2021 Ford Bronco spied alongside Jeep Wrangler

Ford’s Bronco prototypes are being spotted all over the Detroit metro area, but this is the first time a set of photos has captured one alongside its chief rival — the Jeep Wrangler. If you want new mechanical details, you’re going to be disappointed, as there are no close-up shots here, but we do get a sense of what to expect from the Bronco’s dimensions.

Unfortunately, we don’t get a direct comparison here. The pictured Jeep appears to be a JK model (the Wrangler generation that went out of production after the 2018 model year) and, on top of that, it’s merely a two-door. 

On the flip side, however, we benefit from the fact that Jeep doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel every time a new Wrangler hits the market. The new JL model is larger than before, certainly, but its wheelbase only increased by about an inch. 

In the photos that depict them almost side-by-side, we see that the two are pretty darned close in terms of the dimensions we can directly compare — namely height and width. The Jeep looks a bit more squared-off, giving the impression that it’s wider. This impression is encouraged by the Jeep’s boxy fenders, which the Bronco lacks.

The Bronco, sitting lower relative to the Jeep thanks to the crown in the road, also appears taller. Part of that is likely due to the complex camouflage being used to disguise its roof, which we’ve yet to see uncovered. 

This particular JK is a Willys Wheeler, which wasn’t all that mechanically unique, but it did sport the larger tires from the range-topping Rubicon model. By comparison, this four-door Bronco’s street tires look pretty wimpy, but we’ve already seen what we assume to be the Bronco’s Rubicon equivalent being tested in the great outdoors, so we know Ford has more up its sleeve than what we see here. 

Like we said, it’s not perfect, but it gives us a glimpse of what to expect when the Bronco is formally unveiled in March.

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