Ford Just Settled A Big Question About The 2027 Bronco

It may not feel like it, but 2026 marks a full half-decade since the sixth-generation Ford Bronco officially entered production for the 2021 model year. Ford's new Bronco brought back a legendary nameplate and put one of the most hyped up and anticipated SUVs of the 21st century into customers' hands. Going back to our first, hands-on experience with the reborn Bronco back in 2021, the retro-styled 4x4 has very much delivered on the hype.

Over the subsequent model years, Ford has continuously tweaked and updated the Bronco, adding new trims and new packages to keep it fresh. That said, an increasing number of fans and enthusiasts have begun to speculate whether a substantially changed, new, and improved version of the Bronco might be on the way soon.

The speculation makes sense, as five model years is when one usually starts looking for big updates and redesigns. Despite talk of a redesigned or refreshed Bronco, a Ford engineer told The Drive in February 2026 that the SUV won't be getting a major refresh or design anytime soon. Instead, the current Bronco will receive continued improvements, including one "obvious," but yet to be disclosed, upgrade for 2027.

Apart from incremental updates and unique appearance packages, the biggest change to the Bronco lineup as of 2026 came in 2022, when Ford added the wider and more powerful Bronco Raptor to the lineup. So what kind of other "obvious" changes and additions could Ford make to the current Bronco platform before moving on to a new generation?

In other markets like China, Ford has already introduced Bronco-branded EVs and hybrids, which share similar styling and naming but are not the same vehicle as the Bronco sold in America. Given Ford's big push toward hybrid tech, a plug-in version of the American Bronco that uses both electric and gasoline power could be a very real possibility — and potentially take market share left from the now-discontinued Jeep Wrangler 4XE.

However, Ford could also go the other way, taking another page from Jeep and doing a proper, V8-powered Bronco to compete with the Wrangler 392. Initially, Ford's position was that the Bronco didn't need a V8, but aftermarket companies have already shown the possibilities of a 5.0 Coyote-powered Bronco with their own swap kits. Whether this could be pulled off from the factory remains to be seen, but Ford already did a similar move with the F-150 Raptor, responding to customer demand by releasing the V8-powered Raptor R. Either option makes a lot of sense for the Bronco, but right now it's unclear if and when these options could arrive.

It's easy to see why Ford hasn't introduced any major changes to the resurrected Bronco over its first five years. Yes, the initial hype and insane dealer markups of the launch period may have faded, but Bronco demand remains very strong, with 2025 being the best sales year yet for the model.

Another thing that the Bronco has going for it in terms of longevity is its decidedly simple, '60s-flavored design. Five years later, the Bronco still looks unique compared to other SUVs on the road, and its purposely boxy, old-school character is simply less prone to feeling outdated compared to other designs.

Naturally, Ford been leaning into this vintage appeal with special-edition models like the heavily retro 2024 Bronco Heritage Edition. Thus, even when Ford does get around to fully redesigning the current Bronco for a new generation, which might come toward the end of the 2020s, we don't expect it to stray too far from the core design and character that made the revived Bronco such a hit.