Harder-core Ford Bronco officially teased
But will it be called Raptor or Warthog, and will Aussies be left in the cold?Less than a week after we saw spy shots of a more extreme version of the born-again Ford Bronco undergoing road testing in the US, production of which is still six months away, Ford has released the first official image of what appears to be a similar camouflaged prototype via Twitter.
Pictured here getting some serious air during off-road testing, proving its public debut isn’t too far away, our first official look at the hard-core Ford Bronco was accompanied by the words ‘Testing photos. Professional driver on closed course’.
It’s clear Ford is well down the track in developing a more extreme version of its new-generation Bronco, which it has already indicated is unlikely to be powered by a V8.
What’s less clear is what will be under the bonnet, and what the new Ford Bronco flagship will be called.
We’ve been referring to it as the Ford Bronco Raptor, in line with the Ford F-150 Raptor super-ute and the Australian-developed Ford Ranger Raptor, which is expected to donate elements of its beefed-up chassis based on the T6 ladder frame that underpins both the Bronco and Ranger.
But a recent trademark filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office has added weigh to rumours that surfaced a month ago: the hottest Ford Bronco will be called the Warthog.
As for what will power the Ford Bronco Warthog, if that’s what it’s called, the options are many. With the blue oval’s trademark 5.0-litre Coyote V8 ruled out and the 201kW/420Nm 2.3-litre turbo four that’s standard in the US Ranger and Bronco unlikely, Ford is likely to have fitted one of its many twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engines.
These include the existing F-150 Raptor’s 335kW/691Nm 3.5-litre V6, the latest Explorer’s 272kW/515Nm 3.0-litre V6 or an uprated version of the 231kW/542Nm 2.7-litre V6 that will be available for the Bronco.
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