Ford is working on a smaller SUV to complement the much-hyped return of the full-size Bronco.
Editor’s Note 11/21/18: TFL received notice from legal counsel to Ford to remove previously posted photos of their upcoming small SUV. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Back in March, Ford teased a small, dark image of it’s small off-road SUV. Now, after October’s dealer meeting in Las Vegas, where information on the 2020 Shelby Mustang GT500 and four-door Mustang was also leaked, we’re getting a closer look at what is allegedly the new “Baby Bronco”. Off-Road.com found these images on “a publicly accessible part of a Ford website hosting pictures of the 2018 dealer meeting”. Although which website they’re referring to is a mystery at the moment.
Nevertheless, we now know that these new photos largely match the old teaser. That is, if these images represent something close to the final product. There are some awesome-looking retro LED lights with a classic “FORD” badge integrated into the flat grille. On the side, the Baby Bronco has proportions that match what we’ve seen in its larger brother. Speaking of its larger brother, a member of Bronco6G forums caught an easter egg in the side profile image. While it obviously shows the Baby Bronco, there’s also a silhouette of the Bronco – complete with tire carrier – in the background.
While the larger Bronco will roll on the Ranger platform, we have it on good authority that the Baby Bronco will share its platform with the Focus Active crossover.
Another neat character line we couldn’t see in the original teaser is on the side. The Baby Bronco has a two-tone, floating roof design that’s a bit of a nod to chunky, retro-styled off-roaders like the Toyota FJ Cruiser. Despite its size, it appears to have plenty of chunky design elements befitting its ties to the classic SUV we all know and love.
So, with that, there’s just one word left to say – “Phew”. While the world continues to go crossover-crazy, Ford could have changed the Baby Bronco’s design to something more conventional. That’s the route GM has gone – rather contentiously – with the new Blazer. Here, it seems the company is looking to stick closer to the original Bronco’s heritage.
We don’t know anything at the moment about powertrains. However, it would make sense for the Baby Bronco to use something like the 2.3-liter EcoBoost that’s in the new Ranger. We’ll have to wait and see. When we reached out to Ford on the matter, this was the company’s response: “Ford has an exciting product future but we don’t comment on speculation.” Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!
Update 11/13/18 – Added comment from Ford spokesperson. Added Bronco easter egg.
