When it comes to the Ford Bronco, you have lots of different ways to customize it from the factory to make it yours. There are no fewer than seven trims to choose from, three engines, two transmissions, two body styles, nine exterior colors, and a mountain of optional features and accessories.
Most people are content with this level of customization. But there are a select few who aren’t. These choices just aren’t enough to stand out from the crowd. For these people, being the third blue Badlands two-door Bronco at the local Bronco Owner’s Club meet is the most dreadful feeling in the world.
Thankfully, RTR has a solution. The Ford tuner just revealed the newest version of its Bronco upgrade package, which combines a host of mechanical and cosmetic upgrades that not only make the off-road SUV more capable but also set it apart visually from every other Bronco in your friend group.
Check Out Those DRLs
When it comes to visual upgrades, the Bronco RTR is easy to spot. There are unique daytime-running lights mounted next to the circular headlights that I absolutely love, and a bunch of bright “Hyper Lime” accents scattered about, including places like the grille, the wheels, and the front tie-downs on the nose. There are more flashes of lime embedded into the graphics stickered on the rear half of the car and the hood, which resemble a topographic map. Underneath all those graphics is Avalanche Gray paint, which made its debut last year on the new Mustang RTR Spec 5.
Those wheels are RTR products, too, measuring 17 inches and capable of beadlocking the tires. The rubber is 33 inches as standard, widening the truck’s track width and providing additional ground clearance. Rounding out the stance is a “high-clearance” suspension, replacing the Bronco’s standard setup.
For the first time, buyers will be able to add the Sasquatch package to the Bronco RTR if they demand even more off-roading ability. It adds 35-inch Goodyear all-terrains and the HOSS 3.0 suspension system, which comes with internal bypass shocks from Fox. This system was previously only available on the $50,885 Badlands trim from the factory.
There Are Upgrades Under The Hood, Too
In true RTR fashion, the changes you can see only tell part of the story. The Bronco RTR uses the base 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-four as its engine, but don’t let that deter you. It’s been given a couple of key upgrades that make hardcore off-roading a bit easier:
Bronco RTR adds software-operated, race-derived anti-lag turbo technology. It performs a similar function — maintaining turbo boost while the driver is off throttle — but is optimized for off-road, keeping the turbocharger spooled so drivers have a sharp throttle response to manage ever-changing terrain, like deep sand. To help keep the engine performing under grueling conditions, Bronco RTR features the race-proven 1,000-watt cooling fan from Bronco Raptor.
A rep for Ford confirmed with The Autopian that the Bronco RTR will only be available with the 10-speed auto, not the seven-speed manual (boo!). Similarly, it’ll only be available as a four-door, not with the two-door. If I were buying one of these, I’d personally want a manual two-door. But that’s just me.
While the Bronco RTR is making its debut tomorrow at the Detroit Auto Show, it won’t go on sale until January 2027. There’s also no word on pricing, though, considering it’ll be built on the Bronco’s assembly plant in Michigan (opposed to previous versions, which were installed as aftermarket kits), it’ll probably be a bit more accessible.
Top image: Ford / RTR
I don’t think I would want a 7-speed manual. I don’t even want 6-speed manuals.
I’m both lazy and want to shift my own gears at the same time.
640kba 5-speed is enough for anybody – Bill Gates (probably)Wow. I just realized it was about 15 years ago this week that I went to the DAS. My only time. I was there on business and had a light day to explore. Feels longer ago than that, but oh well. I saw my first BYD vehicle there, and a lurid tennis ball green AMG of some sort. The rest of it was stuff I’d already seen or would see at the Seattle version of the show with my son. At the Seattle show, I just remember how many gear shift knobs went missing. I guess the lesson was to go early on the first day before the cars all get vandalized. That’s got to be annoying for the PR folks or their technical support people.
It’s been 13 years for me, already! Time flies. Also I know at a lot of shows, they pre-remove the shifters before the show starts as people are so likely to steal them.
The pre-removal theory partially restores what little faith I have in humanity. But c’mon, how much do knobs cost? Thinking of the manuals I’ve owned, it didn’t seem like they would be that easy to remove. Let’s see. A Datsun 510, a Datsun 720 pickup, a Peugeot 504, a Toyota (pre-Tacoma) pickup and a VW Jetta TDI. Maybe I just didn’t try hard enough.
haha well I’m sure if you want it bad enough, you can get it off. I know some just unthread pretty easily, but either way, it was appalling to see kids climbing all over the vehicles.
Ha! My kid was one of those kids climbing all around in (not on) exotic cars a couple of years when I took him and a friend to the Seattle Auto Show (back in the late 90s). But the knobs were all gone, either preemptively or because some not raised to do crap like that had already nicked it.
Credit to Ford for knowing the market for butch appearance packages.
When did spare donuts get so big?
When they’re full sized and not donuts?
lol what
It’s still a Ford… Ready To Recall.
WTF is avalanche grey? That doesn’t even describe a color, what we have here is primer grey.
Maybe the color it looks like when you’ve been buried in one?
I live in Colorado and see tons of Broncos. Plenty of Wranglers too, but we seem to have more Broncos than other places. Honestly, I see relatively few, if any, Broncos that are modified to a visually obnoxious extent like this package. Wranglers? Totally different story
I’ve watched enough YouTubers smoke the clutch on their off-roaders to actually want an automatic in a trail rig, plus it seems hard enough to keep things on track without managing a clutch as well.
if you’re an auto journalist, you’re required to have opinions like that, practicality be damned
I’ve driven both off road enough to know that both have their places. I love the control of the manual versus an automatic when trail riding with moderate crawling. True rock crawling the auto is easier since you don’t have three feet.
However, gearing also plays a big factor. If you don’t have the right gears for the tires, the auto will hide it better due to the torque multiplication of the TC. Your YouTube videos likely were a combination of poor gearing and inexperience.
Oh I’m sure, I called it out as YouTube based experience as I don’t do any off roading personally. My Civics’ are Tarmac only vehicles, also both are manuals.
I miss the Everglades package. If I ever shop for a Bronco when my JKU is gone I may price one of these out.
Can someone start making special packages and high trim cars (not lambo types, just normal vehicles) that stand out because they just look good and have a presence. This bright color “look at me” is so trashy and gross.
the people demand dashboard ducks and angry headlights
This isn’t an upfit package from RTR – this is straight from the Bronco factory. I’d bet pricing is a lot less than their standalone upgrades
the whole package seems massively overpriced considering the bronco raptor exists but i guess RTR is hoping they can get thousands of sales of people buying bits and peices of the kit as aftermarket accessories one peice at a time.
RTR is right up there with “Scat Pack” as just plain dumb trim names.
It’s a company that modifies vehicles, no different than a Saleen or Roush
This reminds me of the Pizza place on FB that makes lousy pizza but sells a 5ft pizza that surely sucks. Quality or gimmicks
“If I were buying one, I’d opt for a manual two-door”.
correct choice.
Incorrect. It was only available on the Wildtrak trim. Badlands was HOSS 2.0 with Bilstein shocks
Those graphics are ugly.
That being said a Bronco in that High-Vis yellow would be great!
Especially in a 2 door manual!
I still want an LR3 style Bronco though (Independent height adjustable air suspension all around, full time 4WD)