Lucas Bell 
It has been just under 10 months since Ford introduced us all to the reborn Bronco, although it certainly feels much longer than that. Fans and buyers alike have been left to wait for the production version of the 2021 Ford Bronco to hit the public roadways, and have been hit with delay after delay. And while Ford is shutting down their Michigan Assembly Plant for a few weeks at the end of May, the automaker maintains that this will not kick delivery dates down the road any further. Perhaps in an effort to quell the understandably frustrated group of SUV’s faithful, the automaker has just released some updated technical specs about the 4×4. This spreadsheet contains a ton of info, but one tidbit stands out above the rest: Ford initially underrated the horsepower and torque output of the Bronco.
2021 Ford Bronco: The Real Output Ratings
This new technical data for the 2021 Ford Bronco models was published by the team over at Bronco Nation. Ford originally noted that the Bronco’s 2.3L EcoBoost would produce 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, while the larger 2.7L motor would make 310 horsepower and 400 lb-ft. Now thanks to the new spreadsheet, we know that the turbo-four lays down ratings of 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque with premium fuel. Step down to regular 87 octane, and those figures drop to 275 horsepower and 315 lb-ft.
Should you spec the twin-turbo 2.7L EcoBoost engine, those output figures jump to 330 horsepower and 415 lb-ft of torque with premium fuel. Regular gas drops those ratings back down to 315 horsepower and 410 lb-ft. These changes aren’t dramatically different from what the automaker first published, but customers will surely be excited about the bump in performance.
The Competition
In order to put these outputs into perspective, let’s take a look at the 2021 Ford Bronco’s main competitor: the Jeep Wrangler. With the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine installed, the Wrangler manages to pump out 285 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0L turbo motor drops power down to 270 horsepower, but produces a healthy 295 lb-ft of torque. Both of these motors fall significantly short of the output on offer from the Bronco. That said, the Jeep does offer a diesel option, which ups the ante with 260 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque on tap. Furthermore, the Jeep can be specced with the 6.4L Apache V8 engine, which churns out 470 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque.
Summary
It appears then that the Ford Bronco has a power advantage over the majority of the Jeep Wrangler lineup. And while the Wrangler 392 has significantly more grunt than the Ford, things may look different when the Bronco Warthog model makes its official debut. For now though, this reborn 4×4 is looking like a seriously promising offering. Considering how successful aftermarket shops have been at turning the wick up on EcoBoost powertrains, expect more powerful versions of the Bronco to arrive regardless of what Ford has in store.
