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Rubicon Trail Proves Too Hardcore for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sasquatch Package

22 miles, part road and trail. The Rubicon isn’t only a natural wonder of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, but the make-or-break test for any off-road SUV. Even with the Sasquatch Package, the Bronco appears to be struggling in this environment.
Rubicon Trail Proves Too Hardcore for the 2021 Ford Bronco Sasquatch Package 14 photos
Photo: Brian McCormick on Facebook
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Brian McCormick posted a few interesting pictures on Facebook of three pre-production prototypes. The beadlock wheels and 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory LT rubber shoes weren’t enough to protect these babies from the Rubicon’s rocky stuff, hence the scratches on the bash plate and the damage on the front bumper. Even the flares have been scratched, which isn’t good news.

“If you’re gonna trash talk the Jeeps, you gotta be able to back up your game, right?” Those are the words of the uploader, and the criticism doesn’t end here. “I’ve seen less damage on 3-inch lifted 4Runners on 33s,” and this is the moment when someone applies cold water to the burned area. But wait, there’s more!

“Sorry, Ford. Either your drivers are s#!*ty wheelers that can’t pick a line, or it’s obvious the Bronco isn’t at home on the Con like a Jeep is,” wrote Brian. The Blue Oval’s off-roader has the on-paper specifications to challenge the Wrangler on equal footing, which is why the test drivers may be at fault for this situation.

Moving over to Instagram, Bronco Nation is still playing hooky about its relationship with the Ford Motor Company. Although it labels itself as “an independent enthusiast community,” the truth is that it’s indirectly sponsored by FoMoCo and their latest post looks and sounds like it was made on behalf of the Blue Oval.

“Scoop,” they said with the intention to raise up the hype in anticipation of the configurator going live. “Three fully stock 2021 Ford Broncos completed the iconic Rubicon Trail earlier this week,” reads the rest of the post on Instagram, and obviously, the three SUVs don’t shy away from showing their battle scars.

Thanks to the magic of the Internet, two more people have posted pictures of the prototypes doing their thing on the trail and driving through the rain on public roads. Both the two- and four-door Bronco look amazingly good in the real world, and yes, both of them are wider than the Wrangler in Rubicon specification.

 

So apparently the Ford Bronco engineers were spotted in Tahoe after what most likely was a trip through the Rubicon. I...

Posted by Brian McCormick on Wednesday, August 5, 2020
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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