Ford Bronco Outer Banks: The best yet from the Blue Oval
Truthfully, I have been quite critical of Ford vehicles. I was quite disappointed by the Mustang, the Ranger was a bit meh, the Everest “okay.”
So, it was with rather some trepidation that I accepted the offer to test out the Ford Bronco, in top-trim Outer Banks variant. Interestingly, I’ve had to re-schedule it twice due to some personal and family commitments rendering me unavailable. So, I was surprised that Ford called me the day prior to its delivery to remind me of the Bronco’s arrival.
The Ford Bronco is an important nameplate among Ford Trucks, having produced five generations over 30 years, from 1966 to 1996, before taking a hiatus of 25 years before the current sixth-generation model was launched. It would be quite remiss to not mention OJ Simpson and HIS Ford Bronco and the infamous low-speed chase down Interstate 405 in California. For many in my generation, that was the earliest memory of anything Ford Bronco related.
Today’s Ford Bronco is a technological tour de force: the Philippine-spec Bronco is powered by a twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 EcoBoost engine. It’s good for 330hp and 563N-m of torque, drives all four wheels via a 10R60 10-speed automatic transmission, the amazing Bilstein dampers equipped HOSS Suspension (High Performance Off Road Stability Suspension) system designed for improved off-road performance, which is part of the Sasquatch Package local units come with, massive 35-inch Goodyear Territory MT tires (315/70R17 if you prefer the metric system) on 17-inch beadlock-ready wheels, Ford’s Co-Pilot360 Assist Plus ADAS system, and more.
With a ground clearance of almost a foot (292mm or 11.5 inches) your pants better be low-crotch and baggy, or made from stretchy fabric lest you risk ripping them up climbing in. Once seated inside, the view from outside is great: commanding and expansive thanks to the ride height which affords a clearer view ahead, giving you a sense of confidence over the wheel. You are greeted with two large LCD screens for the Ford SYNC infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus, toggle switches for that retro vibe. There are cameras all around to help when you’re traversing tricky terrain, too! Additional buttons on the steering wheel give you better control while on the move.
On the open road, the Bronco feels right: The steering is loose in the best tradition of hard-core off-roaders (prevents broken fingers when rock-crawling), the suspension feels indestructible, the brakes firm, responsive, progressive and powerful, and the throttle response is almost electric in nature: instant, responsive and accurate. Yes, you do feel like riding a tall, powerful American bronco (the horse), expecting a wild rodeo but surprisingly it feels benign, faithful and willing. On the road, particularly the highway, it doesn’t feel awkward, and, in fact, feels confident as it threads through traffic easily, thanks to its twin-turbo V6 grunt.
But, it’s off the beaten path where the Bronco is supposed to truly excel. Thanks to its HOSS Suspension, the Sasquatch package with tweaked wheel tracks and bigger rolling stock, the Bronco also has three locking differentials to provide maximum traction in the rough stuff. The electronic gubbins have been optimized for specific surfaces thanks to the Bronco’s G.O.A.T. system (Goes Over Anything), it has sand, snow, mud rock crawling modes, plus of course, the road optimized Normal, Eco and Sport modes. Sadly, all we could find was a pretty bumpy empty lot to try out how capable the overall package is, to which the Bronco laughed at our faces and the surface we threw at it. It’s got a 29.7 degrees of departure angle, a 31.2 degrees of approach angle, and 21.7 breakover angle. It also has an 850-mm water fording depth, and lastly, a surprisingly tight turning radius of 5.5 meters. Handy when you have to maneuver on very tight trails.
Safety? The Bronco has six airbags, traction / stability control, ABS-EBD (anti-lock braking system/electronic brakeforce distribution) with emergency braking assist, and the Co-Pilot360 features which have lane keeping assist, rear cross traffic alert, blind-spot information and pre-collision with emergency autonomous braking. The roof and doors are also removable, and the interior can be partially hosed down to clean it after a particularly grueling (muddy, dusty or murky) off-road sortie. You can also remove the roof panels and the doors like its chief rival, Jeep’s Wrangler for true al fresco off-roading.
Overall, the Bronco just feels so complete, so polished and accomplished. It’s got street cred, it’s got the abilities to back up the looks, and a high-level of driving dynamics. It’s a tad thirsty but considering the massive off-road tires and barn-door aerodynamics (~5km/liter in the city, barely over 10km/liter on the highway), it’s actually quite decent. And most of all, there is no harshness and intermittent ill-timed lurching from the 10R60 10-speed, versus the 10R80 you will find in Mustangs and F150’s which just totally makes for a more relaxing drive when you’re not in the mood, or pootling about in traffic.
At P4,990,000, it’s expensive but true performance and a high-level of refinement never come cheap.
