When it comes to legendary off-road vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler and Land Rover Defender, another iconic model from the American and British markets stands as their predecessor – the Ford Bronco. This year, it became the first off-road vehicle from Ford to be locally produced and launched in the Chinese market, named the Ford Bronco.
In terms of appearance, the Bronco can be described as “the most stylish urban SUV with a tough off-road spirit.” The vehicle’s main design is square and boxy, but with refined details like frames and surrounds that add curvature to soften its look. Features such as halo + insert combination LED headlights, partially removable floating roof, and sunken three-dimensional waistline add to its creativity and avant-garde vibe. Compared to the Wrangler and even the Defender, the Bronco seems more fashionable.
Size-wise, the Bronco’s all-terrain or off-road mud tires give it a more upright posture. Its dimensions are 4800x1990x1835mm (length x width x height), and with a wheelbase of 2950mm, it provides ample legroom for the second row and a spacious trunk.
Inside, the Bronco’s cabin exhibits a strong American car flavor, with large control panels and supporting structures designed for ease of use and accuracy while driving. The vehicle also incorporates many soft materials to enhance comfort, with substantial leather coverage in key areas, making the off-road experience more pleasant.
Regarding comfort, the Bronco’s standard features include front seats with electric adjustment, basic faux leather upholstery, and front seat heating. Ambient lighting and dual-zone air conditioning ensure basic comfort. Higher trims offer additional features like partial leather seats, a heated leather steering wheel, a 10-speaker B&O sound system, and conveniences like wireless charging pads.
Notably, Ford has upgraded the Bronco’s onboard software and hardware, using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and 16GB of RAM. This allows for dual-zone intelligent voice control, remote car control, and expandable car applications to keep users entertained. Starting from the second-lowest trim, the Bronco includes panoramic imaging, intelligent cruise control with crawl mode, and a diverse driving mode selection system for easier multi-terrain driving.
Under the hood, every Bronco is equipped with a 2.3T EcoBoost turbocharged engine, producing 202kW (275Ps) of maximum power and 429N·m of maximum torque, paired with a 10AT transmission. This setup delivers excellent torque performance, with a top speed of 169km/h. Both the entry-level part-time 4WD and the off-road version’s adaptive 4WD feature low-speed torque amplification for enhanced performance.
The Bronco’s chassis is developed on a non-load-bearing body structure, featuring front double wishbone independent suspension and rear multi-link non-independent suspension (integral bridge non-independent suspension). Models like the Wildtrak and Bigfoot Off-Road come with Goodyear LT 315/70 R17 MT off-road mud tires. Off-road data shows these models can increase the approach angle from 38° to 45°, departure angle from 31° to 37°, and ramp breakover angle from 22° to 26°, with a maximum wading depth increased from 800mm to 850mm. These figures surpass those of the Jeep Wrangler, combined with the central locking differential and individual front and rear axle differential locks, the Bronco excels in extreme passability and recovery challenges.
However, except for the top-spec Bigfoot model, other trims can only get manual tow hooks through optional off-road packages. The top model also gets independent snorkels (increasing maximum wading depth from 850mm to 925mm) and roof racks, expanding the vehicle’s usability. These extreme enhancements come at the cost of some convenient accessories like LED fog lights and running boards. Whether you need these features depends on your specific needs. Which one would you prefer? Feel free to share your thoughts with us.
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