Toyota is adding some "perceived" off road capability to the RAV4, and Honda's new Passport (which is a sawed off 2-row Pilot with an extra inch or two of ground clearance--basically an Edge/Grand Cherokee sized vehicle) is also being touted as having some off-road chops. I think the Passport is aiming hard at the Grand Cherokee more than any truck-based vehicles.

I am guessing that the low-slung look of the Bronco mules is due to covering their "top secret" suspension with extra panels. There is no doubt that with a separate body-frame construction based on the Ranger that it will be much tougher than the unit body crossovers out there. The only body/frame SUV's out there are the Wrangler and the 4Runner and I'm guessing the Bronco will hit midway between them somewhere and be plenty tough.

It's interesting that Ford's strategy is killing their cars, making the new 2020 Escape more car-like, slotting the new "baby Bronco" below that (as a tougher version of the EcoSport), and the new "real Bronco" above it. They will have to differentiate the Bronco from the Edge to sell some volume and not completely cannibalize the Edge (which, with the ST version, is clearly a smooth road hotrod like the BMW X5).

Gonna be an interesting few years, but EVERYTHING is gonna be really expensive.

George

 

I'm not convinced this so called Bronco mule is the true Bronco.

 

Why would Ford go through the trouble to put removable top and doors. To make a mall crawler?

 

I agree that the mule is not the final Bronco although it's my guess that the chassis and suspension are likely close to the real product.

As for removable top and doors, 90% of Jeep Wranglers in the Detroit area are mall crawlers and are the cool thing for middle aged life crisis men and high school girls from wealthy families to "wear"....

 

Most people don't associate removable doors and roof with offroading -- or if they do, it's not for a functional reason, but one of style. It's just a convertible truck. They can drive their convertible truck to the mall and look cooler than the rest of the trucks at the mall.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/autos/news...mage=AACuQSS|6

regular cab raptor f150 spotted testing. Article speculating that it could be Bronco related but I don’t think so.

 

Doubtful Ford would make a reg cab extremely shortbed raptor so this is the Bronco raptor chassis for sure. The pre-runner bronco. Ford's not playing around. They're taking forever, but at least they're not half-assing this like GM and the blazer. Of course the failure to give us a SFA is another topic.

 

Why not? Because a F150 Raptor is such a practical vehicle that no one interested in its offroad capabilities would consider getting one without 4 doors?

The chassis has overhangs that are much too long for any kind of Bronco. This is a pickup, just like it appears to be.

 

Maybe i`m terribly wrong but this looks more like a 2021 Ranger test. Size wise it would fit that.

 

I don't know what it is, but I do know I LIKE IT! Can't imagine those fenders are identical to the F150 Raptor fenders, and so, they had to be custom, and they look pretty polished. Someone went to a lot of trouble over those, so I'm guessing (hoping) that this is a production-intended vehicle.

 

Its nothing at all to do with the ranger. It’s an F150 Raptor with a regular cab. F150 is wider than a ranger.

 

So why does the writer think it has something to do with the Bronco when the new Ranger and Bronco share a chassis and it has the 150 cab . Since it isn`t camouflaged why would this prototype be in the open like all the prototypes have been ?

 

if they build this, i will buy

 

To get “hits” or views on their article.

 

i guess the hits on the link could be it. Or maybe something the Ford Truck engineers cobbled together for fun