Breaking: SEE The 2021 Ford Bronco On The Road! New Details Show More Detail On Removable Roof And Suspension
The 2021 Ford Bronco will debut in the Spring, possibly at the New York Auto Show.
For those anxious to see as much of the new Bronco as possible — I definitely count myself among that group — rejoice in the cornucopia of new spy photos showing off just about every conceivable detail. We’re closing in on the imminent arrival of Ford’s revival of its iconic nameplate this spring. With it, the 2021 Ford Bronco looks like it’s going to give the Wrangler something to think about.
All the photos show off its body-on-frame construction, removable roof (that explains the extra cladding), suspension setup, tires and its front end design. Up front, we can see a bit more clearly the Bronco’s round headlights. Perhaps more importantly though, these shots confirm the SUV will have independent front suspension. Around the back, we have a solid axle with coil springs, rather than the leaf springs we see on the Ranger.
As with the Jeep Wrangler, the 2021 Ford Bronco will have an outboard spare tire, with a center-mounted rearview camera and taillight mounted up top. This test mule also has a hitch receiver, so we’re curious exactly how much it will be able to tow. Will it only be able to tow around 3,500 pounds like the Wrangler, or will it get a more truck-like capacity somewhere closer to the Ranger or Jeep Gladiator?
(Brief) glimpses at the interior
This is the first chance we’ve had to get a glimpse at the interior on the 2021 Ford Bronco as well. There’s not much to see, since most of it’s covered. However, it does have a fairly shallow, upright dashboard like the Jeep Wrangler. It also looks like the Bronco gets a more modest infotainment screen, rather than the huge tablet-like deal we get in the new Explorer. When it does hit the market, I expect the Bronco to pack all the sort of infotainment features you can get in any other Ford SUV.
More interestingly, though, is the shot below that peered into the back. It’s not the greatest photo, but we can make out a roll cage, which makes sense if the SUV is to have the removable roof. That would also explain the bulky black cladding, which covers up all the detail of the roof from the outside.
As ever, we don’t have any definitive look at the powertrain. We do have a shot showing the 2021 Ford Bronco from underneath, where we can see the exhaust. Since theres’ just a single outlet, it’s likely the Bronco’s packing the same 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine as the Ranger. Rumors suggested that, and what we’ve seen so far backs up those claims. Among all the speculation, that’s also the argument that makes the most sense.
What about those mirrors?
One more thing we’re curious about is the mirror placement on the 2021 Ford Bronco. Unlike the Wrangler, the mirrors aren’t mounted on the doors. Instead, they’re mounted where the A-pillar meets the front fender. In theory then, you may be able to drive with the doors off while still retaining the mirrors. There’s some camouflage weirdness going on around the mirrors too, which may cover up some sort of mechanism to get the mirrors out of the way, whether you want them relocated for going off-road, or just to make it easier to remove the front doors.
Whatever the case, at least we don’t have much longer than a few more months to wait for the 2021 Ford Bronco to arrive. When it does, then we’ll have yet another off-road SUV to take on the Wrangler as well as the revived Land Rover Defender. As to whether it will live up to two decades of hype, we’ll just have to wait and see.
In the meantime, check out a much larger photo gallery of the new Bronco below: