Why the 2021 Bronco is awesome

[IPD]

Grille is where I expect there to be a LOT of customization available. Ford itself already has at least 2 or 3 different versions available on different trim levels already. Aftermarket will have even more. And I expect that the "Raptor" or wtf they call it when it comes out in a few years will probably have YET ANOTHER type of grille.

Honestly, the only things I'm really not liking about the Bronco is that the 2 door doesn't have doors you can store in the back, the process to remove some parts like doors is a bit more cumbersome than I'd really like it to be, and the wheelbase is a bit longer than I really want. However, if 2-door "Raptor Bronco" does truly have the ability to fit 37's and comes with a 3.5L ecoboost with 400+ hp, it will be in a niche all it's own, and I will covet one in unspeakable ways.

p.s.
Near as I have heard, the half doors are merely another customization option--one not yet definitively outlined. So you're not required to have them.

[IPD]

Honestly, the more I learn about it, the more I really want one. Again, only minor quibbling about the design:

-Sure, the wheelbase is a few inches longer than I'd want.
-And they could have found a way to make some quick-release levers for the doors instead of bolts.
-And suicide half doors would have allowed the shorter, main doors to be stored in the back--doors which could have been the same size as the ones on the 4-door.
-And the interior roof spars are not going to allow much of a "Fastback" look even with some kind of soft-top offering eventually coming.
-Removable fenders are a nice touch, but I'd rather see their lines integrated more into the bodywork, rather than being a clear "stuck on" piece--I think the sheet metal needs to bulge outward on the wheel arches a bit more.
-I get that they're paying homage to the 1g Bronco--but that's where you get memes like this:




...I'd really love to see a modern, all-LED, hyper-aggressive, "pissed-off/angry-eyes" and shark fangs grill...rather than the "everyone had round headlights and a boring front fascia in the 60's" look.

But the aftermarket community will EXPLODE with support for this vehicle. With the Sasquatch package, it's virtually identical or better in every category than the Rubicon--and has better road manners because of the IFS. And at the end of the day, if I get automatic 4WD (which the top trims have), a turn radius ~35' and 400+ hp....I will have died and gone to heaven. They are only available in ecoboost varieties...which means that aftermarket support to get something like 500 4WD hp out of it will be happening within the first year--and possibly sooner if we're talking 3.5L.

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Can you imagine? 1 vehicle that will:

-run over sand dunes at 70 mph+
-rock crawl with the best Jeep offerings
-do 0-60 at a stoplight in the 4.5-5.5 second range (the 2020 F150 Supercab Raptor does 5.5, but less curb weight + bigger tires = ?)

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

[j2k4]

Carlos, you want to kill the aftermarket?

Edit:

I mean in the sense that if is were that good off the lot, the aftermarket would begin in the stratosphere and hence be more narrow than broad.

[TT4ME]

I know you're not one for manuals, but having the larger engine with one would be nice. The 5.0 coyote would be dynamite. A 392 wrangler has been teased but I don't expect it to actually hit the market.

The best feature for my tall ass is the roll cage design. There is nothing above the front row seats, unlimited head room. If I ever get rear ended in my Jeep, I do not want to see the result. I hit the roll cage almost every time I drive it.

[IPD]

Oh the 392 will def hit the market, because Jeep has just been caught with their pants down, and they have a LOT of catching up to do. It's a stopgap to keep people interested while they panic to catch up.

I'd wager there's about a 0.01% chance this ever comes with a v8. The 3.5 ecoboost is the superior engine. In the raptor (which is what i'd expect to have for this as well), the 3.5 is rated at 450hp and 510tq vs the 395hp/400tq on the 5.0 Coyote. IMHO, the argument for a V8 is identical for the argument for a SFA; purists who insist upon it. Because apart from exhaust note and Luddites fearful of forced induction...there's virtually no compelling reason for the 5.0 over the 3.5 EB.

https://www.autobytel.com/trucks/car...5-0-v8-133283/

Personally, I only think the manual option needs to be in this vehicle for the purists who wouldn't ever consider the Bronco without one. It will be piss easy in the future to cannibalize the 10 speed in favor of the 6 speed--I wouldn't worry about that in the least. There will always be people who insist on rowing gears no matter what--and there will always be aftermarket support for them. It will be far, far, FAR cry from trying to get 3/s support for an AWD AT. Either engine swaps will be common or trans swaps will be--but either way, the MT die-hards will be kept happy. I guarantee you that if the tables were turned and the AT was only on the base engine, nobody would give a flying fuck about offering to pair the AT with the more powerful engine. Gotta love the hypocrisy.

And it's really only something for people who only want to rock crawl with it. There's a reason why Rally Fighter has been using an AT since birth--they are much better suited to flying through unpaved terrain at high speeds. And that's what I want it for--off-road speeds that would be illegal on pavement.

[TT4ME]

Those numbers seem a bit outdated, or are for the truck version? The current Mustang GT is 460hp/420tq. The Bullitt bumps that to 480hp. Still similar to the 3.5 ecoboost, but the power band is more desirable.

[IPD]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_EcoBoost_engine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Modular_engine

Apart from the 1g GT, the GT500, and the FPV Falcon GT-F (all of which are supercharged V8's) and the GT350--the output on the current Raptor is higher than any v8's in the lineup--both hp and tq wise (Falcon and Bullitt have marginally higher hp). Must be some reason why the 2g GT is now a 3.5 Ecoboost as well (647hp/550tq)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_M...th_generation)

For the current Mustang:

GT500: 760hp @ 7,300 rpm / 625 @ 5,000 rpm

GT350: 526hp @ 7,500 rpm / 429 @ 4,750 rpm

Bullitt: 480hp @ 7,000 rpm / 420 @ 4,600 rpm

and the F-150 Raptor: 450hp @ 5,000 / 510tq @ 3500 rpm

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Call me crazy, but--especially on an off-road vehicle--why would having 90 more torque at 1100 lower rpms (+ 30 less hp but at 2,000 lower rpms) be a bad thing? That powerband is much more desirable, imho.

[TT4ME]

Numbers at 1000-3000 rpm are more important. I'd be curious to see that comparison

[stealthee]

Yeah. Peak horsepower is nothing more than a bragging number. Usable horsepower and average horsepower are what matter.

[IPD]

That's my point. The 3.5 EB appears by every measure (at least the ones I can readily google) to make its power lower in the rpm band. The fact that turbos make aftermarket modding easier than trying to mod a high-compression-ratio NA is just icing on the cake.