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One of the most counterintuitive automotive developments in the coronavirus era – with all of the stay-at-home controls and work-from-home policies – has been the rejuvenated pull of cars built to tame the great outdoors. Look no further than the (socially distant) hustle and bustle that has greeted the recent introductions of two new off-road cars with famous nameplates, the Land Rover Defender and the Ford Bronco.
About our time, what is it that attracts people to Jeep-type vehicles with arguably the least usefulness in our working life? The humble Jeep began service in 1941 and after the war evolved into a civilian version. Known as CJ at the time, and from 1986 as the Wrangler, a Jeep was a Spartan thing first favored by ranchers, wildcatters and others who could use its all-wheel-drive capability. short wheelbase.
The popularity of the Jeep has grown steadily and even warmed up in the 21st century. Nearly a quarter of a million Wranglers were sold in the United States in 2018, for example, more than tripling sales in 2005, with most delivered to owners who might never tap into the Jeep’s off-road muscles. .
It is from Wrangler that one would expect these two newcomers to poach the sales. But these are separate approaches to take the less traveled mud trails.
The Jeep stays true to the original construction of an SUV – a true sport utility vehicle! – with a folding windshield, removable doors and a ride quality that always gives occupants the impression of being cowherds.
With the new Bronco, you can open the doors (there are two and four door configurations) and the roof too, if you want. Although the Bronco is slightly more comfortable than the Jeep, its body-on-steel frame construction and rugged suspension optimized for off-roading ensure a ride as rugged as a truck.
The new Land Rover is by far the most technically sophisticated of the three, with an aluminum body and fully independent suspension (the others have solid rear axles). Although it performs just as well off-road as the others, its handling will be more elegant. He looks less retro, although he still looks slightly like his old self, and it costs more.
When introduced in 1948, the Land Rover was intended to be a work vehicle. No frills, but enough four-cylinder power to roam the fields, cut hay and help out on the farm. (Today there are many outlets.)
Inspired unapologetically by the Jeep, which the British got to know during WWII, the original Land Rover went everywhere quickly became an international favorite, and not just of landowners. He has come to be counted as loyal customers of law enforcement and military, rescue companies, game wardens, rangers, fishermen, adventurers, and the occasional Amagansett adman, all in love with his Robust (mostly) rust-resistant construction, four-wheel drive and its simplicity. of repair.
In 2016, the linear descendant of this first Land Rover, renamed Defender in 1990, rolled out of production, ending a 68-year race. The company quickly faced a huge question: how to replace an eternal classic?
The Bronco entered the scene in 1966, long before a significant rise in power and a late-life OJ Simpson star tour. The original Bronco was also Ford’s answer to the Jeep.
But the Bronco has sold better than any aspiring Jeep or Jeep. In the years that followed, it became a classic. Today, well-heeled aficionados spend $ 150,000 and more to restore and customize vintage Broncos. This enduring appeal led their manufacturers to bring the Defender and Bronco back to the US market after long absences, 23 years for the Defender and 25 years for the Bronco. People seem excited – or should we say excited – for the next generation.
Ford won’t deliver its new all-terrain vehicle until next year. But since its announcement in July, the company has reportedly taken over 165,000 deposits in a month. While the Broncos start at $ 28,100, a sounding reasonable entry point, over 200 options can quickly double the price and more.
Ford plans to sell 200,000 of these macho machines next year. And to further capitalize on the rebirth of the Bronco, it will offer a smaller Bronco Sport, a less expensive, lighter and unrelated automobile model.
Rather than tackling difficult trails, the Sport is for “that client who wants to get to the trailhead where their adventures begin, whether it’s mountain biking, skiing or whatever else they’re going to do. Said Mark Grueber, Ford Marketing. director of the Bronco.
Land Rover has just started delivering the Defender to Americans in its larger four-door form, known as the 110. The number once described the old Defender’s wheelbase in inches, but it’s just a name. . The actual wheelbase of the new 110, with rear-seat legroom as the primary beneficiary, is 119 inches. Built at a new factory in Slovakia and starting at $ 49,900, the Defender isn’t as expensive as some had feared. However, with some 170 options – including a jump seat up front, allowing for three-seater seating, like the original – the price is easily pushed skyward.
While Land Rover will not sell as many Defenders as Ford Broncos, demand from US dealers selling the English brand (owned with Jaguar since 2008 by Indian conglomerate Tata Group) would be strong. Expanding the lineup next year, a two-door Defender 90 (now with a 101.9-inch wheelbase) first arrives in an additional-cost First Edition model – priced at $ 65,450 – though it will soon be. followed by other trim levels with lower prices, including a base model of $ 47,450.
The Bronco, revealed but not in showrooms until next spring, was not available for a test drive. But the Defender 110 was, and on a recent drive through Vermont, it gracefully took in rough, muddy trails, sharp rocks, and washed out surfaces. The all-wheel drive with Defender technology amazes with its ability to keep the vehicle in motion.
Where the new Defender (only available with a hardtop, for now) differs the most from its predecessors is on the road, as if the farmer had left for Oxbridge. It drives superbly in every way, with handling that is more of a modern sports sedan than a buckboard wagon, though it has more ground clearance – and the ability to wade through deeper waterways – than the Wrangler or the Bronco.
Finally, with an optional mild hybrid inline-six engine (395 horsepower), the Defender can reach 60 mph from rest in 5.7 seconds and can, if it were legal, reach 129 mph A2, 0- Liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine is standard, producing 296 horsepower. All Defenders are rated to tow 8,201 lbs.
Joe Eberhardt, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover North America, is optimistic about the Defender’s prospects, while acknowledging the appeal of the two American rivals.
“I haven’t driven the Bronco yet, but it looks fantastic, a good combination of being true to the original character of the vehicles without just copying it,” Eberhardt said. “As we know from the Defender and the Jaguar E-Type replacement a long time ago, following an iconic vehicle is always difficult. And the Jeep is the Jeep.
But, he added, “as long as you don’t sit on top of each other and come up with a differentiated product, I think there is room for everyone.” Prosperity for all is not unthinkable, with the rapid growth of the SUV market, he said: “There is still 30% of the market that can migrate from cars to SUVs”
Still, is there anything more than coincidence in what appears to be this sudden revival of all-terrain vehicles, especially the harder ones?
Rory Carroll, editor-in-chief of automotive site Jalopnik, sees a connection to the news. “I think the most obvious thing is that we are all trapped in a slow apocalypse, and that makes the idea of a large off-road escape pod appealing,” Mr. Carroll said.
“Covid and the election made things more acute, but I think it’s obvious that things haven’t been going well for a long time,” he added. “There are a lot of cultural expressions of it: guns, zombie stuff, preparers, victory gardens, canned goods, pastries. I think even the explosion in the number of people doing land or off-road stuff owes something to this general feeling that we are on the verge of collapse.
He continued, “The answer to a possible collapse is not, ‘How can we work together and understand this? It’s “I need to get out of here”. Or, I guess, ‘I need to strengthen what I have.’ “
Mr Eberhardt smiles when presented with the pure fear option, but sees the market in less apocalyptic terms.
“I think it’s more of an empowering lifestyle that people find very appealing,” he said. “I mean, if I look at the younger generations, it’s a matter of experience; it’s all about the outdoors, doing more with our time.
His own children “love to be outside,” he added. “My daughter loves camping in the woods with nothing – just a tent.
“And I think there’s a trend in that, away from screen time and whatever goes on inside. And I think these vehicles are considered to allow that. And in the Instagram and Snapchat world, you want to be seen on top of a Defender in a tent in an interesting setting.
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