The Ford Ranger is undoubtedly Ford Australia’s biggest success story over recent years. In 2024 alone, more than 62,000 of them were sold Down Under and it was the best-selling vehicle in the country. Its stablemate, the Everest, has also been a volume seller in these parts.

But in Ford’s home market in the USA, another vehicle using the Ranger’s platform is the star: the Ford Bronco. The Bronco uses the same ‘T6’ platform as the Ranger and Everest, but instead of a ute or seven-seat large SUV, it’s a two- or four-door SUV in a similar fashion to the Jeep Wrangler. In 2024, Ford USA sold almost 140,000 Broncos versus just under 52,000 Rangers (but also 733,000 F-150s), and even in 2025, a big waiting list still exists. There’s also some Australian in the Bronco: it was partly developed by Ford Australia’s engineers.

Pricing for the Ford Bronco in the USA starts at around US$40,000 (A$62,000 at current exchange rates) for the entry-level two-door version, extending all the way to around US$83,000 (plus options) for the high performance Raptor, which is quite similar in mission to the Ranger Raptor. It even uses the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission but produces even more grunt at 311kW/597Nm.

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Lesser Ford Bronco variants use a 224kW/441Nm 2.3-litre turbo-four or a 246kW/563Nm 2.7-litre turbo-V6 (both of which are available in the US-spec Ranger), with a 10-speed auto on both or – enthusiasts rejoice! – a seven-speed manual also available for the four banger.

Equipment on the base model includes LED headlights, cruise control, an 8.0-inch infotainment system with Ford’s ‘Sync 4’ software, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, and a set of 16-inch steel wheels with all-season tyres. There are a variety of packages, optional extras and accessories to add to the Bronco to truly make it yours, and the price climbs rapidly as a result.

Models above the base Bronco include the Big Bend, Outer Banks, Badlands, Heritage Edition, Stroppe Edition and finally, the Raptor, and all of them feature unique trims, colours and options.

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In bad news for Australia, the Bronco’s insane popularity in the markets in which its sold mean that Ford is not even thinking about right-hand drive production yet because the current left-hand drive production slots just don’t exist. But again, using the same platform as the Ranger and Everest surely means that it can be factory converted to right-hand drive easily enough when the timing is correct.

Alas, for now, the Ford Bronco isn’t coming to Australian shores – not officially anyway – but we know there’s demand there for it. Just how much – especially with NVES likely pushing the prices up thanks to the lack of hybrid or electric drivetrain in US models – is not yet known.

Prices are also not yet known – in Australia, the Bronco would likely not be cheap. But seeing how many Ranger Wildtraks are around (and they’re comfortably asking above $80,000) there would likely be demand. Until then, we’ll just have to keep ooh-ing and aah-ing at the Bronco… that Raptor sure does look like good fun!