2021 Ford Bronco to get 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6?

We’ve seen all kinds of spy shots of the 2021 Ford Bronco in two- and four-door versions, showing everything from the instrument panel to the suspension and brakes. The engine’s been tougher for outsiders to pin down, leaks and rumors pointing to at least two options. Ford Authority, citing “sources familiar with the vehicle project,” believes it has the answer about what’s under the hood: Ford’s 2.7-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission. The other strong option has been the 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder found in the Bronco’s platform sibling, the Ford Ranger; last summer, Canadian Tire web site search tool showed the 2021 Bronco matched with the 2.3-liter.

The 2.7-liter rumor has been in play for a while. In December 2019, a Jalopnik report pieced together circumstantial evidence that Getrag is developing a seven-speed transmission for the Bronco that “will likely be paired” with the EcoBoost V6. And during last year’s Baja 1000, a Ford Performance exec said about the Bronco R prototype, “even the twin turbos of the EcoBoost engine are representative of what the production Bronco will offer.”

Another tidbit in favor of the 2.7-liter: A report out of Australia in September last year that Ford had a Ranger fitted with the TT V6 testing at the automakers You Yangs proving grounds. At the time, the suspicion was that the larger engine could go into a Ranger Raptor intended for the U.S. market.

The boosted V6 serves the F-150, Edge ST, and Lincoln Nautilus. In the Edge and Nautilus, in transverse layout, the engine makes 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque. In the F-150, which shares the longitudinal layout the Bronco will utilize, the same mill makes 325 hp and 400 lb-ft.

Of course, there’s no reason to rule out Ford offering multiple engines in the Bronco, especially with the new SUV pitched heavily as a Jeep Wrangler competitor. The Auburn Hills rival gives buyers a choice of three engines, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, a 3.6-liter V6, and a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. The Bronco will finally show its production face at a standalone event next month, before making a debut at the New York Auto Show in April or the Detroit Auto Show in June, which is when we can expect definitive answers.

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