$40 grand??? Holy crap! I'd swear I read it was supposed to be priced more in the entry-level SUV price range, around that of the Escape. Hmm. You know, at first I was set off by the fact the vehicle had a diesel producing only 120 or so HP, then I remembered that the V-8 GM motor in the good ol' Army HMMWV (a.k.a. Hummer) only produces 150 HP. Of course, the Hummer is a dog when it comes to get up and go, but it produces ample torque; So I am guessing the four-banger in the concept Bronco probably produces acceptable torque for a vehicle of its size. The drivetrain...what was Ford thinking?!? Front wheel drive? Maybe that is some design consolation to make the vehicle more fuel efficent.
However, this is all moot.
The truck, if put into production, would undoubtably not have the super-duper hi-tech diesel motor. Ford will have to use as many off-the-shelf parts as possible, and they certainly are not going to lay out the massive $$$ to develope an all-new from the ground up platform for a nich (read: low production #s compaired to, say, the F-150) vehicle. In all likelyhood, they will rebadge an Escape (which is basically a car), slap new body-panels on it, offer the same V-6 engines available in every other Ford product, and call it the 2006 Bronco. This is my guess, at least. You guys are right...the days of tough, go-anywhere, utilitarian vehicles are over. If you have a Bronco, don't let it go.
Me? Well, I like the look well enough in its "concept" format. However, I don't see myself driving what is likely to be offered as the "new" Bronco. Sorry, new vehicles these days are just too damn expensive for my tastes. I bought (well...leased) a brand new Exploder in 2001. Fourteen months later I woke up one day and realized just how much money I was forkin' over each month for that truck. In addition, I was disgusted with the electrical problems, the hideous build quality (particularly the interior), the tire recall fiasco (the tires put as replacements were worse than the stockers - by the time I took it back to the dealership it was on its 3rd set of rubber), the horrible ride quality, the cramped cabin, the pitiful 4wd capabilities (yes, it was one of those rare 4wd models!), and so on. So I took it back, paid off the lease (in 14 months, with 16,000 miles on it and in perfect condition, its retail value was one-half of what I got it for) and rode my motorcycle for nearly two months while I searched for the truck I had wanted since I was a kid...a big honkin' Bronco. I found my '95 Eddie Bauer with only 62,000 miles on it and in excellent condition. I now drive a paid off truck that I can actually work on when something goes wrong (to date, the only thing I've had to do is rebuild the rear diff, and me and a co-worker did the job), that has some balls under the hood, that will go just about anywhere, and that my kids love to ride in. Sure, it doesn't get the greatest fuel economy, but hey, I live in a small town and I don't live but 10 miles from the office. So, in a nutshell, the big "old" Bronco works for me and I love it. The money I save from not having a monthly truck payment helped me build my dream house out in the country last summer. So, as it stands right now, I'd probably have to pass on the concept Bronco, especially if it is $30,000+. (Now, if they based a new Bronco on the F-150 platform...that may be a different story.)
Peace.
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