Ford teases more extreme Bronco – Warthog to come?

Testing. Testing. Is this thing on? ???? #FordBronco pic.twitter.com/9oGCIeX5Jc

— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) September 15, 2020

With Ford’s release of an image depicting what appears to be an even more beefed-up version of the Bronco in development camouflage, the American automaker looks set to be working on a version with greater off-roading capability, and possibly a more powerful engine.

The uprated Bronco variant could forego the Raptor name as used for the more off-road capable versions of the Ranger and the F-150, after it was discovered that Ford had filed a trademark for the name ‘Warthog’ for use on passenger cars, pick-up trucks and SUVs.

The most potent Bronco powertrain comes courtesy of a biturbo 2.7 litre EcoBoost V6 petrol engine with 310 hp and 542 Nm of torque, which Ford had previously said will more than satisfy its customers’ needs, following its rival Jeep’s unveiling of the Wrangler Rubicon 392 concept that packs a 450 hp/610 Nm 6.4 litre Hemi V8.

A 310 hp/542 Nm 2.7 litre biturbo V6 currently tops the Bronco engine line-up

Ford won’t be leaving the Bronco’s powertrain unchanged with the chassis upgrades, however, as the more rugged ‘Warthog’ version could get a larger EcoBoost V6 petrol from within its current range, such as the 365 hp/515 Nm 3.0 litre unit in the Explorer, or the 450 hp/691 Nm 3.5 litre unit in the F-150 Raptor.

The latter will be closest to the 6.4 litre Wrangler in terms of output figures, should the Jeep go to production, and the adoption of the F-150 Raptor powertrain could be likely, as Car and Driver reports having seen shortened F-150 Raptor mules on test.

Just unveiled in July, the most off-road capable version of the Bronco comes in the Sasquatch Package, which includes items like 315/70 mud-terrain tyres, beadlock-capable forged aluminium wheels, high-clearance suspension and fender flares, position-sensitive Bilstein dampers and electronically controlled locking differentials. This package can be specified on all variants of the Bronco.

This uprated Bronco can be expected to wear a heftier price tag than the rest of the Bronco range, which was priced from US$29,995 (RM128,093) for the two-door and from US$34,695 (RM148,165) for the four-door.

GALLERY: Sixth-gneration Ford Bronco

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