those two is the fact that it maintains a solid front axle and has an off-road specific build that makes it more trail and rock crawling friendly. And while there are more than a few die-hard Wrangler fans that wouldn't jump ship for sh*t other than a Wrangler, there are those that are looking for something different other than.....well you guessed it, a Wrangler.

The FJ didn't fail because it was marketed a direct competitor to the Wrangler (which it held up pretty well against), it failed because the packaging sucked. It wasn't exactly a family friendly interior lay out and came with a crap ton of compromises by virtue of its design. The FJ also wasn't cheap. What family in America wants a utility vehicle with compromised utility? Defeats the purpose entirely.

The only way the Bronco will fail is if Ford offers it as a two-door only, which I highly doubt they will.
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F1Mark

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One thing the Wrangler has that Ford will not be able to match (at least for a long while) is unmatched aftermarket. It will take some time for Bronco even if it sells decently well. I admit I am intrigued by what Ford will do but I'll probably pick up a JL (unless they screw it up) and take a wait and see approach with the Bronco.
 

Vegas_Sirk

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Ford has a great direct connection with the aftermarket. They give away $1 vehicles for SEMA every year to some of the top builder/tuners in the country. Knowing Ford they will release the Bronco in the fall around October/November right around the SEMA show which will be showcasing all their new products.

One of my best friends from high school is the owner of Brenthel Industries / Baja Kits and they would build a long travel kit for it the day they could get their hands on one. Maybe even sooner as they could get the CAD files from Ford.
 

JLtherig

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One thing the Wrangler has that Ford will not be able to match (at least for a long while) is unmatched aftermarket. It will take some time for Bronco even if it sells decently well. I admit I am intrigued by what Ford will do but I'll probably pick up a JL (unless they screw it up) and take a wait and see approach with the Bronco.
That's a biggie.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that it's almost guaranteed Ford will complicate the hell out of the four-wheel-drive system as where Jeep will (hopefully and from the looks of it) continue to offer a manual lever. At this end of the vehicle spectrum, less is always more. Or at least you leave it to the customer to add the complexity.
 

jb1990

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Ford has a great direct connection with the aftermarket. They give away $1 vehicles for SEMA every year to some of the top builder/tuners in the country. Knowing Ford they will release the Bronco in the fall around October/November right around the SEMA show which will be showcasing all their new products.

One of my best friends from high school is the owner of Brenthel Industries / Baja Kits and they would build a long travel kit for it the day they could get their hands on one. Maybe even sooner as they could get the CAD files from Ford.
By then we will see thr JT roll out and a whole new line of Jeep parts with it. Ive been fortunate enough to go to SEMA and the Wrangler totally dominates the show. Hundreds of JKs. I look forward to seeing the Bronco and if it debuts at SEMA you can be sure there will be a leak beforehand.
 

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Vegas_Sirk

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I doubt it would debut at SEMA ... just saying thats when it will be in buyers hands will most likely be around this time of year (just after SEMA). Fords are well covered aftermarket wise. There are a million parts for the F150 and Super Duty, so I don't think the aftermarket for the Bronco will be a problem.
 

Cam

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The only way the Bronco will fail is if Ford offers it as a two-door only, which I highly doubt they will.
Bronco could also fail if the styling sucks. If it looks like a smaller Everest, it'll fail, no matter how much utility it has. Fact is a lot of people buy the Wrangler because of its classic tough-no frills-military-inspired Jeep styling. If the Bronco looks like your average run of the mill SUV it'll already have lost.
 

JKguy

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I don't think it will come down to specs. They will have to undercut the JL pricing to get traction. I don't know anyone that would hold off on a Jeep purchase to see what Ford is doing with the Bronco. Theres no guarantee it will even have a removable top and be off road capable. Looking at Ford's line up they reallly love their soccer mom SUV's in all different flavors.
Yeah, when they made the last gen Bronco, they made the top harder to remove, and it is technically illegal to take the top off that gen bronco because the seat belts are anchored onto the top. And that lowered the price slightly. So, if they do it like the wrangler and have a roll cage and removable top, they still would have to find a way to make the price lower than the JL.
 

JKguy

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When they do, I hope they make it look like the last gen model, with that nine hole design front grille
 

JKguy

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SVT has done a great job with the Raptor IFS which works well in 90% of the terrain and the 11" front travel is a lot for a pickup. It's built for go fast trailing/cornering but for the slow and steady speeds across the nastiest most punishing real world trails there's no substitute for the straight axle.

We're really comparing apples and oranges with the SVT versions however. A non Raptor Bronco won't get SVT engineering and the Tundra has the beefiest and most front travel IFS on the market right now with ~9" front travel stock. This will be a big factor to get any Wrangler cross shoppers.
Hopefully they have an SVT version
 

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JLtherig

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Bronco could also fail if the styling sucks. If it looks like a smaller Everest, it'll fail, no matter how much utility it has. Fact is a lot of people buy the Wrangler because of its classic tough-no frills-military-inspired Jeep styling. If the Bronco looks like your average run of the mill SUV it'll already have lost.
True. I'm always thinking Ford designers are going to do the right thing and look to the original Bronco for inspiration for the new design. If they don't find a way to bring that classic look into the future (and let's be honest, this is the generation of Bronco most salivate over) it's going to be a rough perhaps not a road worth going down with dismal market performance through lackluster sales. Making it look like anything else than the original - and that would include modeling it after the current crop of Ford trucks - would be a missed opportunity.
 

Billy

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True. I'm always thinking Ford designers are going to do the right thing and look to the original Bronco for inspiration for the new design. If they don't find a way to bring that classic look into the future (and let's be honest, this is the generation of Bronco most salivate over) it's going to be a rough perhaps not a road worth going down with dismal market performance through lackluster sales. Making it look like anything else than the original - and that would include modeling it after the current crop of Ford trucks - would be a missed opportunity.

Ford has done a great job with the Mustang in regards to classic styling, I see no reason why they can't do the same with the Bronco.

It'll never be a Jeep though.

Having said that, I'll reiterate that if Ford makes an SVT version of a classic looking Bronco it would make me very randy. ;o)
 
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JLtherig

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Ford has done a great job with the Mustang in regards to classic styling, I see no reason why they can't do the same with the Bronco.

It'll never be a Jeep though.
Ford also does a great job when it comes to engineering and making vehicles with superb capability. Don't count the Bronco out, yet.
 

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I doubt we'll see a SVT Bronco anytime soon. I'm not saying I wouldnt be curious to see it made but from a business stand point there's not a proven market for it if they are going after Wrangler buyers who are very price conscious and prefer to do the modding themselves. IMO at most we'll see an upper trim to compete with the Rubicon.
 

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So there'll be a 4 door Bronco for the first time?! I'd be surprised to see Ford introduce both a 2 and 4 door Bronco. They don't even know if it'll sell well so that'd be a gamble. And just because it'll be body on frame and carry the Bronco name alone won't make it successful. It'll have too be styled right, have actual off road chops, AND be highly modifiable to get Wrangler fans' attention.
I think it would be a mistake for Ford to NOT make a 4 door. Purists will complain and hopefully they also offer a 2 door but the sales don't lie. They need to make a 4 door if they want it to be a volume seller.
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