The Best Year For The Ford Bronco
Ford Bronco by Andrew Duthie — CC BY-SA 2.0
Back in 1996, Ford made the decision that it would be the last year they would be producing the Ford Bronco. But with such a cult following, even after its many years on hiatus, Ford decided to come out with a sixth-generation Ford Bronco. This ultimate 2021 SUV has quickly become the best year for the Ford Bronco to date.
After 30 years of success, Ford ultimately discontinued the Bronco to make room in their lineup for SUVs like the Explorer, Expedition, Excursion, and their better-selling truck lineup. Ford just looked at the Bronco as getting a little stale, but the sixth-generation 2021 Bronco is causing enough buzz that you could say it’s the polar opposite of stale.
Ford Bronco’s Competitors
Probably right in the wheelhouse of meeting everyone’s on-and-off-road needs is the Bronco Sport compact SUV, and it has a lot of competition. The Jeep Renegade and Cherokee are what Ford is aiming at beating out the most. All three host pretty close to the same sized engines and off-road capabilities. The 2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer is another American brand that offers a lot of the same on-and-off-road capabilities for roughly the same price.
Then there are brands like Toyota with the RAV4, Subura with the Crosstrek and Forester, and Honda with their Passport. Kia offers a slightly lower-priced version but still with all of the on-road comfort and off-road goodies, while the Range Rover Evoque will force you to write a bigger check, but it might be worth it depending on your taste in all-wheel-drive vehicles.
For the non-Sport version of the Bronco, its major competition is the Jeep Wangler and that should come as no surprise to anyone. But other competitors are out there lurking as well - the Chevrolet Colorado, Land Rover Defender, and the Toyota Tacoma are a few that come to mind.
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Ford Bronco Trim Levels
The best year for the Ford Bronco comes in 7 different trim levels, and 5 of those trim levels can be ordered in a Sport Package: The 2021 Bronco/Bronco Sport Base, Bronco Big Bend, Bronco Sport Big Bend, Bronco Black Diamond, Bronco Outer Banks/Bronce Sport Outer Banks, Bronco Badlands/Bronco Sport Badlands, Bronco Wildetrak, and the Bronco First Edition/Bronco Sport First Edition.
2021 Bronco Powertrain/Towing/Gas Mileage
The Bronco’s base option for power is the 2.3-liter EcoBoost (turbocharged) 1-4 that produces 270 horsepower and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. The second engine that can come with the Bronco is the 2.7-liter EcoBoost (turbocharged) V6 and it produces 310 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque.
The smaller engine of the two comes either with a 7-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic transmission. The bigger 2.7-liter V6 comes standard with only the 10-speed automatic. All Broncos come with all-wheel-drive, even with the Sport Package, but the smaller engine comes in a 2-door 4-passenger configuration whereas the larger engine options come in a 4-door 5-passenger configuration.
Towing capacity for these hefty SUVs comes in at 3,500-lbs and gas mileage varies but a good base set of numbers comes from Fox News with the 2.3-liter getting 20 city / 22 highway / 21 combined. The 2.7-liter drops a little bit to 18 city / 20 highway / 19 combined, leaving no doubt if you’re looking for the best gas mileage, the Sport 1.5-liter is the way to go.
Bronco Sport Powertrain/Towing/Gas Mileage
A little smaller in comparison to its big brother, the all-wheel-drive Bronco Sport will come with a base 1.5-liter EcoBoost (turbocharged) I-4 powerplant rated at 181 horsepower and 190 lb.-ft. of torque. There is an option to up the auntie to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost (turbocharged) I-4 that puts out a stout 250 horsepower and 277 lb.-ft. of torque.
Both engines come connected to an 8-speed automatic transmission with a Final Drive Ratio of 3.81:1 and a Craw Ratio of 18:1. If those numbers don’t mean much to you, that’s alright, let’s just say unless you do some ridiculous, unthought-out all-wheel driving, you shouldn’t have to worry about getting stuck anywhere.
The Bronco also comes with a payload of 1,000-lbs. and a max. towing capacity of 2,200-lbs. That means you should have no problem getting all your camp gear and travel necessities out to the campsite. You can also expect some good gas mileage with the 1.5-liter coming in at 25 city / 28 highway / 26 combined and the 2.0-liter coming in at 21 city / 26 highway / 23 combined.
Ford Bronco Technology
Although the Ford Bronco was purpose-built ruggedly and built to perform well in off-road conditions, the best year for the Ford Bronco wouldn’t let you know it on the inside. The optional leather seats, easy-to-read gauge cluster, SYNC 4 technology with an 8-inch or available 12-screen, 360-degree camera, and available FordPass Performance App with off-road navigation can make you feel like you’re driving an optioned-up sedan.
To help you out on whatever terrain you are trying to conquer, the SUV comes with a Terrain Management System with up to 7 available modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, Mud,/Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl, and Baja. You also get an electronic all-wheel-drive selector. With a turn of a knob, you can go from normal mode to 4-low, 4-high, or regular all-wheel drive.
That’s just to name a few of the technology advancements the 2021 Bronco has to offer. For a full list of standard and available technology features, head over to Ford.com/suvs/bronco/ for the latest updates.
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Ford Bronco Warranty
Bumper to Bumper warranty: 3 years / 36,000 miles
Powertrain: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Saftey Restraint System: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Corrosion (Perforation only): 5 years / unlimited miles
Roadside Assistance Program: 5 years / 60,000 miles
Prices for the Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport
Since the best year for the Ford Bronco won’t go on sale until the summer of 2021, I wouldn’t expect to see any discount prices on these SUVs anytime soon. In fact, with all the buzz that was created from this new edition to Ford’s lineup, you might get prepared to spend more than MSRP pricing.
General Motors spent a whole year promising everyone that although with the new mid-engine design, all Corvettes would still be in the same price range as the previous generation. When one showed up at my local dealership, the price tag was $105,000.00. That was nearly double the price for the same trim model the year before.
But one can always cross their fingers. Starting price for the Bronco is $28,500 and $26,820 for the Bronco Sport. The best way to make sure you get one for as close to the advertised Ford price as possible is to order one from the factory.
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