I've been frequenting this site ever since the Bronco concept was introduced in 2004. Like many others I've been waiting for this little sucker to be built so I can be first in line to buy it. So now we hear that it's going to be built, like I had feared, on a car platform that utilizes a FWD/AWD system. At first I felt ticked off because Broncos are supposed to be great off-road vehicles, and as we all know, crappy little car-based suv's suck when the gravel on the road being traveled isn't held together with some sticky black stuff. As the owner of an Escape, I certainly know it isn't going to tackle the Rubicon. I certainly didn't purchase it with that in mind either, BUT it isn't a complete POC off-road either. If you visit www.escape-central.com you can find a few adventurous souls who take their Escapes through some pretty nasty stuff (I think it would probably be in the photos section). Although a Wrangler can cover terrain that an Escape could only dream of traversing, the vast majority of vehicles on the road today probably wouldn't get close to going where the Escape could go if the driver had the skill (and sometimes the nerve) to take it to it's limit and beyond. We all know or have seen the drunken lunatic (or maybe that was an incredibly skilled driver) that has taken some little piece of crap worn out car to places off-road that no one thought possible. A couple of years ago in Colorado while riding 4-wheelers up Tincup Pass, I was shocked to see a couple of guys trying to drive their WRX up the same trail I was on.
...and that is where I feel the real issue is. I think your average driver of any model Jeep product, or any type of vehicle that has the "Appearance" of being off-road capable, wouldn't know what to do with it if they left the urban streets they are driven on daily in the first place. Of course all of us here know are driving skills are second ONLY to maybe Mario Andretti on-road and if we were given the opportunity, Ivan Stewart would eat our dust in an off-road race. So Ford better build the Bronco to OUR liking because we can do stuff off-road that nobody else on the planet can imagine.
So what is Ford to do about the Bronco? Initially I felt like Blackhorse...build it right or don't do it at all. Honestly I still feel that way a little bit. To me it's all about the name "Bronco". I know it conjures up different images to different people, but to many of us it reminds us of what is good and right in Ford SUV history. Don't ruin it's value by making a vehicle that is absolutely worthless off-road.
Is their enough interest in the marketplace for a vehicle that could de-throne the almighty Wrangler? Maybe. Is there a market for a vehicle that looks great (for all those poser, image conscience wussies) that also can do some moderate off-roading that is probably outside the limits of most people's skills. Absolutely, especially when you consider that the vast majority of 4wd/awd vehicles never even see the dirt of a well maintained country road.
So Ford is faced with a business decision at this critical time in their struggle to stay in afloat. Do they make a vehicle that is a gamble to build and sell, or one that would most likely be a home-run and makes more business sense AT THIS TIME. If they do make the Bronco, as it appears they will, based on a unibody car platform it doesn't mean that at some time in the future we couldn't see it evolve into something more along the lines of the original. Remember the good old Mustang II? Yeah, that lovely little overweight Pinto based scorcher that went from 0-60 in what...11 or 12 seconds. Yeah, that Mustang which from a performance standpoint is an embarrasment to the Mustang name. I know, at least it was a RWD platform that allowed for some improvement for those few that decided to drop in an engine befitting a REAL Mustang. At the same time, I can pretty much guarantee that someone will take the new Bronco and put solid axles front and rear under it, and drop a proper v8 under the hood, no matter the cost. The point is that the Mustang II as Ford built it was the best thing Ford could do given the times. If it wasn't for the Mustang II, we might not have the Mustang at all, let alone the one we have today.
So Ford, if you are listening please give the Bronco better than average off-road ability. Give us an option list with skid plates, limited slip diffs, and some sort of 4wd lock mode. Make sure it can tow at least 2000 lbs. Make it affordable, economical, and most importantly don't make us embarrased when we hear the name "Ford Bronco".
Check out this article on the Patriot.
http://www.expeditionswest.com/equipment/r...triot/index.htm
The Patriot actually went some places that the mighty Rubicon couldn't go.
If the Bronco looks like the concept and can outperform vehicles like the Patriot and the LR2, I will buy one.
