Ford Bronco breaks cover one more time before this week’s unveiling
If you weren’t exactly sure if the Ford Bronco had the Jeep Wrangler in its sights, then this photo ought to do it.
This image of a Ford Bronco with its doors off and roof panels removed – while kicking up some sand – has appeared on US fan forum Bronco6G.com.
We’re guessing this is the last leaked image we will see before the new Ford Bronco line-up is revealed in all its glory on 8pm Monday Detroit time (Tuesday 10am in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania).
Ford is going to broadcast the unveiling of all three models live on this link here.
The Ford Bronco will be available in three guises. The two-door short wheelbase off-roader, a four-door long wheelbase off-roader, and a car-derived mid-sized SUV (think Toyota RAV4) called Bronco Sport or similar.
While the short and long wheelbase off-roaders are aiming for the heavy-duty off-road market, Ford is rolling the dice and betting there’ll be plenty of families who want the Bronco badge and elements of the Bronco’s appearance, but prefer the comfort and refinement of a car-based SUV.
The sad news is, although the Ford Bronco was sold in Australia from 1981 to 1987 – and despite the fact that it shares its DNA and much of its underpinnings with the locally-developed Ford Ranger ute and Everest 4WD – the reborn icon is no closer to heading Down Under, as it not planned for right-hand-drive production at this stage.
Ford has high hopes for the reborn Bronco in its US homeland. The three-door off-roader was sold in North America for 30 years until finally being axed in 1996 as buyers shifted to full size SUVs.