2023 Ford Bronco spied in Victoria, still a distant chance for Australian showrooms

A 2023 Ford Bronco has been spotted in Victoria – but Ford Australia says there are still no current plans to bring the retro-inspired four-wheel drive wagon to Australian showrooms.

Spotted by Drive reader Ric, this left-hand drive Bronco is a short-wheelbase two-door model, fitted with the optional Sasquatch off-road package, and finished in Cyber Orange paint.

A Ford Australia spokesperson told Drive: "There are no plans to introduce Bronco to Australia."

The spokesperson told Drive this Bronco is in the country as part of "ongoing work" in Australia – where it was partially engineered – on the T6.2 architecture, which is shared with the Ford Ranger ute and Everest 4WD.

MORE: Ford leaves the door open for Bronco in Australia

While there are no current plans to bring the Bronco to Australia, Ford executives have previously told Drive the door is open for a local launch.

If it was to come to Australia, the Bronco would likely undergo a local conversion to right-hand drive – rather than built in right-hand drive from the factory – as planned for the Ford F-150 full-size US pick-up, due in Australia showrooms later this year.

However, one challenge from bringing the Ford Bronco to Australia is its rampant popularity in the United States, where it is currently sold out with lengthy wait times for new orders.

The Sasquatch package fitted to the car spied includes 35-inch off-road tyres on 17-inch alloy wheels, upgraded 4.7:1 differential ratios, fender flares, front and rear locking differentials, and improved off-road suspension.

This Cyber Orange colour was discontinued for Model Year 2023 in the US, which indicates this particular Bronco spied in Australia is more than one year old.

This Ford Bronco also looks to have been testing off road, judging by the ‘rock rash’ on the front wheel, and the dusty tyres.

The new Ford Bronco uses the same Ford-developed T6.2 ladder-chassis platform shared with the Ford Ranger, Ranger Raptor and Everest – the design and testing of which was led by Australian-based engineers.

The Ford Bronco powered by a range of turbocharged petrol engines: a 2.3-litre four-cylinder (223kW/440Nm), a 2.7-litre turbocharged V6 (246kW/562Nm), and in the top-specification Bronco Raptor, a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 (312kW/597Nm) derived from Australia's Ranger Raptor ute.

Unlike the Ford Ranger, the Bronco currently skips a diesel engine option – however hybrid power is slated to arrive at a later date.