Ford Bronco II

Introduction

Sporting a voluminous cabin, Ford Bronco II was one of the initial SUVs marketed between 1983 and 1990. It was the company’s first SUV as the original Bronco that was sold in between 1966 to 1977 was not termed as SUV. In fact, such a term did not exist at all.

What’s New for 2014?

Ford, the automobile major, advanced its technology by introducing the 1987 model year. The vehicle witnessed a significant development in the engine specifications. The Bronco II came up with 86HP (64 KW) 2.3 L Mitsubishi diesel I4 engine, which was closed down due to lack of high-end torque.

The restyling of Bronco II started in 1988; however, the production was brought to a halt by February 7, 1990. The restyling was a challenge for the company to prove its excellence in the market.  The model of Bronco II developed after November 1989 experienced 4-wheel drive with Dana 35 front axle.

After the era of Ford Bronco II was over, its successor Ford Explorer made its debut. The vehicle was an extension of Bronco II, as the base platform was kept almost similar. The external designing and engine configuration were mainly altered.

Models and Features

The automotive giant, Ford manufactured Bronco II for a short time frame from 1983 to 1990. However, due to considerable hitches, the design could not grab much attention of the consumers. The assembly of the Bronco II was accomplished in Louisville, Kentucky, United States of America. The compact SUV was equipped with front mounted engine, while it had rear wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Almost similar to Ford Ranger, the previous version of SUV of Ford, the Bronco II came to showroom with three varieties of engine configurations.

2.8 L Cologne V-6, 2.9 L Cologne V-6 and the last 2.3 L Mitsubishi 4D55T turbo diesel I4 were three major engine specifications of the vehicle. Moreover, it also came in manual as well as automatic transmissions. 4-speed Mazda TK4, 5-speed Mazda TK5, 5-speed Mazda M5OD-R1, 5-speed Mitsubishi FM145 and FM146 are the versions of manual transmission, while 3-speed C5 and 4-speed A4LD were two varieties of automatic transmission.

The Bronco II had quite-a-big dimension; wheelbase of 2,388 mm and width 1,727 mm. The first generation (1983 to 1988) had a length of 4,021 mm and height 1,732 mm. The second generation (1988 to 1990) was manufactured a bit bigger in size, with length of 4,112 mm and height 1,775 mm.

Ford Bronco II was a perfect example of roomy SUV. The interior was useful and very functional. The optional automatic locking hubs and dashboard mounted electronically operated transfer case switch ere eye-clinging were the appreciable features of Bronco II. Also, the rear window offered the passengers a panoramic scenic view. The seats were comfortable, while the rear luggage space was moderate and was expandable by folding the rear seats. The graceful look and design were a lot alluring to the customers.

Options and Packages

The vehicle has been completely taken out of the market from more than a decade now. The price varied in three models according to the engine specifications and transmissions.

Under the Hood

The 1985 and 1984 models were installed in the German-manufactured 115HP (86 KW) carbureted 2.8L Cologne V-6. This version of engine was used in the year 1984 and 1985 in Ford Ranger. In addition, a tad of modifications were introduced in the 1986 model where the engine configuration was 140HP (104 KW) fuel injected 2.9L Cologne V-6. During the late 1989, bit of amendments were applied to the head casting to improve and block the engine damage. It has been observed that due to over-heating the engine resulted cracks in the cylinder head between the valve springs as well as at the base of the rocker shaft pedestals. In fact, the damage in the cylinder-head led to leakage in internal coolant, which caused contamination of oil and impacted internal engine damage significantly. The improvement in the head-casting was not endowed on the engines before the manufacturing of Bronco II was stopped.

The 1987 model year production witnessed a significant development in the overall engine configuration. The vehicle was manufactured with 86HP (64 KW) 2.3 L Mitsubishi diesel I4 engine. However, due to lack of high-end torque, the engine could not make enough impact in the market and was thus confiscated.

Fuel Economy

The SUV gave a brilliant fuel economy, but due to designing defect it got drained away with time.

Safety Ratings and Technology

Bronco II had set the rage in automobile market soon after it hit the road. The vehicle’s news popped up on every major news paper and magazines because of its some default measures. The increasing prone to turn over created major adverse effects on its consumers. The handling complexity of the van was also reported by the owners. Automotive News, on March 20, 1989 rated Bronco II with ‘avoid’ rating. Some of the top level media also confirmed that ‘National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is undergoing investigation on Bronco II’.

With everything considered, the journey of the luxury automotive was not pleasant. Formal study of the vehicle was conducted by NHTSA in 1989, in which special attention was given to the Suzuki Samurai model. A report said that almost 43 Bronco II rollover took place in 1987, whereas the number for Suzuki Samurai was just 8. However, the study had to put an end when the statistics revealed that the total number of rollovers in 4 states were almost equal to the rollovers of Bronco II alone. Moreover, NHTSA turned down the request to re-open the investigation of the vehicle involved in crashes in 1997.

Ford was faced a lawsuit by a well known jockey Bill Shoemaker for one million dollar. Bill was paralyzed after his Bronco II turned over in 1991, which made him confined to wheel-chair. Ford was well aware of the fact, according to the users, but they never took the urge to appoint professional for redesigning. They found it much less expensive to play the court’s game rather to investigate further on the faulty design.

Conclusion

Though Ford Bronco II is no more in production today, but still it is a car that can be remembered to serve itsmarket in its time. If you have fascination for this car, you can still own it as old Ford Bronco II cars are still available.