New Ranger/Bronco SFA rumor

[haven]

Automotive News is reporting that the new Ranger/Bronco will sport solid axles front and rear
http://www.autonews.com/article/201...rangler-ford-bronco-will-have-solid-axles-too

The report is based on a tip from an anonymous source who attended a presentation by Dana, the company that supplies axles to the Wrangler. Dana said they will also provide solid front and rear axles to Ford for the new midsize Ranger and Bronco.

A Bronco with solid front axle would make sense if Ford wants to stage a frontal assault on Jeep. Vehicles with independent front suspension (4Runner, Raptor, many King of the Hammers competitors, etc) are great off-road and clearly superior to SFA at speed. But the SFA is a time-honored feature that separates Wrangler from almost all off-road-capable SUVs in North America (G-wagen is the other).

 

[jeep-N-montero]

We are on the edge of our seats, hope they don't disappoint.

 

[Martinjmpr]

If they do have SFA on the Bronco then it may be intended to be a "call back" to the classic Bronco of 1966. However, if that's the case, then is Ford really invested in the platform or is it a one-off tribute like the short-lived Thunderbird of the early 2000's? IOW, a "halo" vehicle designed to bring people into the showroom rather than something they'll be committed to in the long term.
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I'll believe it when I see it. To my knowledge no manufacturer has gone back to SFA after going to IFS on any platform.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

The article talked about Dana axles but it's really just the center diff. The link to Dana show a IFS center section.

 

[Comanche Scott]

Good catch PJ. :beer:

Ah the "silly season"; Where rumors fly, and facts are limited.
It's my favorite time of the year, because it always brings laughs, and smiles.

 

[ExplorerTom]

SFA sounds unlikely in this day and age. Even the Wrangler has rumors of going IFS.

 

[Airmapper]

Since my expectations are so low, I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised with whatever Ford comes out with.

My initial fear was it would be a vehicle to suit the aggressive hockey mom crowd. CUV uni-body, with enough hints at toughness to look mean but no real ability. Now I fear it's going to cater more to the high performance, flashy, truck version of a sports car crowd. Something people buy new and take to car shows....

The essence of a Bronco to me is a utility vehicle, rugged and versatile, yet still powerful. I think it could fill that role with IFS just fine. Bronco's were initially marketed as a fun farm and family vehicle, a hybrid between work and play. Not exclusively a toy, but not a boring tool either.

I hear they want to keep it true to it's roots, I just wonder if that means it will fill the role of the early (66-77) Bronco, or the later short wheel base F-series trucks (Big Bronco's). Vastly different vehicles in my opinion. But there was the Bronco II, short wheel base Rangers, that were back to the smaller sized vehicle.

No matter the physical size, the Bronco has always been a 2 door small interior space vehicle with second row seats, I wonder if they will stick to that. I think it would be difficult to have much utility use out of it without 4 doors given today's vehicles. Not many people today willing to let adults crawl over the front seat to get in the rear, or willing to work around the seat themselves to access items behind the front row.

Who knows, if it turns out well, in several years I might be in the market. But for now it's not by chance I own a Nissan and a Toyota, they build what I like.

 

[ExplorerTom]

No matter the physical size, the Bronco has always been a 2 door small interior space vehicle with second row seats, I wonder if they will stick to that. I think it would be difficult to have much utility use out of it without 4 doors given today's vehicles. Not many people today willing to let adults crawl over the front seat to get in the rear, or willing to work around the seat themselves to access items behind the front row.

The Expedition was the replacement for the Bronco. And the 1st gen Expedition stayed true to its "Bronco roots": ala F-150 based but shorter with 4 doors. The 1st gen Expedition wasn't as capable offroad as the Bronco- mostly due to its longer wheel base. The newer Expeditions are basically high profile minivans that get bad gas mileage. I agree that a 2 door utility vehicle would be a tough sell in today's marketplace. But Toyota did have the FJ Cruiser recently and I saw those all over the place when they came out (still see a bunch even now).

We shall see.

 

[east_tn_81]

I believe Ford is aware the weight the Bronco name carries. I have read somewhere that it is rumored Ford will make the Bronco similar to the Raptor, not so much in design but in an extreme off road design in lower production numbers. I have had several full size Broncos and love them. I would be alright if it had a truly off road design independent suspension.

 

[east_tn_81]

The Expedition was the replacement for the Bronco. And the 1st gen Expedition stayed true to its "Bronco roots": ala F-150 based but shorter with 4 doors. The 1st gen Expedition wasn't as capable offroad as the Bronco- mostly due to its longer wheel base. The newer Expeditions are basically high profile minivans that get bad gas mileage. I agree that a 2 door utility vehicle would be a tough sell in today's marketplace. But Toyota did have the FJ Cruiser recently and I saw those all over the place when they came out (still see a bunch even now).

We shall see.

The market a few years ago said midsized pickups were dead but they came roaring back. I think it could work especially with the Bronco name.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Ford might steal a page from Toyota's book: Give the "new bronco" a configuration where each side has 1 large conventionally hinged door in the front and a rear-hinged "suicide door" on the back.
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That would give it the "look" of a classic 2 door while still having (most of) the functionality of a 4 door.

 

[east_tn_81]

Ford might steal a page from Toyota's book: Give the "new bronco" a configuration where each side has 1 large conventionally hinged door in the front and a rear-hinged "suicide door" on the back.
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That would give it the "look" of a classic 2 door while still having (most of) the functionality of a 4 door.

I think that is very plausible.

 

[4x4junkie]

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I'll believe it when I see it. To my knowledge no manufacturer has gone back to SFA after going to IFS on any platform.

The Bronco was never truly IFS. At it's end it did have the TTB axle which technically can be considered as IFS, but it wasn't quite the same thing as the A-arm IFS that everything else uses currently. It actually was on a similar level of durability & modifiability as a solid axle and could just as readily be modified to exhibit similar travel numbers (though unfortunately not as many people took advantage of it, partly due to a suspension industry that never really brought forth products that could extract it's full potential).

I would probably faint at the sight of a factory solid axle Ranger pickup sitting for sale on a dealer lot. That just isn't happening in today's compact pickup truck market. A solid axle Bronco however I still have a little bit of hope for.
I agree, additional small rear-facing doors could effectively address many issues of practicality. But then again, there also were very many who said back in 2006 that a Wrangler could never be viable with 4 doors either, yet that thing's sales have been on fire ever since it's debut. Maybe the same might be true of a 4-door Bronco having four regular doors, a solid axle, and removable top too? (though I'd probably still prefer a 2-door model myself)

SFA sounds unlikely in this day and age. Even the Wrangler has rumors of going IFS.

Looks like that rumor (thankfully) was put to rest some time ago.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20150215/OEM03/302169971/next-gen-wrangler-will-keep-solid-axles

 

[plainjaneFJC]

TTB was nice offroad but a total POS on road. TTB has the steering manners of a class 8 truck with about 1.5,million miles on it.

 

[DaveInDenver]

There's no way in reality that Ranger will have a solid front axle. Ford never built a small truck with a solid axle, the Ranger was always TTB (which IMO was really the worst of both worlds). I don't see why in this market where the majority of people are worried about having "tech" in their truck instead of the mechanicals.

The Bronco could be fairly a special vehicle like the FJ Cruiser, which is underneath a variant of the 4Runner/Prado. Unless it's truly a just to get people in the doors it will have to be a derivative of an existing platform.