The Ford Bronco Filson Is a Luxury Off-Roader With a Raptor Engine

• What's new: Ford's collaboration with Seattle-based outdoor outfitter Filson includes a standard Raptor engine, off-road gear and extra luxury amenities.
• Why it matters: The Bronco lacked a premium option to compete with the likes of the Land Rover Defender, Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus GX. This aims to change that. 
• Edmunds says: Unlike the Eddie Bauer models of Ford's past, the Filson is much more than an appearance package, and some of its luxury upgrades could make their way to other Bronco trims in the future.

Creating a more upscale Bronco

Why make a luxury Bronco? Simply put, the current SUV couldn't satisfy what buyers were seeking in terms of refinement. A specific target area was interior noise levels, something we became intimately familiar with during our time with a Bronco in our One-Year Road Test fleet. We wrote then that for long road trips, you'd want earplugs. The Bronco's chief engineer, Ed Krenz, heard our cries and said the Filson will give owners "the ability to hold conversations." What a concept.

Krenz pointed out the seam at the front of the removable roof panels and the sideview mirror stanchion as areas where they were able to smooth out the air, and the team also introduced new seals and additional sound insulation to keep things quiet. Ford says the Filson's perceived wind noise has been reduced by 20% compared to the standard Bronco. It's now closer to the SUV's premium competitors — the Land Rover Defender and Toyota Land Cruiser, according to Ford — than it is to the original 2021 Bronco. 

The Filson debuts another Bronco improvement: power-retractable running boards. They won't be as tough as the steel rock sliders fitted to more dedicated off-road Broncos, but Ford assured me special attention was paid to the programming to make sure the running boards get up and out of the way for low-speed trail duty. They should make it much easier to get in and out of this off-roader on 35-inch tires.

The Filson is also the first non-Raptor Bronco to include a camera-based rearview mirror, a long-overdue addition to a rig whose rear window is largely blocked by the tailgate-mounted spare tire. I have to imagine the noise improvements and camera mirror will arrive on other Broncos in the near future. Ford also added ventilated front seats and heated rear seats to the Filson, which could also be offered on other Bronco models soon.

There's Raptor power under the Filson's hood

This will be the most powerful Bronco outside that top-spec Raptor. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 runs a different tune here, focused more on smooth, ample power around town and on the highway than the Raptor's high-strung, dune-ready setup.

Ford told me the Filson will be around half a second quicker to 60 mph than a Bronco with the 2.7-liter V6. When we tested our own Bronco, it hit 60 mph in 7.3 seconds. This should theoretically put the Filson around 6.8 seconds. The last Bronco Raptor we tested hit 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.

It's what's inside that counts

Ford and Filson have been in talks about a collaboration since the new Bronco launched in 2021, and the interior is where it really shows. The highlight is the removable saddle bags in the door pockets, pieces that take direct design inspiration from Filson's famously durable Tin Cloth waxed canvas luggage. The seating upholstery is a quilted leather that nods to the interior liners you'll find in some of Filson's jackets. 

An important clarifier: Ford told me the fabrics inside the Bronco are Filson-inspired, but they're not actually made from the brand's famous waxed cottons and bridle leathers. Filson senior designer Rae Krause told me there were conversations about using the brand's in-house materials, but they didn't satisfy the strict fire- and UV-resistance requirements put forth by automakers. "The wax would melt," Krause said. Unfortunately, even though the bags are more robust, they don't feel nearly as high-quality as Filson's actual products.

The Bronco Filson goes on sale in 2027. Will the Filson treatment expand to other Fords, like the Eddie Bauer trim did back in the day? There's no official confirmation, but a Ford PR person gave me a knowing shrug and said, "Wait and see."