By Ty Duffy
The Detroit Auto Show is this week. Not so long ago, this was the biggest show on the automotive calendar – the place where one would launch a car like the new Volkswagen Beetle or feature fantastic new concept cars. Now, most automakers are avoiding it. One brand that isn’t is Ford. The Blue Oval is launching a new member of the Bronco family and the event, the Bronco RTR.
As with the Mustang RTR, the Ford Bronco RTR is a partnership with RTR vehicles. It embraces the mantra of being “available to all, not for everyone.” The goal was to build the “most fun, capable, and durable Bronco” that is not the Bronco Raptor and to deliver it at an affordable price point that, at least theoretically, can appeal to younger buyers. Racing driver and RTR founder Vaughn Gittin Jr. said the Bronco RTR is how he would spec his Bronco.
Cool Graphics, Big Tires
All Bronco RTR vehicles come with the base 2.3-liter inline-four engine, which offers a potent 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque. Customers then have a choice of multiple tire variants. The base Bronco RTR comes with 33-inch Goodyear rugged terrain tires. Ford is offering those tires with a high-clearance suspension for the first time.
Buyers can add the Sasquatch package, which includes 35-inch Goodyear rugged terrain tires and the Hoss 3.0 suspension system with Fox internal bypass shocks, previously exclusive to the Bronco Badlands. The Bronco RTR has a wider track than the standard Bronco, but not as wide as the Bronco Raptor.
Features That The Ford Bronco RTR Offers
Like the Mustang RTR and the Bronco Raptor, the Bronco RTR features anti-lag turbo technology. When the Bronco RTR is in Baja mode, the software maintains boost while the driver is off the throttle, allowing a lag-free response when the driver gets back on the gas. Ford also reinforced the steering and added the 1,000-watt cooling fan from the Bronco Raptor.
Ford and RTR’s vision was to do all the hard things – such as the cooling system, anti-lag software, and suspension system – that would be expensive or impossible to replicate in the aftermarket. The Bronco RTR can do basically anything reasonable that an owner would want to do off-road while still providing a sound base for further customization if owners desire that.
Visual Features Of The Ford Bronco RTR
The Bronco RTR also has a few visual distinctions. It features a new RTR grille with hockey-stick lighting, as well as Hyper Lime-colored body graphics and rock rings on the 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels. The Bronco RTR also features graphics along the sides and hood of the vehicle representing the topography of Johnson Valley, California, where Ford tested the vehicle.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
