It may be delayed, but the Ford Bronco has big ambitions to take on its main rival.
Especially now that the Jeep Wrangler 4xe is out among the people, you can stake a huge wad of money that a Ford Bronco Hybrid is on the horizon. Former Ford CEO Jim Hackett aluded to it way back in 2019, but now new evidence from the first printing of the Bronco owner’s manual all but cements a hybridized rival to further challenge Jeep’s dominance in the off-road SUV market.
Now, if you take a look at the link — published by the folks over at Bronco6g Forums — your first impression is that you’re getting a tome with the new 2021 Ford Bronco. That’s to be expected, and while it’s not a physical tome here, the digital owner’s manual is a substantial 552 pages. Under the “maintenance” section, though, there are some curious sections on storing the vehicle. One section: “Hybrid Battery Systems”, which suggests disconnecting the 12V battery and leaving the hybrid battery at 50% charge or higher prior to long-term storage.
Key stuff to know, especially if Ford plans to launch a hybrid Bronco. Given the company’s own electric ambitions and the competition, it makes all the sense in the world. At this point, Ford hasn’t out and out confirmed that information. However, both Hackett and current CEO Jim Farley have more or less given us a nod and a wink that it’s going to happen, be it through Twitter or shareholder/dealer meetings.
While the Blue Oval may not go full berserk and lob one of its V8s into the Bronco, no matter how loudly some shout for it, it’s nice to know more competition is all but likely, and we’ll get some epic off-roaders out of Ford’s duel with Jeep. That is, so long as the first pre-hybrid examples can actually make their way to customers.
