Tipping In

As you can tell from the cover, in this issue of TRQ, we have a review of the all-new Ford Bronco. It is a very cool take on the legend that debuted about year after the Mustang did and it does well to separate itself from the Bronco Sport we talked about in our second issue.

I am a big fan of it – me, and a whole heck of a lot of other people I’ve spoken to, read and watched – but I was surprised to find just how much handwringing came with its arrival (after many delays) to dealers.

It should come as little surprise that the lion’s share of said handwringing has to do with the fact that it hasn’t arrived with a hybrid powertrain of any kind – no mild hybrid, no plug-in hybrid, no EV version. According to what I’ve seen, that is a major travesty and much of it stems from the fact that Ford has gone so all-in on EVs lately with the likes of the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Powerboost hybrid pickup.

Of course, that isn’t really a “Ford” thing; that’s an “industry” thing as governments continue to mandate no internal-combustion (ICE) sales by x year and so on. Ford, like every other manufacturer out there, has to abide by those rules or they are dead in the water.

Then there’s the fact that the Bronco’s biggest competitor – the Jeep Wrangler – recently received the electrification treatment with the arrival of the 4xe variant. I’ve driven that vehicle, and I was pleased with it mainly because while I initially thought electrification would hurt its off-road chops, it hasn’t, really. In fact, the argument can be made that it’s actually helped the 4xe perform in the kinds of conditions Jeep people have come to know and love.

All that being said, though, I’m going to say this: it doesn’t matter that Ford hasn’t so far released an electrified Bronco.

The Bronco is pretty much the definition of a “halo” vehicle; that is to say a vehicle that draws people into a manufacturer’s showroom, one that is the mega of a certain aspect – in this case, AWD SUVs and crossovers – of their line-up.

If they needed the Bronco to be a vehicle to showcase their chops in the world of electrification, then they would have done so. But they already have the Mach-E for that.

I like the tack they took with the Bronco because with the retro styling, no-bones-about-it offroad worthiness and that classic nameplate, it reminds me of when vehicles served a more singular purpose, when they didn’t have to be all things to all people and didn’t have to bow too heavily to government mandates. It’s like a teleport back to a simpler times, but with a surprisingly hi-tech interior that places it just the right amount in the past and present.

Far as I’m concerned, vehicles like the Bronco need to be celebrated just the way they are. No more, no less.

DAN HEYMAN | TRQ EDITOR IN CHIEF | dheyman@vicariousmag.com