FORD

BRONCO EVERGLADES: ready to take on the water

One of the most interesting 4x4s on the American market is the Ford Bronco, a legend that rose from the ashes last year and whose line has not yet been completed, as there are still some very interesting versions to come.

One of them was confirmed a few weeks ago by the company itself, or rather by the Director of Product Communications for North America, Mike Levine, who released a tweet on his official profile of the most suggestive, which was followed shortly after by the publication of the first images of the Ford Bronco Everglades. A model that, with the arrival of the Chicago Motor Show, was completely revealed as the Bronco best suited to face areas with water and mud thanks to the interesting improvements installed by Ford.

Improvements that, at first glance, become the two main hallmarks of this Bronco Everglades in relation to the rest of its brothers, including the fearsome Bronco Raptor, more designed for dunes and rocks, while the Everglades finds its natural habitat in wetlands, such as jungles and swampy areas. For this, it comes as standard for the first time in a Bronco, with a winch and a high air intake of the snorkel type, which was actually designed by Ford itself for the model and which also has a series of easy-to-change plates that allow Easily modify the orientation of your air intake.

Along with this key element for fearless submersion in rivers and lagoons, there are also higher ventilation screens, as is the case with the transmission and transfer case. With all these tweaks, the Bronco Everglades is now capable of running through water-filled areas at a depth of up to nearly a meter - 0.924mm to be exact.

In this regard, it should be noted that the 2022 Bronco can be equipped with a $3,500 winch kit that was jointly developed with specialist Warn, and which is now standard equipped with the Zeon 10-S model. The system can support a load of 4,536 kg and features a 30 meter long cable, as well as a remote control and all related accessories and mounting brackets. This essential helper in muddy or swampy areas will be mounted on a Ford Performance modular front bumper.

In addition to the winch and snorkel inlet, this new version will feature a unique exterior paintwork and different components designed for intense off-road practice, such as 35-inch off-road tires, specific wheels, as well as enlarged wheel arches thanks to the presence of from the Sasquatch package - optional. There's also a unique grille in a Carbonized Gray finish with Bronco lettering in gloss black.

Meanwhile, inside, mindful of the places this model will find itself, Ford has installed easy-to-clean elements and upholstery, including a rubber floor.

Mechanically, there won't be many differences from the rest of the Bronco range, except that this Everglades will only be offered with the 2.3-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 300 hp and 440 Nm of maximum torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. , which mechanically puts it behind the new Ford Bronco Raptor.

This new Ford Bronco Everglades, which will be available in five different colors - Desert Sand, Eruption Green, Area 51, Shadow Black and Cactus Gray - will be bookable from March, for now exclusively by customers who already have an existing reservation of the new blunt. If you choose this version, you will have to pay at least 53,000 dollars, a price that costs entry.

Autonews