Bronco vs. Wrangler

AndyG

Because some other guys are perverts
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Last year the Gladiator was heralded to be the next best thing since sliced bread, and it hit the market and has sold in less than stellar numbers ...not bad numbers, but less than stellar. Stellar being 20,000 units a month the Tacoma sells. The Gladiator simply was never the vehicle that FCA executives claimed it was going to be.

Now Ford has finally brought the Bronco to market, and named the Wrangler as the target it will capture marketshare from.

That is a joke.

As well received as the Bronco will be, it simply will not phase the Wrangler ...here's why:

1. It isn't a Jeep. That encompasses an entire culture, owner groups, clubs and families. You can only be in that click with one thing ..you guessed it..only in a jeep.

2. It appeals to different buyers. The Bronco will be more in the high end specialty vehicle owner category ..like the Raptor , Cobra, and similar vehicles. It will have some prestige.

3. The top that is removable doesn't remove easily..it will be removed once then never again by some , and many will fear to create leaks , and never remove it . The Wrangler has more top options than about every convertible on the market combined.

Am I saying it will be a failure? Absolutely not.

Ford is doing a very good job with this type vehicle, and the Bronco has been long awaited. Ford is making some exciting vehicles.

The 392 Rubicon is not the answer to the Bronco...it's the answer to underpowered 3.6 JLU Wrangler.

I love Fords , but the possibility of a V8 JLU is a far bigger announcement than the Bronco. It very well may stand the Jeep world on its head.

I will tell you this ...if it gets produced , it will be the fastest selling debut we may ever see.

I am happy to see such a beloved vehicle as the Bronco return. I wish it had never left.

And it very well may help usher in one of the biggest changes in Wrangler development we may ever see... Something also equestrian badly needed...ponies under the hood.
 
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I just watched the unveiling of it and I was pretty much "meh" at the end of it.

There were a few things that I liked about it like the mirrors on the body, ability to store 4 doors in the rear, fitting 35s tires and the trail map was cool. But I'm not crazy about the look.

I really don't get the deal with the Sport model. Are they going after the Cherokee or something? Lol

If anything comes of this I hope it gets FCA to step their game up!
 
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I hope Ford does well and the rig is reliable and capable. I am not in the market for a rig, but by the time I am, it will most likely either be improved or bust. To me a new JL or Bronco is purely transportation. A TJ is a hobby, pleasure craft and sport. The old Bronco's and Corn Binder's were surely cool rigs, made cooler by their rarity and scarcity more than their cababilities. I don't know the numbers, but I imagine Jeep always dominated the market. Just think if Toyota decides to go retro with a FJ43 or the like.

FJ43.jpg
 
I hope Ford does well and the rig is reliable and capable. I am not in the market for a rig, but by the time I am, it will most likely either be improved or bust. To me a new JL or Bronco is purely transportation. A TJ is a hobby, pleasure craft and sport. The old Bronco's and Corn Binder's were surely cool rigs, made cooler by their rarity and scarcity more than their cababilities. I don't know the numbers, but I imagine Jeep always dominated the market. Just think if Toyota decides to go retro with a FJ43 or the like.

View attachment 176754

Toyota revived the FJ with just the name plate but none of the DNA. I don't expected Toyota to commit to building these types of vehicles ever again.
 
Ford NAILED It.

94:1 Crawl Ratio
The Rubicon is 73:1

Removable doors that store in the back
35s with the factory Sasquatch option, on all models
Locker options front and rear on all models

Sway bars that disconnect/reconnect while articulating
Locker Switches etc on top of the dash, eye level
A bar on the dash for go pro, cell, whatever

Iconic styling

Ford has raised the bar
Can't wait to see what Toyota does
Chevy is dead in the water even with the AEV connection
But with the JL one year old and now looking 20 years old.... They are in huge trouble.
 
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By the numbers, even though the bronco has ifs, it seems to do just as well as the newer jeeps when it comes to articulation and off road if. And yes that 7spd 😍
 
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I hope Ford does well and the rig is reliable and capable. I am not in the market for a rig, but by the time I am, it will most likely either be improved or bust. To me a new JL or Bronco is purely transportation. A TJ is a hobby, pleasure craft and sport. The old Bronco's and Corn Binder's were surely cool rigs, made cooler by their rarity and scarcity more than their cababilities. I don't know the numbers, but I imagine Jeep always dominated the market. Just think if Toyota decides to go retro with a FJ43 or the like.

View attachment 176754
Very good post. I'm giving it a 98.
 
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I'll never own one, but I do think the Bronco is a very good thing in terms of competition.

Jeep has been resting on their laurels for way too long, and this means they don't get that opportunity anymore. I'm just shocked it's taken this long for someone to start competing with them. Next it will be GM and then maybe Toyota.
 
It seems all Jeep would need to do is make lockers an option on all models and make a 2 door version with a 4 cylinder and a manual transmission option to pull close to level again. Maybe make a Rubicon option with a 4 inch factory spring lift and bigger wheel options.

The manual transmission is only an option in the 2.3L Bronco from what I've seen so far.

Add some electronic do hickeys and some bluetooth controlled under carriage rock lights that change colors.

There are so many aftermarket jeep things it's easy to add your own packages, but factory would help the non-mechanically oriented.
 
It seems all Jeep would need to do is make lockers an option on all models and make a 2 door version with a 4 cylinder and a manual transmission option to pull close to level again.

The manual transmission is only an option in the 2.3L Bronco from what I've seen so far.
All Jeep or anybody needs to do is to enable customers to order their vehicles by LINE ITEM - I'm given to understand that is the norm in Europe and many places in the world, but not in our "package oriented" N. American marketplace. With modern Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) techniques, its a no brainer. But there's too much money to be made in selling packages - but this too shall pass. The Cable TV business has been package oriented for decades, and now they're having their head handed to them on a figurative platter by ala carte streaming services. Sooner or later, something similar will happen in the car business.
 
The Jeep is dead.... long live the Jeep!

Ford, or any other manufacturer, will never have the Jeep name or lineage. The Bronco has got some good looks and some good stats but lets see if the 2021 is a viable modifiable truck in 10 years.

Ford is on fumes as a company and this product will sell to a certain crowd but will it turn them around? They have $160B in debt against $120B in assets so they are in the "highly leveraged" company group with a dwindling cash flow. Last year the Explorer debacle put Ford's profits at 99% below full year 2018 levels. This year isn't tracking that well. They are operating at a 6.7% margin in an industry that operates at 10%+. Also just read that they own the financing on more cars that are behind in payments than any other car maker.

This is a huge bet by them. $700M in retooling to build it. Selling it into a market where their demographic just lost 20M jobs while the UAW wants to renegotiate and plug their failing pensions.

Time will tell. I wouldn't buy Ford Stock and unless there was a truly compelling reason I wouldn't buy their vehicles new. Then again I almost never buy new vehicles anyway.
 
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Toyota revived the FJ with just the name plate but none of the DNA. I don't expected Toyota to commit to building these types of vehicles ever again.

Having owned multiple FJ40s, 60s, and 62s, I couldn't agree more with this statement. All car manufacturers build with today's consumer in mind, i.e. a buyer who values comfort and looks above function. Most Jeep buyers today get a decked out Jeep, put lifts, 35" or 37" tires, massive bumpers and winches, but never even get them dirty. The closest thing to off-roading being a trip down a gravel driveway, on the way to their favorite winery or brewery.

To be clear, I'm not knocking that, but I'd expect the vast majority of buyers for the Bronco would fall into that same category, or one where people are simply buying them for nostalgia purposes. Having also owned an original Bronco, they were ahead of their time, with a bulletproof engine and transmission, 9" rear, Dana 44 front ( with coil springs up front). I wish they would have kept true to that, but their building to sell to a specific market.

At least Jeep kept the solid axle front, for now. However, I fear we're only a generation or two away from the same fate. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
 
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