Way back in 2004, Ford showed off a concept that was rough, tough and it oozed masculinity. Making its debut at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, the Bronco certainly had presence and it was actually FAR ahead of its time.
It boasted a 2.0-liter turbo diesel motor and it had a dual-clutch six-speed transmission. Of course moving this rock crawler along would be a four-wheel drive system.
BUT it never came.
Imagine if Ford did build the Bronco Concept before the 2008 - 2009 gas spike and macroeconomic downturn that created significant demand destruction for its gas guzzling sport-utility vehicles and trucks? Perhaps then it could have isolated itself from that disaster.
NOW we're bringing up the need for a Wrangler competitor because when you think about it, who does compete with it these days? I guess one could say the Nissan Xterra and Toyota FJ but I think those vehicles have — more or less — faded from the limelight.
From my perspective, a domestic automaker with a storied nameplate AND looks as badass as the original concept would make some noise in the marketplace.
All of this considered, is it time to resurrect the Ford Bronco to go head-to-head with the Jeep Wrangler?