Bronco Eyes on JL

The Jeep Wrangler has gone unchallenged for so long, I imagine it was only a matter of time until another manufacturer tried to take a piece of their pie. The Bronco is going to be a body-on-frame vehicle so that's good for off-roading and there are rumors of a removable roof in its future. Don't think that has been confirmed, but it should come with the panoramic sunroof.

But good luck trying to draw away Jeep fans.

They're not going to be able to draw away many Jeep fans. Jeep has been building this fan base for a very very long time with no break in between. The Bronco disappeared a long time ago and a lot of people now a days either forgot about it or don't know what it is. The Wrangler is tried and true, and I don't see Ford being able to match it in it's capabilities. That and the Wrangler still maintains that iconic look, they really haven't changed much at all because it's been working.

So the Bronco to combat the JL. The Raptor seems like the best competition for the upcoming Wrangler Pickup or Scrambler as it's called (JT). This should be interesting. It's understood that the Wrangler has gone unchallenged for a long time, but it's about time someone tries to combat it. There was the FJs but I still heavily favored the Wrangler as did majority of the people. Perhaps they may have something going on... but when I see it, then I'll make my judgement. Can't count em' out without knowing what it even is yet, we don't even have spy shots of the thing so as far as I'm concerned, it's nothing to worry about for now.

Johnson said:

They're not going to be able to draw away many Jeep fans. Jeep has been building this fan base for a very very long time with no break in between. The Bronco disappeared a long time ago and a lot of people now a days either forgot about it or don't know what it is. The Wrangler is tried and true, and I don't see Ford being able to match it in it's capabilities. That and the Wrangler still maintains that iconic look, they really haven't changed much at all because it's been working.

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They will be able to pull from the potential first time Jeep buyers. Wranglers are seen as the "real" Jeep and what most people want as a first Jeep.
What ever changes come with the JL could prove how much they want to attract new people to the brand but currently that's tough to see.

Jeep won't change too much in the new Wrangler Jl and as Johnson said, the Wrangler has been tried and true with a customer base cultivated over time by sticking with an iconic look. The Bronco could look completely different from its predecessor and push away current Bronco owners. Maybe it'll draw in the odd buyer who was looking into the Jeep, but it's going to be a tough competition.

Fortunate for Ford the Bronco has history and a level of history that people really eat up, a level of history that helps to understand the product and develop a greater sense of appreciation for it. The greatest example of how this will play out is what Toyota has done with the FJ. Back in the day they had a whole line of FJ available across the world, then they left a big gap spanning decades, finally bringing it back as the FJ Cruiser.

Now look at how successful of a product the FJ is

The FJ Cruiser had horrible sales from 06-13'. Sales numbers vastly paled in comparison to what the Wrangler was pulling year by year. Their best sales year was 2006 where they pulled 61,144 units whilst the Wrangler did 80,271. everything just went downhill after that.

Heard the new FJ mules hundreds of thousands of dollars each because Toyota wanted the new FJ to have exceptional off road performance and it was delivered in the production model. That may be one of the reasons why the new FJ did so well. Ford may need to deliver something similar and heavily invest in the new Bronco so the enthusiasts new and old will be attracted to it.

Ford probably won't put so much money into the Bronco's development as it's expected to share a platform with the Ranger-based Everest. Don't really see it as competition for the Wrangler if that is indeed the case.

Also, odds are some things with the Explorer might be shared with the Bronco and the Ranger. Being vehicles that come in close enough to each other there's always that possibility, plus we're talking about Ford here, not some high end specialty brand.

Even with FCA this is the case. Don't be surprised if something in a JL Wrangler can also be found in a new Maserati SUV.

Heard the Bronco is going to feature solid axles too and they're getting them from Dana, the same company that's building the Jeep Wrangler's solid axles. Not sure if this is really true or not, but if it doersn come to pass I'm sure the Wrangler’s front or rear axles won't be identical to the ones in the 2020 Ford Bronco, but they will be similar

To be specific reports suggest it will be a Dana 44 axle. The Wrangler recipe has remained the same and there's just no reason for changing it this time around. So odds are what we get won't deviate much away from what the JK has.

What's more interesting is what the Bronco will get.

Dana mentioned something about the Bronco using their latest AdvanTEK gear technology. It's supposed to enhance reliability, reduce vibration, improve durability, maximize efficiency and give us a quieter ride. This is what they claim on their site: Spicer AdvanTEK High-Efficiency Axles | Dana Light Vehicle

The Wrangler JKs use a Dana 44 in the rear and Dana 30s up front apparently.

I see they mentioned Ford's favorite word, aluminum. Which makes me think how much influence Fords product line had on Dana making that decision because the ability to secure a 7+ year contract on just one product is BIG.

Lightweight aluminum housing

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Apparently they aren't solid axles after all.

As well, Fords product line has no influence on Dana making that decision. There are TONS of companies utilizing aluminum in the automotive sector for different parts. Anyone who sees the benefits of utilizing aluminum where they can, will use it. It's not a matter of because Ford is doing it, they are, it's a matter of looking at other resources to innovate your product and make it better whilst keeping costs at a certain parameter.

If it wasn't so expensive, I'm sure they would use chromoly. But that's more of a specialty material usually used in race applications.

Doesn't the Dana 30 and Dana 44 have different ring gear size, electronic locker, and shafts? Would they work together on the same vehicle?

Aren't the sizes minimal? I think the outgoing models have the same ring gear size front and back, but Jeep probably figured that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.