Off Roading with the 2021 Bronco

The articulation shot was a great example of solid axles vs independent suspension. Rear flexed great, front flexed almost none. 99% of buyers won't care, of course. Not much flexing needed to run to Costco.

WOW!

Drove thru some sand, down a dirt road and over a rock.....Woo-Hoo

Agreed Old-Biscuit, but that's unfortunately all the capability most people really want.

I remember many years ago my neighbor bought a 4x4 explorer and took it up to the local mountains looking for somewhere to put it in four wheel drive. He found a dirt road with some minor ruts that truthfully any vehicle could traverse and came back all smiles. He probably never took it off the pavement again.

I think I missed the part where they went over some rocks. I watch several youtube videos of desert rescues and see some amazing rock climbing in vehicles. Straight up and over, getting out and using other rocks to make a ramp to climb over boulders etc. Although the Bronco looks like a very nice vehicle, it's nowhere near the vehicles that people spend a lot of money on to off road for real!

Too bad nothing difficult was shown. Probably did not even need 4WD for what was presented.
Does it tow 4 down?

These pictures were taken at my friend's, the guy on the far left - home this past Aug.

Brad Lovell has been testing these Broncos for three years. They called Geof and asked him if he and his wife could fix the team dinner on there way to Moab from the Rubicon Trail. They did not want to stop in town and draw a crowd.







They let Geof sit in them and they spent some time showing them off to him. They wouldn't let him take pictures of the interior full of testing equipment and they never let him see un the hood of any of them.

My friend has been on the pit crew of Amzoil Racing during the Baja 1000.

I'm just glad we get any new off road capable SUVs today!

40 years ago every "SUV" had off road capability. 30 years ago they started domestication, birth of the soccer SUV. 20 years ago we had a 50:50 split of offroad capable vs crossovers. Every Jeep still had solid axleS, Xterra, ZR2 Blazer, 4runner, Montero, Trooper, all LRs had solid axles.

10 years ago truck based SUVs were dying fast, only the 4runner & Jeep in the midsize market, Xterra on deathbed, and LC in the premium market. GM and Ford full sizes have grown too bulky for off roading.

I don't expect a full re-birth of the market, as demand is too low. But any challenge would drive Toyota to some innovation, and Jeep to be a bit more humble with their prices.

IdaD wrote:
The articulation shot was a great example of solid axles vs independent suspension. Rear flexed great, front flexed almost none. 99% of buyers won't care, of course. Not much flexing needed to run to Costco.

I read somewhere that about 3% of Jeep owners actually take them off road other than just down a dirt road.

I'm sure the numbers for the new Bronco will be about the same. There is a two year back order for a new Bronco already.

I like the innovation in the Bronco. IMO the front end will need some work for rock crawling, but maybe it will push better innovation to Jeep.
That said, I think the bronco will handle easy rock crawling ok. Most people that do harder stuff modify their Jeeps from stock anyway.
I think the Bronco will likely drive much better than the Wrangler on road.

RoyJ wrote:
and Jeep to be a bit more humble with their prices.

2021 Can-Am MAVERICK X3 MAX X RS TURBO RR $30,399.00




2021 Jeep Wrangler from $28,475

The Can Am is the top of the line and the Jeep is the bottom, but I think its the OHVs that are ridiculously priced and not soo much Jeeps.