2007 Ford Bronco
11-20-2006 | 11:52 AM
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2007 Ford Bronco
So anxious is Ford to bring the minimalist Bronco concept car to the low end of its SUV pricing table, it's actively looking for an existing platform capable of supporting a production version.
If built, the Bronco would be slightly smaller and less expensive than the Ford Escape sport-cute (perhaps $3,000 less in Canada), and would deliver a more basic package.
Ford Motor Co. is studying three existing platforms to figure out a way to build the Bronco SUV concept shown at the North American International Auto Show -- the Escape itself, the aging Ranger pickup, and the EcoSport SUV the company builds in Brazil and sells across South America.
It's also possible that Ford could use the body-on-frame platform that will house the next Land Rover Defender. That's certainly the ideal type of platform, but there are serious political issues in taking a key component of the company's priciest off-road brand and using it in the company's cheapest off-road brand.
There's no chance the Bronco would get an original platform, since that's too expensive in today's auto industry. Adapting an existing platform and using as many existing parts as possible is the only way Bronco might happen.
Such a method would also speed up the development process, though even with an existing model and componentry it would be impossible to get a production version into North American showrooms until late in 2005 at the very earliest.
Ford's intent with the Bronco concept was to evoke the sense of the original model in 1965 and play up the idea that this is a more fundamental product that anything else on the market. As J Mays, Ford Motor Company's group vice president of design, puts it: ''It's like a claw hammer in a box full of department store, battery-operated, plastic, power tools.''
Phil Martens, Ford's primary product development executive, says, ''At a time when sport utilities are becoming more and more civilized -- some to the point of forgetting their roots -- the Bronco's clean, raw shape, uncluttered interior and capable chassis make it the ideal tool for work, play or just making a statement.''
Key design features reminiscent of the original Ford Bronco include the boxy, upright roofline, short wheelbase, round headlamps and the Bronco nameplate milled into the modern three-bar grille.
A winch and guide rollers are integrated into the lower fascia, and other exterior details include exposed door hinges, cowl vents and flared wheel wells. Unique loop-shaped door handles are integrated into the door panels and open with a tug.
While the style may have that retro-modern look that Mays is so fond of, Martens makes it clear that the powertrain and other running gear are modern. ''Within Ford Bronco concept's rugged design is an advanced turbo-diesel powertrain with concept technologies that stretch the envelope of today's conventional propulsion modes,'' Martens says.
That would include one of the trendiest toys in compact street racing -- nitrous oxide.
Graham *****, director of powertrain advanced and research engineering, says ''the Bronco concept showcases significant advanced powertrain technologies, mating a 2-liter intercooled turbo diesel with an efficient six-speed PowerShift transmission and Intelligent four-wheel-drive system for a powerful, sure-footed off-roader.''
The 16-valve turbo diesel combines ''outstanding power, torque, smoothness and exceptional fuel economy in a compact package,'' ***** says, and that should ''help to change public expectations about diesel engines.''
Using the latest common-rail fuel-injection technology, the 128-hp engine delivers 244 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,800 rpm, which ***** maintains is an ideal quality for off-roading or urban driving.
On top of that, Ford has engineered the engine technology to deliver ''overboost'' of 258 lb.-ft. of torque that provides a short, extra surge of power on driver demand for situations such as hill climbing or getting across the intersection first.
That boost would come from the nitrous, which may not be part of any production version of Bronco, but not hard to add as an aftermarket affect either.
Power is transmitted to the Bronco's wheels through a new six-speed PowerShift transmission that ***** says ''significantly improves performance and fuel economy.''
The PowerShift transmission uses a layshaft architecture, which has more in common with manual transmissions than typical automatics, with gears arranged on two parallel shafts.
Within the PowerShift transmission, one clutch connects to the odd gears and the other clutch to the even gears. The dual-clutch layshaft has better mechanical efficiency than conventional automatic transmissions by eliminating the torque converter and the drag losses of an open clutch.
A typical four-speed FWD automatic transmission has approximately 68 percent mechanical efficiency, ***** explains, versus 80 percent for a PowerShift transmission.
Combined with the Duratorq TDCi diesel, the PowerShift promises five percent better fuel economy than a conventional six-speed automatic transmission, and six percent better acceleration times.
The roof of the concept Bronco has two sections, the rear one of which can be removed for an open-air driving experience.
In another link with the original Bronco, Mays says, roll bar accents can be attached once the rear portion of the roof is removed, giving the look and feel of a Baja racer.
A monotone color scheme featuring a silver finish and bright anodized brushed aluminum accents flows from the exterior body panels to the exposed interior surfaces.
The two seats are trimmed in ginger-hued suede that looks and feels like a leather work glove, accented with same color leather inserts and a four-line stitching pattern often found on a tool belt.
The instrument cluster is made up of two round bezels, housing a speedometer and a combination odometer/compass. A lockable glove box features an integrated grab handle that gives the passenger something to grip when traversing rough terrain. Corrugated interior floor panels further communicate strength and durability, Mays explains.
''The Bronco concept is like your favorite pair of worn, faded jeans,'' Mays believes -- ''classic, familiar, comfortable and always in style.''
If built, the Bronco would be slightly smaller and less expensive than the Ford Escape sport-cute (perhaps $3,000 less in Canada), and would deliver a more basic package.
Ford Motor Co. is studying three existing platforms to figure out a way to build the Bronco SUV concept shown at the North American International Auto Show -- the Escape itself, the aging Ranger pickup, and the EcoSport SUV the company builds in Brazil and sells across South America.
It's also possible that Ford could use the body-on-frame platform that will house the next Land Rover Defender. That's certainly the ideal type of platform, but there are serious political issues in taking a key component of the company's priciest off-road brand and using it in the company's cheapest off-road brand.
There's no chance the Bronco would get an original platform, since that's too expensive in today's auto industry. Adapting an existing platform and using as many existing parts as possible is the only way Bronco might happen.
Such a method would also speed up the development process, though even with an existing model and componentry it would be impossible to get a production version into North American showrooms until late in 2005 at the very earliest.
Ford's intent with the Bronco concept was to evoke the sense of the original model in 1965 and play up the idea that this is a more fundamental product that anything else on the market. As J Mays, Ford Motor Company's group vice president of design, puts it: ''It's like a claw hammer in a box full of department store, battery-operated, plastic, power tools.''
Phil Martens, Ford's primary product development executive, says, ''At a time when sport utilities are becoming more and more civilized -- some to the point of forgetting their roots -- the Bronco's clean, raw shape, uncluttered interior and capable chassis make it the ideal tool for work, play or just making a statement.''
Key design features reminiscent of the original Ford Bronco include the boxy, upright roofline, short wheelbase, round headlamps and the Bronco nameplate milled into the modern three-bar grille.
A winch and guide rollers are integrated into the lower fascia, and other exterior details include exposed door hinges, cowl vents and flared wheel wells. Unique loop-shaped door handles are integrated into the door panels and open with a tug.
While the style may have that retro-modern look that Mays is so fond of, Martens makes it clear that the powertrain and other running gear are modern. ''Within Ford Bronco concept's rugged design is an advanced turbo-diesel powertrain with concept technologies that stretch the envelope of today's conventional propulsion modes,'' Martens says.
That would include one of the trendiest toys in compact street racing -- nitrous oxide.
Graham *****, director of powertrain advanced and research engineering, says ''the Bronco concept showcases significant advanced powertrain technologies, mating a 2-liter intercooled turbo diesel with an efficient six-speed PowerShift transmission and Intelligent four-wheel-drive system for a powerful, sure-footed off-roader.''
The 16-valve turbo diesel combines ''outstanding power, torque, smoothness and exceptional fuel economy in a compact package,'' ***** says, and that should ''help to change public expectations about diesel engines.''
Using the latest common-rail fuel-injection technology, the 128-hp engine delivers 244 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,800 rpm, which ***** maintains is an ideal quality for off-roading or urban driving.
On top of that, Ford has engineered the engine technology to deliver ''overboost'' of 258 lb.-ft. of torque that provides a short, extra surge of power on driver demand for situations such as hill climbing or getting across the intersection first.
That boost would come from the nitrous, which may not be part of any production version of Bronco, but not hard to add as an aftermarket affect either.
Power is transmitted to the Bronco's wheels through a new six-speed PowerShift transmission that ***** says ''significantly improves performance and fuel economy.''
The PowerShift transmission uses a layshaft architecture, which has more in common with manual transmissions than typical automatics, with gears arranged on two parallel shafts.
Within the PowerShift transmission, one clutch connects to the odd gears and the other clutch to the even gears. The dual-clutch layshaft has better mechanical efficiency than conventional automatic transmissions by eliminating the torque converter and the drag losses of an open clutch.
A typical four-speed FWD automatic transmission has approximately 68 percent mechanical efficiency, ***** explains, versus 80 percent for a PowerShift transmission.
Combined with the Duratorq TDCi diesel, the PowerShift promises five percent better fuel economy than a conventional six-speed automatic transmission, and six percent better acceleration times.
The roof of the concept Bronco has two sections, the rear one of which can be removed for an open-air driving experience.
In another link with the original Bronco, Mays says, roll bar accents can be attached once the rear portion of the roof is removed, giving the look and feel of a Baja racer.
A monotone color scheme featuring a silver finish and bright anodized brushed aluminum accents flows from the exterior body panels to the exposed interior surfaces.
The two seats are trimmed in ginger-hued suede that looks and feels like a leather work glove, accented with same color leather inserts and a four-line stitching pattern often found on a tool belt.
The instrument cluster is made up of two round bezels, housing a speedometer and a combination odometer/compass. A lockable glove box features an integrated grab handle that gives the passenger something to grip when traversing rough terrain. Corrugated interior floor panels further communicate strength and durability, Mays explains.
''The Bronco concept is like your favorite pair of worn, faded jeans,'' Mays believes -- ''classic, familiar, comfortable and always in style.''
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