2020 Land Rover Defender Hybrid

2020 Land Rover Defender videos

New Ford Bronco Style Comparison

SPEAKER 1: If you're into off-road vehicles, it's a great time to be alive. There are a lot of great choices out there, and it looks like the new Ford Bronco has the potential to be one of the best. There's no way to tell for sure until we get to drive it, so I thought I'd take the time to have a surface level chat about the Bronco's design, style, and how it stacks up against its two most direct competitors, the Jeep Wrangler and the Land Rover Defender. As always, hit that subscribe button below, because we have a ton of great content coming your way. And head over to edmunds.com for all your car shopping needs. If you haven't seen our Ford Bronco preview video yet, you might want to go check that out right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. When it comes to style, people often reference the past. Is it nostalgia, or does it take time for timeless style to develop? Personally, I think it's a combination of both. With the revival of the new Ford Bronco and Land Rover Defender, the Jeep Wrangler has its work cut out for it. All three are iconic off-roaders with impressive specs and modern engineering. But they also celebrate their heritage with motifs and design elements that date back several decades. The common thread? Well, they're all boxy with short overhangs for better off-road capabilities. Most of them are also a lot more primitive and utilitarian than the typical family crossover SUV. Let's start with the Jeep, since in a lot of ways it was the originator of this class, as one of the first mass-produced four wheel drive vehicles. The Jeep was instrumental in helping the Allies win World War II, and went on to become a symbol of freedom and sacrifice. It's easy to see its lineage, even with an eight decade difference. They're both purpose-built and fairly simple in design. After all, the fewer intricacies and complications means quicker production, and that was critical to the war effort. The Willys MA here shows the origins of the Wrangler's distinctive grill, with these upright metal slats. They're also the flat fenders and slab-sided body that are instantly recognizable. Other Jeep staples include the fold down windshield as well as the removable doors. The MB version is the one that we recognize as the traditional military Jeep. Note the grill is now stamped steel rather than those welded slats, because it speeds up production. After the war, Willys introduced the first civilian Jeep. That's where the CJ name comes from. Over the decades, it evolved, but remains easily recognizable. There have been some tweaks here and there, with maybe a little rounded-off corner here and rounded-off fenders there, and even, yeah, rectangular headlights. Ugh. The CJ title was dropped in favor of the Wrangler name in the late 1980s. The Jeep has the kind of brand equity that you simply can't buy. And the fan base is very dedicated, as evidenced by a handful of comments in that Bronco preview video. Then there's the Land Rover Defender. The Defender's heritage can be traced back to the original Land Rover Series I, II, III. Unlike the Jeep, these were developed for agricultural and light commercial duty in postwar England. They were similarly primitive, though. In the '80s, the Defender came on the scene with the squared-off style that so many of us come to love. The two main versions, Defender 90 and the longer Defender 110 were only sold in the US for a few years, which kind of made them forbidden fruit for a lot of people. Its rarity and price gained its own cult following, and that squared-off shaped and exposed rivets had a charm all its own. The Defender underwent its only true redesign last year. In the process, it lost some of that aforementioned charm. The new Defender is more of a modern reinterpretation rather than an evolution. It's softer in its style, which may be a disappointment to Defender loyalists. But it may also gain a wider audience as a result. To use a movie industry reference, it's great to have critical acclaim, but every now and then you need a blockbuster to keep the lights on. Now the problem is, this dumpster fire that is 2020 makes it really difficult to tell whether or not the Defender is a success or failure when it comes to sales. We'll just have to wait a little longer to see what the public's reaction is to it. There are hints of the original Defender here and there, but it's simply not as bad ass as the original. Sure, it has some mean-looking headlights, and that chopped-off rear tail section. But the rounding of the corners and the fenders almost remind me of a Honda Element from certain angles, and that's not exactly a compliment. I have no doubt that it's a very capable off-roader. And if current Land Rover vehicles are an indication, all that technical wizardry should make it a lot easier to navigate difficult terrain. Part of the allure of off-roading is actually in the struggle. It's that sensation that you're an integral part of reaching the destination. I have a feeling that the Defender might actually make things too easy, if that's even possible. The interior is a good example. It has echoes of the past, but it's overpowered by the modern and luxurious setting it's in. I'm sure it's a great glamper, and it's probably better to drive on the road. But in this instance, I'm falling on the side of edginess. I know, me, Mr. Luxury! Who knew? Plus I feel kind of bad mucking up that lovely cabin. And now, onto the new hotness of the moment, new Ford Bronco. Has the Bronco split the difference between the Jeep and the Defender? No. No, no, no. From my in-person experience, it's definitely a lot closer to the Jeep Wrangler than the Defender. In some ways, it's what I wish the Defender could have been, with its strong, retro identity, with all the tech and convenience features that we get from any modern car. I can see how some might feel that Ford was a little heavy-handed with the retro styling, because I sort of feel the same way. Or at least I used to. When you think of other retro revivals, like the PT Cruiser, Chevy HHR, or that monstrosity that was the last Thunderbird, yeah, I can see that. But man, it just seems to work for me with this Bronco. What really resonates with me is that they didn't put any retro features in there that didn't really serve a purpose. Like the peaked fenders that are a retro callback, but they allow the driver to get a better indication of where the corners are when they're off-roading. On the whole, it's the details that make the Bronco special. It's as if Ford let Jeep take over market research for two decades while they took a massive shortcut that isn't on any map, and ended up at the same destination at the same time. I suppose Chevy could have followed suit. But that new Blazer has abandoned all of its heritage in favor of mass-market appeal, as questionable as that may be. In the more affluent class, the Mercedes G Wagon, well that's more of a reboot than a sequel, because honestly, I still have a hard time telling the new one from the previous one. If successful, the Ford Bronco may usher in a new era of cool off-roaders. Or at least one can hope. I would love to see a revival of the Toyota FJ, and perhaps with a hail Mary pass in the automotive industry, maybe we could someday see an International Scout come back. Come on, Navistar. It's a license to print money. Anyway, those are my thoughts on the new Ford Bronco, the Jeep Wrangler, as well as the Land Rover Defender. Let me know what you think in the comments below. And as always, head on to edmunds.com for more information on the Bronco and all of its competition. To see more videos like this, hit subscribe.

The 2021 Ford Bronco is the hot vehicle of the moment. Mark Takahashi covers the new Bronco’s design and style and how it stacks up against its most direct competitors, the Jeep Wrangler and the Land Rover Defender.

• New Ford Bronco Style Comparison
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