If we’re to believe everything we’ve seen of the 2021 Ford Bronco, the Blue Oval is aiming for Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator extinction, as further evidenced by this latest round of spy shots.
Esteemed nameplate? Check. Steep angles of approach and departure? Check. Removable roof and doors? Check check check, and the Bronco’s might be simpler to operate than Jeep’s to boot. All the Bronco’s missing to truly trounce its Jeep competition is a high-performance model, and if our latest Bronco mule spotting is any indication, Ford might be working on just that.
Some details shots supplied by our spy photographer show a Bronco prototype rolling around on a set of Goodyear Wrangler Territory MTs, sized 315/70R17. This Canadian Tire-exclusive compound doesn’t offer enormous insight—it’s a cheap off-road tire on a prototype truck—but its size and what wheel it’s been fitted to just might.
Ford fanatics may recognize the tire size as the same worn by the current generation F-150 Raptor, which uses fancier, BFGoodrich-sourced rubber. Further supporting our theory are the beadlock wheels to which the tires are affixed, as well as the supersized fender flares and what appear to be side rock-rails. It doesn’t feel presumptuous to guess that if the Bronco is in need of many of the Raptor’s off-roading parts and accessories, then it (or a variant) could be designed to go gallivanting over rough terrain without a care in the world.
One smaller, less-important detail also visible in these photos is the test truck’s headlight. Save for a piece of black plastic trim extending over the center, these bear an almost perfect likeness to the alleged Bronco headlight units that leaked online in late 2019. Their bezels and the bar coming off one side are presumably daytime running lights, whereas the trim-covered piece across the center is likely where the lights—possibly LEDs—are mounted.
Nobody knows when Ford will formally unveil the 2021 Bronco, but given that a Spring 2020 reveal was promised, don’t expect a surprise as this year’s Super Bowl. With how much we’ve already seen of this truck, though, Ford might as well get it over with.
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