The 2020 Ford Bronco Will take a swing at the Jeep Wrangler with 2.3 EcoBoost Engine

Update 7/13/2020: The 2021 Ford Bronco Family has officially launched and the 2.3-liter engine is being offered. It will deliver a cool 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Transmission options include a seven-speed manual transmission (6 normal gears plus a crawling gear) or a 10-speed automatic transmission. In the mean time, you can check out our debut article: The Ford Bronco Has Arrived and We can Smell Fear from Jeep Dealers Everywhere

Already confirmed for a 2020 debut, the upcoming Ford Bronco is still a mystery, but various leaks have already provided info on its exterior design. Now, another leak confirms that the SUV will arrive with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine under the hood.

The Ford Bronco will arrive with Ranger truck power

The folks over at Off-Road.com discovered information about the Bronco's engine while browsing for parts on a tablet at a Canadian Tire store. The listing, also on Canadian Tire's website, features a 2021 model year "Ford truck" named Bronco with "engine size" listed at "4-140 2.3L DOHC." If you're wondering what "4-140" stands for, it refers to four cylinders and 140 cubic inches, which converts to 2.3 liters.

This means that, at least in the beginning, the Bronco will be sold with a 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The listing doesn't specifically confirm that it's an EcoBoost mill, but this is very likely given that the Bronco will have the same underpinnings as the Ranger truck.

The Ford Bronco will boast 270 horsepower

A quick look at Ford's current vehicle lineup is enough to notice that the brand's model do a lot of sharing. This means that the Bronco will feature the exact same engine as the Ranger. This specific 2.3-liter EcoBoost mill cranks out 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. That's far from massive, but it's not bad either given the size of the SUV. And that torque figure is actually impressive.

The mill features a twin-scroll turbocharger that extracts exhaust gas from two pairs of cylinders in alternating sequence in order to enhance pulse energy and reduce lag. It also features an Auto Start-Stop function that shuts off the engine when the vehicle comes to a stop and restarts it immediately when the brake is released. This feature improves fuel economy. The Ranger is rated at 21 mpg city, 26 mpg highway, and 26 mpg combined, figures that shouldn't change much for the Bronco.

Ford pairs the 2.3-liter EcoBoost to a 10-speed automatic transmission in the Ranger, and this unit should carry over to the Bronco. A new design, the SelectShift gearbox features optimized gear progressions for smooth shifting.

2019 Ford Ranger specifications

Engine	2.3-liter EcoBoost	2.7-liter EcoBoost
Horsepower	270 HP	335 HP
Torque	310 LB-FT	380 LB-FT
Fuel economy city/highway/combined	21/26/26 combined	19/26/21
Transmission	10-speed automatic	8-speed automatic

The Ford Bronco will deliver a bit more oomph than the Jeep Wrangler

Aimed directly at the Jeep Wrangler, the Bronco has what it takes when it comes to output. At 270 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost delivers just as much power as Jeep's 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a bit of extra torque. Specifically, FCA's 2.0-liter turbo-four cranks out 270 horses and 295 pound-feet. That's an identical power rating but 15 pound-feet less than the EcoBoost. Performance and fuel economy will obviously depend on a few factors, like drive setup, weight, and other drivetrain components, but based on figures alone, the Bronco will be a tad superior.

On the other hand, the Wrangler is also available with a 3.0-liter V-6. The iconic Pentastar mill delivers a solid 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. That's an extra 15 horses over the EcoBoost, but the Pentastar suffers from a significant 50-pound-foot deficit. This means that, overall, the EcoBoost-powered Bronco will be at least as powerful as the V-6 Wrangler. The extra torque could even help it achieve quicker sprints.

Ford could offer a more powerful engine placed above the 2.3-liter EcoBoost, but even if it doesn't happen, the Bronco is powerful enough to compete with the iconic Wrangler.

The Ford Bronco will arrive next year

The listing's "2021" year mark further confirms that the Ford Bronco will arrive next year. Most sources indicate that the SUV will probably break cover in the summer of 2020, with production set to commence in January 2021. We already know that the Bronco will be built at Ford's factory in Wayne, Michigan. That's where Ford currently assembles the Ranger pickup truck. The previous Bronco was also built at the Wayne plant alongside a range of midsize and full-size cars.