Photo: Nishit Merchant on Instagram
The excitement around the all-new 2021 Ford Bronco is nearing its peak. Less than two weeks from now we'll know everything there is to know about the iconic SUV, and as frustrating as it may be for us, Ford deserves a lot of credit for keeping a very tight lid on all the crucial information so far.
Engines, transmissions, power, weight, efficiency, size, comfort, off-road ability, price - they're all very important, but if given the chance to know just the one thing about the new Bronco, the large majority of people would choose the vehicle's exterior design. We know we would.
The old Bronco was a very sexy piece of machinery, even though it may not have realized it at the moment. There was something about its simplicity that made the trapezoidal hood of the Jeep Wrangler seem like an unnecessary complication. In some ways, it had more in common with the Land Rover Defender, and we all know what a huge task redesigning that model for 2020 proved to be. Working in Ford's design department over the last few years was probably exciting and stressful in equal measures.
Like it or not, the exterior design will play a huge role in the way the new Bronco is received. Get it right, and we might be looking at the new best-selling SUV in the States. Get it slightly wrong, and Ford would have missed a gigantic opportunity. Get it horribly wrong, and you can place the 2021 Bronco next to other famous flops such as the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, for example.
The anticipation is almost palpable. Just google "Ford Bronco," click "images" and good luck trying to find anything that isn't a rendering of the upcoming model inside the first page of results. There's also a #broncodesigchallenge hashtag going on Instagram where independent artists post their vision on what the new SUV should look like, and it's definitely not short on entries.
Some are great, others are decent, and others not so much. This particular one comes from Nishit Merchant - an Indian design student and, according to his own description, intern at local carmaker Mahindra - and can best be described as a "Honda e on steroids." The front is very reminiscent of that of the little Japanese EV, while the rest of the bulky SUV is just way too generic to bring any real value. Well, at least you're likely to get a chuckle out of the fact that Nishit felt obliged to include the shock absorbers into what is otherwise is a very non-descript rendering.
On the other hand, imagine the chuckle Nishit would get if the actual Bronco turned out to look very similar to this and we'd be forced to eat our words with a spoon. Not going to happen, though. We'd go for a fork.
The old Bronco was a very sexy piece of machinery, even though it may not have realized it at the moment. There was something about its simplicity that made the trapezoidal hood of the Jeep Wrangler seem like an unnecessary complication. In some ways, it had more in common with the Land Rover Defender, and we all know what a huge task redesigning that model for 2020 proved to be. Working in Ford's design department over the last few years was probably exciting and stressful in equal measures.
Like it or not, the exterior design will play a huge role in the way the new Bronco is received. Get it right, and we might be looking at the new best-selling SUV in the States. Get it slightly wrong, and Ford would have missed a gigantic opportunity. Get it horribly wrong, and you can place the 2021 Bronco next to other famous flops such as the Mercedes-Benz R-Class, for example.
The anticipation is almost palpable. Just google "Ford Bronco," click "images" and good luck trying to find anything that isn't a rendering of the upcoming model inside the first page of results. There's also a #broncodesigchallenge hashtag going on Instagram where independent artists post their vision on what the new SUV should look like, and it's definitely not short on entries.
Some are great, others are decent, and others not so much. This particular one comes from Nishit Merchant - an Indian design student and, according to his own description, intern at local carmaker Mahindra - and can best be described as a "Honda e on steroids." The front is very reminiscent of that of the little Japanese EV, while the rest of the bulky SUV is just way too generic to bring any real value. Well, at least you're likely to get a chuckle out of the fact that Nishit felt obliged to include the shock absorbers into what is otherwise is a very non-descript rendering.
On the other hand, imagine the chuckle Nishit would get if the actual Bronco turned out to look very similar to this and we'd be forced to eat our words with a spoon. Not going to happen, though. We'd go for a fork.
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