Since its highly anticipated rebirth in 2021, the Ford Bronco has enjoyed remarkable success. Profiting from the nostalgia surrounding retro-styled vehicles and off-road capable automobiles like the Land Rover Defender, GMC Hummer, and Toyota Land Cruiser, the Bronco successfully blends its authentic 1960s charm with a modern personality that distinctively sets it apart from other Ford products.
To tantalize a broader audience, the Bronco is available in a vast spectrum of trims and configurations, catering to diverse tastes and preferences. You may choose between two- and four-door configurations, guide or computerized transmissions, various powertrains, and engines up to a 418-hp V6 in the Bronco Raptor, as well as numerous off-road focused models like the one we’re testing here, the Bronco Everglades.
Wrapped in a vibrant canvas of Eruption Inexperienced paint, the Everglades emerges as a resolute defender of its namesake, the iconic 1.5-million-acre wetlands preserve in Florida. Here, shallow rivers meander through vast grassy landscapes and deep marshes, providing a sanctuary for an astonishing diversity of animal species that would leave even the most discerning naturalist from National Geographic besotted.
The Bronco Everglades offers a factory-installed WARN winch, equipped with a 100-foot synthetic rope, capable of pulling up to 22,046 pounds (10,000 kilograms) to extract yourself or companions from stuck situations. This propels it as a successful autonomous vehicle right off the starting line. With the addition of an air consumption snorkel and 35-inch mud terrain tires, this vehicle is well-equipped to tackle even the deepest waterways. This unique mannequin boasts a rugged design, featuring a reinforced heavy-duty front bumper, durable rubberized cabin flooring, and an intriguing Sasquatch sighting map emblazoned on its flank, paying homage to the region’s storied history of Bigfoot sightings within Florida’s forests and swamps.
With the winch connected, we’re thrilled to highlight one of our standout Bronco features. With a bold and audacious design, the entrance finish asserts its dominance on the road, generating an intense sense of highway presence and undeniable allure as it catches the eye. While some might argue that this behemoth eclipses its Jeep Wrangler counterparts, it’s arguably on par with the legendary Defender and Land Cruiser models.
Is the Everglades a unique, four-door model equipped with a 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, generating 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque when running on premium fuel, or 275 horsepower and 315 pound-feet on regular gasoline? The vehicle’s powertrain features a sophisticated 10-speed automated manual transmission and a dynamically adjustable four-wheel-drive system.
While the 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine possesses sufficient power output and decent fuel efficiency, its performance is marred by noticeable turbo lag. It shifts effortlessly into high gear in just a second, and the 10-speed transmission allows for seamless variation of the abundant torque. While it may not aggressively pursue the highest gear, our city-bound driving habits aren’t particularly noteworthy; at 13.6 L/100km, we’re not exactly setting fuel-economy records, but this isn’t entirely surprising given the car’s boxy silhouette? brick. Despite the V6’s potent roar, its loud and jarring vibrations under acceleration prove a distracting nuisance, as if the engine is eager to announce its presence with each burst of power.
While the Bronco is designed for off-road prowess, its daily driving comfort is compromised by its rugged features – specifically, the successful but noisy 17-inch mud-terrain tires. While cabin noise is marginally reduced compared to the Jeep Wrangler, the relentless gusts of wind and leaks through the doors and side windows may lead one to believe the air vents themselves are experiencing a crisis of existence. As the hour passes, the cacophony of sounds becomes oddly familiar, allowing you to comfortably cruise at triple-digit speeds; yet, even the sublime Bang & Olufsen audio system is powerless against the deafening din that surrounds you.
As a result, the Bronco replicates this unpredictable ride due to the inherent design limitations of its Wrangler counterpart. While the Bronco’s independent front suspension enables its entrance wheels to deviate significantly less, it also makes it easier to keep the vehicle aligned without drifting into the adjacent lane. Consequently, the Bronco’s on-road behavior and handling capabilities significantly surpass those of the Jeep. The ride is robust rather than rigid, characteristic of a capable off-road vehicle with a traditional body-on-frame design and a sturdy rear axle setup. As the wheels negotiate bumps, anticipate to be tossed around with a playful abandon, leaving you feeling like a rag doll in mid-air at times, yet paradoxically, the ride remains deceptively steady and composed at speed.
The interior is focused on ruggedness and an open layout that stays true to the Jeep formula: a flat dash panel, wide seats, substantial center console, and a large steering wheel. While the dashboard doesn’t appear as flat or shallow like those found in the Wrangler and Bronco, the Wrangler’s cabin does feel noticeably more airy and expansive. While the Wrangler’s rich history is evident throughout its design, a plethora of Easter eggs await discovery. From the subtle yet striking American flag motif on the gear shifter to the drive mode dial emblazoned with “G.O.A.T,” every surface seems to hold a hidden gem, begging the question: what other secrets lie in wait? This was Ford’s distinct identifier for the one-of-a-kind Bronco.
Ford has successfully secured its in-car entertainment system. The intuitive menus on the 12.0-inch display seamlessly navigate users through a streamlined interface, effortlessly eliminating any need for a learning curve. The notion that some individuals are accustomed to the swift pace of their smartphones may lead them to overlook the intuitive nature of this interface, which is comparable in quality to the Volvo-branded Android device powered by Google’s operating system.
While the Bronco Everglades won’t boost your chances of spotting Bigfoot, it does ensure your off-road adventure in treacherous terrain proceeds unimpeded, thanks to its standard-issue winch, snorkel, and aggressive mud-terrain tires designed to navigate the most challenging wetlands. Ford’s revival of the Bronco nameplate cleverly leverages nostalgia, but bolsters its credibility by pairing this retro appeal with authentic off-roading capabilities and a rugged, old-school identity that matches its heritage. While its rugged powertrain can be jarring to the senses, the vehicle’s capabilities in rough terrain come at a cost to one’s posterior, making it a rare breed among off-roaders that balance such extremes.
2024 Ford Bronco Everglades
Eruption Inexperienced Metallic
$77,210
$77,210
2.3-litre turbocharged inline-four
301 horsepower at 5,700 revolutions per minute when fueled with high-test gasoline.
325 lb-ft of torque at 3,400 rpm when using 91-octane gasoline.
10-speed computerized
Entrance engine, 4WD
: 13.6
35-inch LT31570R17 BSW Mud-Terrain
