Whenever a new car, SUV, or truck model is released, there is generally a lot of hype built up around it, although, not nearly as much as there has been for the 2021 Ford Bronco. Ford first announced the forthcoming Bronco way back in 2017 and there has been a lot of speculation, renderings, spy shots, and “Internet leaks” ever since. But alas, the new Ford Bronco is finally making its long-awaited and long-anticipated debut tonight. But what’s so great about it?

The original Ford Bronco gained quite the following

The Ford Bronco made its introduction in 1966 during the Lee Iacocca era and it’s tough, the two-door design ended up paying off in spades. Aside from the small number of doors, which made the Bronco so different was that it was a body-on-frame construction, unlike any other Ford product at the time. It was a necessary inclusion into the SUV market because it competed with the Jeep CJ5 and the International Scout models that were popular at the time. And compete it did, as Ford was able to sell 24,000 units during the Bronco’s first year in production.

The Bronco was around for decades after and underwent a lot of changes including suspension alteration, aesthetic enhancements, as well as changes in its overall size. But despite the transformations, Ford’s sporty SUV withstood the test of time and gained a cult-like following. Also, the fact that the Bronco ended up dominating races like the Mint 400 and Baja 500 during the 70s.

Why was the Ford Bronco popular for 30 years?

In short, we can probably sum up the Ford Bronco’s popularity in two words: Enthusiast culture. But if you need more than two words, then just know that the Ford Bronco was a very popular platform in which to modify. Yes, there were louder exhaust and bigger wheels, just like the import tuner crowd, but modifications for the Bronco were plentiful throughout the five generations that the original body style spanned.

There were countless modifications for every Bronco generation and on top of that, the SUV was one of the most capable platforms to take on an off-road adventure. It’s no wonder that the Bronco was Ford’s answer to the Jeep CJ5 and two brands had an “Ali vs Frasier” type rivalry for decades. Unfortunately, the Ford Bronco finally met its maker in 1996 due to declining sales, even O.J. Simpson couldn’t save it.

The new Ford Bronco shows a lot of promise

Fast forward to today and we are counting down the hours (as of this writing) to the debut of the new 2021 Ford Bronco. The Bronco will be offered in three different flavors: two-door, four-door, and the Sport, and from what we have heard and seen all over the Internet in the past couple of months, it should incorporate a lot of the new technologies and other tech-savvy features that Ford has been working on in their most recent models. Couple that with Ford’s proposed free “Off Rodeo” experiences for any new Bronco owners, and the new SUV could be a grand slam.

And above all else, with Jeep’s new Gladiator, Chevrolet’s new Blazer (which was kind of a disappointment), and whatever other competition that the new Bronco is up against, it looks like it’s ready to take center stage and show all the others what a new and formidable off-road SUV can really do.