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NEW AND FUTURE CARS
International Harvester
introduced its cute-ute Scout
five years before the launch
of the 1966 Ford Bronco. So it
almost seems fitting that Ford’s
new, rugged-looking Escape-lithium-ion battery pack, is also
reportedly in the pipeline.
After the initial launch in the
fourth quarter of next year (the
Bronco will be built at the same
Michigan Assembly Plant as the
Ranger), Ford is expected to offer
a variant of its 2.7-liter twin-turbo
V-6 making about 350 hp and
as much as 400 lb-ft of torque
to the Bronco’s powertrain mix.
It’s uncertain whether Ford will
name it the Bronco Raptor or
Bronco ST, though an all-new
Ranger, due in the ’23 model
year, will also be offered with the
engine and the Raptor name.based Bronco Scout will launch
before the highly anticipated
Ranger-based Bronco.
The smaller 2021 Ford
Bronco Scout (above), as it’s
tipped to be called, will be
billed as the off-road antidote
to the 2020 Ford Escape, which
itself has been redesigned to
look like a tall, next-gen (not
for the U.S.) Focus wagon.
Word is the Bronco Scout
chassis is being tuned for trail
traction action in order for it
to compete with the likes ofJeep’s unibody, transverse-
engine models (Cherokee,
Compass, Renegade), though
size-wise, the Bronco Scout
will compete most directly
with the Compass.
Engine choices will mimic
what’s available for the
new Escape, from a 1.5-liter
EcoBoost I-3 with 180 hp and
177 lb-ft to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost
I-4 with 250 hp and 275 lb-ft,
plus two hybrids—a series
hybrid and a plug-in hybrid
option—both coupled to a
2.5-liter Atkinson cycle I-4.
Cargo capacity should alsoBroncos
Beckon
ON SALE:
Bronco: Late 2020
Bronco Scout: Mid 2020
Explorer ST: Late 2019
BASE PRICE:
Bronco: $29,000 (est)
Bronco Scout: $26,000 (est)
Explorer ST: $55,835be similar to that of the new
Escape, which has 38 cubic feet
of space behind the second row
(34 cubes for the hybrids) and
65 cubic feet behind the first
row (61 cubes for hybrids).
Ford is targeting the iconic
Jeep Wrangler with its new-age
body-on-frame Bronco and is
planning two- and four-door
versions to battle the Wrangler
and Wrangler Unlimited.
We’re hearing that the Bronco
will come with an independent
front suspension and a solid
Dana rear axle, and Ford has
patented a take on removable
doors with interior storage for
use on the vehicle.
The Bronco is expected
to launch with the Ranger’s
270-hp, 310-lb-ft 2.3-liter
EcoBoost turbo-four paired
with a 10-speed automatic
transmission. A hybrid model,
likely with a version of the
Explorer’s 3.3-liter Atkinson
cycle V-6 with a 1.5-kW-hrAside from Shelby Mustangs
and other pony car variants,
Ford Performance is relegated to
Raptor variations of pickups and
ST models of SUVs. Following
on the heels of the new base
Explorer after it goes on sale this
fall will be the 2020 Explorer
ST (left), powered by Ford’s
400-hp, 415-lb-ft 3.0-liter twin-
turbo V-6 mated to a 10-speed
automatic and rolling on 21-inch
wheels. Within a couple of years,
an all-new Edge will migrate
to the Explorer’s rear-drive
platform and get the same ST
performance engine. Despite
the big wheels with their heavy
unsprung weight, the Explorer
ST won’t come with the harsh
ride and overly quick steering
of some performance sport
utilities, says Ford Performance
engineering chief Carl Widmann;
rather, enthusiasts will
appreciate the difference in the
ST’s dynamics compared with
other Explorers. AMFord prepares two very
different models