The Ford Bronco RTR is further evidence that the Blue Oval has a big gap in its local lineup in the form of an off-roader.
Introduced today, the RTR is a new member of the Bronco off-road SUV family that Ford says offers “Raptor-inspired, high-speed capabilities at a lower starting price than the Badlands Sasquatch.”
For comparison: The Badlands is an “extreme off-road” variant of the body off-roader, while the Sasquatch package brings, among other things, a higher ride height, a more sophisticated automatic all-wheel drive system and a different axle ratio.
RTR Vehicles may be best known as a Mustang refiner, but it has also done a lot of work in the off-road sector.
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“The Bronco RTR is built to handle the dirt, whether you’re in Johnson Valley or on a forest trail,” said Vaughn Gittin Jr., founder of RTR Vehicles, referring to rugged desert terrain in California.
“We gave it the suspension technology to handle the bumps, but we also considered the details that matter to drivers. We beefed up the steering, added anti-lag turbo technology and adopted the high-performance fan hardware from the Bronco Raptor to help keep the Bronco RTR cool during extended trail times and when playing in the sand.”
Inspired by Ultra4 off-road racing, it comes standard with a wider track and high-clearance suspension, as well as 33-inch rugged off-road wheels wrapped around 17-inch RTR Evo 6 beadlock wheels.
When the Sasquatch package is added, the RTR is upgraded to 35-inch Goodyear Rough Terrain tires and Ford’s HOSS 3.0 off-road suspension system with Fox internal bypass shocks, which the company says are similar to those offered in the first-generation F-150 Raptor.
“Formerly exclusive to the Badlands Series, HOSS 3.0 delivers the highest level of suspension performance available without surpassing the Bronco Raptor,” Ford’s press release states.
The visual changes are hard to miss and include a new grille with signature lighting elements and Hyper Lime graphics with matching accents on the wheels.
To match the Mustang RTR, the Bronco RTR is offered in Avalanche Gray.
Ford hasn’t confirmed what powers the Bronco RTR, but the Badlands features a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 224kW of power and 441Nm of torque, mated to a seven-speed manual or ten-speed automatic transmission.
A 2.7-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine is available as an option, producing 246kW and 563Nm and mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Whatever engine sits under the RTR’s hood, Ford says it not only features anti-lag turbo technology designed to maintain boost pressure while the driver is off the throttle to improve off-road performance, but also a 1000W cooling fan borrowed from the Bronco Raptor.
The Bronco RTR is the only confirmed debut of a new model at a sleepy Detroit motor show so far this year.
Next month we’re heading to Detroit for the King of the Hammers off-road race in Johnson Valley.
Don’t count on the Bronco RTR coming here because, like the rest of the off-roader range as well as the Bronco Sport independent crossover SUV, it’s only left-hand drive, so off-road enthusiasts in Australia will have to look out for the Ranger and Everest, which share the Bronco’s Australian-developed T6 ladder platform.
Daily Sparkz is aware that Ford Australia will offer a very different Bronco: a large range-extended electric vehicle (EV) and (EREV) from China that features a more car-like unibody architecture but still features off-road equipment such as a crawl mode and locking front and rear differentials.
MORE: Explore the Ford Bronco showroom
