Ford was very excited to note that not only do the roof panels, doors, and rear window panels come off the 2- and 4-door Broncos, but that it can be managed easily, by one person, without tools. This is a jab at the Jeep Wrangler, which can also get airy, but requires tools and several of your closest friends to remove the hard top. Thus marks the start of the Bronco-Wrangler War. Note that Jeep chose Bronco Day, of all days, to announce the Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept with a 450-horsepower V-8 engine, knowing the Bronco likely wouldn't have a V-8 engine. (Jeep wasn't wrong: the 2-Door and 4-Door Broncos come with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and you can step up to a twin-turbo V-6 with an estimated 310 horsepower and 400 lb,-ft. of torque.) This rivalry might single-handedly resuscitate the Calvin peeing sticker market.
Paved surfaces are just tools of The Man, telling you where you can and can't go, and the new Bronco fam steadfastly refuses to abide by asphalt fascism. All three of the models come with four-wheel drive and Ford's new driver-selectable G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Terrain) modes; if you opt for the beefed-up four-wheel-drive system, you get seven modes, including Baja, Mud/Ruts, and Rock Crawling. There's also a laundry list of off-road goodies to be had on the 2-Door and 4-Door Bronco, and because it's easier, I'm going to list some of those here, now:
Optional 35-inch tires
Trail Control (cruise control, but for off-road) and Trail Turn Assist, which drags the inside rear tire, making tight turns easier
A GPS with topographic off-road maps and integrated front-mounted camera for recording your forays into the wilderness
Silicone-sealed water-resistant switches on the dash plus an optional interior you can hose out
A semi-active hydraulic stabilizer bar, which is a thing you'd be excited about if you're really into off-roading
A fully boxed steel chassis (ditto)
Bash plates!
11.6-inches of ground clearance and the ability to ford water up to 33.5 inches deep (both best in class, according to Ford)
There is more, but you get the gist: a couple oxygen tanks and a Red Bull, and you might be able to drive the new Bronco up Mount Everest.
Ford showed a picture of a prototype Bronco with doors that had geometric cut-outs, the door equivalent of a sleeveless tee. The doors aren't listed as available, but "are among the possible factory-backed Ford accessories to be offered" for the Broncos, says Ford. I'm including them here because they look both cool and absurd, and I hope Ford makes them, and someone else who lives a less pragmatic life than I do buys them.
All three models cost only $100...to reserve (psych!), which you can do right this moment on Ford's website. Ford also announced that the Bronco 2-Door will start at $29,995-but it's staying coy about the base price of the 4-Door or the Sport. Deliveries won't start until early next year, so we've got some time to find out, though plan on reserving one ASAP if you've gone all heart-eyes.
In the meantime, you can amuse yourself by watching the new Broncos barrel and bounce over some chunky terrain while Bryan Cranston extols their virtues:
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