Ford does not build many cars like the Ford Bronco: a 2-door SUV (1965–1996, 2004 concept, 2021–present) / 4-door SUV (2021–present) with 170 CID Straight-6, built from 1965 to 2021 in the decade that gave the world the pony car and the mid-engined supercar. Its designer of record is Donald N. Frey (1964) / Paul G. Axelrad, McKinley Thompson Jr. (1964).
The story
The Ford Bronco is a model line of SUVs manufactured and marketed by Ford. The first SUV model developed by the company, five generations of the Bronco were sold from the 1966 to 1996 model years. A sixth generation of the model line was introduced for the 2021 model year. The nameplate has been used on other Ford SUVs, namely the 1984–1990 Bronco II compact SUV, the 2021 Bronco Sport compact crossover, and the China-only 2025 Bronco New Energy. Originally developed as a compact off-road vehicle using its own chassis, the Bronco initially competed against the Jeep CJ-5 and International Scout.
For 1978, Ford enlarged the Bronco, making it a short-wheelbase version of the F-Series pickup truck; the full-size Bronco now competed against the Chevrolet K5 Blazer and Dodge Ramcharger. Following a decline in demand for large two-door SUVs, Ford discontinued the Bronco after the 1996 model year, replacing it with the four-door Ford Expedition; followed by the larger Ford Excursion. After a 25-year hiatus, the sixth-generation Bronco was reintroduced in 2021 as a mid-size two-door SUV. It is also offered as a full-size four-door SUV with a 16 in (41 cm) longer wheelbase. It competes directly with the Jeep Wrangler as both a two-door and a four-door (hardtop) convertible. From 1965 to 1996, the Ford Bronco was manufactured by Ford at its Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan, where it also manufactures the sixth-generation version.
What is underneath
Under the skin sits 170 CID Straight-6; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 3-speed manual / 3-speed automatic. The layout matters: drive goes to all four wheels, which is what lets the power be used on a wet road. The wheelbase is 92 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Its place in the line
Where it sits in Ford's history is not in doubt: the Ford Expedition (for full-size model) followed it; it was built at Wayne, Michigan (Michigan Assembly Plant), United States. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Nissan Silvia, the Porsche 911, the Alfa Romeo Spider. Nearby in the Ford catalogue sit the Ford 021C and the Ford Escort.
The money
On the used market today a Ford Bronco typically changes hands for $24,000–$48,200, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,455–$6,908 a year. Insurance sits around $1,550–$2,490 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.