New 2021 Ford Bronco Photos Show Off-Road Kit
Knobby tires identify this Bronco prototype as some sort of all-terrain model, and we can finally see the round headlights.
If the Ford Bronco wants to truly compete with the Jeep Wrangler, it's going to need an off-road-focused trim level. We're pretty sure that's exactly what we're looking at here, as this prototype has knobby off-road tires, a lifted suspension, flared fenders, and a few other differences compared to the more street-oriented Bronco we spied earlier this month. The lighter camouflage on this example also exposes the round headlights and LED accent lighting that lends the new SUV a retro touch.
Fix-a-Flat
There's a huge spare tire hanging off the rear of the Bronco and a small center high-mounted stoplight on top of it. We assume that the rear cargo area will be accessed by a swing-gate rather than a traditional liftgate.
What's in a Name?
We don't know yet what this Bronco off-road trim level will be called. It seems likely that Ford will leverage the same FX4 name that it applies to off-road packages for the F-150 and Ranger pickups. Raptor would be a logical choice, too, but it's possible that Ford would save that for a future high-performance variant of the Bronco further down the line.
Rugged Rubber
These Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires certainly look cool mounted on the Bronco, and they just so happen to be the same size (315/70R17) as the factory tires on the Ford F-150 Raptor off-road pickup.
Bad and Beaded
These beadlock wheels are different than what we've seen on previous Bronco mules, and they also don't match the Raptor's optional beadlock 17-inch wheels. The final wheel design may change for the production Bronco but this seems a sure bet to be part of whatever optional off-road package this truck has. We like the subtle Bronco logo on the center caps.
Retro Front End
This marks our best look yet, as we can clearly see through the camouflage that the Bronco has round headlights with circular LED accent light surrounds. That's clearly a reference to the first-generation Bronco, and we've heard that the new model's retro look is clearly aimed at imitating that original Bronco rather than later versions of the SUV.
Despite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.
Toyota Appoints Kenta Kon as New CEO
Super Bowl LX Big Game Car Spotters' Guide
AMG Is Replacing the C63 with an Inline-Six C53
Honda Is Racing a '75 Civic RS in a Historic Rally
