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Looks Like Ford Bronco is Serious About Taking on the Wrangler

Will you consider the new Bronco?


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RubiSc0tt

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"The new Bronco lineup will offer off-roading technology aimed at people who want a comfortable ride on the highway, and who go off-roading on sand, gravel or dirt, not clambering over boulders, Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley said in an interview."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ford-motor-bronco-idUSKBN24713Z
Annnnnnd there it is. Soft Roader. Not a direct Wrangler Competitor- so they can take all their posturing and shove off now.

Again, don't get me wrong: I love what I've seen of Bronco, and I think it's pretty awesome that Ford is FINALLY bringing it back. It's definitely in line with some of the more recent Broncos (IFS/SRA). I think it looks cool. I think it will be a cool vehicle, and it'll be able to do some stuff. But it will likely lack the ability to easily upgrade (i.e. Buying a lift kit for IFS vs. SFA, or needing a Solid axle swap), and will lack a feature that a key hardcore market segment of Wrangler buyers have come to expect: Solid front axle. But it's not a direct Wrangler Competitor, not any more than the FJ Cruiser was, or the 4 Runner currently is; This will be a go-fast in the dirt, semi-casual off roader that some Bronco diehards are guaranteed to mod up to the task. But off the showroom floor? Nah. Sorry.
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entropy

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Annnnnnd there it is. Soft Roader. Not a direct Wrangler Competitor- so they can take all their posturing and shove off now.

Again, don't get me wrong: I love what I've seen of Bronco, and I think it's pretty awesome that Ford is FINALLY bringing it back. It's definitely in line with some of the more recent Broncos (IFS/SRA). I think it looks cool. I think it will be a cool vehicle, and it'll be able to do some stuff. But it will likely lack the ability to easily upgrade (i.e. Buying a lift kit for IFS vs. SFA, or needing a Solid axle swap), and will lack a feature that a key hardcore market segment of Wrangler buyers have come to expect: Solid front axle. But it's not a direct Wrangler Competitor, not any more than the FJ Cruiser was, or the 4 Runner currently is; This will be a go-fast in the dirt, semi-casual off roader that some Bronco diehards are guaranteed to mod up to the task. But off the showroom floor? Nah. Sorry.
But you can take the top and doors off. and sadly but true, most wrangler owners dont even know they have a solid front axle, they dont even know what a SFA is. So they will take some sales from FCA I think. From what Ive heard the 2D bronco will have a longer wheelbase and therefore much more space than the 2D wrangler, making it as practical as a subaru crosstrek but you wont look like grandpa when driving the 2D bronco. They'll get sales on their soft roader.
 

Nickp01

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"The new Bronco lineup will offer off-roading technology aimed at people who want a comfortable ride on the highway, and who go off-roading on sand, gravel or dirt, not clambering over boulders, Ford Chief Operating Officer Jim Farley said in an interview."

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ford-motor-bronco-idUSKBN24713Z


sand, gravel, or dirt. sounds pretty clear to me. This is gonna be the most capable SUV, but not a Wrangler. Maybe theyre trying to make a new XJ type vehicle.
Annnnnnd there it is. Soft Roader. Not a direct Wrangler Competitor- so they can take all their posturing and shove off now.

Again, don't get me wrong: I love what I've seen of Bronco, and I think it's pretty awesome that Ford is FINALLY bringing it back. It's definitely in line with some of the more recent Broncos (IFS/SRA). I think it looks cool. I think it will be a cool vehicle, and it'll be able to do some stuff. But it will likely lack the ability to easily upgrade (i.e. Buying a lift kit for IFS vs. SFA, or needing a Solid axle swap), and will lack a feature that a key hardcore market segment of Wrangler buyers have come to expect: Solid front axle. But it's not a direct Wrangler Competitor, not any more than the FJ Cruiser was, or the 4 Runner currently is; This will be a go-fast in the dirt, semi-casual off roader that some Bronco diehards are guaranteed to mod up to the task. But off the showroom floor? Nah. Sorry.
And yet King of the Hammers posts this earlier:
Jeep Wrangler JL Looks Like Ford Bronco is Serious About Taking on the Wrangler 3F45DE50-B33B-4D85-8C05-55CDD7A5A488


So we have now basically confirmed the Bronco will options for:

-37” tires
-Front and rear locking diffs
-Sway bar disconnect
-7 speed manual with a dedicated crawl ratio
-V6 Ecoboost which means at least 400 Ft-Lbs of torque stock
-Great approach/departure angles

But it’s a soft roader? I think that’s just being in denial at this point tbh. I think that Ford is just officially keeping it close to the chest what the true capabilities are going to be, but the leaks are painting a very different picture.
 

MarkY3130

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Pretty sure if I paid enough money KOH would promote my 2 yr olds scooter.

I’ve said it before, I may buy a Bronco because I love enthusiast vehicles. It will not however replace my Wrangler, because I actually offroad. The Bronco will be too much of a soft roader to take on that duty. (Big rocks/tough trails) However, when I’m cross shopping my current supercharged Jaguar SUV against the Bronco I may opt for the Bronco over the Jag. Dunno yet.
 

RubiSc0tt

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So we have now basically confirmed the Bronco will options for:

-37” tires
-Front and rear locking diffs
-Sway bar disconnect
-7 speed manual with a dedicated crawl ratio
-V6 Ecoboost which means at least 400 Ft-Lbs of torque stock
-Great approach/departure angles

But it’s a soft roader? I think that’s just being in denial at this point tbh. I think that Ford is just officially keeping it close to the chest what the true capabilities are going to be, but the leaks are painting a very different picture.
Factory options? I have only been following this loosely. I got hyped when I saw the silhouette shots they posted before. Like I said- it's a slick looking truck and I want it to do well.

But don't get it twisted: We are talking about two separate things here:
Will the Bronco be good? It sure seems like it.
Will it be able to do some of the same stuff as Wrangler? Yes.
Will they get sales from Wrangler with it? They will no doubt take some sales from the Wrangler, from the casuals and blue oval faithful, and anyone else who is pissed at FCA for their handling of... anything with the JL.
But will it be able to go pound for pound with the Wrangler?: No. 80%, Sure. 90%+? Maybe.
But they're admitting in the presser that it won't be geared toward rock crawling, which, is a key component a market segment of Wrangler buyers look for;
It'll likely carve out a niche similar to 4 Runner, if I had to guess. The FJ Cruiser tried to do the same thing and ultimately failed, albeit looking much cooler than the 4 Runner.
Like I said, I'll believe it when I see it. This isn't an "all or nothing" kind of deal, I'm just highly skeptical.

Pretty sure if I paid enough money KOH would promote my 2 yr olds scooter.

I’ve said it before, I may buy a Bronco because I love enthusiast vehicles. It will not however replace my Wrangler, because I actually offroad. The Bronco will be too much of a soft roader to take on that duty. (Big rocks/tough trails) However, when I’m cross shopping my current supercharged Jaguar SUV against the Bronco I may opt for the Bronco over the Jag. Dunno yet.
Precisely.
and FWIW: There were Broncos on course at KoH 2020, and Ford threw major sponsorship dollars at the event. Jeep was suspiciously absent, perhaps outbid.
 

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jeepingib

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Again, I get it your a fan boy. As we all are as well. But there still hasn't been anything official that 37s will be an option. When Farley himself describes it as less capable than the Wrangler, even if he didn't use those words. And we've seen the front suspension. There's nothing to get excited about. I had hoped for more because it would be great to have real competition. But with short arm IFS the Bronco just doesn't cut it.
 

Nickp01

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Well we’ll find out in a week who’s right because this is just he said she said. I get where y’all are coming from, but at this point I think it’s pretty obvious that Ford wrote a blank check for this thing. And honestly, it makes me wish that Jeep had gone a bit outside the box for the JL. The JL is great, don’t get me wrong, but following the formula to a T and not innovating a bit more may have been a mistake. If nothing else Ford is thinking way outside the box with this.
 

entropy

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The day the 70 series landcruiser comes to the US, that day I would say the Wrangler got serious trail competition. The bronco doesnt have a solid axle, they are not targeting the same type of offroading, it is pretty clear we are gonna see a lot of front tires hanging in the air. Ford wants to sell and make large profits, they took the elements of the 4runner and the elements of the wrangler consumers like. Thats it. The Bronco is gonna be fast, loud, practical, comfortable, convertible, and attractive, but not a Wrangler.
 

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Again, people saying it's not competition because supposed (not even confirmed) lack of solid axles are missing or ignoring the discussion we had pages back.

The VAST majority of wrangler owners do not, I repeat, do NOT off road, let alone rock crawl. This is an internet forum. By its very nature it attracts a very particular type of person and naturally turns into an echo chamber of sorts. But even on this forum I would say it's about 50/50 with people who offroad their jeeps and people who don't. I'd actually wager more people on this forum don't off road than do. That should really tell you something when even your "enthusiast" population leans that way. There are a lot of people with insane lifts, massive tires, the whole offroad image around here, but whether they admit it or not (and some are cool and do admit it), their jeep never sees dirt.

The bronco will create direct competition to the wrangler no question unless they unveil it and it doesn't have 4x4 lol The competition will be there because Ford's marketing will create it whether or not it has solid axles. You already have suburbanites cross shopping wranglers with other various mid-size SUVs, why in the world would anyone think the bronco won't go directly for the jugular even with ifs? It doesn't matter one lick to most shoppers. The only thing that matters is the image in their mind and the Youtube ads with people raising their arms as the bronco splashes through some stream or something.
 

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Again, people saying it's not competition because supposed (not even confirmed) lack of solid axles are missing or ignoring the discussion we had pages back.

The VAST majority of wrangler owners do not, I repeat, do NOT off road, let alone rock crawl. This is an internet forum. By its very nature it attracts a very particular type of person and naturally turns into an echo chamber of sorts. But even on this forum I would say it's about 50/50 with people who offroad their jeeps and people who don't. I'd actually wager more people on this forum don't off road than do. That should really tell you something when even your "enthusiast" population leans that way. There are a lot of people with insane lifts, massive tires, the whole offroad image around here, but whether they admit it or not (and some are cool and do admit it), their jeep never sees dirt.

The bronco will create direct competition to the wrangler no question unless they unveil it and it doesn't have 4x4 lol The competition will be there because Ford's marketing will create it whether or not it has solid axles. You already have suburbanites cross shopping wranglers with other various mid-size SUVs, why in the world would anyone think the bronco won't go directly for the jugular even with ifs? It doesn't matter one lick to most shoppers. The only thing that matters is the image in their mind and the Youtube ads with people raising their arms as the bronco splashes through some stream or something.
I'll admit it! I do very little off roading, even when its mild stuff, things the Bronco will handle with ease. I'm on my 2nd wrangler (first was a 2009 JK 2dr 6sp, now a 2018 Sahara 6sp). I love the wrangler for what it represents and its American history. Mainly I love it because it'll get me thru 2ft of snow in NE winters, and I run top down doors off as much as possible in the summers, and the kids love it!!! And its about the only vehicle available I want to drive that I can still get with a stick, Ive never owned an auto anything. Looks to me like the Bronco is gonna tick most if not all those boxes for someone like me, so very much a direct competitor, and possibly more power and maybe more efficiency, and still has a manual!!! But I have too many Jeep shirts, hats, and posters to switch yet!!! But color me very intrigued...
 

richardya

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The VAST majority of wrangler owners do not, I repeat, do NOT off road, let alone rock crawl.
This is why I predict Bronco will be a massive failure. I think it will do well enough with the off-road crowd. But it will be an epic disaster with everyone else.

The miracle of the wrangler is that it is popular with outdoorsy retirees, off-roaders, beach people, snow people, 16 year old rich kids, and suburbanites.

In my opinion, the Bronco is ugly and has no style. It’s not complicated to build a capable vehicle for 35-50k, selling 250 thousand is the hard part. None of the posts in this thread address that.

solid axle vs IFS, meaningless for sales.
 

aldo98229

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Again, people saying it's not competition because supposed (not even confirmed) lack of solid axles are missing or ignoring the discussion we had pages back.

The VAST majority of wrangler owners do not, I repeat, do NOT off road, let alone rock crawl. This is an internet forum. By its very nature it attracts a very particular type of person and naturally turns into an echo chamber of sorts. But even on this forum I would say it's about 50/50 with people who offroad their jeeps and people who don't. I'd actually wager more people on this forum don't off road than do. That should really tell you something when even your "enthusiast" population leans that way. There are a lot of people with insane lifts, massive tires, the whole offroad image around here, but whether they admit it or not (and some are cool and do admit it), their jeep never sees dirt.

The bronco will create direct competition to the wrangler no question unless they unveil it and it doesn't have 4x4 lol The competition will be there because Ford's marketing will create it whether or not it has solid axles. You already have suburbanites cross shopping wranglers with other various mid-size SUVs, why in the world would anyone think the bronco won't go directly for the jugular even with ifs? It doesn't matter one lick to most shoppers. The only thing that matters is the image in their mind and the Youtube ads with people raising their arms as the bronco splashes through some stream or something.
Agreed. Bronco is competition.

For that matter, even a Tacoma TRD or a ZR2 is competition.

As unique and as good as Wrangler’s front solid axle is on the trail, the average buyer really doesn’t care.

However, for those who do, there’s no competition. And those are the owners who help shape that cool Wrangler image everyone else wants.
 

DaveNH

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aldo98229

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This is why I predict Bronco will be a massive failure. I think it will do well enough with the off-road crowd. But it will be an epic disaster with everyone else.

The miracle of the wrangler is that it is popular with outdoorsy retirees, off-roaders, beach people, snow people, 16 year old rich kids, and suburbanites.

In my opinion, the Bronco is ugly and has no style. It’s not complicated to build a capable vehicle for 35-50k, selling 250 thousand is the hard part. None of the posts in this thread address that.

solid axle vs IFS, meaningless for sales.
I agree that the challenge will be to sell 250,000 units/year. Heck, it is a challenge even for Wrangler. And Bronco won’t be cheap, we can all be sure of that. That will further complicate matters for Ford.

But I doubt Ford will let Bronco be a failure. It has stuck its neck out too much to take egg on the face.

Thing is, (1) as much as we love our Wranglers, there are a ton of owners out there dissatisfied with Jeep quality and dealer service. And there’s another bunch disappointed with how Wrangler serves as a daily driver. These are prime candidates to jump ship. Also (2) Ford has a ton of loyal fans, some who currently own a Wrangler because they have no alternative. Many of them can’t wait to go back to their beloved brand. Finally, (3) by the looks of it, Bronco represents the strongest attempt so far to provide a direct assault at Wrangler.

If Ford plays its cards well, it can give Jeep a lot of heartburn. And every indication so far is that Ford is playing its cards very deliberately.

Personally, I think it’s long overdue.
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