There are two really interesting things happening right now in the rugged, off-road segment: Jeep Wrangler officially has competition, and ‘rock crawling’ isn’t cool anymore.
First, the Jeep Wrangler Competition.
Ford formally announced the all new Bronco this week. Aimed directly and intentionally at the Jeep Wrangler, the Bronco will be available with all the off-road goodies in the Wrangler and then some. This includes an optional manual transmission (with a crawl gear!), removable doors and roof, 35 inch tires available from the factory, various transfer case options that includes a 4A mode, a modern and refined interior, and much more. Although we have the new Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes G-Wagon, these are much more expensive and not directly in competition with the “affordable” Wrangler and Bronco. However, let’s not forget the Toyota 4-Runner. Today, it’s badly in need of a redesign - so in its current state it isn't much of a threat. However, with the off-road wars heating up, don’t be surprised if you see Toyota redesign this vehicle and make a big splash! Chevy, on the other hand, missed a huge opportunity by ‘wasting’ the Blazer comeback on a forgettable and irrelevant crossover. Time to cut your losses, Chevy, and re-invent the Blazer. Again.
Next. Rock-crawling isn’t cool anymore! Well, almost.
For decades, the Jeep Wrangler hung its hat on it’s off-road capabilities. Until recently, “off-road” capabilities meant almost exclusively that it’s able to navigate dirt trails and for the more skilled adventurer, the ULTIMATE, rock crawling. Rock crawling is exactly what it sounds like: slow speed driving over rocks and large boulders. Do many Wrangler owners ever actually rock crawl? No. Very few Wranglers ever leave the pavement, let alone rock crawl. This isn’t a knock on Wrangler owners. It’s exactly similar to how very few sports car owners ever actually take their car to the race track. Most people buy an enthusiast car, be it an off-roader or a sports car, for the idea. The spirit of the machine. The feeling of possibilities. Not necessarily for using it exactly as intended.
But wait! Enter the 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor. Although this is the second generation of the high performance Ford F-150, this generation doubled down on a new kind of off-road “cool.” Yes, it’s an off-road warrior. But it has a much different twist. This off-road warrior isn’t designed to travel slowly over rocks. How boring. It’s designed to travel fast! In the DESERT! High horse power, high thrill, loud engine! It’s a race car… but for the off-road! The Ford F-150 Raptor doesn’t compete directly with the Wrangler as a vehicle. But it’s competing with the Wrangler as an entire segment and as a disruptive concept. Out with the slow-and-meticulous-rock-crawl and in with the high-speed-and-exhilarating-desert-runner.
In my opinion, this concept is more exciting and more appealing to the general public over the old fashioned rock-crawl. And I think the manufacturers agree. Ford has released the new Bronco with an available twin-turbo 6 cylinder making over 300HP and 400 lb-ft of torque. It also has two top-of-the-line trims… one of which is designed for high-speed off-roading. Jeep released a picture of a future concept Wrangler touting their 392 Hemi V-8 which might make upwards of 450HP. Jeep has already created a new trim in their Gladiator lineup called the “Mojave” which is more geared toward high-speed desert running. The problem is that it still carries the same old and boring Pentastar V-6 engine.
The initial release of the Bronco is sort of forced to compete with the Wrangler in the rock-crawl arena. Bronco came to market with disconnecting sway-bars, and class leading ground clearance including approach and departure angles. In order to win the long term war, Ford first needs to beat the Wrangler at it’s own game. However, I strongly suspect that over time the rock-crawl passion will take a back seat to the high-performance enthusiasts.
The 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor has inspired an entirely new consumer base. The Raptor is so well received in the market that RAM has already announced a new RAM Rebel TRX that is rumored to have the infamous Hellcat engine with potentially over 700HP. WOW! Ford is bound to respond in their third generation Raptor due out sometime in the next couple of years. Chevy shouldn’t be too far behind with a new Silverado model - assuming they don’t miss the boat again like they did with the Blazer.
No matter where you stand on the rock-crawl vs. high performance idea, one thing is for sure. Competition is good for the market. Expect to see more excitement and development in the Wrangler world. Expect Ford to keep their foot on the gas (no pun intended) with the new Bronco, and expect an awesome and new competitive segment in the automotive world: high-performance off-road.