What Are The Handles On The Hood Of A Bronco For?

The Bronco is Ford's answer to the Jeep Wrangler. It's more than just another SUV with a blue oval on the front; it's an adventurer's accessory, with Ford stating the model focuses more on enjoying the journey rather than simply just reaching the destination. In order to help Bronco owners enjoy the journey, Ford has equipped the SUV with a number of off-road-oriented features, such as all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, and heavy-duty suspension.

These upgrades are typical for adventurous SUVs, but the Bronco manages to stand out from the crowd with a fairly unique feature that'll have everyone but experienced off-roaders scratching their heads. The features in question are dubbed 'Trail Sights', and to the uninitiated, they simply look like raised handles at the front of the Bronco, where the hood meets the wing. Trail sights help the driver to see exactly where the outermost corners of the Bronco are, which is essential for navigating tight trails — especially if for anyone who's not so keen on scraping the front end of their brand-new Bronco on a jagged rock face. The Bronco sports a selection of other useful features, too, all designed to help keep owners in control when exploring the capabilities of Ford's trail-ready SUV.

While trail sights are extremely helpful when it comes to working your way through tight spots and tough trails, this feature won't turn your SUV into an off-roading beast on its own. Fortunately, the Bronco is packed full of other off-road goodies, such as seven available driving modes, known as the Bronco's G.O.A.T modes. These include modes specifically designed to tackle sand, mud ruts, and rocky terrains. Ford also equips the Bronco with what they call HOSS – High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension. Ford's HOSS system includes features such as Fox internal-bypass coilovers, and a front stabilizer bar disconnect system, which enables the Bronco to move more comfortably over extremely rough surfaces.

Under the hood, a 2.7L EcoBoost engine provides ample grunt in higher trims – 330 horses to be exact — which is more than enough for the Bronco to power itself out of any particularly sticky situations. If, however, you feel that's not enough, Ford offers a 3.0L EcoBoost too, which nets buyers an additional 88 horsepower. This engine is exclusive to the Bronco Raptor though, Ford's flagship go-anywhere Bronco trim, and is hooked up to a slick 10-speed automatic transmission (just another Bronco fun fact you should know).