AFTER 23 YEARS OF MARKET ABSENCE, THE REVERED FORD BRONCO IS BACK. MODERN UPDATES ABOUND, BUT IT REMAINS A VISUAL ODE TO ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT VEHICLE DESIGNS OF ALL TIME

BY EVAN MONROE

As if to remind all of its place as one of the founding fathers of the SUV at a time when that format is preeminent among domestic makers the Ford Bronco, last sold more than two decades ago and one of the most iconic off road vehicles ever produced, is once again going to be available to testosterone fueled dreamers from the Bronx to Berkeley.

In what is certain to be more than a little anxiety provoking to Jeep, which debuted its Wrangler JL (the successor to the long running JK platform) in late 2017, the new Bronco will have the same body on frame structure as the 2019 Ranger, but other than that be, as Ford’s Chief Technical Officer Raj Nair explained during the Bronco announcement at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, “completely unique,” and not just a visually hardened version of the Explorer, say. That aside, details are a little sketchy, but the 4×4 will likely roll out with a turbocharged 2.3 liter inline four cylinder engine producing approximately 300 horsepower, along with the tantalizing (and, it seems, increasing) possibility of no less than a 10 speed automatic transmission (a V6 appears in the offing as well). In terms of size, it will place between the first and second generation Broncos, and keep aspects of the revered two box exterior design (still a classic, 55 years later).

The new steed will likely be labeled as a 2020 model, though could appear in dealerships late this year, and our best guess as to a sticker price starts in the neighborhood of $30,000 to $35,000. Originalists might argue that’s a departure from the Bronco’s early mandate being an affordable competitor to the 1960s era Jeep CJ 5 but expect an impressive suite of off road performance capabilities and creature comforts to go with the extra scratch.

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