In Wheel Time

Ford Bronco

Old meets New

By Don Armstrong

Car makers are beginning the transition. When the first Ford Bronco hit local showrooms in the fall of ‘65, no one knew the SUV market would become what it is today. Clearly a lot has changed.

All-new, purpose-built, body-on-frame SUVs are a rarity these days, but Ford decided it was time to challenge the venerable Jeep Wrangler once again. When Ford used the Bronco name to battle the much larger, 2-door Chevy K 5 Blazer, Ford abandoned the fight with the smaller Wrangler. Those days are over.

The all-new 2022 Bronco is a throwback to the original and it is an instant hit – short front and rear overhangs, slab sides and a modern grille, harken back to the pre-Woodstock era original. Today’s Bronco comes in 2 and 4-door models, each with removable doors and roof panels. The base engine is a turbocharged I-4 with up to 300 horsepower. A turbo V-6, 6+1 manual transmission and 10-speed automatic are also available, but there are constraints depending on the trim package you choose.

One of the many things Ford did right on the Bronco is options, from mild to wild. If you’re into serious off-roading and want to go “all-the-way,” there are two 4 X 4 modes from which to choose, and that’s just for starters. Bronco’s Trail Toolbox includes items such as Trail Control™, a cruise control for low-speed trail driving, Trail Turn Assist to tighten off-road turning radii through torque vectoring, plus Trail One-Pedal Drive acceleration/ braking control for more precise slow-mode rock crawling.

In the cabin are well marked controls, comfortable, yet supportive, seats with optional “feel good” adjustments. Our loaner Badlands edition had the optional 12-inch LCD infotainment screen paired with the SYNC® 4 system that provides software updates and integration to the available FordPass™ Performance app with offroad navigation - it allows you to plan, navigate and share off-road adventures.

For the mudders who prefer to hose-out their Broncos, rubber floor coverings with drain plugs are on the order sheet too. We really liked our Bronco 2-door, and with all the “thumbs-up” and “hey, can we look inside” parking lot banter we received, seems like a lot of other folks do too.

The 2022 model will start at about $30,000 and goes on sale any day now. As you can imagine, it’s selling like hot cakes so be prepared to wait for your order to arrive.