I see CV axles meaning no solid axle

 

 

 

The Ford raptor does great off road. No solid axle.

 

 

So do 2wd Trophy trucks. But I would like to see them go at a slower pace doing any other offloading

 

Axles, axles, axles.

If you're not breathing through a snorkel and have figured out how to keep your engine dry and protect your electronics, it won't make a darned bit of difference what type of axles you have, you're walking out of whatever green hell you rode into.

 

That's not a Bronco. Too early for the Bronco to be seen out on the streets. Ford is keeping a tight lid on it.

That looks like Ford's new small pickup. They are planning to release a truck smaller than the Ranger, and that looks like the test mule for that setup. It will be based on the new Focus platform.

 

definately bronco running gear, with a modified ranger body. there are different spy shots of courier

 

Do we expect a Focus-based "truck" to have six lug wheels and large off-road tires? And is that vehicle further along in the pipeline than Bronco?

Not sure if the spy shots show a frame, but I would doubt the Focus-based vehicle will be anything but a unibody.

I do find the side marker lights, a Euro requirement, unusual. Are they a requirement in Aus?

 

It's still a bit of a mystery. For sure the way that vehicle is set up on the spy pics, Ford did that on purpose to confuse all of us. Could be a test mule for a Bronco-related chassis with 6-lugs (but no solid front axle which is confusing, I would bet money on a solid front axle being on the Bronco). It could also be a test mule for the upcoming "baby Bronco" that will be released before the actual Bronco. Or it could be the new sub-compact truck, but looking at the spy pics the wheels/tires and 6-lug configuration looks a bit large for a Focus-based chassis. But the rest of the body, even in camo, appears more like a sub-compact pickup than anything else.

There's a baby Bronco coming out before the Bronco.
There's a sub-compact pickup due out probably sometime.
There's an all-electric "Mustang inspired" crossover coming.
The Focus returns in 2020 on an all new platform.

Keep in mind though, say that is the new sub-compact truck on a Focus chassis, it doesn't mean it has to share the drivetrain with the Focus. It's possible it could share 6-lug components with the Ranger to save costs?

Who knows. Guess we'll see when they are finally unveiled. The pictures didn't look very much like what I would imagine a Bronco to be, and given the Bronco won't hit dealers for quite some time, I don't see Ford sneaking it out into the public even if it's heavy camo'ed. Could be wrong tho. If I'm betting, it's not the Bronco.

 

google ford courier...thats the new focus based mule running around

 

What gave that away? The separate bed?

 

There is no way that's what this is. The vehicle in the photo is clearly on a frame, not a unibody platform. It sits too high to be a Focus-based anything.

I still think it's the chassis testing for the Bronco, but using a chopped Ranger body in the meantime to either keep the design a secret or because they haven't finished it.