Ford’s Bronco: Smashing Success or Badly Needed Product?
Donut Media highlights why Ford notched out a win with the new Bronco family. Especially compared to Chevy’s Blazer. But is it a total victory?
This summer, Ford all but officially made the pivot to utility vehicles and trucks. The Bronco lineup looks incredibly promising. With the Bronco and Bronco Sport, Ford will no doubt win over many owners who may not have previously given the brand a chance before. Most importantly, they really got the details right, and are poised for success. By contrast, Chevy outfitted two car-based crossovers with names borrowed from their recent based and apparently has no desire to compete with the Bronco or Wrangler. Are they insane?
A recent video from Nolan Sykes of Donut Media explores that very question. Ford obviously nailed the Bronco revival. On the other hand, Chevy pretty much ruined their chance to revive their off-road nameplates, at least with names that carry some heritage behind them. But dig a little deeper and it might be General Motors who is the more savvy automaker.
Reviving an Icon
Sykes begins the video explaining the rise of the SUV. Basically, his broad outline details the history of the Ford Bronco and Chevy Blazer. Clearly, it’s meant to illustrate the parallels between the old model and the revived one. Firstly, when the company went ahead with the original Bronco, they decided to poll Jeep and International owners. “In 1962 Ford pulled a gangster move and surveyed Jeep and Scout owners asking them what they did and didn’t like about their cars,” says Sykes. Several years later, Ford released the original Bronco, and it immediately made waves against its competitors. Ford did the same thing when developing the new Bronco, except in this case they studied how Wrangler owners use their vehicles. That’s why the Bronco has mirrors on the body and doors that can be easily carried and stored.
The story gets more interesting once Chevy entered the off-road SUV fray in the late 70s. They created a larger off-road SUV and Ford actually emulated them by moving the Bronco to the F-150 platform. Both companies even introduced two smaller off-road vehicles (the Bronco II and S-10 Blazer) after gas prices increased. “But both of these mini versions were much smaller than the full-size offering and in some way helped recapture the original SUV spirit,” says Sykes. It’s an interesting chapter in the ongoing Ford vs. Chevy war that a lot of people probably don’t know about.
Two Wildly Different Rebirths
Unfortunately, changing circumstances forced both automakers to ditch their off-road oriented utility vehicles. There had been talks of Blazer and Bronco revivals for years. And Chevy became the first to resuscitate the name. The thing is…they didn’t actually reintroduce a proper Blazer replacement. Instead, Chevy decided to slap the name on a car-based crossover to compete with the likes of the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. Additionally, Chevy reinstated the Trailblazer name for a subcompact crossover. In both cases, the new models share no visual resemblance to their forebears, nor do they even fulfill the same mission statements as their predecessors.
Compare those models to the new Bronco and Bronco Sport. Ford based the new Bronco heavily on the first generation model and benchmarked it against the segment leader, just like the old model. They even understood the market’s desire for something smaller, and the Bronco Sport neatly honors the Bronco II that served that purpose previously. They’re direct and spiritual successors to the models they share their names with.
Bronco Wins, But by How Much?
In terms of properly incorporating brand heritage for future use, there’s no question Ford thoroughly trounced Chevy. The entire Bronco brand is instantly recognizable and customers should respond to that. “There wasn’t collective stoke like this for a new car since the C8 Corvette and honestly I don’t think there will be for a while,” says Sykes. The Bronco models captured everyone’s attention immediately because they’re the real deal. We’re inclined to agree with Sykes that the Bronco’s popularity stems largely from the fact that they’re actually capable.
Are the new Chevy Blazer and Trailblazer failures by comparison? In some ways, absolutely. They haven’t captured the attention of the internet and people aren’t raving about them on the internet. They completely ignore their heritage, and while Chevy may claim both vehicles have off-road capability, they simply won’t navigate trails like their older counterparts did. That being said, they’re far from failures. As Sykes points out, they’re selling well and have received positive reviews from the automotive press. The Trailblazer is currently the fastest selling new vehicle in America. Additionally, General Motors has been selling subcompact crossovers for years now. The Chevy Trax and Buick Encore were the best selling non-luxury and luxury subcompact crossovers for 2019. By contrast, Ford entered the subcompact segment only two years ago and has yet to even reach half the sales figure of the Trax. There is no Lincoln equivalent to the Encore either.
Know Your Foe
At this point, it’s pretty clear the Bronco and Bronco Sport will be successful. But they’re not here yet. Chevy has already introduced two successful vehicles that have resonated with customers. Sure, using the Blazer and Trailblazer was a cynical move to cash in on some Chevy heritage, but it worked. And that’s probably why General Motors is just fine letting Ford and Jeep wage war with their authentic off-roaders. It would be foolish to write off the company as clueless, at least in this regard.
That’s precisely the points that make this latest Donut Media video worth watching. It’s a fantastic history lesson into the origins of several iconic vehicles and it will no doubt make you love the Bronco even more than you already did. But it will also give you some perspective on the state of Chevy vs. Ford rivalry, which is more complex than you might think.
Photos: Chevy; Ford
