If you’ve been having a hard time keeping up with all the new Broncos that Ford plans to release, you’re not alone. It seems like new editions are a dime a dozen lately, and 2022 is a whirlwind of activity for the Bronco lineup. You won’t, however, find these special editions when you visit your local Ford dealer; only current reservation holders for future Broncos can place orders for the new special editions released at a date no one yet knows.
Are you confused? Again, you’re not alone. It’s unclear why Ford is not releasing these Bronco special editions to the general public, but we can speculate that Bronco orders have gone as wild as the vehicles Ford wants to sell. They may be having a tough time filling orders, so they’re coming up with attractive alternatives to fill the gap. But, of course, that comes at a price.
2022 Ford Bronco Everglades
Before we talk money, it seems fair to look at the new specs for the special editions, especially since they have a lot of fun features. Ford has released videos, and lots of quiet marketing has occurred for the new Everglades Edition that’s geared toward the muddiest of mudding any swamp crawler could ever desire. This edition comes standard with the desirable Sasquatch package and HOSS 2.0 Suspension, a snorkel that allows for water fording up to 36.4 inches, and a factory-installed winch that can haul up to 10,000 pounds. That’s some serious swamp mischief to contend with, and when you consider the 17-inch wheels fitted with massive 35-inch mud-terrain tires, you can move through some of the muckiest bogs you can find in your neighborhood.
But what makes this Bronco better than just the Sasquatch upgraded version? Ford gives the Everglades Edition a heavy-duty modular bumper and then fits it with a Warn winch with a waterproof mechanism that can pull 10,000 pounds at 4.8 feet per minute. This winch is exclusive to Ford and improves upon what you can get straight from Warn. Though the Sasquatch package includes a lift, 35-inch tires, and locking differentials for the front and rear, the Everglades Edition gets those mud-terrain tires and an extra 2.9 inches above the ground. So that’s nice.
And you can’t forget the snorkel. The snorkel is admittedly cool with its adjustable air intakes that optimize the Bronco’s performance. So whether you’re traveling over dirt roads or wet ground, the Bronco’s engine constantly gets clean air from the front or rear as the intake filters out precipitation or flying debris at will.
Inside, the Everglades Edition comes with marine-grade vinyl flooring and durable seating that’s easily washed, a thoughtful consideration since the Bronco is destined for the messiest places on earth. It may not be the most comfortable interior when you’re not getting wet, but this isn’t a Bronco intended for roads. Not really.
Under the hood, the turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine is a four-cylinder powerhouse that makes 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. This power eliminates the need for another powertrain option, and Ford knows it, paring the EcoBoost with a ten-speed automatic transmission. Truthfully, it should be more than enough to handle off-roading duty, though it’s good that the winch is there just in case. The body style is also a one-trick pony; it comes only as a four-door hardtop, but it does have exclusive graphics and exterior colors to make it stand out from the rest of the Bronco lineup.
2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
The Bronco Raptor‘s natural habitat is on the flip side of the wettest terrain possible: the desert. Ford has been desert racing vehicles for a long time, so this is an arena where one can expect upcoming models to shine. If you take the base Bronco and add the upgraded G.O.A.T. modes to include all seven options, toss in the freshly-tuned 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6, sprinkle in 9.8 inches of expansion to the width, and then fit the wheels with massive 37-inch BF Goodrich K02 all-terrain tires, you have the Bronco Raptor. It’s a lot. Ford went all out with the Raptor’s capability, and desert racers will likely love to get inside and blast across the dunes with all the doors and windows removed.
Imagine having 400 horsepower at your beck and call, and then consider the fact that Ford built the Raptor to take on the drifting dunes at highway speeds. Now add to that image the Bronco Raptor handily creeping and crawling over rocks tumbled into canyons as if it were a goat, not just equipped with G.O.A.T. modes. With the wider stance, specially-designed Fox shocks, heavy-duty skid plates, and more torsional rigidity from the reinforced body, the Bronco Raptor can take a serious beating if you dare it into the desert and run it full out. With 13.1 inches of ground clearance and a crawl ratio of 67.7:1 from the upgraded transfer case, you have a lot of capability to move.
Ford states that the Bronco Raptor will be the most powerful street-legal desert racer on the market in the US, and it will feature the twin-turbo 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine to take on anything the desert has to offer. The engine’s additional air intakes maintain engine temperature even in the intense heat of the desert. Inside, like the Everglades Edition, the Bronco Raptor will come with marine-grade vinyl seats and flooring, making it easy to wash away the grit and dust after you return from scrambling over sandy terrain. Even with the incredible upgrades that come standard with the Bronco Raptor, Ford still maintains the modular capability to add accessories or after-market parts for further customization. The Raptor is the Bronco to watch once it’s finally released into the wild.
2023 Ford Bronco DR
If you heard the news about yet another desert-racing Bronco that’s beyond extreme, you heard right. Ford built the Bronco DR as a vehicle destined for desert races straight from the factory. Unlike the Bronco Raptor, the DR will not be street legal, nor will it be suited for anything other than desert racing.
To make this Bronco, Ford removed as much weight as possible, which meant making the body sides out of molded fiberglass, removing excess features like the air conditioning and rear seats, and taking out any glass. Ford then gave the Bronco DR a set of 37-inch mud-terrain tires, an electric shift-on-the-fly transfer case, and independent electronic locking front and rear differentials. A safety cage and heavy-duty air intakes are standard, and racers will get a nifty cloud-based guidance system for mapping terrain, among many other racing-related attributes. So if you happen to be a desert racer, this might be the Bronco for you.
Pricing and Comparison to Current Bronco Models
Whether or not you’re on the waiting list for the upcoming 2022 Bronco, you may be curious about how much these special edition models will cost. The 2021 Bronco base trim starts at $28,500 and is the platform on which all special editions are built before the bells and whistles are added to customize the Bronco to its specific environment. If you chose the most expensive Bronco available in the 2021 lineup, the limited-run First Edition would cost $56,915 without any options.
With this framework for comparison, the Everglades Edition is priced slightly lower than the First Edition at $53,000. Anyone who dares to drive the Bronco Raptor will have to pony up $68,500, and the desert racer Bronco DR will cost about $250,000. Ford states that orders will open in March of 2022 for the Everglades and Raptor editions, but the DR won’t be available until later in the year.
