ad
Supported by
wheels
The Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender revive two mythical lines with models that can take care of the trails and also grocery shopping.
By Jamie Lincoln Kitman
One of the most counterintuitive automotive advancements of the coronavirus era, with all the house warrants and house painting policies, has been the rejuvenated charm of cars built to tame the wonderful outdoors. which has hosted recent introductions for two new off-road cars with prominent nameplates, the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco.
In our time, what attracts other people to Jeep-type cars with arguably the least usefulness of our race life?The humble Jeep began service in 1941 and after the war evolved with a civilian version. Known as CJ at the time and since 1986 as Wrangler, a Jeep is a Spartan thing favored first by breeders, wildcatters and others who can simply use its all-wheel drive capability with short wheelbase.
The popularity of the Jeep has continued to grow and has even warmed in the 21st century. Nearly a quarter of a million Wranglers were sold in the US. But it’s not the first time In 2018, for example, more than three times the 2005 sales, the maximum of which was given to homeowners who would possibly never exploit the Jeep’s off-road muscles.
It’s from Wrangler that one would expect those two newcomers to slow sales down, but those are different approaches to less frequented dust trails.
The Jeep remains the ultimate true to the original structure of an S. U. V. – A genuine gaming app vehicle!- with folding windshields, detachable doors and a quality of travel that gives occupants the impression of being shepherds.
With the new Bronco, you can open the doors (there are two and four door configurations) and the ceiling too, if you wish. While the Bronco would possibly be more comfortable than the Jeep, its metal chassis structure and physically powerful Off-road suspension ensures a ride as physically powerful as the truck.
The new Land Rover goes through the technically complicated maximum of the three, with an aluminum frame and a completely independent suspension (the others have forged rear axles). Although it is as effective off-roader as the others, its handling will be more elegant It seems less retro, even if it still looks a bit like your old self, and costs more.
When it arrived in 1948, the Land Rover intended to be a paint vehicle, with no frills, but with enough four-cylinder force to cross the fields, cut hay and help the farm (today, there are many power exits).
Inspired without apology through the Jeep, with which the British met during World War II, Land Rover’s original passes have temporarily become a favorite of foreigners, not just landowners. societies, rangers, rangers, fishermen, adventurers and Amagansett’s occasional publicist, all in love with their repairs of undeniable construction, rust-resistant, four-wheel drive and physically powerful (mainly).
In 2016, the linear descendant of this first Land Rover, renamed Defender in 1990, came out of production and finished a 68-year career. Society temporarily faced a big question: how to update an eternal classic?
The Bronco entered the scene in 1966, long before a significant increase and end of life, O. J. The Simpsons is filming. The original Bronco is also Ford’s response to the Jeep.
But the Bronco sold more than any aspiring Jeep or Jeep. In the following years, it has become a classic. Today, well-off fans spend $150,000 or more to repair and customize old Broncos. This enduring appeal led its brands to bring the Defender and Bronco back to the U. S. market after long absences, 23 years for the Defender and 25 years for the Bronco. People seem excited, or we say extremely cheerfully, for the next generation.
Ford will not deliver its new off-road vehicle until next year, but since its announcement in July, the company has received more than 165,000 deposits in a month. Although Broncos start at $28,100, a moderate access point, more than two hundred functions can temporarily double the value and more.
Ford plans to sell 200, 000 of those male machines next year. And to further capitalize on the Bronco’s renaissance, it will offer a smaller, cheaper, lighter Bronco Sport that is not mechanically shipped. “
Instead of tackling challenging trails, the Sport is meant to “this consumer who needs to move on to the start of the trail where their adventures begin, whether it’s mountain biking, skiing or whatever he’s doing,” said Mark Grueber, Ford’s marketing. director of the Bronco company.
Land Rover has just begun handing over the Defender to americans in its largest four-door form, known as 110. The number used to describe the axis distance of the old Defender in inches, but it’s just a name. 110, whose legroom in the rear seats is the main beneficiary, is 119 inches. Built in a new factory in Slovakia and with an initial price of $49,900, the Defender is not as expensive as some feared; however, with about 170 features, which adds a jump. seat at the front, allowing three-seat seats, such as the original, the value is gently driven into the sky.
While Land Rover will not sell as many Defenders as the Ford Broncos, U. S. dealers promoting the English logo (owned by Jaguar since 2008 through Indian conglomerate Tata Group) would be solid. 90 (now with an axlebase of 101. 9 inches) comes first in a first edition style with an additional charge, priced at $65450, will be temporarily followed through other finishing grades with reduced prices, adding a base style of $47,450.
The Bronco, revealed but not in the showrooms until next spring, can’t be had for a test drive. But the Defender 110Array and on a recent journey through Vermont gracefully took muddy, rough trails, sharp rocks and trimmed surfaces. All-wheel drive with the Defender generation surprises with its ability to keep the vehicle moving steadily.
Where the new Defender (available only with an uncompromising roof, for now) differs to the maximum from its predecessors is on the road, as if the farmer had gone to Oxbridge. Drive superbly in every aspect, with maneuverability that is more fashionable than the game sedán than the wooden wagon, even though it has more free space on the floor and the ability to cross deeper currents than the Wrangler or Bronco.
Finally, with an optional lightweight six-cylinder hybrid engine (395 horsepower), the Defender can reach 60 miles consistent with an hour’s rest in 5. 7 seconds and, if legal, achieve 129 mph. The turbo cylinder engine is standard and generates 296 horsepower. All defenders are evaluated tow 8,201 pounds.
Joe Eberhardt, executive leader of Jaguar Land Rover North America, is positive about the Defender’s prospects, while recognizing the appeal of the two American rivals.
“I haven’t driven the Bronco yet, but it looks fantastic, a clever mix of being true to the original character of cars without simply copying it,” Eberhardt said. “As we know from the Defender and the jaguar E-Type replacement a long time ago, it’s hard to stick to an iconic vehicle and the Jeep is the Jeep.
But, he added, “as long as they don’t sit in most cases and offer a differentiated product, I think there’s room for everyone. “Prosperity for all is not unthinkable, with the SUV market developing rapidly, he said. said: “There’s still 30% of the market that can migrate from cars to SUVs.
But is there more than one in what turns out to be this sudden uptick in off-road vehicles, especially the toughest ones?
Rory Carroll, editor-in-chief of the Jalopnik car, sees a link to the news. “I think the most apparent thing is that we’re all caught up in a slow apocalypse, and that makes the concept of a giant off-road evacuation capsule attractive, ” Mr. Carroll.
“Covid and the election have sharpened things, but I think it’s clear that things haven’t gone well for some time,” he added. “There are many cultural expressions of this: weapons, zombie tricks, preparers, victory gardens. “, preserves, cakes. I think even the explosion in the number of other people doing floor or off-road stuff is due to something to this general feeling that we’re on the verge of collapse. “
He continued: “The answer to a possible collapse is not: ‘How can we paint in combination and solve this?”It’s, ‘I have to get out of here. Or, I guess, I want, what I’ve got. “”
Mr Eberhardt smiles when he is presented with natural fear, but sees the market in less apocalyptic terms.
“I think it’s a more supportive way of life that other people find very attractive,” she said. “I mean, if I look at younger generations, it’s all about experience; it’s about outdoor activities, doing more with our time. »
His own children “love being outside,” he added. My daughter loves camping in the woods with nothing, just a tent.
“And I think there’s a tendency to do that, away from the time you spend on the screen and everything that happens inside. And I think those cars look as they allow. And in the world of Instagram and Snapchat, you need to be noticed at the top of an Advocate in a tent in an engaging context.
ad