Jeep Wrangler is a really special vehicle, and its sale results are here to prove how amazing it actually is. To be honest, there are no current cars that can compete with the Wrangler, but will the 2020 Ford Bronco be a decent rival once it goes on sale? What does Ford need to do in order to make the Bronco a competitive in this segment? Although we don’t know how the new Bronco is going to look, let’s take a peek at the potential rivalry.
Background
Back in the World War II, Jeep helped the US soldiers win the war, and this is not something we made up, these words come from General Dwight Eisenhower himself. In addition, it helped with the rebuilding process after the war.
Disregarding the fact that the notorious OJ Simpson was getting away in a Bronco, this Ford’s model also has a great legacy. It is an embodiment of the American Dream, and many people love this classic vehicle that has been in production for so long. No wonder why there is a Bronco in many Hollywood films, music videos, commercials etc.
Both of these vehicles have a great history, and we know that this aspect is not important when it comes to purchasing one, but it will be interesting to see Bronco and Wrangler together on the roads of the USA.
Styling
Jeep is famous for one thing, and that is classic vertical grille slots with round headlights on the side. Once you see this grille on the new modern Wrangler, it somehow makes you think about the World War II. Of course, the exception here is the Jeep Wrangler YJ that comes with square headlights instead of the round ones.
So the question here is will Ford try to assemble the new vehicle based on the old one? It is hard to tell, but there is no doubt that the 2024 Bronco will take some of the design cues from the classic model. However, we are not so sure whether the people would love to see a Bronco with two doors. The four-door Wrangler accounts for over 75 percent of sales, which means that a four-door Bronco is more than necessary. This is the only thing that makes sense and Ford would make a large mistake only with the two-door Bronco.
The good thing is that the new Bronco will be “completely unique,” different from the Everest and we believe that everybody relieved upon hearing this news. From a styling point of view, an Everest-looking Bronco would be a complete disappointment.
In order to rival the Wrangler, It is essential that the new Bronco comes with both hard and soft top and these two options need to be without a flaw. The hard-top Jeep Wrangler sports removable panels, and it is great because it allows you to feel the open top ride benefits whenever you want since these panels can be removed with ease. We would like to see the similar feature on Ford Bronco as well.
The soft-top Wrangler is different, and it may be boring to zip and unzip the top constantly. Here is the segment in which the Bronco can shine and produce something easy to “maneuver” with. The AMA says that the 2020 Ford Bronco will come with the panoramic sunroof and there is no mention of the removable top. On the other hand, The Truth About Cars believes that the roof will be made of six removable panels.
They wrote: “According to two well-placed sources, the next Bronco won’t feature a canvas top or fiberglass cap. Instead, it will look to the Wrangler’s little brother, the Jeep Renegade, for inspiration.” With the roof like this one, the new model will hardly go against the Wrangler. The Wrangler’s roof is one of many reasons why this car is so popular and attractive to people. It is hard to talk about these details just after the official announcement, so we will have to wait and see what the Blue Oval is working on.
Off-Road
We already know that the Bronco will be a body-on-frame vehicle and this is the right direction if Ford plans to produce an SUV that will go against the Wrangler. Manufacturing a good off-roader is a piece of cake – you just need to put an engine with a lot of torque, decent FWD system, take care of the suspension, ground clearance and protect the underbody. Ok, it may not be a piece of cake, but we are confident that if anybody can do it, Ford can.
The problem here is that the Wrangler is better than good off-roader – it is an excellent one. In order to achieve that status, the competitor from Ford needs to have a solid front axle. The independent suspension that will be added to the 2020 Ford Bronco since it will be based on the Ranger platform provides much better handling and ride quality on rough terrain. However, that good front axle brings durability and support to the table, and that is why it is so important.
Price
One of the most important, if not the most important aspects is the price. The Wrangler is available under $24,000, so it is not surprising that Jeep is selling a lot of these. The Ford Bronco will probably be more expensive than the Wrangler no matter how it looks, but the base trim of Bronco might be able to compete with some upper Wrangler trims.
Also, just read about Jeep Wrangler Stormtrooper!
Will 2020 Ford Bronco be able to steal lots of Wrangler sales and be a true competitor? What do you think?
