Ford Bronco RTR is a budget-conscious Defender V8
Drift star Vaughn Gittin Jr’s RTR is now a factory-ratified Ford performance brand in the US. It always did Mustangs, now it’s doing a Bronco
The forbidden fruit keeps on coming with the reveal of Ford’s latest hot Bronco, the Bronco RTR. Time once was that fast American Fords came with a Shelby badge but in 2026, it’s going all in on its new performance vehicle partner. The outfit most famous for being Ford’s factory drift team in the US has been supplying high-performance Mustangs for a while, getting the seal of approval to supply via dealers this year and now its second fast Ford product based on the Bronco is here. In spite of how it may look the Ford Bronco RTR is closer to a Defender V8 than Land Rover's more extreme Defender Octa.
The Bronco Raptor still holds flagship status in the lineup and closest to the Octa with the Bronco RTR still delivering some serious off-road hardware and distinctive RTR visual touches at a lower price point (though a specific number hasn’t been given) than the more off-road focused Bronco Badlands Sasquatch.
Of course these things are relative and this is American. Very American. Even the most basic of Broncos could never be dismissed as shy and retiring. The RTR comes standard with 33-inch rugged-terrain tyres and wide-track high-clearance suspension. You can also opt for the ‘Sasquatch’ package with 35-inch tyres and Ford’s HOSS 3.0 suspension system that features rate-sensitive five-zone 2.5-inch Fox internal bypass dampers with remote reservoirs. It also gets upgraded stabilizer bars, sway bars and tougher steering componentry from the Bronco Raptor.
Decoding the off-road jargon, this means the Bronco RTR should be able to land big jumps without putting your spine through your pelvis and in theory, should ride better on road than most other Broncos too. Ford says the Bronco RTR ‘offers the highest level of suspension performance without stepping up to the Bronco Raptor’.
The 2.3-litre four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, mated to the 10-speed auto, gets nominal upgrades to its standard 300bhp and 325lb ft outputs with specific modifications including electronically-controlled anti-lag to maintain boost while the driver is off-throttle improving throttle response off-road. The Bronco RTR also gets the Raptor’s 1000-watt cooling fan – ideal for when your 5000 revs is moving the terrain under the wheels more than it is the car itself. Still no V8 for the road-spec Bronco, though, with only the Bronco Raptor Dakar racer enjoying use of a race spec Coyote 5-litre. For an SUV there really is plenty of motorsport heritage. Aside from Ford's own efforts in the Dakar, Broncos are popular choices and regular winners, still today and since the 1960s, in the Baja 1000.
The visuals are of course crucial and a huge part of the RTR brand in the US. To that end this Bronco gets RTR’s signature nostril lighting in a new grille and 17-inch beadlock-compatible RTR Evo 6 wheels, with lurid Hyper Lime accenting and the Bronco’s body graphics, contrasting with the new RTR-spec Avalanche Gray paint. The Bronco RTR will go on sale in the US this month, joining a lineup that's been a major success since the reintroduction of the model in 2019, to the tune of deposing the evergreen Jeep Wrangler from its top selling post.
Europe, and particularly the UK are unlikely destinations for the Bronco RTR, or any Bronco in fact, beyond the odd import. What we do get is the Ranger, based on the same T6.2 platform, but Ford can’t foresee a strong enough return on the significant investment it would take to convert the Bronco to right-hand drive and to conform to UK and EU regulations.
