The Ford Bronco RTR is yet more proof the Blue Oval has a big off-roader-shaped hole in its local lineup.
Revealed today, the RTR is a new member of the Bronco off-road SUV family, which Ford says delivers “Raptor-inspired high-speed capability with a lower starting price than Badlands Sasquatch”.
For context, the Badlands is an “extreme off-roading” variant of the body-on-frame off-roader, while the Sasquatch package brings a higher ride height, more sophisticated automatic four-wheel drive system, and a different final drive ratio, among other changes.
RTR Vehicles, meanwhile, is perhaps best known as a tuner of Mustangs, but has done plenty of work in the off-road space too.
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“Bronco RTR is built to dominate the dirt, whether you’re in Johnson Valley or on a backwoods trail,” said RTR Vehicles founder Vaughn Gittin Jr, referring to rugged desert terrain in California.
“We gave it the suspension tech to handle the hits, but we also sweat the details that matter to drivers. We reinforced the steering, added anti-lag turbo tech and share high-power cooling fan hardware from the Bronco Raptor to help keep Bronco RTR cool during extended trail time and playing in sand.”
Inspired by Ultra4 off-road racing, it comes standard with a wider track and high-clearance suspension, plus 33-inch rugged-terrain tyres wrapped around 17-inch beadlock-capable RTR Evo 6 wheels.
When the Sasquatch package is added, the RTR upgrades to 35-inch Goodyear rugged-terrain tyres 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 offers the highest level of suspension performance available without stepping up to the Bronco Raptor,” Ford says in its press release.
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.
The Bronco RTR will be offered in Avalanche Grey, matching the Mustang RTR.
Ford hasn’t confirmed what powers the Bronco RTR, but the Badlands uses a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 224kW of power and 441Nm of torque, mated with either a seven-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission.
A twin-turbo 2.7-litre petrol V6 is optional, pumping out 246kW and 563Nm and mated with a 10-speed auto.
Whichever engine sits under the RTR’s bonnet, Ford says it not only has anti-lag turbo tech – intended to maintain boost while the driver is off-throttle, to improve off-road performance – but also a 1000W cooling fan borrowed from the Bronco Raptor.
The Bronco RTR is thus far the only confirmed new model debut at a sleepy Detroit motor show this year.
After Detroit, it’ll head to the King of the Hammers off-road race in Johnson Valley next month.
Don’t count on the Bronco RTR coming here as, like the rest of the off-roader lineup as well as the unrelated Bronco Sport crossover SUV, it’s only built in left-hand drive, leaving off-road enthusiasts in Australia to look towards the Ranger and Everest that share the Bronco’s Australian-engineered T6 ladder platform.
CarExpert understands Ford Australia is set to offer a very different Bronco: a large electric and extended-range electric vehicle (EV) and (EREV) sourced from China, featuring a more car-like unibody architecture albeit still packing off-road gear like a crawl mode and locking front and rear differentials.