The doors and roof are removable, revealing thick roof pillars that hold standard side-curtain airbags. The new Bronco is longer and wider than the current Wrangler, and can be shorter or taller depending on trim level and equipment. In a Bronco first, however, the new model can also be had as a family-friendlier four-door. Retro details like its grille design and round headlights are a nod to the iconic first-generation Bronco, as is the availability of a two-door model. The Bronco looks big and bulky in person (in a good way), and its aggressive styling, particularly on Sasquatch-equipped models, hints at its abilities. The Wrangler limits all the really good stuff to the Rubicon trim.Ģ021 Ford Bronco | photo by Evan Sears New Old Looks Unlike the Wrangler, however, Ford has made the optional Sasquatch Package - adding 35-inch mud-terrain tires, an off-road suspension and more - available on all trim levels. The Bronco is available in seven trim levels, and like the Wrangler, each trim has varying levels of off-roading intent: The 2021 Ford Bronco has two very small and simple aims: first, to live up to the iconic Bronco name (the part that isn’t associated with police chases) and, second, to challenge the Jeep Wrangler’s position atop the heap of off-roading SUVs. Related: 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport First Impressions: More Capable Than Expected? (Per our ethics policy, pays for its own airfare and lodging at such automaker-sponsored events.)

(The earlier launch of the Bronco Sport, a smaller vehicle on a separate, unibody platform, has probably made confusion worse.) But the proper body-on-frame Bronco is finally rolling off assembly lines, and I traveled to the Texas Hill Country to drive it both on- and off-road, including at the first Bronco Off-Roadeo about an hour outside of Austin. The 2021 Ford Bronco is one of the most hotly anticipated vehicles in recent memory, and pandemic-related delays have only made the waiting worse. Versus the competition: The only area where the Bronco might lack compared with its competitors is in built-up brand equity and positive name recognition, given that the previous Bronco was last sold in 1996. The verdict: With solid on-road manners and tons of off-road capability straight from the factory, the Ford Bronco should be among the top choices of any shopper looking for a vehicle to take them off the beaten path.

Gord bronco