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Ford Bronco in the test: Western from yesterday

2022-02-18T03:37:57.062Z


Ford has breathed new life into the Bronco SUV. The car with its rustic technology looks like it has fallen out of time - and yet hits a nerve.


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The first impression:

The Ford Bronco looks almost like a Lego model - and works similarly.

As with the plug-in play car, the owner can rebuild the body.

Roof elements, side parts or even the doors can be removed so that the driver can surrender to wind and weather.

That's what the manufacturer says:

"The Great Outdoors" - this is the motto under which Ford managers like to talk about the new Bronco.

"The Bronco will take you to areas that you otherwise only know from nature documentaries on television," promised Ford boss Jim Hackett last summer at the world premiere of the new car.

Hackett wore a lumberjack shirt and khaki pants.

What sounds pathetic for Central Europeans is everyday life in the USA.

While we often say “no entry” at the end of a paved road, in the USA it goes further.

American drivers either use their pick-ups for this – or vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler.

As the heir to Willy's Jeep, it is the most successful off-roader and sets itself apart from the soft-washed SUVs from Detroit.

Ford didn't play a role in this segment recently, but now the Bronco is coming.

Decades ago, the four-wheel drive vehicle was already the first choice for the mud, but in 1996 the series was discontinued without a successor.

So that the restart works, Ford is trying two popular models: "The Bronco combines the robustness of an F-150 pick-up and the power of a Mustang," says the new Ford boss Jim Farley.

Apparently that works.

Delivery times are long, and the Bronco attracts more attention than the Ferraris on the boulevards of Beverly Hills or Las Vegas.

European Ford managers act as if they didn't know about the Bronco hype in the USA.

Officially, the car is designed solely for the local market.

But Ford has learned, as shown by the Mustang.

For decades, this was only available from free traders in Europe who made good money from it.

»We will definitely not make this mistake again«, a manager is quoted anonymously.

Only the current Mustang generation is officially sold by Ford dealers and has become a magnet for the brand.

"That's why the Bronco is coming to us sooner rather than later," says the Ford man.

That's what we noticed:

door handles like on a truck, a second handle on the dashboard – you're more likely to get on than in a Bronco.

Especially when the huge off-road tires are mounted, with which Ford provides more than 30 centimeters of ground clearance for the hardcore versions Wildtrak and Badlands.

That's how you feel in the Bronco like in a saddle.

This impression remains after driving off-road - comfort is not really a strength of the new all-wheel drive vehicle.

Air suspension, for example, is not even offered.

The Bronco actually makes car adventures possible.

Knee-deep mud, waist-high boulders, foaming rivers – that doesn't really pose a problem for the car.

The almost square shape and the short overhangs maximize the ramp angles, the fording depth is over 80 centimeters.

The selectable four-wheel drive, the terrain reduction and the locks pull the cart out of the dirt.

For tricky situations, the Bronco's driving systems can be adjusted to different surfaces using the rotary wheel on the center tunnel.

The Bronco, meanwhile, is strange to the road.

It's not the handiest of cars, and it gets even bulkier with all-wheel drive engaged.

The high center of gravity makes the car sway in tight corners.

It's a good thing that the speedometer scale even on the model with the 310 hp V6 engine (as in the test car) only goes up to 100 miles, the equivalent of 160 km/h.

Sure, the Bronco serves old ideals.

He looks like he has fallen out of time.

But he takes sentimental customers with him, fulfills nostalgic longings in a world of smartphones on wheels that are increasingly powered by electricity.

The price for this: The American standard value of 12.4 liters is lavish.

Such cars only find a place on the market because politicians continue to be lenient with the industry when it comes to climate issues.

After all, there are a few modern touches in the cramped cabin.

You can have the image from five cameras transferred to the navigation screen and thus visually check while driving that the Bronco is not getting stuck between two stones or sitting on a tree root.

Those who make their way through the wilderness at night will be happy about the surrounding lighting with searchlights in all four directions.

What you need to know:

The Bronco is again available as a complete model series.

In addition to the classic three- and five-door, Ford also sells a softened Bronco Sport, which is based on a passenger car platform and only has the name in common with the warhorse.

The original, on the other hand, which costs less than $30,000 in the basic version, is designed like a pick-up truck – with a ladder-type frame and a driven rear axle.

The drive of the front wheels is switched on when required.

Behind the mighty radiator grille with the huge Bronco lettering, Ford initially offers a 2.3-liter four-cylinder with 275 hp or a V6 petrol engine with 2.7 liters and 310 hp.

The Bronco Raptor, which was developed for desert rallies and whose six-cylinder engine is said to have more than 400 hp, has just been presented.

A plug-in hybrid variant is in preparation - a purely electric Bronco could also follow.

We won't forget that:

there's a drain under the floor mats – like in a bathtub.

So the bronco can be hosed out.

In this respect at least, the Bronco leaves a clean impression.

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2022-02-18

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