Ford Off Road Cars

Six months after revealing the 2021 Ford F-150, Ford finally brought in the new Raptor as well. There was a lot of mulling around Ford introducing a V-8 to rival the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. But, Ford decided to keep the standard Raptor clear and announced a new Raptor R that will feature a V-8 and take on the cocky Ram 1500 TRX.

The 2021 model year marks the third generation of the F-150 Raptor, and Ford has come up with some significant changes. For starters, you can now have it with 37-inch tires from the factory, which was unheard of in this segment. Then there’s the new exhaust system to make it sound sweeter. But, will these changes push the price of this V-6-powered truck dangerously close to a better-accomplished, V-8-powered Ram 1500 TRX?

The only chink in Bronco’s armor is the missing V-8 engine under the hood. Although Ford matched the Jeep Wrangler in every aspect, dare I say, even better in some, the lack of a V-8 will be a deal-breaker for some folks. However, aftermarket tuners have grabbed on to this opportunity. PaxPower was one of the first companies to announce a Bronco V-8 and soon many companies jumped the wagon. The latest one to do so is Hennessey Performance.

Hennessey has announced that it will be building a VelociRaptor version of the Ford Bronco with a V-8 mill that will churn out 750 horses. This will be a limited-edition build and will cost around four-times the cost of a standard Bronco. Is it worth it?

Although the Ford Bronco checks most of the boxes, and then some more, there are a few rather noticeable things that are missing. One is the V-8 engine, which looked like it could feature somewhere in the future, but Ford confirmed that’s not happening.

The second one is the foldable windshield. When the Bronco was unveiled, it came with almost all the stuff that is offered on the Wrangler as well, but it was conspicuous by its absence. Ford has now thrown some light on it citing compromised construction as the reason for it not being offered.

The brand-new, 2021 Ford Bronco is more than just a hauler to drive around in. Just like the Jeep Wrangler, the Bronco was conceived with off-road capability in mind and the right specs will enable it to climb muddy and rocky trails with ease.

Do that without the doors into place and the interior will get dirty, but this isn’t much of an issue since it’s the kind of vehicle you can clean with a hose. And because the Bronco’s floor is fitted with no fewer than 10 plugs, draining the water out of the cabin is not a problem.

Air conditioning is not a ‘feature’ in cars anymore. It’s available from the entry-level cars to the most expensive ones. The only thing that differs in cars across the range is the availability of rear A/C vents, automatic climate zone, multiple-zone control, etc.

When Ford launched the Bronco, one such feature that didn’t made the cut was the conventional rear A/C vents as seen in other cars. Although it didn’t seem like a deal-breaker considering its niche, some people have been nitpicking this feature to a point where Ford had to address the “issue” and shed some light on it. This goes on to show how entitled people are these days.

After what was a rather dumb move on Ford’s part, the company has officially confirmed that it will be offering the seven-speed manual gearbox with the Sasquatch Package. When the company announced this off-road package, it checked all the boxes and made even the lower trims off-road worthy. But, the only thing missing was the manual gearbox, and it didn’t go down well with potential customers. Fortunately, Ford heard them and decided to offer it before it was too late. We’re happy now.

News about the Ford Bronco Raptor has been heading in the right chronology until now. We first heard hushed talks about sparked the news, then some leaks here and there with a few spec details, then an “error” by a Ford engineer on Linkedin, and finally some confirmation on what to expect from the Bronco Raptor. But, it looks like there’s a twist in the story.

Ford recently filed a trademark application for the ‘Warthog’ moniker, and netizens believe it is going to replace the Bronco ‘Raptor’ badge. The application doesn’t anything of that sort; so, are we reading too much between the lines?

Customers in the U.S. have been craving the Ranger Raptor since it was announced for other markets. Ford has denied giving the pleasure so far, but there is news of the Ranger Raptor finally heading Stateside when the 2022 Ranger arrives. Since that is still some time away, the Blue Oval has decided to give us a taste of what to expect by introducing the Tremor off-road package for the mid-size pickup truck. While it is no Raptor, it is a lot more capable than the existing FX4 off-road package. Ford has priced the package at $4,290, but the catch is that is won’t be available on all the trims.

In all honesty, the 2021 Ford Bronco has ticked all the boxes and it shows how much Ford has worked to make it a purposeful and near-flawless product. However, one thing creating a vacuum is the missing V-8 under the hood. Ford has offered a four-cylinder and a V-6 engine on the Bronco, but not a V-8. Now, the company has answered the question once and for all, and the truth is that there is no V-8 Bronco in the works.

Speaking with Muscle Cars and Trucks, Ford has indirectly laid the final nail in the coffin by saying that a V-8 Bronco is unlikely to happen, thanks to the emission regulations.

At the 1981 Chicago Auto Show, Ford unveiled a rather unusual concept called the Montana Lobo. It seemed too radical for its time and felt as though it was taken straight out of a sci-fi movie. It broke all the perceptions associated with a rugged off-roader like the Bronco. The company came up with this unusual concept to get in the flow with the growing popularity of smaller pickup trucks and SUVs. Although it didn’t make it to production and none of the ideas or design elements were incorporated in the future models, the Bronco Montana Lobo goes down in the history books as one of the most interesting concepts Ford has ever built.

When Ford Bronco was finally unveiled a couple of months back, it looked quite complete and had ticked almost all the boxes. Almost. The one unticked box that kept the off-roader enthusiasts wanting more was the super-rugged Raptor version of this competent off-roader.

It didn’t take long for the news to start pouring in which more or less confirmed that the Bronco Raptor is arriving soon. If that wasn’t enough, the LinkedIn profile of a Ford engineer came to light where he mentioned that he was working on the 2023 Ford Bronco Raptor.

Even though Ford hasn’t officially announced the Bronco Raptor yet, there are quite a few things already known. Now, Ford Authority has reported them again, which confirms the things we already knew.

While the new Bronco has been in the news ever since its launch and the majority of people seemed to have liked it, the old Bronco still enjoys a healthy demand. Any first-gen Bronco that hits the pre-worshipped market has people going gaga over it.

Here is one such 1969 example that arrived on Bring-a-Trailer a few days back and already has people lined up ready to get lay their hands on it. This SUV already has 22 bids and the highest bid stands at $43,500 at the time of writing.

Alright, we get it – anything that carries a Ford badge and can go off-road be offered in extreme Raptor trim. You can’t knock the brand- it’s no worse than dodge cramming a Hellcat V-8 into almost anything FCA sells (we’re still waiting on that Pacifica Hellcat, though). So, naturally, before the 2021 Bronco even made its debut, the world was expecting a Raptor version to cross the intersection at one point or another. Obviously, it wasn’t going to happen right away, but new evidence has come to light that says that a Ford Bronco Raptor will launch for the 2023 model year – that means we could see it as soon as mid-2022!