Ford USA - Ranger and Bronco Return?

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Slash
Bronco to get removable top and doors, will be available as both a 2 and 4 door. This is likely the most accurate render yet.

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https://www.motortrend.com/news/2021-ford-bronco-what-we-know-price-specs-photos/
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Something about the grille and headlights.
 
If those renders further up are anything to go by this is gonna look great.

I'm always in two minds about retro design. Looking backward rather than forward is never ultimately a good strategy, partly because it encourages people not to progress, and partly because of the risk of a remake never living up to the original (at least in the eyes of people who've forgotten how bad the past used to be in many respects).

However... recently, I reckon car manufacturers have been nailing retro design, or at least modern car design with retro ideals. The Honda e Prototype (and Honda's existing N One on sale in Japan), the Suzuki Jimny, the Alpine A110, the Stratos that featured on The Grand Tour an episode or so ago, Peugeot's recent e-Legend concept... This Bronco's looking on the right track, and the recently-departed Beetle and still-on-sale Fiat 500 are still, I think, very successful interpretations of the original, at least in terms of styling alone.

So the conundrum is that we should probably be looking forward with car design, but manufacturers really seem to be nailing it when they do go retro at the moment.
 
homeforsummer
If those renders further up are anything to go by this is gonna look great.

I'm always in two minds about retro design. Looking backward rather than forward is never ultimately a good strategy, partly because it encourages people not to progress, and partly because of the risk of a remake never living up to the original (at least in the eyes of people who've forgotten how bad the past used to be in many respects).

However... recently, I reckon car manufacturers have been nailing retro design, or at least modern car design with retro ideals. The Honda e Prototype (and Honda's existing N One on sale in Japan), the Suzuki Jimny, the Alpine A110, the Stratos that featured on The Grand Tour an episode or so ago, Peugeot's recent e-Legend concept... This Bronco's looking on the right track, and the recently-departed Beetle and still-on-sale Fiat 500 are still, I think, very successful interpretations of the original, at least in terms of styling alone.

So the conundrum is that we should probably be looking forward with car design, but manufacturers really seem to be nailing it when they do go retro at the moment.
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Too bad though we're already living in the 21st century. Retro is becoming a thing of the past when it comes to car designs, especially it's turning 2020 next year.
 
homeforsummer
If those renders further up are anything to go by this is gonna look great.

I'm always in two minds about retro design. Looking backward rather than forward is never ultimately a good strategy, partly because it encourages people not to progress, and partly because of the risk of a remake never living up to the original (at least in the eyes of people who've forgotten how bad the past used to be in many respects).

However... recently, I reckon car manufacturers have been nailing retro design, or at least modern car design with retro ideals. The Honda e Prototype (and Honda's existing N One on sale in Japan), the Suzuki Jimny, the Alpine A110, the Stratos that featured on The Grand Tour an episode or so ago, Peugeot's recent e-Legend concept... This Bronco's looking on the right track, and the recently-departed Beetle and still-on-sale Fiat 500 are still, I think, very successful interpretations of the original, at least in terms of styling alone.

So the conundrum is that we should probably be looking forward with car design, but manufacturers really seem to be nailing it when they do go retro at the moment.
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Ford Super Duties have had a few 80s truck design cues I've noticed. Mainly the tailgate and upper body line.


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GTV0819
Too bad though we're already living in the 21st century. Retro is becoming a thing of the past when it comes to car designs, especially it's turning 2020 next year.
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Apart from all the examples I literally just mentioned and the fact that one of the most popular retro designs on the market - the Mini - has solely existed in the 21st century. I'm not sure why the year 2020 is particularly relevant for retro designs disappearing?
 
homeforsummer
Apart from all the examples I literally just mentioned and the fact that one of the most popular retro designs on the market - the Mini - has solely existed in the 21st century. I'm not sure why the year 2020 is particularly relevant for retro designs disappearing?
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Like they said, there are some exceptions. In the case of the Mini, at least it's not something so boxy when you look at it and mostly, that's the trademark of that car, too. It is known for its cute, egg-like shape.

What I forgot to say is, if going for retro means a new model would go to become more boxy than its predecessor, then it just becomes an eye sore to look at IMHO. Take a look at the Suburban and its rebadged cousins. I think the previous model looks way much better. I just hope the case wouldn't be the same with this new Bronco.
 
I wish we could get away from 'boxy = retro'. It doesn't have to be that way. Boxy is simply a form factor. I'd love to see more contemporary takes on boxy themes. I'd also love a boxy-ass bronco. Doesn't mean it has to be 1966-incarnate.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
I wish we could get away from 'boxy = retro'. It doesn't have to be that way. Boxy is simply a form factor. I'd love to see more contemporary takes on boxy themes. I'd also love a boxy-ass bronco. Doesn't mean it has to be 1966-incarnate.
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I don't think boxy automatically equals retro, but it's good to see it used to proper effect on cars that were boxy back in the day. The Jimny is again a great example of this. I had my first proper look at one at Geneva last month and it's just beautifully executed in form and details - a Bronco done similarly would be a fantastic thing.

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There's psychology at work too. Boxy works well for utilitarian vehicles like SUVs and trucks because we associate rigid, simple shapes with utility and practicality, like an actual box. It's one reason the original Fiat Panda was such a great bit of design - you could tell at a glance it would be useful and sturdy (relatively) and fit people and things very well, which is what you want from an absolute rock-bottom cheap car.
 
The Jimny is a truly wonderful design. Though I admit, it's probably a little overtly retro. I think the issue is that any time circular(or even near-circular, ala Mini) headlights are used in a contemporary design there is an automatic/subconscious connection to previous eras when practically all cars had round, sealed-beam headlights. It was only in the late 80s to early 90s did mainstream cars actually start getting bespoke units, and I can think of a few early 00s cars that still had sealed-beam, off the shelf units. Additionally, when I see these types of headlights I associate them with a sort of tectonic-design, where the design of the car is made up of assemblies provided by suppliers, compared to more holistic contemporary designs. I think we've been conditioned to see headlights that are circular (or square) as "the old type" and the more organic unique shaped headlights as "modern", which can be subverted or otherwise exploited by designers as they see fit. :lol: I think that's why the Scion XB or Jeep Renegade looks somewhat retro whereas the Nissan Cube or Kia soul do not, despite all of them having a similar shape.

I do actually think Ford is capable of pulling off a boxy/utilitarian design that does not feel gushingly retro. The F150 actually does this pretty well. It has a lot to do with the techo-futuristic headlights I honestly think.

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I don't think it's particularly nice, but it is pretty utilitarian looking....more so than the blobbish Nissan Titan or Toyota Tundra.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
I wish we could get away from 'boxy = retro'. It doesn't have to be that way. Boxy is simply a form factor. I'd love to see more contemporary takes on boxy themes. I'd also love a boxy-ass bronco. Doesn't mean it has to be 1966-incarnate.
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A balance bet. the two would be great IMHO. Too much boxy these days though would make it look plain and boring while too much round shape or streamlines would make it seem like it's trying hard to be futuristic. However, many 4wd vehicles such as a pickup truck or SUV were known to have boxy shapes before and that was a long time ago. Wow, they really do have come a long way in terms of exterior designs.
 
Joey D
The problem with retro is what happens when the vehicle needs a refresh? The best example of this is MINI, the retro design worked at first now it's just a goofy looking mess of a car.
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A good example of how this is done right is Ford with 5th to 6th gen Mustang. They managed to navigate a refresh out of a fundamentally retro design to something new. I personally love retro designs, now more than ever partly because there are a lot of hideous modern design languages going around at the moment.
 
Bronco Pickup Truck?
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Ford is planning to launch a pickup truck based on the 2021 Bronco SUV to compete with the just-minted Jeep Gladiator. The Ford Bronco pickup truck is scheduled for production in July 2024, according to AutoForecast Solutions, which indicates design and engineering began no more than a few months before the Jeep pickup launched. That launch date would be well within the lifecycle of the upcoming 2021 Bronco, a Ranger-based Jeep Wrangler competitor. Another source notes that with both a Ranger Raptor (based on the next-generation of that midsize pickup) and the Focus-based unibody 2021 Ford Courier on the way, he doesn’t expect the Bronco pickup earlier than calendar 2022.
Unlike the 1960s Bronco, which for a time was available as a small, two-door single-cab pickup alongside with the better-known SUV version, the new Bronco-based pickup will certainly come exclusively as a four-door double cab, and among our sources has evoked memories of the Explorer SportTrac models. That means we might expect a shorter bed behind the cab than the one fitted to the Gladiator. We can also probably expect to see some of the other Bronco SUV features that have been uncovered/confirmed appear on the pickup, including this available engine, an available hybrid powertrain, this reconfigurable top, and these removable doors. Like the Wrangler, the new Bronco SUV will also be available as a two-door version.
Naturally, Ford will base the pickup truck on the upcoming body-on-frame ’21 Bronco expected after mid-2020, not the Escape-based unibody “baby Bronco” (possibly called Bronco Scout) scheduled to make its premiere a bit earlier. The ’21 Ford Bronco likely will be built on some version of the next-generation Ranger’s bones, one source says, and will join that pickup in Michigan’s Wayne Assembly Plant. The new-for-2019 North American Ford Ranger was adapted from a global version of the midsize pickup after a seven-model-year hiatus, although it was heavily reworked to meet our market’s demanding truck standards. Ford has been adamant that it will not design a Raptor version of the current North American Ranger (there is a current Ranger Raptor in other markets), though Raptor versions of the new Bronco and its pickup derivative are highly likely, probably within a year after each standard model’s launch.
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automobilemag.com
 
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It's definitely promising. Hopefully Ford in Europe might see a market for undercutting the new Defender price wise for those who want an 'older' style SUV but bigger than a Jimny.
 
Robin
A good example of how this is done right is Ford with 5th to 6th gen Mustang. They managed to navigate a refresh out of a fundamentally retro design to something new. I personally love retro designs, now more than ever partly because there are a lot of hideous modern design languages going around at the moment.
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Yeah, sometimes there are some new designs I really like, such as the McLaren 720S or the new Supra, but other times I’ll just see what seems like an overdesigned mess that I’ll forget in a matter of minutes.
 

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