UPDATE / Not that long ago Ford finally confirmed that the Bronco is more than just a rumor. It seems that the SUV will be built in Michigan alongside the upcoming Ranger. A few weeks back Ford announced that they are going to invest more than $850 million in the Michigan plant. This will allow them to increase the capacity of the factory which will likely be needed as demand will grow. The 2018 Ford Bronco is already one of the most expected models, and the expectations are only going to get higher.
2018 Ford Bronco Price and Release date
For starters, Ford announced that the production for the Bronco would start in 2024. This means that they will likely allow people to order them from late 2019. On top of that, the Bronco is more than likely going to be revealed next year. This has been the case with a few of their models, and we don’t see it change for the Bronco. Its price hasn’t been revealed so far. Despite that, the Bronco is set to compete with specific models meaning that it will have to be priced similarly. A base price of $25,000 is more than likely with the four-door versions going for past $30,000.
Specs
The upcoming Bronco will share not only its engines but also its chassis with the Ranger truck. This means that, just as Ford said, the Bronco will be over-engineered. This will allow it to better react to upgrades in the future which is highly important in this class. The SUV will likely boast rear live axles with an independent front suspension setup. In terms of engines, there are three possible choices at this point. The base model is likely going to boast a 2-liter turbo four with around 245 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. Further up the range, we should see a V6 EcoBoost with north of 300 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Diesel, likely Ford’s new 3 liter turbo-V6, with around 250 horsepower and 450 lb-ft of torque is also a real possibility. All of these will more than likely be available with either a manual or an automatic gearbox and standard four-wheel drive.
Design
This is one of the largest unknown factors about the upcoming 2018 Ford Bronco. There have been plenty of renders flying over the internet but nothing official. Also, Ford kept the development mules a secret so far even though we are certain they are testing the chassis and running gear under current Ranger bodies. We expect the new Bronco to combine the look of the first generation models with cues from Ford’s current lineup of SUVs for an end result that will likely become a modern-classic.
Review Sep 19, 2016 / The Bronco is one of Ford’s best-known crossovers but it was unfortunately discontinued quite a while ago because it was replaced by the more modern Explorer. While at the time many thought this was a great move by Ford, we are now not that sure considering that the Explorer is nearly useless in off-road so Ford doesn’t have any capable crossover in off road which means that the 4Runner and the Wrangler are the only real options. A while ago rumors about a new Bronco started to surface but Ford said that they were not working on such a car. Well, things changed and not too long ago they announced that the 2018 Ford Bronco is real and so far it seems that it will be one of Ford’s most interesting cars to be released in the last decade.
Ford said that the Ford Bronco 2018 will be released alongside the new Ranger in the US market which makes us believe that the car will be in fact using the Ranger platform instead of that of its larger brother, the F-150 which contradicts some rumors that said the car will be receiving a uni-body chassis. Instead, the body on frame construction will allow them to build a more rugged car and likely a much better performer in off-road. We might see the earliest production model by the end of 2017 or early 2018. The price would be around $25,000 for a base trim, or little less than that ($20,000).
Engine
With such a car Ford will definitely have to rethink what engines will be powering it in order to give it a fighting chance against the best-selling Wrangler. Our best bet would be that the will be released from the start with two different engines. The 2018 Ford Bronco will likely get either a 2 or 2.3 liters turbocharged inline 4 petrol engine that could offer with ease close to 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, enough to compete with the larger 3.6-liter engine from the Wrangler. On top of that, a 3.2 liter inline 5 diesel is a real possibility, an engine which would make many off-road enthusiasts happy thanks to its massive amount of torque and low fuel consumption. This hasn’t been confirmed so far but it seems Ford is seriously thinking of bringing a diesel on the market quite soon.
A hybrid is highly unlikely to be offered in the near future but instead, a high-performance version of the car equipped with a 2.7 or 3 liter twin-turbocharged V6 could be offered. This would be able to offer close to 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque which would easily outperform the engines from its competitors. Four wheel drive is likely going to be offered as standard while a 10 speed automatic will also be available. However, a 6-speed manual gearbox is going to be offered on the base models of the car.
Interior and Exterior Design
So far Ford hasn’t released any official drawings or concepts of the upcoming 2018 Ford Bronco but there are a few pictures out there which suggest how it may look. We strongly believe though that the car will not take as many design features from the original as people think but instead we do believe it will get some of the new Ranger’s design and on top of that, some of the cues on the original might be used as well.
The cabin of the car will also be quite modern despite the fact it will be called a Bronco and chances are it might even be identical to the new Ranger in order to save as much money on development as possible due to the fact most of the budget will likely go in an aluminum body and the off-road capabilities of the car.
More: Wikipedia.org