What Broncos are the early buyers selecting?
Bronco mania is in full effect, from the configurator going live to concepts rolling out every few weeks. Between doubling (and immediately selling out of) the production run of the Bronco First Edition to tallying more than 150,000 reservations by the end of July, it’s clear that the appetite for the Ford Bronco is strong. But which versions of the Bronco exactly? In a recent interview with AutoBlog, Ford’s U.S. consumer marketing manager Mark Grueber laid out some tasty details about what Broncos were being reserved.
Unsurprisingly, those who plunked down their $100 reservation fee tended to skew more towards the higher-end Broncs. According to Grueber, the Bronco Wildtrak is the most popular trim, at around a 26 percent take-rate. Following that, the Badlands accounts for around 20 percent of reservations. That means the lowest four trims—base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks—and the 7,000 First Editions account for a little more than half of the lineup.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sasquatch package is a hot checkbox—a little less than half of the Broncos on order reportedly include the off-road-focused package, which adds massive 35-inch tires, flared wheel arches, and locking differentials front and rear. Does that mean that half the Broncos on order are destined for heavy-duty off-roading? Almost certainly no. Has that ever stopped anyone from building overkill machines of this vein? One look at the Jeep Wrangler makes the answer to that question a hearty “no” as well. We’re not complaining. Heck, when I spec’ed my Bronco, I shamelessly opted for the Sasquatch package.
Also expected: The four-door Bronco accounts for roughly two-thirds of the orders—with a car this cool, why not grab the friends for a ride? Grueber says they were surprised by how many two-door orders there were, especially since they planned on the four-door being the bigger seller.
Powertrain-wise, the 2.7-liter V-6 is a popular option. Around 10 percent of the four-cylinder-equipped Broncos also opted for the seven-speed manual transmission with the bonkers crawler gear. According to Grueber, although Ford was definitely listening to fans with its decision to offer the manual on the Sasquatch package Broncos, that combo was already in the development pipeline, it just moved the launch window ahead. We’ll still tip our caps for the decision to listen to fans with this move, but don’t expect that equipment combination to be available until later next year—there’s still some development happening with that powertrain combo.
Next up on that list of options for potential early implementation? The white roof, as first seen on the four-door concept present at the Bronco’s reveal.
As driving enthusiasts, it can feel like today’s automotive industry is less interested than ever in hearing what we have to say. In reality, they’re just turning their ear more attentively to markets like the Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler, whereas previously they’d meet enthusiasts first in the sports car category. After a long time of being ignored by all but a few models, now it’s a great time to be an off-roader.
