Big Ford Bronco exposed

The Bronco has gone berko. First images of the 'small' Ford Bronco Sport were leaked and now it seems that the full-sized big Bronco has been exposed as well.

The single low-resolution image of what is claimed to be the 2021 Ford Bronco was posted by FullSizeBronco.com and shows off a butch, somewhat retro design, not unlike arch-rival, the Jeep Wrangler.

Blocky, square shoulders and upright pillars designed to provide good outward vision will be useful when off-roading, as will pumped wheel arches covering chunky mud-plugging tyres.

The new 2021 Ford Bronco windscreen appears more upright than its baby brother's, the Bronco Sport compact SUV, but they both share similar circular LED headlamps that are a tip of a hat to the classic Bronco that first appeared in the mid-1960s.

Bold 'Bronco' lettering knit the headlights together but the open bonnet means the complete picture will have to wait.

While the tailgate is open, it is difficult to see the smaller details given the low resolution.

Unlike the baby Bronco, this full-size machine is based on the same ladder chassis architecture as the Aussie-developed Ford Ranger.

Alas, the Aussie roots do not mean that the 2021 Ford Bronco will come Down Under. Ford Australia says it's not interested in the Bronco because the Ranger ute is selling so strongly.

Ford Australia also already offers the Ford Ranger-based Everest 4x4 SUV in Australia. In any event, with no plans for right-hand drive versions of the Bronco, any wishing or speculation is, at least for the time being, moot points.

“There are currently no plans in place for right-hand drive Bronco," Ford Australia president Kay Hart previously told carsales.com.au, without completely ruling out the US-built Bronco.

"We’re happy with the [local SUV] line-up as it stands, but that’s not to say we wouldn’t look to add to the range in future."

Like the Jeep Wrangler, one of the drawcard features of the Ford Bronco will include a removable roof – and possibly removable doors.

Engine options for the US-built, full-size Ford Bronco will be petrol only and are expected to include similar fare to US-spec Ford Ranger utes, which means a 2.3-litre turbo-petrol inline four-cylinder powerplant is a certainty.

Petrol-electric hybrid versions of the Bronco are tipped to join the fray in due course and there's scope for a more potent 2.7-litre turbo-petrol V6. Transmissions are expected to be a seven-speed manual along with Ford’s established 10-speed automatic transmission

Most exciting of all, is talk of a Ford Mustang-powered V8 Bronco Raptor, not unlike the proposed Ford Ranger Raptor V8 that is said to be in developed for Australia.