The best part of a decade elapsed between Land Rover’s unveiling of the ‘DC100’ concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and the first ‘New Defenders’ hitting the road two years ago just as Covid struck – prompting suggestions that the beefy SUV had arrived ‘just in time for Armageddon’.
During the interim, thousands of column inches and hours of video were dedicated to predicting what the production version might look like, how it would perform and debating whether or not it could ever truly match the rough-and-ready utilitarian charm of the time-served original.
Across the Atlantic, meanwhile, Ford America had quietly been breathing new life into another dead horse by creating a 21st century revamp of its own celebrated off-roader, the late lamented Bronco that was dropped from the range in 1996 after a 30-year production run.
Ford’s decision to revive the Bronco nameplate was partly down to the fact that original versions of the car have lately become hugely collectable.
Indeed, ‘classic’ Broncos have attracted such a cult following that one firm in particular, Icon 4X4 of Chatsworth, California, offers a ground-up restoration service that adds a package of improvements in order to combine the original look with contemporary running gear and refinements that make the cars better suited to modern-day use.
The Bronco had been a strong seller throughout the first quarter-century of its existence, but by the early 1990s, interest had waned badly – only to be revived in 1994 when a remarkable 95 million viewers tuned-in to watch a Bronco being pursued by up to 20 police cars at a stately 35 mph along the I-5 freeway in Los Angeles, with football star O.J. Simpson in the back seat holding a gun to his head.
Simpson’s white Bronco came to be the star of the slow-speed chase, causing a spike in sales that lasted for a year or so before Ford culled the model and replaced it with something more in keeping with the levels of luxury that SUV buyers had come to expect from competitor marques.
Fast forward to today, and the world of cars is very different. Now, retro looks, a rugged image and a go-anywhere promise are all the rage among a new generation of wilderness-seeking adventurers (including armchair ones) – so Ford rightly reasoned that an up-to-date Bronco replete with design cues from its ancestors would sell like hot cakes.
And it did: within three weeks of the new car’s unveiling, it attracted 165,000 orders and, two years after launch, the production lines are still struggling to meet demand.
Much of the appeal lies in the fact that Ford was careful to evoke the look and spirit of the early models of the 1960s and ’70s, even giving the new cars quickly-detachable doors and roof panels and re-introducing funky paint schemes similar to those of the originals.
And if none of the six standard ‘packages’ in which the car is available hits the mark (two and four-door versions are available, plus manual and automatic gearboxes, too) Ford will direct you to a catalogue of more than 200 extras with which to personalise your Bronco to make it as close as possible to unique.
The only catch is that Broncos are – for the time being – only officially sold in America.
But now London-based U.S. car importer Clive Sutton is riding to the rescue of U.K Bronco fans by bringing a few across the pond – the first of which we got to drive in the not terribly rugged environs of Maida Vale.
The example in question was possibly the most conservative imaginable interpretation of a car that’s intended to be an expression of one’s individuality: it was finished in low-key navy blue with a black roof and charcoal-coloured interior.
All the same, it turned many a head as we crawled through the traffic at glacial speed, its standout feature being a front end that harks right back to Broncos of old and gives the new generation model a look that sets it apart from any of the myriad other SUVs on the market.
The six available standard packages are designed to appeal to different types of user, with the one we tried being the more luxurious and urban-centric ‘Outer Banks’ version – but there’s also a ‘Base’ model, the more off-road orientated ‘Big Bend’ that gets ‘G.O.A.T’ mode transmission (goes over any terrain…) and the ‘Wildtrack’ , ‘Black Diamond’ and ‘Badlands’ that are aimed at serious wilderness seekers who will make the most of the off-road drive modes that range from ‘Trail Control’ (a sort of cruise control for the dirt) to Trail Turn (greater manoeuvrability) and ‘One-Pedal’ driving for tackling tricky terrain at slow speed.
High and low range and locking differentials front and rear also help to keep things moving, while digital trail mapping makes it possible to upload off-road routes direct from a smartphone to the car’s infotainment system (and later share the out-of-the-way places you’ve been to on social media). Buyers may also opt for the hose-out rubberised floors, marine-grade vinyl seats and a built-in steel roll cage that further demonstrate the Bronco’s serious approach to recreational motoring.
The only thing that might spoil the fun, however, is that while a ‘Base’ Bronco is listed at just $28,300 in the U.S.,Sutton’s UK versions are inevitably more expensive due to the additional costs of importation, homologation and registration -so to saddle-up your own Bronco over here is going to set you back at least £45,000, or as much as £85,000 for a top-spec model.
But with 500 ‘expressions of interest’ having been registered when Sutton announced the import plan, the key to being an early adopter of a UK Bronco is going to be to get your order in fast to avoid a potential stampede.
Or some gentle jostling at the very least…
See more at clivesutton.co.uk and Ford.com/suvs/bronco
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