Article: What Can the 2021 Ford Bronco Learn from the Toyota FJ Cruiser?

[Nickp]

Not really, it implies F150-based styling, just like I said. In fact, YOU are the one who first mentioned F150 Bronco renders. It's possible to use F150 styling cues on a ranger-based platform

And everyone and their mom has a "source". A "source" is who created the bullshit rumor about a 4 door, all electric, tesla-beating Mustang sedan. A "source" told me Ford's new color debuting on the Ecosport next year is called "Unicorn Fart Fuchsia"

I do have a source, he’s an engineer at Ford who has actually worked closely with related projects. You can choose not to believe me but the raptor mule we just saw is a tester for a possible end-of-generation F-150. Keep in mind the next generation F-150 is debuting in the next few years and Ford always does special editions for end of life cycle. A full size bronco is not in the cards. As far as styling, if you want one that looks like an F-150 either way you are not getting it, very few people want that. As I’ve stated, if you want to know a general idea of what the Bronco will be do this:

Compare a JL wrangler and a Willy’s Jeep. See the design elements, the inspiration, similarities between both? But the Jeep is still obviously a modern vehicle. It’s got inspiration from the past, and definitely some design elements. But it’s a modern vehicle through and through. That is what the Bronco will be. The modern F-150 has basically no design elements of the old ones which makes it incompatible with the Bronco.

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[RockEye]

I had a 2008 Trail Teams FJ and a 2010 fully optioned FJ. They were extremely well performing offroad. I have the Moab pictures to prove it. I think their biggest flaw was the goofy styling. It was a love it or hate it Tonka truck look. I also had a 1978 FJ40 Land Cruiser.

But it was amazing for travel. It was roomy, comfortable even with an Old Man Emu suspension lift, livable gas mileage, a big dash to throw a fullsize map (GPS what?) onto. I still have the Truck Bedz air mattress that was designed to fit perfectly in the back.

I've always been a sports car and lifted truck junky so if the Bronco comes with the 2.7 twin turbo and I can tune it up to 400hp 450 TQ I'll be one happy nerd. There is a guy with an F150 pushing 540 WHP 550 WTQ which is kinda crazy.

 

[BHShaman]

I agree with most of what was said, but I have to just chime in on this portion...

Retro definitely is out of style. The FJ was designed during a short period of time when overall vehicle design had grown stale, and automakers had to do SOMETHING to stand out.

The FJ was NOT retro. They just called it a Cruiser to use the name. It was more Nissan XTerra than FJ40/60. They got hardcore off-roaders excited, but gave them no top off, bad bad blindspots, and TonkaToy styling. Cool vehicle, but had no legs.

 

[RockEye]

Yep, this is exactly what I'm saying. I like most of the Bronco rendering on this site, but the front end kills it for me... it makes it look like it's trying too hard to be a first gen. If they went with something similar to this render but went with more of a Raptor-esque front end with squared off headlights and the taller grille (speaking of the grille, also replacing "FORD" with "BRONCO" or doing more of the F150 Limited style grille with an off-center bucking bronco logo), I think it'd really complete the look

We already know what they are going to look like based on leaked images. It will not have F150 style queues. It has round headlights. It looks very similar to the renders people have made recently. You're hoping for something that won't happen.

I've been following this truck since 2017 and you're the first that I've seen that wants it to look more like the F150 with a removable top.

 

[Corsair]

We already know what they are going to look like based on leaked images. It will not have F150 style queues. It has round headlights. It looks very similar to the renders people have made recently. You're hoping for something that won't happen.

I've been following this truck since 2017 and you're the first that I've seen that wants it to look more like the F150 with a removable top.

This thread took place before we knew much of anything about how’d it’ll look.

 

[RockEye]

This thread took place before we knew much of anything about how’d it’ll look.

Wow I thought that was 4 days ago. That was 2019. My bad. Suggested threads can be old apparently.

 

[norsemen]

I had a 2008 Trail Teams FJ and a 2010 fully optioned FJ. They were extremely well performing offroad. I have the Moab pictures to prove it. I think their biggest flaw was the goofy styling. It was a love it or hate it Tonka truck look. I also had a 1978 FJ40 Land Cruiser.

But it was amazing for travel. It was roomy, comfortable even with an Old Man Emu suspension lift, livable gas mileage, a big dash to throw a fullsize map (GPS what?) onto. I still have the Truck Bedz air mattress that was designed to fit perfectly in the back.

I've always been a sports car and lifted truck junky so if the Bronco comes with the 2.7 twin turbo and I can tune it up to 400hp 450 TQ I'll be one happy nerd. There is a guy with an F150 pushing 540 WHP 550 WTQ which is kinda crazy.

I also had a 2008 Trail Teams FJ... Loved that thing to death and wheeled it all over trails in the Pacific NW.

Honestly the thing about the FJ is that most of the things people considered "Flaws" which lets be honest ... they were.. are the things that made me buy the FJ over the Fisher Price edition Wranglers that Jeep were selling at the time. The interior cabin with the Short wide windshield with 3 wipers, and those port windows out back with the huge pillars you couldnt see out of. Yeah it made merging dangerous, but ill be damned if you didnt feel like you were driving a tank every time you got in the thing.. and honestly that made it feel pretty bad ass.

People complain about the styling... and you are dead on, it was a love it hate it scenario... i loved it and moded ones looked pretty sweet.

modifications were easy to find for toyotas because they sell a billion versions of the tacoma and 4runner which the fj was based on.

The suicide doors were "fine" .. unless you had to put people in the back seat.

The thing got 18-20 mpg on the highway which 12 years ago was really not that bad and it had Toyota reliabilty. Every yota ive ever owned has gotten well over 250k miles.


SO when i heard about the new bronco and started reading the forums here back in 2017 or 2018.. I had to make a list of what I would want in a new off road truck.

#1 - reliability. - I have heard really good things about this from all of my friends with eco boosts in their f150s.. no more 5.x L cam phaser bs toasting an engine

#2 - visibility - the FJ was terrible for this.. give me a bronco with true 4 door or 2 door with limited B / C pillars, a taller windshield, and better mirrors from factory - either spread further out, or include convex/concave option from factory.

#3- no auto start / stop or a switch to disable this feature... honestly this feature is dumb

#4 - a decent manual option .. autos are great for rock crawling, but manuals imo are more fun in the other 98% of driving you are going to do

#5 - tow rating - give me a reason to want to own a bronco over a Rubicon.. give me a 5000 - 6500 lb towing option

#6 - Gas mileage - 22-24 mpg hw and ill get rid of my commuter car

im not going to talk about off road chops, because honestly we all know that 34's are either going to fit or be a factory option, which means it should be able to stuff a bigger wheel/tire combo with minimal lift, lockers are a given (the xterra, fj, wrangler, frontier, colorado, and ranger all have them) .. aftermarket is going to be there, and ford has made it their mission to try capture market share back from FCA.. 20 days till we see the finished product... super excited

 

[RockEye]

Honestly, it was fun driving that thing. I agree the visibility was terrible but that was part of it's charm. It felt like driving a studio apartment around. People were always shocked when they had to jump in the back and the doors opened as they did. And the 3 wiper blades got so many "wtf?" hahaha

I think the one thing I found the most annoying about the FJ was the automatic. It seemed like it was constantly downshifting for even the slightest grade in the road. I found myself leaving cruise control off so that I could control the throttle to prevent a downshift.

I would like some tow rating also. I would like to get a small camper/teardrop camper to tow behind it.

 

[chtucker]

As a 64' Traveall, 77EB, 2007 FJ, 2020 Defender, former 99' TJ owner and soon to be 2021 Bronco owner... Heck yeah bring it on.. I like them al.l...

 

[Slickrock]

It was a love it or hate it Tonka truck look

That's been Toyota's thing for a while.. Tonka truck on the FJs, and the swol overgrown look on the trucks and 4Runner. They get a lot of sales, but partially because there's not as much competition in the class.

 

[PretzelDay]

I agree with most of what was said, but I have to just chime in on this portion...

Retro definitely is out of style. The FJ was designed during a short period of time when overall vehicle design had grown stale, and automakers had to do SOMETHING to stand out. This something was to revert to one of the most beloved era's of automotive design; the 60s. However, cars in the 60s weren't designed with things like safety, aerodynamics, or fuel efficiency in mind like modern cars are. Therefore, most of the retro-designed modern cars turned out looking bloated, bubbly, and bland in comparison, which is a style that provided a cool bit of nostalgia when it first came along but died very quickly. I believe we currently live (or lived, about 3 or so years ago) in a golden age of automotive design, as there aren't too many cars out there that I would really consider "ugly". A lot of them use retro cues, but not to the point that they look like a bootleg'd version of a once-great car (see; Mustang), and are VERY sexy in their own, unique way. I think Ford would be able to stay true to the Bronco heritage yet make it look more modern if they based their design more off of F150 design cues with little retro bronco bits thrown in and keeping the same overall proportions and purpose of a bronco.

FWIW, if you don't believe me that retro is out of style, check out the FJ's sales numbers since its debut in 2006, despite rising popularity in SUVs in general;
2018 1
2017 4
2016 9
2015 229
2014 14,718
2013 13,131
2012 13,655
2011 13,541
2010 14,959
2009 11,941
2008 28,668
2007 55,170
2006 56,225

Sorry Jake, but retro is still beautiful. I own a 2018 Go Man Go Orange Challenger and I still have people come up to me almost every gas fill-up and say what a beautiful car my Challenger is. I love 2012 to 2014 Mustangs! They are just beautiful too! Now the Pt Cruiser>>>>Nah I want a Jeep Gladiator, because towing, but if Ford can muster the Bronco to 5000lbs towing!!! Done deal! The Bronco from what I have seen is wonderful. It's a Shame Ford put the Bronco Badge on a the new Bronco Sport(Escape). Pity They should have at LEAST made it a cloth top!

 

[Chaos_273]

I know this is the thread that just won’t die, and I’m actually somewhat on Jake’s side here as I preferred the F150 looking renders and would kill for a FSB with actual removable top, but this is my favorite thing I’ve read on here.

Such vim and vigor, and so wrong.

And everyone and their mom has a "source". A "source" is who created the bullshit rumor about a 4 door, all electric, tesla-beating Mustang sedan.

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