Disrespectful to Dirt
In the midst of supply chain issues, a worldwide health crisis, a borderline world war and a shuffle in the United States white house, living through historic events is starting to get a little tiresome, but it’s what we’ve all been subject to over the last few years. So holding on to what good news we can has become something of a lifeline – as is unplugging, and stepping away from it all. Venturing off the beaten path, as it were. See where I’m going with this? Yeah you do. Ford’s revival of the Bronco may not be historic per se, but it does bring back feelings of revelry, infamy and nostalgia, especially regarding a certain car chase. But that’s as much acknowledgment of that particular event this piece will give. The good ol’ days weren’t always as good as we remember, but Ford’s revived Bronco seems to bring the best of a time that was, and cement it into modernity.
There’s no getting around it – and that’s not because of the massive size. Our tester, featuring the optional Sasquatch off-roading package looks downright menacing. The boxy, rugged Bronco looks extra imposing with the Sasquatch’s wider fender flares and meatier 35-inch rubber, optional brush guard (the bar on the front) and those beautifully mean LED headlamps. The chunky dark accents contrast well with the painted body and gives the bronco a certain unmistakable presence. We particularly love the two tie-down hooks adorning the front fenders, adding another point of practicality to the truck, while looking damn cool, and serving as an extra visual referential point in tighter roads and terrain. Our Sasquatch tester featured a full-sized spare mounted right on the back, with an integrated back-up camera in the mounting point.
Inside, the rugged motif continues with blocky, functional and easy-to-use design. The Bronco bucks the trend of replacing virtually every point of in formation with tablet-like screens, and proves tactility (big, usable buttons) still have a place behind the wheel. But the choice to relegate all indicator, wiper and washer functions to a single indicator stalk may initially prove finicky for drivers.
One of the smartest and coolest parts of the Bronco’s dash is the mounting point front and centre, with a convenient charging port nearby. It’s a standard 1/4"-20 thread – the same as many camera tripod mounts and accessories. Some owners have reported looseness in the mounting area, with the mount coming off completely in some cases. Growing pains is one thing, but thankfully this should be an easy fix, should Ford choose to recall it. We’d have loved to see a similar, but always hot power-port near the rear-view mirror for simple dash-cam installation.
Jeep’s Wrangler has had a few decades up on the Bronco at this point, but that’s not always a bad thing. It seems to have helped Ford work out the things the Wrangler did great, and those it needed a little assistance with. If you’ve driven a Wrangler before, stepping into the Bronco is almost like sitting in a 90’s Honda Civic and moving into a modern one. The level of comfort, noise and road manner between the two feels a decade apart. While also sharing the virtues of removable doors and roof panels, the Bronco is remarkably quieter on the road, with significantly less wind buffeting – even with the chunky Sasquatch pack. However, it’s important to note Ford has been having some quality control issues with hard-top equipped Broncos, and you’ll certainly hear some creaking as you drive along. At least your favourite audio streamed from the optionally available wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay can drown it out.
But that brings us nicely to the party piece – removing the doors and the roof. The process is really quite simple, and the provided tool-kit gives owners everything they need. But you’ll have to plan ahead if you want it all off. The cargo area will only allow you to store either all four doors, or the two front roof panels. If you don’t have rear passengers, then you can get the doors and the two front pieces. But the middle and rear roof panels are too big to fit in the vehicle, and removal of that rear panel requires some outside assistance. However, it’s all done with nothing more than bolts. Unlike Jeep’s Wrangler, removing the doors doesn’t mean you lose your mirrors either – as those are mounted right on the hood.
Driving the Bronco in as naked a form as it can be is liberating. Even if you’re keeping yourself firmly on-road. Obviously wind nose can’t be a concern at this point. The centre armrest and glovebox feature locking storage compartments, but they are plastic and we can only imagine a motivated thief wouldn’t be too intimidated by it. Ford does offer an optional $485 combination lock for the centre console area however.
Ford bills the Wildtrak as a vehicle for high-speed off-road thrills. Think the Baja 100 race for instance. So obviously the perfect place to test it is the crawling, cramped streets of a city. We have no doubt the Bronco will thrive in its intended environment, but sadly, vast deserts aren’t so common in Canada. We did take it up a muddy hill and it was every bit as capable as expected, with its G.O.A.T modes specially tailored to various manner of terrain. You’ll also find some smart engineering present, like trail turn assist, locking the inner rear-wheel in tight turns, essentially letting it act as a turning hinge. But let’s be honest – the majority of these vehicles may conquer a snow pile at best. Like Jeep’s wrangler, many buyers drive them for the image these vehicles radiate, even if their owners don’t necessarily partake in such leisure themselves. Not everyone who wears camo pants is an armed forces member after all.
One of the more pleasantly surprising elements of the Bronco is how maneuverable it is, for something of its size. Unlike the Ram Power Wagon and other monstrous motors, it felt nimble enough to take tighter turns in a condo parking garage and tighter, narrow city streets. The special Bilstein suspension on the Wildtrak is also quite comfortable over Toronto’s pothole-laden uneven roads. An actual fixed road surface would be far more preferable, mind you, but the Bronco does admirably at soaking up much of the roughness. Our off-road test further cemented the pleasantness of the ride. Emergency braking results in a pretty dramatic dip of the nose so beware if motion sickness gets to you! The soft, yet supportive seats make it a great contender for longer trips – and the squared-off cargo area (if you keep the panel on, at least), coupled with folding rear seats, make it a storage cavern on wheels.
But while the Bronco does surprise in many ways, it also stays true to form in others – like fuel economy. Through a week of mixed driving, we averaged (according to the on-board computer) 14.3 L/100km. Gas prices at the time of driving resulted in a nearly $130 bill to fill the tank. Our tester featured the larger of the engine options – a 2.7L EcoBoost (turbocharged) V6, good for 330hp and 415 lb-ft of torque on premium gas. It’ll still run fine on regular, but those figures dip to 315 and 405, respectively. The engine is mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox, the same used in vehicles like the F-150 – and also comes with a one-pedal driving mode, activating the brake in unison with the acceleration, helping off-roaders traverse precarious terrain without having to occupy both feet like many seasoned drivers would. The EcoBoost engine is fine and never feels like it lacks power, but it’s not the nicest sounding if we are honest. Nothing an exhaust can’t fix though, if it bothers you.
The Bronco is a very cool car to us. We like it a lot. But it is not an everyperson’s vehicle. Our tester, which is at the moment, nearly fully loaded, wound up with a hefty $71,289 price tag. It’s still quite a lot cheaper than a top-of-the-line Wrangler, but calling it affordable is dishonest at best. The most basic Bronco starts at $43,199, several thousand more than the cheapest Wrangler. But North Americans rarely go for base models. Thankfully there are quite a lot of trims to pick and choose from, all available in 2 and 4-door guise. Between pricey option packages and high fuel costs, economy is not the name of the game here, but no one ever said being a G.O.A.T was easy, or cheap.
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