Ugly Test Mule

[Jalisurr]

Wow, that's hilarious. "You guys gonna nitpick the looks of our frankenranger test mules? Fine! Have a hacked up Colorado body instead"

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[Jalisurr]

eta: Some other outlets suggest the possibility that its a Courier test mule, but it would seem oversized and high set for that.

I also saw that the courier is supposed to be on a new unibody platform, where this definitely looks body on frame, so I'm skeptical that this isn't a Bronco

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

I also saw that the courier is supposed to be on a new unibody platform, where this definitely looks body on frame, so I'm skeptical that this isn't a Bronco

The axles etc. not being camoflaged seems a bit odd. I suppose they could be placeholders, but if nearly everything on it is a placeholder, then what good is it for testing?

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

Wow, that's hilarious. "You guys gonna nitpick the looks of our frankenranger test mules? Fine! Have a hacked up Colorado body instead"

I think that's exactly what they're doing. So many whiners not getting the idea that the Ranger body was just a convenience and not representative of what the Bronco would look like. So they stepped it up a notch and made it super obvious that the body was there for the most rudimentary testing purposes and literally anything could be plopped on it for that purpose -- they even made the point of leaving the badges on the Colorado body.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

These public excursions are almost surely meant to be publicly viewed. Back-door marketing.

I would posit that the Everest is there for scale, and to help verify that it is indeed a Ford test mule and not the new new new Chevy Blazercross test mule.

 

[Nickp]

I reached out to my buddy about this mule, I’ll let y’all know what I can disclose. I have a feeling the speculation so far is correct though.

 

[BroncoMike]

Wow, that's hilarious. "You guys gonna nitpick the looks of our frankenranger test mules? Fine! Have a hacked up Colorado body instead"

I think Ford knows exactly what they’re doing here. While I find it difficult to believe they’d go through all the effort, the Internet speculation should be hilarious and might be worth it.

 

[Bronco II]

Not many people would believe Ford would use a Colorado as a test mule, hide in plain sight.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

It's certainly easier to see what suspension is under this one, but they aren't trying to hide it either. There are some random "body mount" plates in the way. It doesn't look like the previous mules, but that rear certainly resembles the watts link in the Ranger and Everest with a different diff and adjustable pivot. The front arms don't resemble anything obvious, and aren't wide enough to be from a Raptor or ZR2. There are some rear sway bar connections (?) hanging way out there.

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[BroncoBuyer]

I either have never followed an upcoming new vehicle this closely before and had no idea what to expect, or this insanity and mule abuse is just plain crazy and not the norm.

 

[Nickp]

I either have never followed an upcoming new vehicle this closely before and had no idea what to expect, or this insanity and mule abuse is just plain crazy and not the norm.

I think they’re just messing with us at this point. The fact that they’ve been able to keep it under such tight wraps up until this point is honestly very impressive, and I applaud them for the effort. My hope is that they are doing this to reveal something that either meets or exceeds the insane hype. I’m hopeful.

 

[Stampede.Offroad]

I think they’re just messing with us at this point. The fact that they’ve been able to keep it under such tight wraps up until this point is honestly very impressive, and I applaud them for the effort. My hope is that they are doing this to reveal something that either meets or exceeds the insane hype. I’m hopeful.

I've seen things like this with less expensive items like personal electronics and games. Where the manufacturer uses the months before the actual launch or reveal to lead the enthusiast community on a kind of scavenger hunt to decipher clues about the final product.

In many ways the auto companies are beginning to market their products more like software companies. One example of that is with Ford's plan to shorten their product cycle to 3 years -- compare that with the first gen Bronco that ran for 12 years. Most 'durable goods' in the past ran for long cycles. The modern consumer, and the populace in general, has a shorter attention span now and expects changes and "improvements" to be more regularly delivered. With so much information and entertainment available to distract us, the manufacturer of an upcoming product has to try harder to maintain interest.

Competition for the attention of those consumers is higher, and little games and mysteries with theatrics surrounding the reveal of the 'new' product help market the product and keep the potential consumer engaged with that companies product and not the competitors. Development will now take at least half the entire life of the previous model. The use of vinyl wraps to "hide" or mask a test mule out on the road is one of the longest running of these techniques -- a step taken that is guaranteed to draw attention, not to make it subtle or obscured.

If anything, I would expect the theatrics surrounding the Bronco to be representative of the kind of effort auto makers will have to do more of in the future.

 

[Bronco II]

If that's rue it's not working people are already tired of waiting and going out and buy something else. Several here have bought Wranglers.

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