Manoli Katakis 
The 2021 Ford Bronco has already seen over 160,000 reservations. And if each one ends up turning into a full sale, it’s likely the Ford will be fighting the Jeep Wrangler for the off-road SUV sales crown within its first year on sale, which is a testament that Ford went the right direction with the iconic nameplate (versus Chevrolet Blazer). And with such a full plate of anticipated orders, Ford doesn’t appear to be all that shy with teasing what’s down the pipeline for those who decide to wait out the 2021 model year. Case in point, the freshly teased Ford Bronco Warthog.
What makes us believe that what we’re looking at is a Ford Bronco Warthog prototype and not a Bronco Raptor? Check the wording of the official tweet below:
Testing 37-inch hooves! Future weekends are about to get a lot better! #FordBronco pic.twitter.com/KVugNgCT5r
— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) September 25, 2020
As with anybody who has watched Disney’s The Lion King and Universal’s Jurassic Park from the early 1990’s, they can easily discern that raptors do not, in fact, have hooves. But warthogs do, as demonstrated by the flatulent Pumba in The Lion King and all of the ensuing (irrelevant) spinoffs. Although, to be fair, horses have hooves, too. So it could simply be a cheesy Bronco reference.
This clue could also point to something else: the Ford Bronco Warthog and the Ford Bronco Raptor may be separate vehicles. A previous teaser from less than two weeks ago has what’s assumed to be the 2023 Bronco Raptor, as it’s pictured airborne (today’s raptors fly, after all) and what appears to be smaller, 35-inch tires like the Sasquatch Package. The wheels and camo cladding appear to otherwise be the same. And it’s otherwise impossible to identify the prototype vehicle ID numbers of the vehicle(s) in the two teaser images.
Now, here’s where things get more interesting. These 37-inch BFG tires are the very same tire size that were featured on the mysterious Bronco accessories concept that also features beadlock capable wheels and a 2-inch lift. However, the KM3 tires and beadlock wheels on the concept are not DOT rated, and therefore would only serve as an off-road only accessory. It would appear instead that Ford is sticking with the KO2 for a 37-inch tire, just as it is with a 35-inch tire.
Despite the tire switcharoo, Ford could have been loosely hiding the Bronco Warthog right under everybody’s nose. Because of this, we’re expecting this variant to appear first, as a 2022 model year vehicle. According to at least one leak, the Bronco Raptor won’t be out until 2023.
