Ford Bronco Through the Years (2024)

In 1966, with confetti still in the air from Ford’s introduction of the original Mustang, the four-wheel-drive Bronco enters the scene in wagon, pickup, and roadster body styles, all with two doors. Ford’s assembly plants in Wayne, Michigan, and Valencia, Venezuela, handle the bulk of production. Riding on a stubby 92-inch wheelbase and its own dedicated platform, the first-gen Bronco is a simple, agricultural thing with solid axles front and rear and boxy if not timeless sheetmetal that would change little over its 12-model-year production run. However, the use of coil springs front and rear in place of conventional leaf springs makes the Bronco rather wieldy, affording it better wheel articulation in the trails and decent road manners on the street. Early Broncos are manual-transmission only and feature standard inline-six engines; a V-8 is optional, initially Ford’s pushrod 4.7-liter (289 cubic inches) and later a 4.9-liter (302 cubes). Although a range of optional kit gives the Bronco impressive versatility, luxuries such as power steering and an automatic gearbox wouldn’t become available until well into the 1970s.

Facing increased sales pressure from the larger Chevrolet K5 Blazer introduced for 1969, the Bronco begins to take on a second life as an icon of off-road racing in the hands of Parnelli Jones and race-car builder Bill Stroppe, among other legendary racers. Starting in 1965 with early-production models, modified Broncos frequent North America’s nascent desert-racing scene, including what would become the Baja 1000 in 1967; Jones and Stroppe ultimately win the big race outright in ’71 and ’72 with a highly customized Bronco race truck. True to win-on-Sunday-sell-on-Monday form, Ford—starting in 1971—produces a handful of commemorative Baja Broncos done up with extra equipment and painted to match Stroppe’s red, white, blue, and black racing livery.

Ford finally rolls out an all-new, second-generation Bronco in 1978. It would last only a couple of model years before being replaced by the third-gen truck in 1980. Based on Ford’s contemporary F-100 full-size pickup and riding on a 104-inch wheelbase, the 1978 Bronco marks a massive departure from the original, stretching more than two feet longer, about ten inches wider, and five inches taller. “Positively awash in new features, its only real resemblance to the old box-basic Bronco of yesterday seems to be its name,” we write in a 1978 road test. The Bronco is now basically a pickup from the B-pillar forward with a removable fiberglass hard top covering its rear seat and cargo area; its rear window that rolls (or powers) down into the tailgate would become a hallmark of future Broncos. Solid axles still reside beneath the new truck, supported by coil springs up front and more conventional leaf springs in back. A full-time four-wheel-drive transfer case with automatic locking front hubs also becomes available for the first time. Powered by a 5.8-liter pushrod V-8 lashed to a three-speed automatic transmission, the 1978 model we test takes a glacial 13.7 seconds to reach 60 mph.

Although the Bronco evolves into a vehicle that’s more accommodating away from the trailhead, a formula it would adhere to for years to come, it doesn’t go completely soft. “If the Bronco is a pleasant but demanding ride on the road, when you aim its blunt snout into the weeds it seems to come alive,” we say of our 1978 test truck. But the Bronco’s newfound levels of optional luxury also prompt us to wonder what exactly the mission of this rugged yet docile amalgam of truck and car virtues might be. “Would you spend ten grand on a truck like this and then risk wedging it sideways in an arroyo?” If the explosive popularity of SUVs since then—including a new Ford Expedition that can crest $80K with options—is any indication, the market’s answer today has been a resounding “Yes.”

The introduction of the third-gen Bronco for 1980 marks the beginning of the model’s lockstep development alongside Ford’s (also new) F-150 pickup. As part of roughly $700 million that the company spends developing its updated full-size trucks, we say in our road test of a 1980 Bronco Ranger XLT that “Ford decided to reduce weight, improve airflow, and generally give the public a better truck—but one it couldn’t tell from the old version.” Specifically, that means a slightly shorter, narrower, and lighter Bronco, as well as one that cuts through the air more cleanly. For 1982, the Bronco for the first time wears a proper blue-oval emblem on its mug in place of the FORD lettering that previous models wore; the now-classic two-tone Eddie Bauer trim package joins the equipment list for 1985.

The third-gen Bronco departs from its predecessors in adopting an independent front suspension, specifically Ford’s funky Twin-Traction Beam swing axle. A novel design that would stay with the Bronco until 1996, it brings better control of the front wheels than a solid axle yet is somewhat less refined than a more conventional control-arm setup. Over this generation’s seven years in production, engine choices include a standard inline-six, a 4.9-liter V-8, and two 5.8-liter V-8s. But the overall changes throughout are modest, and the full-size Bronco remains at odds with the small-SUV trend that would grip the industry in the years ahead. “We need the new Bronco the way a moose needs a hat rack,” we say in 1980. “The new wave of small, efficient four-by-fours makes this better 4WD idea for the Eighties look like something exhumed from the La Brea tar pits.”

Enter Ford’s compact Bronco II, a Lilliputian two-door SUV based on the smaller Ranger pickup that promises greater efficiency, tidier handling, and better maneuverability on the trails. Indeed, the II is much smaller and wieldier than the full-size Bronco—about 19 inches shorter, nine inches narrower, and five inches lower—and is configured, as we put it in our initial 1983 review, as “a sort of mechanical Barbie doll to be dressed from a voluminous options book.” Along with standard four-wheel drive (rear-drive became available in 1986), the Bronco II sees engine choices over its life span that include 2.8- and 2.9-liter V-6s as well as a 2.3-liter turbo-diesel inline-four. Although the Bronco II never amasses the following of the big Bronco and is eventually supplanted in 1990 by the larger Ford Explorer, its “lively and flingable” nature is impressive when it first hits the streets. To quote ourselves again, “It says ‘flog me’ in the same way that once made small foreign cars so distinctively fun.”

Despite the growing popularity of smaller SUVs, Ford’s release of a new F-150 for 1987 means that the Bronco adopts similar updates for its contemporaneous fourth generation. Given the rounded, jellybean-like shape highlighting the Ford Taurus sedan upon its debut for 1986, it is of little surprise to see the Bronco don slipperier design elements such as smoother sheetmetal, rounded wheel arches, and wraparound headlights and bumpers. The interior also is heavily revised, and rear-wheel ABS becomes standard equipment. While the Bronco’s engines and drivetrains largely carry over from its predecessor, electronic actuation for the full-time four-wheel-drive system is available for the first time. To complement the range-topping Eddie Bauer trim level and celebrate the Bronco’s longevity, Ford introduces a Silver Anniversary special edition for 1991.

By the time the fifth-gen model debuts for 1992, it is becoming clear that the full-size, two-door Bronco’s days are numbered as four-door utility vehicles grow ever more popular with consumers. Ford’s updates are minimal, amounting to a new grille and more rounded front-end features as well as a freshened interior. A standard driver’s-side airbag also is added, as is a center rear brake light. Although we test a custom 1992 Bronco outfitted with the styling and go-fast bits of Ford’s first F-150 Lightning sport pickup, the company never actually makes such a truck, and the Bronco soldiers on with lukewarm six- and eight-cylinder engines. A blacked-out Nite trim with contrasting neon graphics looks fast for 1992.

Of course, prior to Ford ultimately retiring the Bronco in 1996 to make way for the four-door Expedition based on the new-for-1997 F-150, the old-school SUV receives a final stint in the spotlight on June 17, 1994. That’s when the televised images of a bright white Bronco trundling around Los Angeles highways, a posse of police cruisers in pursuit of its two occupants—O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings—are seared into the annals of popular culture. The event is an infamous blip along the timeline of one of Detroit’s once great icons.

Nearly a decade after the last Bronco rolled off the assembly line in South America, Ford unveils an all-new Bronco concept at the 2004 Detroit auto show. A chunky, futuristic take on the classic first-gen truck that looks ready to tackle the Jeep Wrangler, it stirs Bronco enthusiasts with its retro mug, high-tech turbocharged 2.0-liter diesel engine, and dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The Bronco’s return to the market, however, remains elusive.

After that 2004 concept whets their appetites, Bronco fans rely on the old models to keep the icon’s spirit alive. And with the recent uptick in popularity of restored and modified classic trucks of all sorts, some of the aftermarket’s creations are pretty wild, such as the Four Horseman on display at the 2017 SEMA show. Built by Maxlider Brothers Customs, it’s a stunning 1966 model stretched 26 inches to make room for a second set of doors, and it’s powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote V-8 and rolls on 37-inch BFGoodrich tires.

Finally! Ford confirms the rodeo of rumors surrounding an all-new production Bronco with a thickly veiled first look at what appears to be the upcoming two-door variant. While we’re still left to speculate on its details, the boxy silhouette is much closer to the 2004 concept’s than we imagined, somewhat soothing our fears that Ford will produce a fluffed and buffed crossover that is a Bronco in name only. The production model is expected to share its powertrains and body-on-frame underpinnings with the new Ranger pickup—and to include a four-door model. The initial look is evidence that Ford is serious about encroaching on the Jeep Wrangler’s turf. What’s more, Ford also shows an image of a chunky-looking, “yet-to-be-named” compact crossover that, in theory, could serve the same function as the Bronco II did back in the day. The next chapter in the Ford Bronco’s saga is indeed on the way.

The Ford Bronco is back as a 2021 model year that Ford promises has the toughness of an F-150 and the spirit of its Mustang. The pony returns with a new 7-speed manual transmission, optional 35-inch tires, a removable top and doors, and an infotainment that can download trail maps and navigate them without any WiFi or cell service. The body-mounted mirrors mean taking the doors off won't cost you much, and a pull-out table is also an option for the rear area. It's available in both two- and four door sizes, with either a 270-hp 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder or a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 with a claimed 310 horsepower. There's no V-8 option, just turbos. Both body styles have a 3500-lb towing capacity. Ford is currently taking $100 refundable deposits, and the Ford Bronco is expected to go on sale Spring 2021.

To appeal to the crossover crowd, the Ford Bronco Sport exists. It shares the same powertrain as the Ford Escape, a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder with 181 horsepower while a 245-hp turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder is optional. An eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive are standard. It's not all commuter car though, as higher trims offer a a more sophisticated AWD system with a twin-clutch torque-vectoring rear differential as well as a beefier suspension. Ground clearance measures 7.8 inches for the base model and 8.8 inches for the Badlands trim. Max towing capacity is 2200 lbs with the optional 2.0-liter and for folks truly after going off the grid with a Bronco Sport, the optional rubberized flooring might be a good idea.