Does the 2023 Bronco Have a New ‘Oates’ Trim Package?
A Bronco6G forum member found a strange listing for Bronco trim packages. Ford has treated Bronco buyers with an almost ridiculous amount of different packages. So it makes sense that yet, another trim will be revealed for the 2023 models. If you look at VIN decoding documents, there it is. Listed above the Heritage editions is an Oates trim package.
Ford offers two versions of the Heritage for each two-door and four-door Bronco, which are the standard Heritage, and the more premium Heritage Limited. Either Heritage version is a more luxurious model, available on either the Sasquatch or Wildtrack Broncos.
So what is the Ford Bronco Oates package?
But the Oates package looks to be a special trim package only available for the two-door Bronco. There is no indication of what it is, or which model it can be ordered with. So the Bronco6G and Bronco Nation forums have been trying to figure out what this mystery trim package is.
As you can imagine, the answers run from one extreme to the other. But nowhere does anyone guess what Oates is. However, there are two guesses that, whether true or not, may explain it.
Is it a street-legal Bronco DR?
The “yeah we wish” reply was that the Oates trim is a street version of the Bronco DR race truck. Right now, it is a racing version of the Bronco modified for Baja 1000 desert racing. They feature a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 packing over 400 hp, a 10-speed automatic transmission, an F-150 transfer case, Multimatic spool-valve shocks, electronic locking differentials, and more.
Would a road-going Bronco DR be a big seller? It depends. The race version sells for around $250,000. How much would a toned-down version cost? For some, it wouldn’t matter as long as they could have the top Bronco around. But is that really what Oates trim is?
Is this the “OTX” model Ford recently trademarked?
There is also a possibility that this could be the mysterious “OTX” trademark that Ford applied for last year. It matches the Sasquatch and Warthog designations in the application, so we know it is for some model related to the Bronco. It also references nature and electric vehicles, so maybe this is a clean Bronco EV?
A more realistic suggestion is that Oates is an internal code name for a distinctly two-door Bronco. Ford says that between 25 and 30 percent of Broncos sold are two-door models. So for accessories and trims, the four-door version has gotten the most attention.
Maybe that will change as the aftermarket is becoming saturated with Bronco stuff, and Ford keeps doing special editions spreading out the available combinations and options. But whatever the Bronco Oats is, we’ll all find out soon enough.
