Ford Battles Jeep With New Bronco Off-Road Concepts at Easter Safari

Team Ford or Team Jeep?

The Ford Bronco‘s eternal battle with Jeep Wrangler for off-road superiority became a close-quarters affair after Ford slyly sent a fleet of concepts to Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari. 

Ford spotlighted three custom builds of its revived 4×4 model. The first is a four-door devised by RTR Vehicles, a longtime Ford custom vehicle collaborator founded by pro drifter and Formula D racer Vaughn Gittin Jr. 

Equipped with the Badlands package, the SUV sports a custom RTR bumper, rock sliders, rear bumper, 3D-printed grille and graphics, as well as 35-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires mounted to the shop’s Tech-6 wheels, a roof-mounted Project X lightbar, and a 12-volt Type S Blizzard Box fridge/freezer. 

ARB 4×4 Accessories, Australia’s largest manufacturer of 4×4 parts, focused on creating a high-performance four-door Bronco with an airbag-compliant front and rear bumpers, heavy-duty rock sliders, a protective cover for the diff, and a host of off-road accessories including an ARB twin compressor/jack for quick inflation, and a Zero fridge/freezer. 

U.S. off-road equipment retailer 4 Wheel Parts made a showing with a four-door Black Diamond Series Bronco. Highlights include a modular front bumper, skid plate and winch platform, bolstered suspension, custom roof rack and light mounts, plus a Smittybilt overhead tent and camping gear, awning and refrigerator/air system. It rides on 37-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain tires mounted to 17-inch Method alloy wheels.

Road and Track reports that 4 Wheel Parts is also responsible for a Bronco Sport with a rooftop tent and a new spare tire carrier, while Ford used an Outer Banks-spec four-door model to showcase a handful of its own performance accessories, many of which we saw during Ford’s SEMA web show. 

Whether you prefer Ford or Jeep, the enduring battle between the Bronco and Wrangler rages on.