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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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rallydefault

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People who do way more offroading than me tell me IFS in itself doesn't mean it's gonna be bad, far from it probably.

I think Ford made the right choice.

It's gonna make the pavement ride on the Bronco so much nicer than a jeep, and let's be honest: I'd wager at least half, perhaps even much more than half of people who buy jeeps these days are doing it for the appearance and lifestyle image. Their jeeps never leave the pavement, and I'm not knocking that, that's cool, do what you wanna do with it.

But give those people something that looks and functions almost exactly the same as a jeep (especially to people who have no idea what IFS even means) AND has a better overall ride, and bingo - you're gonna get a lot of people to flip. And imagine if Ford manages to undercut on price by a couple thousand. A lot of us have been complaining about seemingly inflated jeep prices, well... let's see what Ford does with pricing.
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Amaruq

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Hopefully Ford takes into account the fact that Jeep buyers are able to easily get 12% off sticker. They’d need to benchmark that.
 

RobNY

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jeepingib

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People who do way more offroading than me tell me IFS in itself doesn't mean it's gonna be bad, far from it probably.

I think Ford made the right choice.

It's gonna make the pavement ride on the Bronco so much nicer than a jeep, and let's be honest: I'd wager at least half, perhaps even much more than half of people who buy jeeps these days are doing it for the appearance and lifestyle image. Their jeeps never leave the pavement, and I'm not knocking that, that's cool, do what you wanna do with it.

But give those people something that looks and functions almost exactly the same as a jeep (especially to people who have no idea what IFS even means) AND has a better overall ride, and bingo - you're gonna get a lot of people to flip. And imagine if Ford manages to undercut on price by a couple thousand. A lot of us have been complaining about seemingly inflated jeep prices, well... let's see what Ford does with pricing.
Toyota tried the same marketing strategy with the FJ Cruiser. They had some initial success with it. But it couldn't hold on. While IFS doesn't mean that a vehicle can't off-road, it does limit it's capability. More importantly, it makes it much more expensive to modify. I do think that the Bronco will have good sales numbers initially. Ford has a massive fan base, and so does the Bronco on it's own. But I do believe that once the initial excitement has worn off, and buyers see how difficult, and expensive it is to modify, that sales will dip severely. The Wranglers solid front axle makes it relatively cheap and easy for someone to throw a 2.5" lift on it and run 37s. Some use them on the trail and some don't but it's very easy to do. Whether your motivation is performance or appearance. In the picture of the front suspension above you can see the angle that the short CV shaft is at stock height. Adding a lift will require a lot more than springs and shocks to correct that.
 

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rockadile

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Toyota tried the same marketing strategy with the FJ Cruiser. They had some initial success with it. But it couldn't hold on. While IFS doesn't mean that a vehicle can't off-road, it does limit it's capability. More importantly, it makes it much more expensive to modify. I do think that the Bronco will have good sales numbers initially. Ford has a massive fan base, and so does the Bronco on it's own. But I do believe that once the initial excitement has worn off, and buyers see how difficult, and expensive it is to modify, that sales will dip severely. The Wranglers solid front axle makes it relatively cheap and easy for someone to throw a 2.5" lift on it and run 37s. Some use them on the trail and some don't but it's very easy to do. Whether your motivation is performance or appearance. In the picture of the front suspension above you can see the angle that the short CV shaft is at stock height. Adding a lift will require a lot more than springs and shocks to correct that.
The FJ has been held up repeatedly as a counter as to why the Bronco won't work with IFS. While it may be true that was why it wasn't accepted as a "true offroader", I am of a different mindset. It didn't supplant the Jeep as a lifestyle vehicle because it was missing one of the key features (at least to me) of the Jeep...a removeable roof. Ford appears to know this and they are even making the roof modular and storeable in the vehicle. So I believe they see the importance of the removeable roof and are one-uping Jeep by relieving some of its pain points.
 

MarkY3130

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The FJ has been held up repeatedly as a counter as to why the Bronco won't work with IFS. While it may be true that was why it wasn't accepted as a "true offroader", I am of a different mindset. It didn't supplant the Jeep as a lifestyle vehicle because it was missing one of the key features (at least to me) of the Jeep...a removeable roof. Ford appears to know this and they are even making the roof modular and storeable in the vehicle. So I believe they see the importance of the removeable roof and are one-uping Jeep by relieving some of its pain points.
Maybe, but have you ever been out on a trail with a 4Runner, FJ, or Tacoma in the group, and watched them struggle to not tip over all day? Even if they are modified and the Jeeps are stock, they scare the crap out of me lifting wheels all over the place and the Jeep stays planted.

That’s why us off-roaders put so much importance on, and so much disappointment in this bronco (and new defender). I too was hoping for more options!
 

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That would be me.

Ford does not care to compete with the Wrangler Sport. I am not 100% sure on this but from what I understand though, you will be able to get a rubicon-equivalent Bronco for either the same price as a rubicon, or slightly cheaper. The options on the Bronco will be a lot more modular than Jeep, for example you will be able to get locking diffs on the base model just as an option.
 

ThirtyOne

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Toyota tried the same marketing strategy with the FJ Cruiser. They had some initial success with it. But it couldn't hold on. While IFS doesn't mean that a vehicle can't off-road, it does limit it's capability. More importantly, it makes it much more expensive to modify. I do think that the Bronco will have good sales numbers initially. Ford has a massive fan base, and so does the Bronco on it's own. But I do believe that once the initial excitement has worn off, and buyers see how difficult, and expensive it is to modify, that sales will dip severely. The Wranglers solid front axle makes it relatively cheap and easy for someone to throw a 2.5" lift on it and run 37s. Some use them on the trail and some don't but it's very easy to do. Whether your motivation is performance or appearance. In the picture of the front suspension above you can see the angle that the short CV shaft is at stock height. Adding a lift will require a lot more than springs and shocks to correct that.
The problem with the FJ wasn't IFS. It was the suicide doors and the fact that it was never updated with better engines, refreshed interior, etc. Even the 4-runner only sells half of what Wrangler does. Something as niche as the FJ just didn't make sense for Toyota.
 

ThirtyOne

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That would be me.

Ford does not care to compete with the Wrangler Sport. I am not 100% sure on this but from what I understand though, you will be able to get a rubicon-equivalent Bronco for either the same price as a rubicon, or slightly cheaper. The options on the Bronco will be a lot more modular than Jeep, for example you will be able to get locking diffs on the base model just as an option.
Jeep sells more Sport/Sport S than any other trim level. Rubicon is only around 30%. If it wasn't for the 4-door Sport S, there would be no Wrangler.

Edit: Thanks for your insights into the Bronco. It's appreciated.
 

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DaveNH

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I bet the 4 dr will be able to tow 5K.
At minimum.

It's Ranger based with the same drivetrain, which is rated for 7500# in the truck.

I could see it coming in lower for the Bronco, but they might want to position towing against Defender with the higher limit.

If so, I'd imagine that Jeep might offer the Gladiator rear suspension and max tow package as an option. Wouldn't be cheap though.
 

Nickp01

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Wow, starting price around 35k? For 2-door? That seems... really insane. I know you say inside source but I'm gonna take that one with some skepticism.
I’ve been posting bronco content on reddit and elsewhere for a few years now... you pick up some connections. The base price is indeed over $35k. However, a base Bronco is going to be significantly better equipped than even a Sport S. Proximity entry will be standard, auto trans standard or a very low cost upgrade, standard turbo 4, the super slick features they’ve built into the doors are standard(if y’all aren’t aware the doors are frameless so when you remove them it’s just a little square, plus other cool things)sync 4 touch screen standard. Plus other stuff. Bronco in base form will be much better equipped than a wrangler with a price to match.
 

jeepingib

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At minimum.

It's Ranger based with the same drivetrain, which is rated for 7500# in the truck.

I could see it coming in lower for the Bronco, but they might want to position towing against Defender with the higher limit.

If so, I'd imagine that Jeep might offer the Gladiator rear suspension and max tow package as an option. Wouldn't be cheap though.
And the Gladiator is capable of 7k. It has more to do with the wheelbase than anything else. I can't even begin to imagine how sketchy a Defender is at that capacity.
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