Ford is clearly having a hard time coping with all the issues and the huge backlog of regular 2021 Bronco orders. But that doesn’t mean they’re not preparing for the new things to come. And chief among them for the series is the upcoming high-performance version.
Because of the obvious Ford – Jeep war brewing between the reinvented sixth-generation Bronco and the eternal Wrangler, it’s only logical to assume that all slots will be (eventually) covered. For now, the Blue Oval doesn’t have a proper answer to some of the cool new Wranglers out there, such as the 4xe plug-in hybrid or the V8-sporting Wrangler Rubicon 392.
But at least we can be sure the latter will be properly addressed by the Bronco Warthog / Raptor. After all, the rig is being spotted / teased in all places as of late. Including Colorado’s natural high-altitude proving grounds. But that’s also the home base of the good folks over at The Fast Lane, and just recently one of them had the luck (or wits, considering they know their home turf and it’s not the first automaker testing prototypes there) to catch up to an example.
Interestingly, TFLnow’s Roman Mica was driving a 2021 Ram TRX and on top of that, he was traveling with a motorcycle strapped to the trailer. That’s nothing to sneeze at for the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi beast, which casually packs 702 horsepower and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) of twist under the supersized hood. So, it’s no wonder he easily caught up to the Warthog / Raptor prototype, which is only supposed to go against the 470-horsepower Wrangler 392.
By the way, no one really knows what Ford is hiding under the camouflage just yet, but eager folks have already dreamed of the perfect list of enhancements. And these include, among others, a 2021 F-150 Raptor-inspired suspension setup, beefy 37-inch tires, an upgrade to the heavy-duty Ford-GM 10R80 automatic transmission... as well as a cool engine setup.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News