Cars we wish were sold in Australia: Ford Bronco

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!