2022 Ford Bronco: Rugged, refined and ready to rumble

It's clear in reviving one of its most fabled franchises that Ford Motor Co. with the 2022 Bronco is throwing down multiple gauntlets while trying to knock the Jeep Wrangler down a few switchbacks or boulders.

The two- and four-door Bronco goes on sale this summer after a delay with supply issues. Prices start at $29,995 for the two-door and $34,695 for the four-door, including $1,495 for shipping.

The Bronco will be offered with a choice of two turbocharged engines: a 270-hp, 2.3-liter four-cylinder and a 310-hp, 2.7-liter V-6. There are two transmissions available: a seven-speed manual and a 10-speed automatic. The 2.7-liter turbo engine is fitted with just the automatic transmission.

In a shot across the grille of the Wrangler, most of the Bronco's seven trim lines at launch have clever names -- Big Bend ($34,860), Black Diamond ($37,505), Outer Banks ($40,450), Badlands ($43,550) and Wildtrak ($48,435). A limited-production First Edition ($58,865) will be available at launch.

Ford describes the base Bronco as a rather simple, bare model, thus it has marshaled a catalog with more than 200 components and accessories to help buyers equip and tailor their own. Look for more of these accessories in the years to come as Ford strives to keep the buzz going.

Indeed, in recent days, a new Bronco prototype has emerged on the streets of Dearborn, Mich., with all the running gear of an Overland-ready adventurer: a reworked front fascia with an integrated Warn winch and a passenger-side A-pillar heavily camouflaged to conceal an exhaust snorkel to aid in extreme water fording. Under the top camo, a raised roof signals there may be extra lighting, a cargo basket, or even a top-mounted tent. The adventure-ready Bronco prototype was equipped with the Sasquatch package to maximize clearance.

In the meantime, the first reviews of the Bronco are out and we've collected a sample.

"It would've been easy for the Blue Oval to copy the 4x4 formula long adhered to by the Wrangler and other hardcore SUVs that have come and gone -- including Ford's original 1966 Bronco. In short, that stone-tablet blueprint calls for simple body-on-frame construction, solid axles front and rear, a removable roof and doors and recirculating ball steering. Indeed, the 2021 Bronco has a separate body and ladder-style truck chassis as well as a detachable roof and doors, but Ford decided to go with an independent front suspension and rack-and-pinion steering instead. Both of these technologies are known for better control, precision and refinement, albeit at a higher cost and with relative question marks around durability and, in the case of IFS, ultimate off-road wheel articulation.

In light of these design decisions, it'd be fair to wonder aloud if Ford elected to gear the Bronco more toward on-road polish than ultimate off-road capability. As I'd come to learn over the course of two packed days at Ford's new Off-Roadeo driving camp, however, to doubt Ford's engineers would be to make a very bad bet. This Bronco is truly formidable in the rough stuff and it's also significantly better to live with on a daily basis.

My hours of on-road driving near Austin, Texas, confirm that this Ford is streets ahead of its Jeep rival in terms of overall road manners. That's particularly true of the steering, which doesn't have the loose on-center play of the Wrangler that requires constant correction -- especially in crosswinds. As if to underline that precision, to kick off the media event, Ford took the unusually bold step of having journalists' initial exposure to the new Bronco take place on a challenging, winding ribbon of lakefront tarmac with significant elevation changes -- a sports car road."

-- Chris Paukert, Road Show by CNET

"The Bronco’s squareness doesn’t come cheap. First, it costs in space efficiency — the result of scaling up the vintage proportions over a modern wheelbase (116.1 inches for the four-door). The four-door Bronco is big on the outside, but the back seat is cramped (36.3 inches of legroom) and rear storage merely adequate (38.3 cubic feet), particularly if the space is occupied with doors.

The Bronco’s big glass forehead and square noggin create a lot of unusable space ahead of the front seats. The seating position, turreted windshield, large sunshades, rearview mirror and prominent automated driver-assist system (ADAS) array at the top of the windshield reduce the outward view to a squint. Load this baby up with all the cameras.

The boxiness extracts a toll in the gathering wind noise above 75 mph, after which the soft top starts to resonate at low frequency like a speaker diaphragm. Did I mention to get the hardtop?

But the biggest price is paid at the pump, due to the Bronco’s inherent aero drag and diving-bell weight — up to 5,320 pounds. Holy hell, the test car’s average EPA mileage is 18 mpg, and that’s with one of Ford’s most advanced gas engines — a 2.3-liter inline four with a twin-scroll turbocharger and electrically actuated wastegates — combined with its smartest transmission. The styling isn’t the only thing out of the ’60s.

The good news is that electrification, when it comes for Bronco, will only make it better. Meanwhile, I predict anybody who uses this as a family car will almost certainly grow to hate pouring so much gas through it."

-- Dan Neil, The Wall Street Journal

"Many have taken to calling this Bronco the Big Bronco to distinguish it from the smaller Bronco Sport that launched last year. And Big Bronco is an apt descriptor compared with the Wrangler. From the driver's seat, this Ford's more than two inches of extra width are immediately obvious when looking out over its broad hood. That additional width also means a welcome gain in space for the knees and elbows of front-seat occupants. There's almost never a universal consensus on styling, but the Bronco seems to be about as close as they come to a ubiquitous hit. There's obvious homage to the original Bronco of the mid-1960s, yet the new truck doesn't come off at all retro. We do think that the visual wallop of the two-door is somewhat dulled by the four-door's additional 15.7 inches of wheelbase and overall length. And this rig just doesn't look right unless it's wearing one of the more aggressive tire packages.

Importantly, however, a need for rear-seat space doesn't mean heading straight for the four-door. That model's stretch in wheelbase and length goes almost entirely to additional cargo space—the four-door has more than 50 percent more — while its rear legroom increases by a scant 0.6 inch. Even this six-foot-five evaluator found sufficient space in the back of the two-door, and both Bronco variants have similar rear-seat space as a four-door Wrangler Unlimited. Other than the ease of accessing those seats, the biggest difference between the two Broncos is that the two-door's aft quarters are narrower and you sit farther inboard, which also means there's no center seating position."

-- Dave VanderWerp, Car and Driver

"As we bounced our way through the scenery, we reminded ourselves the 2021 Ford Bronco is designed for Wrangler-level off-roading, and with that caveat in mind, the ride is acceptable — livelier than the average SUV's, to be sure, but rarely unpleasant and never uncivil. Straight-line tracking is notably better than with the Wrangler; thanks to the Bronco's independent front suspension (as opposed to the Wrangler's live front axle), the Ford goes where you point it with something that bears a strong resemblance to precision and stability.
Careening through the curves is something of an adventure: You know your destination, but what the journey will actually provide is always something of a mystery. The steering feels less than linear in corners, and the 2021 Bronco's engineers quelled body roll to the point that, with quick steering inputs, yaw feels remarkably pronounced. Driving a Bronco fast through twisty roads is not something we'd recommend to our friends, though the Ford feels appreciably less discombobulated than the Wrangler. Still, the Land Rover Defender reminds us it is possible to combine outstanding off-road competence with true curvy-road athleticism, something the Bronco can't quite manage. Oh, Ford, why did you ever sell Land Rover?"

-- Aaron Gold, Motor Trend

"I had a chance to try out the crawler gear on a very steep hill and it worked like magic. I put the truck in four-low mode, stuck it in gear (it's located below reverse) and took my foot off the clutch. The truck pulled itself up the hill without needing me to get on the throttle much at all.
But there's no getting around it: The two-door Bronco has an extremely truck-like quality to the way it handles the paved stuff. It drives like it's big because it is. It rattles over bumps, dives during braking, and was rather ungainly on curvier roads. There were times where I watched normal SUVs take a curve and found myself scrubbing speed before entering the curve myself because I didn't feel confident the Bronco would be able to comfortably handle it. Just once, I attempted a curvy section of road at the suggested speed limit, but it caused my purse to go sliding across the back seat as the truck tilted hard on its tall tires. It was an experience I worked hard not to repeat again.
Big wing mirrors and a long, tall hood also made it a bit challenging to place the Bronco's front, but the thoughtful tie-down points placed at the far corners of both front fenders (each good for a maximum load of 150 pounds!) helped me gauge the truck's position on the road. And I was extremely grateful for the optional 360-degree cameras, because backing it out of a parking space in a tight lot wasn't the easiest thing in the world."

-- Kristen Lee, The Drive

"The Bronco is very comfortable, but Ford's decision to equip it with head curtain airbags eliminated one feature off-roaders appreciate: Roll-bar mounted assist handles for stepping up into the high SUV.

The curtain bags protect passengers in the front and rear seats from head impacts in side collisions, but they're installed in the same structural rails where the handles would go. Handles on the rails would become projectiles when the air bags went off, so scratch that idea.

Something had to give, and Ford prioritized safety at the expense of ease of entry.

Handles midway up the B-pillars help with rear-seat access, but the front seat makes do with handles at the outer ends of the dash. They're OK to brace yourself over bumps, but too low to provide good leverage when climbing up into the vehicle.

The 2.7L V-6 provided good acceleration on road. The ride is smooth and comfortable on city streets and in the twisting roads of the Texas hill country. The electric power steering adjusts to different conditions and drive settings to provide good response on the road without becoming finicky over rough back country surfaces.

The Bronco should be a surprisingly comfortable daily driver for commuting, errands and the like."

-- Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press

"You might be starting to worry about all these knobs, buttons and modes. A true off-road pilot should be able to rely on skill, not software; maybe you're suspicious that these digital doodads are hiding some kind of deficiency in the core of the vehicle's engineering. I don't think that's true. If drive modes aren't your thing, you never have to activate them, relying only on your wits. But Ford has clearly put a ton of time into honing this machine to help make average Joes into off-road heroes. For some folks — probably the hardest nuts to crack in the Jeep crowd, those who live and die by their simple, decades-proven rigs — all this drive-mode trickery might seem frivolous. But let me point something out: Ford used the exact same approach with the almighty Mustang GT500, creating a muscle coupe with supercar-level performance hardware and using software magic to allow a regular person to get the full flavor of its sky-high capabilities. And nobody's arguing that the GT500 isn't as legit as a street car can be.
If you still prefer not to fondle the G.O.A.T. knob, good news. On top of the dashboard sits a row of hero switches that, provided you checked the right option boxes, control the full whack of the Bronco's most important off-road features. There's a switch for each axle's electronic differential lock, a switch to disable traction control, an electronic front sway bar disconnect, and one more party trick: Trail Turn Assist. Say you're crawling up a trail in 4WD Low with both axles locked, and the path hairpins off at a disgusting angle. The drivetrain's going to fight you through that turn. Trail Turn Assist instructs the Bronco to lock up the inside rear brake and torque-vector the other three wheels, pivoting you around the corner as smoothly as a politician side-stepping a question about universal healthcare. Pretty neat."

-- DW Burnett, Road and Track

"The Bronco's secret sauce is what Ford calls the G.O.A.T. modes, which stands for Goes Over Any Type of Terrain. (Don't ask me where the second T went, perhaps the singer from Ratt stole it.) A console-mounted knob allows the driver to select the kind of surface they're about to tackle and the computer takes care of adjusting the traction control system, differentials and transfer case to match. Each of which can be manually overridden for a custom setup.
Additional off-road-friendly tech includes a 360-degree camera system with a view of what's directly in front of the grille, hill descent control, Ford's low-speed Trail Control cruise control system that can be set from 1 mph to 20 mph, and a unique one-pedal driving mode for rock crawling that automatically eases onto the brakes as you let off the accelerator. The last of those takes no time getting used to and works great.
A fun and very useful party trick is called Trail Turn Assist, which locks the inside rear wheel to create a pivot when you crank the steering all the way in a tight turn on a slippery surface and can decrease the turning radius by as much as 40 percent. Toyota employs a similar system on several models, but the Bronco's feels more aggressive. It's only available on trucks with automatic transmissions because it might stall a manual. If you do that yourself in a tricky situation, all you need to do is press in the clutch and the engine restarts on its own."

-- Gary Gastelu, Fox News