Today has not been very kind to Ford Motor Company. While the company was able to snuff out a smaller leak a week ago that showed off select elements of the Bronco’s side profile and rear fascia, things got turned up a notch when both the Bronco and its smaller cousin the Bronco Sport were leaked in full to the world. With the cat now essentially out of the bag at this point, we take a dive into both of these models, and see how Ford is betting big on the revival of the iconic Ford Bronco.
The latest leak comes from the Full Size Bronco forum which posted a shot of the full-size Bronco on its website. However, there are some things here that do make us take things with a grain of salt. For starters, the resolution here is pretty terrible, and while we can assume that it could possibly be due to either an old smartphone with a low res camera, blowing up the image reveals odd pixel formations and spot edits which indicates that the image was edited. As far as the background itself, it does appear to be in a Ford plant, with the Bronco on display here being possibly a validation model used to formally test the factory’s tooling. This latter item does seem to have some legs considering that there is some parts that are missing, and other weird elements that would clearly not be on the production Bronco. But look past that, and it’s very clear that Ford designers drew a lot of inspiration from the first generation Bronco especially in the front fascia. This is clearly a page taken from the Jeep Wrangler, which also wears a heavily retro themed suit of clothes to try and woo over off-road buyers.
With the full-size Bronco clearly gunning for the Jeep Wrangler, the other big leak of the day centered around its smaller cousin the Bronco Sport. Unlike the standard Bronco, there was actually a lot of mystery surrounding the styling of this model with Ford’s formidable camouflage techniques hiding the model very well prior to this point. On that note, the exterior styling does do a good job of embracing its Bronco heritage, and the side profile even reminds us of the boxy look that once defined the second generation Ford Escape. Leaked by Broncosportforum.com, the three photos posted by forum member Scotty do show an SUV that could be the genesis of a Bronco sub-brand. This sub-brand would not only try to win over buyers, but also create a very distinctive customer base that would stand out from more traditional Ford buyers. Look for engine and transmission offerings to largely carry over from the Escape, though we will have to wait until the Bronco Sport formally debuts to validate that information.
The wait will not be long though, with both Broncos making their debuts very soon. The full-size Bronco is expected to make its debut sometime this month, while the smaller Bronco will make its debut a bit later during April. Look for all the questions surrounding the duo to be formally answered during these debuts, including pricing, fuel economy, as well as the full arsenal of accessories and optional extras that will be a part of the broader Bronco package.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.