Before the 2021 Ford Bronco starts shipping late next spring, its engineering crew still has plenty of time to test and improve its off-road capabilities. The latest set of YouTube videos by Bronco6G Forum features two pre-production SUVs giving their all at the dreaded Rubicon Trail.
The legendary off-road track is 22 miles (35 kilometers) long and is located in the U.S. West. The giant rocks littering the path make it non-traversable by most vehicles, but the Jeep Wrangler – Bronco’s main rival – can make the journey even in its unmodded stock form. By sending its 2021 Bronco to the test drive, Ford clearly intended to show Jeep who’s the boss – and the prototype off-roader did make it to the finish line, albeit receiving some serious injuries in the process.
The specific trim featured here is called Bronco Badlands. As it turned out, the SUV can complete the trail both with the optional Sasquatch Package installed and without. The package includes grippy 35-inch tires, but the stock rubber is hardly much worse at 33 inches across. In the video, the three-door car is using a BF Goodrich All-Terrain set, while its five-door cousin tries out Goodyear MT tires. The latter also sports a seven-speed manual transmission design, which fans have petitioned Ford to make available in all Bronco modifications.