Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."
Sacramento, California -- I have to hand it to Ford in its efforts to produce some unique motor vehicles.
I recently reviewed the Ford Bronco Raptor, which looked a bit like the devil's off-road vehicle of choice, all muscle and menace.
And then I subsequently took delivery of the Ford Bronco Everglades 4X4, a different animal and certainly unique in its own right.
I mean where else can you find a vehicle with body panels showing a topographic map of the famed wetlands, complete with reported Bigfoot sightings?
It snakes up the passenger-side windshield edge. In a nutshell, the high-riding snorkel optimizes vehicle performance amid dust, snow and water by raising the engine air intake above the general level of the front wheels. The snorkel inlet can be adjusted for various conditions
Ford says the Bronco can handle a run through three feet of water, thanks to its ride height and raised vents. With intimidating, seemingly rock crushing tires front and back, it's hard to imagine the vehicle ever getting stopped by mud or rushing water. And yet, the tester's tires did not make much noise on the paved roads.
The Everglades edition of this Bronco also comes with a winch built into the front bumper. It features a 100-foot synthetic line with 10,000-pound capability. Gotta have that, right?
Jolanta Coffey, Bronco chief engineer, explains: “Bronco customers like to explore new places, but some want to go even further off the trail than others. Everglades is specially equipped to enable these customers to tackle even more challenging terrains and trails – and with the front bumper-mounted winch, they can help others out of trouble while they’re at it.”
But of course.
Power comes from a 2.3-liter EcoBoost, four-cylinder engine rated at 300 horsepower and 325 foot-pounds of torque. It makes the Bronco Everglades an enthusiastic performer, on road and off.
Not surprisingly, fuel mileage is a tepid 18 miles per gallon in the city and 17 mpg on the highway. But I'm certain that fuel mileage is not even a consideration in the target audience for this vehicle.
The bottom line on the sticker of my tester was $56,835, or just about on the nose of expectations, given all the Bronco Everglades has to offer.
And for outdoors types, what it has to offer is hours and miles of hang-on-to-your-hat fun. I didn't come close to putting the Bronco Everglades through the kind of off-road workout it deserves, but I felt a touch of envy thinking of those who buy one and take it over fields, streams and mountain trails.
Everglades envy? Yeah, that's a thing.
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