G.O.A.T. Modes In the ’60s when the first
Bronco was under development, it was
referred to as a GOAT, meaning it could
Go Over Any Terrain. Ford has trade-
marked the term G.O. A .T. Modes, like the
big Bronco’s Rock Crawl terrain mode.
Integral stays and stops To sim plif y
door removal and thereby encourage
more spontaneous open-air driving,
the Bronco door hinges incorporate two
intermediate-position door stays and
the limit stop, so there’s just a single
10mm bolt on each hinge (plus an elec-
trical connection) holding on each door.
Similarly, the rear swing gate can stop at
90 degrees or swing open 150 degrees.
In the Bag By eliminating the window
frames and moving the mirrors to the
bodywork, each aluminum door can be
fit snugly into a strategically padded
bag (with handles) and secured in the
cargo area so that owners can set off on
a chilly morning with the doors on, pop
them off and carry them along in the
heat of the day, and resecure the car for
the night in a new location. Of course,
nothing else will then fit in the back ...
Trail Sight Tie-Downs Those little
metal doodads at the forward corners ofthe fenders help the driver judge where the
corners are, but they also include two holes
and a slot. Most standard bungee-cord
S-hooks fit in the holes, and most lashing
straps fit in the slots, all of which is to help
secure long items being carried on the roof.
Each can withstand a 150-pound load.
WWII-Inspired Fasteners To disting uish
the General Purpose (GP, aka jeep) vehicles
built by Ford, many fasteners were marked
with an F. The Bronco team has seized on
that idea and is marking various fasteners
with BRONCO lettering to indicate that
accessories have been developed to mount
where these fasteners are.
Easy-Off Flares Those big rubber
fender flares that barely cover the tires are
designed for super-easy removal with a
series of quarter-turn fasteners—should you
find yourself wanting to sling some serious
mud or needing to cover larger tires later in
your Bronco ownership.Badlands, Wildtrak, and Sasquatch-
package Broncos get position-sensitive
shocks and stabilizer bar disconnect system.
A second modular hard top gets painted
and adds the third rear roof panel for
two-doors along with removable rear
quarter windows for better airflow with
the rear roof section attached.
The four-door also offers a soft top,
which features a large section over
the seats that can be thrown back for a
sunroof feel. Its party trick is that the
bottom of the rear section lifts up and
out of the way to facilitate loading larger
items that might not easily fit through the
rear window and swing gate.
The first step up the price ladder from
the unnamed “base” model is Big Bend,
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