Ford Shows a Shadowy Small Bronco

Jeep keeps selling tons of vehicles, and people are paying attention. It seems Ford wants to steal some of that thunder, because it just released the above photo of a small off-roader. Some already are calling it a “baby Bronco.”

No, this won’t replace the upcoming Bronco, nor is it the new Bronco. Instead, we’re getting two (hopefully) genuine off-roaders from the Blue Oval. Ford says this is part of its strategy to once more become the lead in trail-capable vehicles.

We have no idea just how off-road-friendly this small SUV will be. Does it have a weak independent suspension or solid axles? How is ground clearance, as well as the approach/departure angles? Will it be sold with an optional snorkel like the Tacoma? What we can see looks modern but athletic, yet that tells us nothing about the mechanicals.

Speaking of the Tacoma, Toyota is really pushing to eat away at Jeep sales. We’ll see a heated three-way fight, and that’s great.

Get ready for an off-road war. This can mean all kinds of crazy things, namely more YouTube videos of idiots water-logging their engine while trying to cross deep ponds, recoveries that are so bad you can’t help but watch in horror, and so much more. Meanwhile, Ford will be laughing all the way to the bank.