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Full-Size or Mid-size for the New Bronco?
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And when I asked, I was *truly* asking - I don't know what the significant differences are. Neither of them appeal to me - at least not until my Excursion kicks the bucket - so I've never delved into the specs or capabilities of either.
Well I have the most “off road” capable escape and just in generalities I’d say it’s about pretty significantly less. If a 1 is a Prius and a 10 is a wrangler rubicon or raptor then I’d say an AWD escape is a 3, a standard expedition is a 4, my old Explorer was a 5, the FX4 expedition is probably a 6.5 and the FX4 F-150 is an 8. Hoping the Bronco is a 9 in base form haha.
I'm pretty sure the Escape has more ground clearance than an Explorer. My wife wanted ground clearance the last time she bought and she decided the Explorer is more "car like" than the Escape. I would think the AWD Escape is more like a 6 on your scale than a 3.
Sure Escape isn't desirable or cool, but it's quite capable. Those really big, heavy vehicles are not going to be great offroad unless they are traveling down hill or it isn't slippery.
Sure Escape isn't desirable or cool, but it's quite capable. Those really big, heavy vehicles are not going to be great offroad unless they are traveling down hill or it isn't slippery.
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I know you have gotten a lot of reply's on this, I'm not going to go tell you to buy an expedition, its not what I want either. But I do think its fair to say that an expedition is much much closer to an F-150 off road (or heck even a raptor) than an escape is to even a ranger let alone the no doubt improved ranger/bronco platform.
The Escape is car based, a unibody with an east-west engine fwd platform that can be awd adapted. It is a purebred crossover and as such its capability is vastly more hindered than say an expedition. Can it be trimmed up in a package as a baby bronco to compete with the Cherokee head to head? sure but nobody expects anything escape based to be a Wrangler competitor. We do know the Bronco will be ranger based on a NEW ranger/bronco platform with a body on frame north-south engine rwd solid rear axle platform. This alone is a huge differentiator.
Again, im not going to tell you to buy an expedition but it certainly is fair to say that an expedition is closer to an FSB than an escape is to a Bronco 2 or EB.
Bottom line is whether you want a full size or midsize we all want capability that neither of these can offer ESPECIALLY an escape
The Escape is car based, a unibody with an east-west engine fwd platform that can be awd adapted. It is a purebred crossover and as such its capability is vastly more hindered than say an expedition. Can it be trimmed up in a package as a baby bronco to compete with the Cherokee head to head? sure but nobody expects anything escape based to be a Wrangler competitor. We do know the Bronco will be ranger based on a NEW ranger/bronco platform with a body on frame north-south engine rwd solid rear axle platform. This alone is a huge differentiator.
Again, im not going to tell you to buy an expedition but it certainly is fair to say that an expedition is closer to an FSB than an escape is to a Bronco 2 or EB.
Bottom line is whether you want a full size or midsize we all want capability that neither of these can offer ESPECIALLY an escape
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just got the "reality check" of my Ford owning life.....2008 F 150 FX4 - 75,000 miles, went in for inspection and needed both front coil springs, upper and lower ball joints, upper control arms and struts..... from RUST, both springs broken near the bottom 
.....where was Ford buying their springs from for the 2004 - 08 F 150's, N Korea ?? …..if I hadn't seen them I wouldn't have believed it. I've driven the thing like I want it to last 4ever, NEVER had it offroad …..had an 02' F 150 SC and an 88' Bronco ll before this one. Stunned to say the least. 
.....where was Ford buying their springs from for the 2004 - 08 F 150's, N Korea ?? …..if I hadn't seen them I wouldn't have believed it. I've driven the thing like I want it to last 4ever, NEVER had it offroad …..had an 02' F 150 SC and an 88' Bronco ll before this one. Stunned to say the least. 
Good news, cars of the future are made of plastic. They won't fail because of rust ...
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Hey, I wasn't the one to step into the ring saying the new Bronco could be duplicated by slapping a flat windshield on an Escape.
Sure, we can agree that an Expedition is not an enclosed F150 (though much closer in comparison than Escape=Bronco, or at least what most of us hope for a Bronco to be). My point was, Ford sees the customer that way - if these are the features you want, this is the box you fit in. The Expedition fills any perceived functionality gap in the corporate eyes of Ford, such that they do not offer an FSB... yet.
If they really do expand into a more serious off-road lineup, that could fill a void that nobody is addressing at the moment. It would be child's play to either enclose the F150 or shorten the Expedition when compared to doing an entirely new vehicle rollout. I'm sure most would prefer the former, as there is likely a more robust aftermarket already in place. For those who think a FSB would be too much of a niche, I think the rumored "Bronco pickup" is even a smaller slice of potential Blue Oval owners.
The question is... what will Jeep do in response to Bronco and the (possible) Bronco pickup? Upfitting and rebadging existing Ram offerings to directly compete with Ford under the Jeep flag would prove interesting. Huge loyalty base to draw from, and real credibility to lend to a fullsize pickup platform.
Sure, we can agree that an Expedition is not an enclosed F150 (though much closer in comparison than Escape=Bronco, or at least what most of us hope for a Bronco to be). My point was, Ford sees the customer that way - if these are the features you want, this is the box you fit in. The Expedition fills any perceived functionality gap in the corporate eyes of Ford, such that they do not offer an FSB... yet.
If they really do expand into a more serious off-road lineup, that could fill a void that nobody is addressing at the moment. It would be child's play to either enclose the F150 or shorten the Expedition when compared to doing an entirely new vehicle rollout. I'm sure most would prefer the former, as there is likely a more robust aftermarket already in place. For those who think a FSB would be too much of a niche, I think the rumored "Bronco pickup" is even a smaller slice of potential Blue Oval owners.
The question is... what will Jeep do in response to Bronco and the (possible) Bronco pickup? Upfitting and rebadging existing Ram offerings to directly compete with Ford under the Jeep flag would prove interesting. Huge loyalty base to draw from, and real credibility to lend to a fullsize pickup platform.
And this is why they are not doing it. It would be child’s play to do this... and it would suck. Ford wants the Bronco to live up to the nameplate of being an absolute off road legend, and a lifted and chopped expedition or F-150 is not gonna cut it. If that’s what you want I highly encourage you to go buy an F-150 with a bed cap and the large sunroof, it’s going to be 99% of the Bronco you’re talking about. If Ford’s intention with the Bronco was to do this they would’ve done it a long time ago and ruined the Bronco brand just like GM has done to the blazer. They want it to be a special vehicle and the shit you’re talking about ain’t special it’s stupid. As far as putting owners in a box... you’re absolutely right. Ford can’t build a vehicle for every single person, and as a business they’ve (correctly) decided that the market for the FSB has been taken over by crew cab pickups. I have yet to hear someone justify why the full size bronco is something people want. Plus, it puts a limit on who can buy it. I physically could not fit a full size pickup in my garage.
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Well, to be fair, they did exactly that for the majority of the Bronco's lifespan. From '78 through '96, Broncos were direct derivitives of the F150. I think that a smaller percentage of owners are rabid about them in the same way early Bronco owners are, but they sure sold a ton of units - I forget the statistics, but if I recall correctly, it was in multiples of early Bronco production. Yet the reputation of the early Broncos lived on, and some would say the later models made the brand more versatile. And we can't forget that for seven years, the FSB was produced alongside a smaller Bronco - the dubiously-named Bronco II, which has some rather vociferous defenders despite being dismissed by many as a serious 4x4. Still, the Bronco name survived in popular consciousness as capable, durable, and competitive.
Many people say those pickup-based Broncos wheel just fine - both the F150-based Broncos and the Ranger-based Bronco IIs. I never got my FSBs into hairy stuff so I can't take issue with them. I do know that my early Broncos easily went places that I wouldn't dream of taking a FSB, unless I modified it heavily or had lots of money to replace sheetmetal. But posed with the question of a cross-country trip, I would pick the FSB every time unless there was some sporty off-roading to be done along the way. Different applications, different equipment.
Whether a market for such a machine (FSB) exists in a world where we have 4-door luxury pickups AND Expeditions is probably a fairly well-known factor to the marketing people, but I was actually surprised at the percentage of Size Large fans in the poll at the beginning of this thread. If Ford had to pick one size, they went with the right choice in a Ranger-sized package based on the data here; others contend the data is contrary to other sources, and it's a difficult metric for us mere consumers to nail down. I would think that Ford has done their diligence in selecting this size, that remains to be seen in sales figures (though we all know that... err... size isn't everything). First and foremost, it must be capable.
Is there room in the market for a full-sized Bronco? We may never know.
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Except, isn’t the former EXACTLY what they’re doing? Taking a ranger and enclosing it to roll out as a bronco...
You midsize diehards crack me up. Midnight is spot on that you guys telling us to “get an expedition” or “put a cab on an F150” is EXACTLY the same thing as if we were to tell you “get an escape” or “put a cab on a Ranger”... it’s just flawed logic
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"You guys" is Ford, not anyone here. My suggestion to "put a cap on an F150" was in response to the assertion that the new Bronco was essentially an Escape with a flat windshield - I thought it was implicit that either would be a radically imperfect solution.
Actually, Ford is NOT taking a Ranger and enclosing it. More the other way around. The Ranger will be built on a lengthened Bronco chassis if anything, and will look nothing like it unless they decide to give some sort of F100 retro look to the Ranger (doubtful).
And even if it were so, remember that after the first eleven years of Bronco production, they were based off other vehicles in the lineup - F150 for the FSB and Ranger for the Bronco II. So much so, that they are indistinguishable from their cargo-hauling sisters from head-on. I don't think you'll have that similarity between the new Bronco and the new Ranger.
For 2021, Ford is building a new platform that will eventually host at least two different bodies. Since Bronco is coming first, technically the Ranger will be built on the Bronco chassis. Either way you look at it, they are NOT taking an existing vehicle and shortening it. The shared-platform Ranger won't exist in consumer form before Broncos are in showrooms.
To the people who want a full size Bronco: do you want a unique fullsize machine built from the ground up? Or a derivitive of the F150, like every single generation built from 1978 onward were? If you want a new design, are you willing to wait the 5+ years for that to happen? Or would it be more expedient as well as more historically consistent to do what was done for 18 years with the 2nd generation and up Broncos and seven years of the Bronco II: give the wagon treatment to an existing truck frame.
If you fondly recall a fullsize Bronco, you're remembering a 2-door F150 station wagon. I don't mean that in a perjorative way, that's just what it was. It had it's own strengths and weaknesses comparatively between both a pickup and the earlier Broncos. I may be wrong, but I don't see Ford creating a unique fullsize offering from the ground up when two much easier options exist. I would be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not holding my breath.
Actually, Ford is NOT taking a Ranger and enclosing it. More the other way around. The Ranger will be built on a lengthened Bronco chassis if anything, and will look nothing like it unless they decide to give some sort of F100 retro look to the Ranger (doubtful).
And even if it were so, remember that after the first eleven years of Bronco production, they were based off other vehicles in the lineup - F150 for the FSB and Ranger for the Bronco II. So much so, that they are indistinguishable from their cargo-hauling sisters from head-on. I don't think you'll have that similarity between the new Bronco and the new Ranger.
For 2021, Ford is building a new platform that will eventually host at least two different bodies. Since Bronco is coming first, technically the Ranger will be built on the Bronco chassis. Either way you look at it, they are NOT taking an existing vehicle and shortening it. The shared-platform Ranger won't exist in consumer form before Broncos are in showrooms.
To the people who want a full size Bronco: do you want a unique fullsize machine built from the ground up? Or a derivitive of the F150, like every single generation built from 1978 onward were? If you want a new design, are you willing to wait the 5+ years for that to happen? Or would it be more expedient as well as more historically consistent to do what was done for 18 years with the 2nd generation and up Broncos and seven years of the Bronco II: give the wagon treatment to an existing truck frame.
If you fondly recall a fullsize Bronco, you're remembering a 2-door F150 station wagon. I don't mean that in a perjorative way, that's just what it was. It had it's own strengths and weaknesses comparatively between both a pickup and the earlier Broncos. I may be wrong, but I don't see Ford creating a unique fullsize offering from the ground up when two much easier options exist. I would be pleasantly surprised, but I'm not holding my breath.
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