Ford Bronco Will Likely Have 2.3-Liter, Four-Cylinder Turbo Powerplant

While it is not exactly the CIA or MI-6 confirmation, it seems that the upcoming Ford Bronco, which is likely scheduled to join Ford’s pickup/SUV lineup perhaps in 2021, will probably have a 2.3-liter, four-cylinder powerplant. Torque News learned of the possibility this week.

Ford Bronco Details Seemingly Released

Indeed, we used the same sleuthing tools that Autoblog admitted using, a Canadian tire store, and an online site – off-road.com – in a piece on the Bronco this week. We went over to the retail site, Canadian Tire, plugged in the vehicle and year and voila there was the information we sought. The site confirmed rumors we have heard rumbling through the industry, though, to be fair it is only one site. Still, the information is rather public, and it shows that Ford plans to use a 2.3-liter four as the upcoming SUVs powerplant. It's the same type of work, TN used on the preliminary info about the Ford GT. Ford Has Plans For Faster Supercar.

Actually, from everything we’ve heard and read ourselves at Torque News, this does make a lot of sense. We have watched with fascination since the first rumors of a revived Bronco first broke about two years ago. Almost overnight, various internet forums buzzed with thoughts about the revised SUV, some of which looked very official but all of which were not. To be fair, the only thing we knew was there might or might not be a revived Bronco coming.

As the details continued to leak forth – you can’t keep many secrets in the car industry – we heard that it would be an intermediate-sized SUV that would likely have all-wheel-drive. We also heard that it was going to make use of the same parts bins as the intermediate Ford Ranger pickup. And, that being the case, it would make sense that the upcoming SUV would use the same powerplant as that offered on the pickup. We looked at the site and received the briefest of confirmations of not only a release date/model year for the Bronco – 2021 – but also that the information that the engine would be a double-overhead cam powerplant in the 140-cubic-inch range and that it would be four cylinders (4-140).

Ford Bronco News Background Still LImited

That said, though, you have to remember that this is the sole source – to date – that has presented the most thorough information about the upcoming Bronco powertrain. Still, it does ring pretty true with the other rumors that have poured through the mill over the last few months.

For instance, we also know that the Ranger’s powerplant is the 2.3-liter four turbo, mated to a 10-speed automatic. We also know that if the Bronco is using this powertrain that it will also likely be driving all four wheels with an engine that cranks out 270 horsepower and 310 pounds-feet of torque. This type of solid reporting is evident in discussing F150 wheels. Ford Uses Interesting Sourcing For F150 Wheel Liners.

Still, we do caution that this is just a one-source confirmation. We have no second, third, fourth, or otherwise. Still, it’s the best we have had for some time.

Ford Bronco Will Likely Be 2021 Model

One last note is the release date of the new vehicle. Since car catalogs have a rather long lead time – most often nine months to a-year-and-a-half even for online versions – that the designation of the Bronco as 2021 means that the Bronco is, at most, two years or less off. After all, we are just about into the 2020 model year, and that means that 2021 isn’t far away, in automotive development terms. Over the next 24 months, you can be sure that there will be much more written, whispered, rumored, and more about the Bronco until Ford does its release.

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Sources: Canadian Tire; Autoblog.com