Rumors of a high-performance Ford Bronco emerged long before Ford even revealed the regular variant. However, it wasn’t long after the SUV’s reveal in July that the first spy photos appeared of the high-riding Bronco. Subsequent pictures and videos have shown the SUV wearing camo and cladding below the beltline, and the latest video of it from the Bronco6G YouTube channel isn’t drastically different.
The coverings still can’t hide the SUV’s ultra-wide fenders that stick out over the chunky tires. Ford first teased the Bronco Warthog back in September, revealing that it could wear 37-inch tires when it enters production – 2 inches bigger than the 35-inch ones available with the Bronco’s Sasquatch package. The video does capture the Bronco’s engine and exhaust note, though it sounds just as underwhelming as it did in a previous spy video.
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Ford already admitted that the Bronco would never receive a V8 engine due to strict emission regulations. That likely means we’ll see Ford slip a high-powered EcoBoost V6 under the Warthog’s hood, with a potential candidate being the 3.0-liter twin-turbo unit offered in the Explorer ST. It makes 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 415 pound-feet (563 Newton-meters) of torque; however, Ford has a stable of powertrains it could use. Interestingly, every Warthog model spied so far has been of the four-door variety.
Ford hasn’t provided when it’ll announce the high-performance Bronco. Not even the Warthog name has been confirmed, though there are strong indicators that Ford intends to call it. However, it’ll likely be a bit before we do see it. The coronavirus pandemic had delayed the start of Bronco production, with deliveries now scheduled to begin next summer. Ford is providing waiting customers with a make-good, though some may not receive their vehicles until 2022. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait that long to see the Bronco Warthog.