Ford Off-Roader Cars

It’s been a while since FoMoCo’s train-pulling PR stunt came to further hype the arrival of the all-electric Ford F-150. As Ford has been rather tight-lipped lately about its full-electric pickup truck, we thought we’d have a look at what we know up until this point and what we should expect expect from the electric F-150. Here’s what we can report for the time being.

The 2021 SEMA Auto Show is going the virtual route because of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s a bummer for those who were looking forward to their annual pilgrimage to Sin City, but automakers have long adapted to the situation. Instead of attending auto shows like SEMA to unveil their newest creations, automakers have now gone digital, showcasing their latest offerings online.

Ford is one of those companies, and tonight, the Blue Oval is hosting “Ford Auto Nights,” a special webcast where the automaker plans to unveil its 2021 SEMA Auto Show lineup. That lineup includes the F-150 Limited Hybrid SuperCrew by BDS Suspension, a project truck that Ford created in partnership with BDS Suspension to showcase the automaker’s all-new Pro Power Onboard mobile power generator.

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?

Post the big debut, the Ford Bronco and its urban-alter ego are busy with various other activities. The Bronco Sport recently won the 2020 Rebelle Rally in its category in stock condition, and now Ford has announced the Bronco will don the emergency vehicle outfit to support the National Forest Foundation.

Ford has teamed up with Filson, an outdoor outfitter, to develop the Bronco Wildland Fire Rig Concept. It is customized with firefighting equipment and Ford will donate two examples for the cause.

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?

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.

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!

Much like the Jeep Wrangler, the 2021 Ford Bronco is designed with customization in mind. The company is even offering more than 200 accessories for the Bronco when it hits showrooms, but powertrain upgrades might not be possible via aftermarket means. According to Ford, the ECU is very complicated, and, essentially, nobody should be playing around with ECU calibration. That means aftermarket companies might find the new Bronco to be untunable.

If you think that Ford won’t react to Ram’s mind-bending 702-horsepower 1500 TRX, well, you’re wrong. In fact, it’s highly likely that Ford has been brewing this move for quite some time now and a fresh report quoting a “well-sourced informant” says the supercharged V-8 inside the Shelby GT500 is go for the F-150 Raptor.

The return of the Ford Bronco isn’t your typical automotive comeback. The SUV isn’t just making a comeback as a nameplate; it’s become its own sub-brand under Ford. More to that, the Bronco has captured the attention of the SUV world in ways few of its kind have been able to do in the past. That’s especially true when you look at all the renderings that have come out, specifically those of the “Woody” variety. Woody Broncos are all over Instagram, including this piece of work from artist Timothy Adry Emmanuel, who goes by the IG handle “adry53customs.” Emmanuel has an impressive catalog of car renderings on his Instagram page, ranging from Volkswagens to RAM pickup trucks. But his work on the Bronco is something else, at least if you’re a fan of the “woodie” car style that was all the rage in the previous century. We don’t see woodie’s these days anymore, but Emmanuel’s rendering is a perfect call back, not only to the Bronco but to the woodie car style as well. Put those two elements together, and the result is nothing short of impressive.