Bronco Warthog Hybrid PHEV

[Timuh60]

There is no question that the PHEV can produce serious power. My apprehension is in the weight, packaging, and durability. How much weight would be added? Where will that weight be located? Can the electrics (motor, batteries, controllers, etc) stand up to the off road pounding a Raptor may be subjected to? Adding 500+ pounds to an already tightly package vehicle will be a challenge. Further complicating that is that vehicle will have soft long travel suspension with the intent that it is used off road. I do think it will have something other than the 2.7L and definitely not a 5.0L.

I have the unique experience of owning at 2020 wrangler with 3.6 Pentastar and then getting the 2021 Wrangler 4xe which has the 2.0T hybrid. Even though the 4xe packed on about 800 extra pounds, it is way quicker that the 3.6. It is improved in most every way but one. When the battery gets to 0% on the highway you loose about 2 MPG compared to a non 2.0T non hybrid.

They put the batteries in the 4xe under the back seat and it is sealed so you can forge through the same water. I am not sure how much room is under the back seat of the bronco but could be a possibility. Either way, I am trading up for the Bronco hybrid when it comes up.

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[Silver-Bolt]

I have the unique experience of owning at 2020 wrangler with 3.6 Pentastar and then getting the 2021 Wrangler 4xe which has the 2.0T hybrid. Even though the 4xe packed on about 800 extra pounds, it is way quicker that the 3.6. It is improved in most every way but one. When the battery gets to 0% on the highway you loose about 2 MPG compared to a non 2.0T non hybrid.

They put the batteries in the 4xe under the back seat and it is sealed so you can forge through the same water. I am not sure how much room is under the back seat of the bronco but could be a possibility. Either way, I am trading up for the Bronco hybrid when it comes up.

800lbs is rig built for high speed desert running would kill the off-road performance. On road I totally get the benefits. I believe there will be a hybrid of some sort Bronco. I don't believe that it belongs in the Raptor variant.

 

[Bronco cat]

Consider the delta cost of the 2.7 in the Bronco is $1895 (F-150 $1195 from the 3.3 which is cheaper than the 2.3 Eco so it is even more lopsided, perhaps to discourage it). In that vein, I would expect any further engine upgrades to be even worse than the $700 more than in other applications. Short version is I expect the Aviator extension cord powertrain to ring in at a lot more than people might think.

Something like 80% (and it would be worse if the manual drivers weren't locked in to the 2.3) went with the bigger engine, per the various stats here and from Ford ($700 x 100000 is $70M more on the optional engine, WT and FE were picked because of the engine as well, so they count). Ford under-engined the vehicle from the get go based on demand and I do not expect them to 'fix' it without soaking us even more than in other applications.

I think calling the 2.3 “under engined” especially in light of the modest power increase in the 2.7 is doing a disservice. Not knowing your age when people are slamming 300hp as low dont remember the 5.4 triton had 254hp from the factory and got at least 50% less mpg. As to the hybrid question I think the hybrid motor will be the one from the explorer and not the aviator.

 

[WatchYourSix]

I think calling the 2.3 “under engined” especially in light of the modest power increase in the 2.7 is doing a disservice. Not knowing your age when people are slamming 300hp as low dont remember the 5.4 triton had 254hp from the factory and got at least 50% less mpg. As to the hybrid question I think the hybrid motor will be the one from the explorer and not the aviator.

I hope not for the Braptor, maybe for regular Broncos. Unfortunately the one in the Explorer is trash, would be underpowered in most Broncos due to weight, tire size, etc and is unsuitable for aftermarket modifications that would add weight IMO. Might be fine in a stock OBX but the hybrid Explorer barely gets better mileage than the non-hybrid 2.3 or the 3.0 TT in the ST and a lot of people have complained it doesn't shift smoothly.

 

[Timuh60]

800lbs is rig built for high speed desert running would kill the off-road performance. On road I totally get the benefits. I believe there will be a hybrid of some sort Bronco. I don't believe that it belongs in the Raptor variant.

I've been on trail as well. The guys on the trail with me were impressed with the capability and instant torque of the 4xe. And doing it all while quiet. I can't speak for high speed desert running but with 470 lbs. of torque the extra weight was no problem on Georgia mountain trails.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

A unibody construction vehicle has a lot more flexibility on where to place batteries than a body on frame vehicle.

The Bronco gas tank is already ridiculously tiny. There is not a lot of room for large batteries. Which means any PHEV version of the Bronco is going to be pretty half assed.

 

[AZ_Liberty]

Not knowing your age when people are slamming 300hp as low dont remember the 5.4 triton had 254hp from the factory and got at least 50% less mpg.

The 5.4 Triton in my Expedition is rated at 300HP (those 3 valve heads made a big difference) . Also the Expy is over 6000 lbs (we have the EL) and it gets 17 mpg in mixed driving, 19 on road trips. Our Eccoboost F-150 weighs 1500 lbs less than the Expy, and gets just under 17mpg in mixed driving.

I'd gladly take the tried and true (if old) Triton on my Bronco over silly turbo chargers. If nothing else, I know the 5.4 will easily outlast the rest of the vehicle. Just be extra careful when changing the spark plugs.

 

[Silver-Bolt]

I've been on trail as well. The guys on the trail with me were impressed with the capability and instant torque of the 4xe. And doing it all while quiet. I can't speak for high speed desert running but with 470 lbs. of torque the extra weight was no problem on Georgia mountain trails.

High speed off roading, light weight is king. 800lbs would completely change the dynamics of the handling. 800lbs would make it heavier than a Raptor truck. The Raptor truck has the benefit of a wider track and longer wheelbase to distribute the weight. Unless they can do some major weight savings to offset the additional weight of the hybrid equipment I don't see it working out for a Raptor variant. For just normal off road I can see it could be an asset.

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