Ford Bronco RTR is a budget-conscious American Defender Octa
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. Now its second fast Ford product is here. But the Ford Bronco RTR in spite of how it may look, isn’t actually Ford’s Defender Octa.
Indeed the Bronco Raptor still holds flagship status in the Bronco lineup. The Bronco RTR delivers some serious off-road hardware and distinctive RTR visual touches at a price point lower (though a specific number hasn’t been given) than the second step of the off-road focused Bronco hierarchy, the Bronco Badlands Sasquatch. Imagine a version of the Defender that’s almost as focused as the Octa, priced below the Defender 110 V8.
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 but you can opt for the ‘Sasquatch’ package with 35-inch tyres and Ford’s HOSS 3.0 suspension system. This features rate-sensitive five-zone 2.5-inch Fox internal bypass dampers with remote reservoirs. It also gets upgraded stabilizer bars, sway bars and steering componentry.
Decoding the off-road jargon, it 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 gets nominal upgrades. Though strict numbers aren't known, for reference, it's good for 315bhp in the US-spec four-cylinder Mustang. Bronco RTR-specific engine mods include electronically-controlled anti-lag, maintaining boost while the driver is off-throttle. This is to an end of 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.
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 across these and the Bronco’s body graphics, contrasting with the new RTR-spec Avalanche Gray paint. The Bronco Raptor will go on sale in the US this month.
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 as the Bronco uses, 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.
