Not that funny; this talk is mainly speculation and Ford has its plans, but I am sure that there are a lot of Ford engineers who do belong to FTE for support and discussion of their own trucks.

And Detroit guys like me who are well connected may know people from all of the Big 3. I personally know development and design engineers at GM, Ford, and Chrysler, and have had new vehicles in full camo in my driveway at times and have driven vehicles before they were introduced to the public.

We probably ain't gonna change much with our discussions on these forums, but we just might help someone make a decision...although sadly, all of my engineer buds admit that the bean counters often make the decisions on certain things, and that those decisions have been stupid at times...

George

 

YoGeorge, I agree with you about the bean counters 100%! Sales is not the "be all, end all" of auto companies, at least the ones that want to be around long term. An auto company needs vehicles people can afford, vehicles people WANT to be able to afford, and vehicles that influence the marketplace - in performance and styling. Those three things and you've got a shot at being around... And growing, long term.

Personally I'm not as interested in the styling of the new Bronco as I am the performance. For me it will need to PERFORM like a Bronco first, I can deal with the styling I think.

As far as engine choices, I'd love to have a 2.5 to 2.7L EcoBoost FOUR CYLINDER, the 3.5L EcoBoost, and the 5.0L all as engine options. I don't think we'll be that lucky.

 

I'd sooner believe they do have eyes on the forums vs they don't.

 

Agree with YoGeorge... I do think Ford watches this site and listens. Might not do what we all want but probably listens at least.

For my part... 2 door option, please!

 

The #1 vehicle flat towed behind motorhomes is Jeep wrangler for various reasons.




YES !000%

my list is much like the others on this site

1- removable top
2- two doors (4 door option would be OKAY, but 4 door only is called an Explorer)
3- locking differentials
4- lots of gearing
5- ability to run 33" tires, perhaps as a factory option
6- Wheelbase = 95-105"
7- Overall length = 150-170"
8- Overall width = 66.7" max
9- Overall height = 68-77"
10-Track width = 58 - 60" max
11-Turning diameter = 36' max
12-Curb weight = 4000 lbs MAX

My wish list would include an aluminum tub (Note I did not say body)

This comes from a person who has driven a JEEP wrangler (a 99 & a 06) as my DD for the last 12 years.

 

I grew up in a Bronco. Have a '69 one still. Had a couple from the 80s as well as a 78. The new Bronco is something I'm seriously considering buying. I like both the fullsized and original short wheel based ones. They have different uses to me. The originals are more like a Jeep wrangler that I won't use to haul anything, the fullsized are more like a pickup with an open camper top.


I want a truck, not a glorified minivan. I want to take it off road and cross country. I want it to be a nice truck yet I want to feel it's at home in the mud. I liked the Toyota FJ Cruiser for this reason, but it's 'small' on the inside compared to a Bronco.

Keep it two door, half the fun is crawling in it.

Folding rear seat. Sliding forward front seats.

Keep it 'open' inside. There shouldn't feel like there is a barrier between the back and the front seats.

Center console with a lock that works, lol.

Keep it simple. I don't want it full of electronics, I want it reliable and strong and easy to fix if need be. I've yet to meet a Bronco owner who didn't work on his own truck. That's a big draw. Most of us enjoy working on them at our leisure. I don't want to have to take it in to have something done to it, I want to do it in my garage.

Manual transmission.

Manual transfercase.

V8 with a lot of torque.

Powerstroke/Cummins option

Removable top.

Back with a single piece of glass and fold down tailgate. Don't split it vertically. That big window is a lot of the look. Have the glass go down and tailgate open with a keyfob would be nice.

33" tires standard, 35" with an upgrade package or something.

Make a Raptor version.


Make it worth buying over restoring an old one.

 

2.5L EcoBoost four cylinder - economy
3.5L EcoBoost V6 - power
5.0L Coyote V8 - Ford V8 power

Powerstroke? LOL! Not ONE PIECE of the drivetrain would survive more than a week! I like the idea of engine options, but I'm going to say right now there will be no Powerstroke. I'd say odds are against the 5.0L too as much as I'd like to see it.

 

I only said they won't read all this because several people went off on tangents about unrelated info that made me loose interest extremely fast. Or was it a paragraph regarding "caravan" and "Pentastar" that made me want to just click back button.

 

The Pentastar is the only engine used in the Jeep Wrangler, and is a modern V6. I brought it up in a power comparison to the Ecoboost 4 cylinder motors which were being discussed for the Bronco.

I don't think Ford guys are gonna pay too much attention to guys wanting a brand new 1966 Bronco either...you ain't gonna get a pair of Dana 44 solid axles and the ability to take 33" or 35" tires on the new Bronco. You ain't gonna get a 5.0 V8. The new Bronco will be based on the Everest which is a Ranger-based body-on-frame SUV. Probably rebodied, unlikely that it will be smaller or tougher.

George

 

I think you nailed it George.

 

I think you're exactly right George. I looked up the Australian-market Everest, and it looks like a fairly capable off-road SUV! If it can handle Australia's outback and desert country then it should be able to handle anything that an American enthusiast can throw at it! Many buyers would prefer a 2-door, as would I. But I'm not sure that I'd buy an SUV. I prefer a pick-up truck. That being said though, you nailed it that Ford is not going to listen to anyone that's expecting the 60's or 90's to be repeated all over again. Nor are they listening to anyone that expects a production vehicle that is capable of going rock-crawling straight off the showroom floor! People need to be realistic here. Ford might consider a Raptor-like version if they think there's a market for it. At a premium price of course!

 

I'm in the Detroit area and have seen Everests among the Ford vehicles in camo running around town for a while. The Wayne, MI plant is losing the Focus, and Ford and the UAW have agreed to produce the new Ranger and Bronco there to keep the plant going. They will have to do a decent sales volume to justify it and I sure hope they can.

It only makes sense that the Everest, which is based on the world Ranger, is gonna be the basis for the new Bronco. It may get some tougher styling cues. And I, for one, may well want one...

Probably the best benchmark target is the Toyota 4Runner, which is the last mid-sized body on frame "tough" SUV left. Toyota is doing a TRD Pro version of the 4Runner (with some serious suspension tweaks) which is really kind of cool but I sure don't want to buy Toyota. And the similarity to the old body-on-frame Explorer is pretty striking in terms of size.

George

 

Nope, not going to change a thing. It's all about the money and people making decisions that couldn't care less about this thread. In the end I will almost guarantee it will be everything that is exactly NOT what you all want here, and Ill be astonished if it is even close.

KOT390

 

"You all" is a pretty broad term. I would like an Everest...as would at least a couple other guys in this thread who, like me, are in the position to buy a vehicle without a problem. I bought a new '78 F100 and would have preferred a new '78 Bronco but as a 26-year-old with a big mortgage payment, could not afford one at that time. The F100 was 5 grand; the Bronco would have been 8 grand.

Although I'm a gearhead who likes trucks and the people on the FTE forum, I will note that there is not a lot of discussion of crossovers like the Escape, Edge, Explorer, etc....but if you look at sales figures and profits of these vehicles, they are doing very well for Ford. I would like something tougher than those, but not brutal...

And frankly, when I look back at my '78 F100 (single row of seats, rubber mats), there is sure not much resemblance to a new F150, which is in comparison a giant 2-row limo with a bed on the back.

George

 

I agree with you George. I don't think many people, if not most people want a limo with a bed on it. That is what the choices are though. People go to the lot to buy something and that is what is on the lot because guess what, that's where the most commission is and that's what the dealership ordered.

Most people or dealerships don't want to wait to order something anymore. They gotta have it now, today. The sale AND the purchase. So, they stretch the financing, stretch the budget and buy a limo with a bed on it because that's what is there, and in 5 years somehow it's worth half (at best) of what you paid for it. It's a racket, and Ford isn't going to make a tough stripped down Bronco, F-150 or anything ever again. Sorry

KOT390