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Ford’s Upcoming Bronco Will Have A Lot In Common With The Jeep Wrangler

by Gregson Mathe 26 January, 2017, 3:53 pm 557 Views

Ford has announced its Bronco. It’s coming in 2020. Fanboys are collectively camping out in front of dealers to put down their deposits. Okay well maybe not the last one, but ever since the Bronco was discontinued that’s how rabid the faithful have been. Rest assured the Bronco is confirmed to be coming, as Ford said at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, and we’re learning more and more about it every week.

The first rumor was that the Bronco would just be a gussied up version of the Everest, but that seems to not be the case. Ford has said the Bronco will be recognizable as a Bronco. That’s a relief. But what we’ve just learned it that while it might look like it’s own model, it could share components with other models. And those models might not even be Fords.

When you make an offroad capable truck, solid axles are a good place to start. The Jeep Wrangler has used solid axels and it’s possible that the new Bronco may use the same company that supplies them to the Wrangler.

Dana, which is responsible for giving the Wrangler its solid axles, has revealed earlier this month in an investor presentation that it had secured the driveline work for the revived Bronco and the next-gen Ranger.

Both of them are going to be blessed with “front and rear axles featuring our latest AdvanTEK gear technology,” according to Dana.

But will they be exactly the same? Maybe not.

However, don’t get your hopes up too high just yet because the equipment developed by Dana is available for both beam axle and independent suspension designs, which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance the Bronco will get solid axles. If it will, expect some serious off-road capabilities from what Ford describes as being a “no-compromise midsize 4×4 utility for thrill seekers who want to venture way beyond the city.”

So whatever they choose, the Bronco won’t just be similar to the Wrangler, it’s going to be advertised directly to that audience in hopes of taking away some of that market share. We’re excited for it, and you should be to.