Bronco Pickup Could have been Great

[Rivers90]

With Ford having 3 other pickups the key to making a Bronco pickup that would have done well would have been to made it different.

The ranger is the Pickup most like it. But the ranger has a tiny back seat that is more aimed at cargo than people. Unless the front passengers are really short the seat must be so far back that you have no leg room. Making the cabin bigger and gaining a useable back seat would open up a different market. I have had friends with Jeep Gladiators and a Toyota Tacomas. So having been in both, the Gladiator had a good back seat and the Tacoma did not. Also different bed length options could make for a product aimed at a different segment.

When the Bronco first came out Ford said it would be a Bronco Brand and more models under the Bronco brand were coming. But then nothing came.

I would guess Ford was disappointed by low sales and dropped the other planed Bronco vehicles. The Jeep Wrangler sold over 200,000 each year from 2018-2021. The Bronco never hit those numbers and now the wrangler does not as well.

I wish there had been a Bronco Pickup for the 6 gen as the first gen had a pickup option but unless the underpowered Gladiator sales jump up it is too late.

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[l88m22vette]

The wife has a Gladiator. It's cool, it's all Jeep, and we've used the bed a bunch of times.

It's also a small bed, is better for moving small crap or stuff like yard supplies, and kinda fails at real truck bed stuff. It'd also be 93 feet long with a full-size bed, so it's kinda too bad Jeep didn't offer a 2dr long bed version.

It also doesn't drive as well as the Bronco, I get far more horse carriage vibes for the JT when I hit bad roads or uneven surfaces.

 

[23OBX2.7]

It would just be a commercial failure cannobilizing incremental ranger and maveric sales and probably lose a few BN for them real men and bosses drive F250/350 4X4. Smart people drive Rangers and Mavericks.

 

[MNBigfoot]

With Ford having 3 other pickups the key to making a Bronco pickup that would have done well would have been to made it different.

.........

Two pickups and an El Camino.

 

[Area51BS]

Hope it doesn’t happen. Bad enough the sport is associated with the Bronco. And we own both.

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

It would just be a commercial failure cannobilizing incremental ranger and maveric sales and probably lose a few BN for them real men and bosses drive F250/350 4X4. Smart people drive Rangers and Mavericks.

At the price it would sell for, I doubt it would be competing with the Mav much at all. Higher trim Ranger and the F series would be the main cannibalism threats. But the whole point, of course, would be another shot at Jeep, and Ford might be able to weather the costs of development and cannibalism easier than Jeep could deal with more lost sales. Thats my amateur analysis anyway.

For the Bronco pickup to be a solid pickup, I’m thinking they would need to upgrade the suspension and frame to give it a higher cargo and towing capacity than Bronco without screwing up the ride quality too much. The development and manufacturing costs for that are probably the main hindrance in Ford’s calculus, since it would be a niche market.

 

[23OBX2.7]

They could just change the body panels on the Ranger since its the same platform as Bronco....

 

[zuke]

For the Bronco pickup to be a solid pickup, I’m thinking they would need to upgrade the suspension and frame to give it a higher cargo and towing capacity than Bronco without screwing up the ride quality too much. The development and manufacturing costs for that are probably the main hindrance in Ford’s calculus, since it would be a niche market.

This, The Gladiator despite it's comical bed proportions, has a rear suspension and frame design lifted mostly from a Ram 1500, Not the Wrangler JLU, and properly trimmed out is far more practical for Over-landing and trailer towing than a Bronco pickup would be without a similar major revision to the rear frame and suspension.

In the case of the Gladiator, it actually improves the ride over the JLU, but that's a pretty low bar

 

[Imaginary Friend]

The wife has a Gladiator. It's cool, it's all Jeep, and we've used the bed a bunch of times.

It's also a small bed, is better for moving small crap or stuff like yard supplies, and kinda fails at real truck bed stuff. It'd also be 93 feet long with a full-size bed, so it's kinda too bad Jeep didn't offer a 2dr long bed version.

It also doesn't drive as well as the Bronco, I get far more horse carriage vibes for the JT when I hit bad roads or uneven surfaces.

If Jeep built a 2-door version of the Gladiator with a 6' bed, I'd be there frantically waving cash. I'd dump my lemon of an F150 and my JL for it.

Same thing for an equivalent Bronco.

 

[Rivers90]

For bed length there would need to be two options. This is very polarizing and the wrong length bed is a deal breaker for many. One of my friends sold his Gladiator because of the bed being too short.

 

[Tybh88]

https://fordauthority.com/2026/02/ford-bronco-pickup-maverick-based-off-road-truck-makes-sense/amp/

 

[DALOLA]

https://fordauthority.com/2026/02/ford-bronco-pickup-maverick-based-off-road-truck-makes-sense/amp/

That's a really dumb article. The Maverick already has a Tremor model, which is as far as that platform can be pushed as an off-road version. Their suggestion makes zero sense.

 

[Tybh88]

That's a really dumb article. The Maverick already has a Tremor model, which is as far as that platform can be pushed as an off-road version. Their suggestion makes zero sense.

Idea of a bronco truck makes zero sense lol. I figured id share the link since it popped up on my google feed after reading this topic lol.

 

[UncleBrad]

With Ford having 3 other pickups the key to making a Bronco pickup that would have done well would have been to made it different.

The ranger is the Pickup most like it. But the ranger has a tiny back seat that is more aimed at cargo than people. Unless the front passengers are really short the seat must be so far back that you have no leg room. Making the cabin bigger and gaining a useable back seat would open up a different market. I have had friends with Jeep Gladiators and a Toyota Tacomas. So having been in both, the Gladiator had a good back seat and the Tacoma did not. Also different bed length options could make for a product aimed at a different segment.

When the Bronco first came out Ford said it would be a Bronco Brand and more models under the Bronco brand were coming. But then nothing came.

I would guess Ford was disappointed by low sales and dropped the other planed Bronco vehicles. The Jeep Wrangler sold over 200,000 each year from 2018-2021. The Bronco never hit those numbers and now the wrangler does not as well.

I wish there had been a Bronco Pickup for the 6 gen as the first gen had a pickup option but unless the underpowered Gladiator sales jump up it is too late.

The obvious solution is to remove the rear two doors altogether and use the four-door chassis to accommodate a suitable bed. It is, after all, a pickup - and God intended pickups to have 2-doors. Extra harps handed out for three pedals.

 

[Rumbloki]

Two pickups and an El Camino.

Ranchero

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