RE: 2020 Ford Bronco is 'Built Wild'

[crofty1984]

AB said:

ash73 said:

Er, no. The little'un looks fantastic!

Agreed. Don't need it, have no use for it, but if I had spare space and cash, I'd have one.

It has holes in the doors. I love it!

[300bhp/ton]

crofty1984 said:

AB said:

ash73 said:

Er, no. The little'un looks fantastic!

Agreed. Don't need it, have no use for it, but if I had spare space and cash, I'd have one.

It has holes in the doors. I love it!

It's a factory option of a stylised "tube" type door.


They serve serval purposes. Firstly fresh air. In the hot parts of the USA, if you have the roof off, then open sides doors offer even better cooling and air circulation.

However more importantly, off road, they give increased visibility, most suited when rock crawling, not mudding

[camel_landy]

300bhp/ton said:

In the hot parts of the USA, if you have the roof off, then open sides doors offer even better cooling and air circulation.

To a point... In the hot areas, you're significantly better off using AC as circulating hot air is a sure fire way of ending up suffering from dehydration and/or heat stroke.

M

[300bhp/ton]

camel_landy said:

To a point... In the hot areas, you're significantly better off using AC as circulating hot air is a sure fire way of ending up suffering from dehydration and/or heat stroke.

M

But it's much more fun to be open air. Just Google or YouTube "Moab" and you'll see the vast majority are not using air con, despite the facts temps can get well into the 90's or maybe higher.




4 wheeling so much more fun when you are closer to nature, rather than being stuck in an enclosed box. Plus if you have spotters and the like, you'll need to be able to hear them. Hard to do with the windows up.

[camel_landy]

300bhp/ton said:

But it's much more fun to be open air.

Maybe so but my point still stands.

M

[InitialDave]

I think the tube doors also act as a fig leaf to address a specific rule in some states that you can't use stuff on the road without doors.

[unsprung]

In 49 of the 50 states, doors are not required.

Pennsylvania, if you google around, is the sole exception.

The issue with doors and the Jeep Wrangler is actually not about doors. It's about mirrors. These are attached to the doors.

A majority of states require at least a driver's side mirror if OEM supplied. Therefore, a doorless Wrangler without an aftermarket mirror attached is not in compliance. On roads.

This is why designers and engineers at Ford attached the Bronco side mirrors to the A-pillars, and not to the doors. Progress.

[unsprung]

How about a pickup truck version of Bronco?

Some on PH have mentioned that possibility -- and now it looks likely.

In four years:
https://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/new-ford-bro...

I've linked to an Australian copy of this news, simply because it provides a slightly different point of view on the vehicle. A point of view that might be appreciated here on PH.

BUT WAIT... There's more.

Would you believe it if somebody said that Ford will also produce a pickup truck based on the Bronco Sport unibody crossover?

.

[unsprung]

Video of Bronco crawling rocks on the Rubicon Trail.

Yes, that trail is a geographical feature much touted by Jeep. So Bronco is obviously showing itself as the dauntless challenger. By going to that trail.

https://www.motor1.com/news/437887/2021-ford-bronc...

Three videos, including moments of impact (underbody skid plates, frame rails) and scenes of being momentarily stuck.

[unsprung]

BRONCO HYBRID

"Because the hybrid bits are in the transmission, the folks at Ford can put it behind pretty much any engine that they want."

article here
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bronco-hyb...

and here
https://www.tflcar.com/2020/08/2022-ford-bronco-hy...

[300bhp/ton]

Demo of the Trail Turn Assist:

[Burnham]

300bhp/ton said:

Demo of the Trail Turn Assist:

Well that is gonna come in really useful in an empty Wallmart parking lot

[NomduJour]

Can it do wheelies like a Bobcat loader?

[DonkeyApple]

unsprung said:

BRONCO HYBRID

"Because the hybrid bits are in the transmission, the folks at Ford can put it behind pretty much any engine that they want."

article here
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bronco-hyb...

and here
https://www.tflcar.com/2020/08/2022-ford-bronco-hy...

It’s an interesting system and you can see its benefit for allowing engines to be downsized while retaining the power and performance of a big V8.

The issue though is that it’s not a hybrid solution that is legally acceptable for the ever growing urban legislations that want hybrids to be able to run for more and more miles on electric only.

Arguably not exactly an issue with the Bronco maybe but it struck me as an odd solution for the King of Vans in the UK and Europe?

[volvos60s60]

This is clearly what the Defender should have been. Ford do it better than JLR & it's a missed opportunity

[NomduJour]

This is a Ranger pickup with a retro body and some off-road leisure trinkets - I thought the anti-JLR brigade wanted a commercial vehicle, not a toy?

[300bhp/ton]

NomduJour said:

This is a Ranger pickup with a retro body and some off-road leisure trinkets - I thought the anti-JLR brigade wanted a commercial vehicle, not a toy?

It really bothers you that people like this more than the Defender.

[NomduJour]

I couldn’t care less - just pretty odd that people think a tarted-up Ranger (with evil IFS, oh no!) is now the ultimate object of off-road desire.

[unsprung]

DonkeyApple said:

It’s an interesting system and you can see its benefit for allowing engines to be downsized while retaining the power and performance of a big V8.

The issue though is that it’s not a hybrid solution that is legally acceptable for the ever growing urban legislations that want hybrids to be able to run for more and more miles on electric only.

Arguably not exactly an issue with the Bronco maybe but it struck me as an odd solution for the King of Vans in the UK and Europe?

Very interesting. I wonder if this "hybrid bits hidden in the transmission" solution is but one of the hybrid solutions pursued by Ford. We do know that the 10-speed automatic is designed, in its full-sized applications, to be able to deal with large amounts of torque. (ie: not the most modest of powertrains)

King of Vans will not want to jeopardise its leadership in vans, so we can assume that all the ultra-low and no-emissions solutions are being considered there.

One fun wrinkle in all of this: King of Vans is so good at vandom that some of the fastest-growing commercial segments in the US, in recent years, have been about offering vans originally designed for the European market, in the US.

[DonkeyApple]

volvos60s60 said:

This is clearly what the Defender should have been. Ford do it better than JLR & it's a missed opportunity

If they had been the size of Ford and in the same market space as Ford and able to build as cheaply as Ford then they probably would have done.

Ford will sell ten times more of these than the Defender because they can build more cheaply and have the existing sales infrastructure etc. JLR will sell many more but because they can carry the luxury premium they can factor in enough profit margin for it to work.

Similar looking products for what might as well be two different planets.