Frenzied 2021 Ford Bronco Demand Forces Ford to Sell Everything That Ain’t Tied Down
The automotive industry has had a crazy year. Between the roller coaster of car sales during COVID to the myriad of factory delays from manufacturers, new car deliveries have been pretty tough to pin down. The highest-profile of all new car delays is probably the 2021 Ford Bronco and 2021 Ford Bronco Sport. There have been so many different delays for this highly anticipated truck that Ford has re-written its demo vehicle sales rules.
The 2021 Ford Bronco is still delayed
At the beginning of 2021, a news story about a Ford dealership selling a demo 2021 Ford Bronco Sport made the rounds. Although the dealer ended up letting the customer keep the demo unit, the whole scene was not without its drama. Now that Ford is altering the demo rule, there should be no further drama about selling demo units.
According to Motor1, the former rule about demo units was that dealerships could participate in the “mannequin program.” This program required the dealers to keep the demo model in service for 4,000 or four months, whichever comes first. After the allotted time/mileage, the dealer could then sell the demo unit.
How did the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport Delay effect this rule?
After what feels like countless delays, Ford has changed the rule allowing dealers to sell the demo models immediately to help assuage the insane demand for the new Ford Broncos. This change was not only prompted by the fact that Ford understands how backed up the Bronco orders are, but the dealers and customers made such a fuss that Ford finally caved and allowed them to sell these demos to the end-user without meeting the required time or mileage.
We have heard some wild stories around the 2021 Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sport for the better part of the past year. Not only did that dealership sell the demo prematurely, but we’ve heard stories about some dealers marking the Broncos up by as much as $10,000.
What is the difference between the Bronco and Bronco Sport?
The big Bronco is has become the flagship SUV for Ford, but even though the crossover Ford Bronco Sport is kind of the little brother, people are still foaming at the mouth to get their hands on the Bronco lite. The delay is likely to blame for people wanting even the lesser Bronco with seemingly equal fervor. But, what’s the difference between the two SUVs?
Maybe the biggest difference is the Bronco is built on a true off-road chassis with a control-arm front suspension and a live axle in the back. However, the Bronco Sport is built on the Ford Escape chassis, which has an all-independent suspension. This is comfier for road driving but far less capable when it comes to heavy off-roading.
The other major difference between the two is the power options. The Bronco has two engine options; a 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder making 270 hp and 310 lb-ft and a 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 making 310 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. The Bronco Sport base model shares its 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine with the Ford Escape. This little three-cylinder makes 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque. There is a beefier option, too, the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder good for 245 hp and 275 lb-ft.
Bodywork, transmission, and drive train are all different
The differences go on and on. They look similar but are actually very different vehicles. Maybe this part of why people are losing their minds for Bronco (myself included). It is the first time in a while that a manufacturer seems to have designed a vehicle(s) with many different customers in mind without trying to make one vehicle do it all.
Hopefully, Ford can get the production back on schedule to start getting a meaningful amount of Broncos and Bronco Sports on the road so we can see what’s what.
