Flame suit on. Feedback wanted...Bronco/Ford.

Old bronco

I had a '71 Bronco in the late 80's. fun little rustbucket of adventure. Spent most nights working on it so I could drive to work the next day. Same temp inside as outside, no noise problems cause you couldn't hear anything anyway...but a nice 302 engine and a go anywhere attitude. Not for the mild and meek crowd though. Good times. Doubt the new one will resemble that much.
 
It will "compete" with the wrangler the same way the FJ Cruiser did. In reality look for a Ford version of the FJ. Similar size specs and off-road capability while still having some on-road manners. When Toyota scraped the FJ and Nissan the X-terra it opened up the door for a niche BOF off-road oriented vehicle that Ford is going to try and take advantage of. I don't ever see a major manufacturer trying to "compete" directly with the Wrangler...there is not enough $ in it. Recently because of no other options and its known reliability 4runner sales have soared in the void left by these vehicles. The Ford Bronco will however try to indirectly compete as the 4runner is doing now. Toyota is selling over a hundred thousand 4runners a year even though it is a dinosaur. In reality I think the Bronco will cut into 4runner sales more than Wrangler sales as long as the "Overland" crowd keeps growing. Look at 4runner sale numbers before and after the ax was given to the FJ and X-Terra.
 
Yeah, they'd likely sell a few more that way, but also sell a few less due to the loss of road manners. I think Ford wants to sell them by the hundreds of thousands, not just a few to off-road enthusiasts. Again, most buyers don't know or care about the difference.

Look at how many 4Runners Toyota sells. IFS doesn't hurt sales much if at all. Crawl control is great for image in the showroom, but how many people ever actually use it? A very small percentage, I'd wager.

Agree. Shame is all.
 
The sorority girls and middle managers that make up the majority of new Wrangler buyers don't know what kind of front suspension they should have. IFS will suffice. I'm personally okay with IFS as long as Ford doesn't repeat the TTB.
 
Pretty much guaranteed to be IFS and will never be as cool as the old boxy monsters.

But, I'm bias as my 5th gen will be the last new vehicle I ever purchase as new vehicles are a pretty dumb way to spend money.
 
It looks like a retard baby of a Wrangler and an FJ Cruiser, people with bigger computer screens attest that it will be SFA. I need to see the axle and diff myself to confirm.

Ford quality is abysmal. I had to lemon law the ex-wife's Fiesta for a worthless transmission, and then the ex-wife not long after.

For those of you still interested
-aftermarket parts will be spotty for a long while, especially if Ford doesn't plan on maintaining production
-if you do any highway driving, SFA plain sucks
 
It looks like a retard baby of a Wrangler and an FJ Cruiser, people with bigger computer screens attest that it will be SFA. I need to see the axle and diff myself to confirm.

Ford quality is abysmal. I had to lemon law the ex-wife's Fiesta for a worthless transmission, and then the ex-wife not long after.

For those of you still interested
-aftermarket parts will be spotty for a long while, especially if Ford doesn't plan on maintaining production
-if you do any highway driving, SFA plain sucks

I had an 2007 Escape. Wasn't too bad until 173k when the engine blew. First vehicle I ever had not to go over 200k and that includes an AMC.

Fixed or Repaired Daily. I still think they are better than Chevy or Chrysler though.
 
No it doesn't. Wranglers are sold mostly on image. Maybe 1 in 25 buyers tops even knows the difference between SFA and IFS. Less than 1 in 50 actually care. No way even that many ever see anything more rugged than a smooth dirt road.

sorry, quoted the wrong post; I agree with this ^

Yes it does. Image is built is hype and perception, whether real or imagined. IMO, more enthusiasts would buy it if it had SFA and thus lead to better perception to folks that don't even know the difference and would lead to increased sales.

Ford's Raptor says, "Hi!"
 
Pretty much guaranteed to be IFS and will never be as cool as the old boxy monsters.

But, I'm bias as my 5th gen will be the last new vehicle I ever purchase as new vehicles are a pretty dumb way to spend money.

Cost of a new car nowadays is INSANE. Everything is nearly $45k+ so I'm glad I got my 4R for $35k. My next vehicle will likely be a certified off-lease. That seems to be where the value is at.
 
TFLoffroad released a video yesterday with evidence the bronco will be independent front suspension. See below.

YouTube

Still should be pretty cool. Hopefully a little nicer inside than Jeep.

I saw those pics on the MotorTrend website and was going to point out I couldn't see any evidence of a SFA under the front end... you beat me to it though. :thumb3:
 
Basically, this is what the Explorer should've become. Not exactly the best but checks a lot of boxes. At least they didn't pull a Land Rover and turn the Defender into the next gen Freelander.
 
0% chance it has a SFA. Look at the video, no diff hanging down anywhere. I know the Wrangler has one and is selling like crazy, but people are stupid buying them, lifting them and then using them as commuter cars. The Wrangler would have IFS if it had gone out of production and Jeep was bringing it back now. It only has SFA as its continuously been in production that way.
 
Basically, this is what the Explorer should've become. Not exactly the best but checks a lot of boxes. At least they didn't pull a Land Rover and turn the Defender into the next gen Freelander.

The Explorer lost its way a long time ago unfortunately. Just like the Pathfinder.
 
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0% chance it has a SFA. Look at the video, no diff hanging down anywhere. I know the Wrangler has one and is selling like crazy, but people are stupid buying them, lifting them and then using them as commuter cars. The Wrangler would have IFS if it had gone out of production and Jeep was bringing it back now. It only has SFA as its continuously been in production that way.

It's a square FJ Cruiser. Will not compete with the Wrangler.
 

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