2021 Bronco

[ZBB]

I saw a Sport on the road over the weekend. Didn’t get a good look, but it was kind of blah. I don’t get why they did it — too confusing...

[JST]

The Sport is the better product for 95 percent of people and probably 50 percent of the people that think they want a Bronco.

Not sure how it’s any more dilutive of the brand than 4 cylinder Fox bodies were. Or really every base model Mustang ever made.

In fact, thinking of these products as dilutive is wrong, because it’s the lower volume halo products that exist *to give these products credibility*. You don’t build a Bronco to sell Broncos. You build a Bronco to sell Bronco Sports.

All that said, I suspect Ford isn’t happy having the launch of the big Bronco delayed. But what are you going to do?

[clyde]

Originally Posted by JST

The Sport is the better product for 95 percent of people and probably 50 percent of the people that think they want a Bronco.

Not sure how it’s any more dilutive of the brand than 4 cylinder Fox bodies were. Or really every base model Mustang ever made.

In fact, thinking of these products as dilutive is wrong, because it’s the lower volume halo products that exist *to give these products credibility*. You don’t build a Bronco to sell Broncos. You build a Bronco to sell Bronco Sports.

All that said, I suspect Ford isn’t happy having the launch of the big Bronco delayed. But what are you going to do?

Mustangs never used multiple chassis with completely different bodies that only had a passing resemblance in the headlight arrangements. From the most stripped basic secretary car to the body in white race car, the Mustangs were essentially the same car top to bottom, front to back, left to right.

Mustangs all looked the same to regular people. Car people may have known what they were looking at, but regular people didn't...nor did they care.

The Bronco vs Bronco Sport do not.

The Bronco Sport looks like every other bland vanilla SUV out there. In fact, it just looks like an Escape with a different grille and a mild as a baby's bottom body kit. Which, of course, it is.

The Bronco looks like a modern interpretation of the Bronco. And regular people seem to recognize that. If the real Bronco was the first on the street, there would be buzz. The Sport leading the way is generating yawns. Those yawns are harmful to the Bronco brand. When the real Broncos hit, the regular people may take notice, but their thoughts will be tainted by their first impression.

As you say, halos serve a purpose. I don't think leading from the rear is it.

Also, yeah, events conspire against you sometimes.

[lemming]

Originally Posted by clyde

Mustangs never used multiple chassis with completely different bodies that only had a passing resemblance in the headlight arrangements. From the most stripped basic secretary car to the body in white race car, the Mustangs were essentially the same car top to bottom, front to back, left to right.

Mustangs all looked the same to regular people. Car people may have known what they were looking at, but regular people didn't...nor did they care.

The Bronco vs Bronco Sport do not.

The Bronco Sport looks like every other bland vanilla SUV out there. In fact, it just looks like an Escape with a different grille and a mild as a baby's bottom body kit. Which, of course, it is.

The Bronco looks like a modern interpretation of the Bronco. And regular people seem to recognize that. If the real Bronco was the first on the street, there would be buzz. The Sport leading the way is generating yawns. Those yawns are harmful to the Bronco brand. When the real Broncos hit, the regular people may take notice, but their thoughts will be tainted by their first impression.

As you say, halos serve a purpose. I don't think leading from the rear is it.

Also, yeah, events conspire against you sometimes.

Agreed. Bronco Sport is stupid.

It looks like a Fisher Price vehicle.

[FC]

Originally Posted by lemming

It looks like a Fisher Price vehicle.

Yes.

[kognito]

I saw one on the road about a week ago. My first thought was that I was looking at a Discovery, then realized it was a Bronco Sport

[John V]

Originally Posted by lemming

Agreed. Bronco Sport is stupid.

It looks like a Fisher Price vehicle.

You have seen the Kia Soul, Jeep Renegade, et al, yes?

That's what this competes against.

[wdc330i]

The TV commercials are silly, too.

[JST]

Originally Posted by lemming

Agreed. Bronco Sport is stupid.

It looks like a Fisher Price vehicle.

I mean, no more so than most of the Wranglers I see.

Dunno. Maybe this will lead to brand dilution. I have questions about Ford's overall brand strategy, which has always been to treat their brand names (other than F-150 and Mustang) as trash to be discarded, rather than assets to be honed. And whether "Mustang" is now also being diluted is another good question.

At the same time, the reviews suggest the Bronco Sport is a pretty good product when measured against its actual competitors, and the Fisher Pricey tough veneer is what buyers in this segment want. I don't think many actual Bronco purchasers are going to be turned off by the existence of this thing.


EDIT: Speaking of the Kia Soul, have those of you with teenagers run across the weird anti-Kia Soul TikTok thing yet?

[John V]

There's this Wrangler-specific thing I've seen over the past few years, that being coming up with some cutesy name that then gets painted / stickered on the sides of the hood. There is a black and orange one that parks at my office which reads "Pumpkin"

Dunno why, but it came to mind when Josh wrote "Fisher Pricey tough veneer."