A Small SUV with Large Controversy: The 1984-90 Ford Bronco II

Learn more about the controversial small SUV Ford introduced in the 1984 model year, the Bronco II.

[dannyg]

My friend was given a new '88 Bronco II 5 speed for his birthday by his parents (very generous parents). I taught him how to drive it as he did not know how to drive a manual. It was a fun SUV, he kept it for 7 years and never had a problem with it. Thanks for the memories.

[smacdiesel]

I bought one new in 1985 and put over 300, 000 miles on it. It was still running when I sold it. Most dependable car I ever owned.

[timmcooper]

I remember in 1983 my brothers friends mom bought one of these. My brother and his friend decided to test it's off road ability, and got stuck in a deep water crossing 2 miles from our cabin. They walked back and my dad and I took the old Willys Jeep out for the rescue. The Bronco Duece was at a drastic nose-up angle with the head lights just above water and the back window half way submerged, but it was still running!! The old Willys Jeep pulled it out and it drove home, but there was a lot of "mystery" warrantee work during the following months !!

[DinsdalePiranha]

With an overall length of 158 inches, a Bronco II is only 2.5 inches longer than a first-generation Mazda Miata.

[Doc]

A friend of mine had a Bronco ll. I don’t know the year model but it was an Eddie Bauer model, Green over Tan with Tan interior.
It was a 4WD and he took it off roading often.
It was able to get into very tight spaces.
After a Gazillion miles of hard driving the transmission went out so he gave it to a friend who had one with a good transmission but a blown engine.
She put the transmission from hers into his Bronco and drove it another 3-4 years before the engine died.

[norcal]

I miss my 1986 Bronco II that had the 2.9 Multiport EFI. Bought it used at Wittmeier Ford in Chico Ca with only 25K on the clock in 1988. I absolutely loved that little SUV. I had the trans (A4LD) rebuilt at about 170K. The TFI ignition module went out while in Las Vegas in 1997 (I carried a spare and the modified 5.5mm socket to replace it on the fly). It was an all around great little SUV that had awesome 4WD capabilities because of the very short wheelbase. I had to let it go in 2014 because of financial issues. I still miss it though. Thank you Adam.

[mysticstarhf]

I had a used 1984 Bronco II XLT from 1986 up until around 2010. Drover it all over, everywhere, to work, school, off road, across the country twice, in heavy snow and never had a problem with it. I liked it and I miss the wing windows. I never once had a feeling that it would tip over even under some emergency braking and lane changing. I have a relative that still has his 1990 Bronco II. I rode in it recently and back in the day it felt big. Today, it felt very tiny to sit in.

[ryanmcewen]

Thank you Adam. I remember these SUVs growing up, but I never realized that they were so short in length and in wheelbase.

[ultrablue]

One thing Ford got absolutely right with the Bronco II was the styling, specifically the shape of the wheel arches, which are more squared off, similar to the original. The new Bronco and its bulging round arches make it look more like an International Scout than original Bronco. The more I look at the Bronco II today, the more I think Ford really got most of it right- the dimensions, the shape of the grille, the overall packaging- it was almost a perfect homage to the original but updated and modern without trying to be retro (which wasn’t a thing till the 2000s). All it would need was an open top version. It’s too bad that they didn’t do more engineering to work out the handling issues, which really tarnished the image of the Bronco name for a long while.

[HAL-dmeh]

I rode in the back of one of these filled with 4 other guys in high school once. For some reason it was a memorable experience. I think it was because the V6 had a little roar in it, and my friend chirped the tires in 2nd gear, which back then was amazing.

It was a nice ride and a nice vehicle with no problems.

[jamesmcintire]

I had a first generation Ford Ranger as my first vehicle when I was in high school so this video brings back some fond memories. Thanks Adam.

[Liplip]

My neighbor worked for Ford Aerospace and always had new Fords. In 1989, he had a 2.9 Eddie Bauer 5-speed! Pretty cool ride, could almost get it on 3-wheels turning hard left and punching it. Still pretty fun around town. They fixed the wheelbase issue and then had the best selling suv on the market.

[natejohnson]

I had an '87 in the mid '90's in Northern Michigan and it got me in and out of a lot of tight places in the woods, in all conditions. First gear in Four Low and most sins were forgiven. This video brought backlogs of fun memories.

[mgirard]

I had this in Eddie Bauer trim and a soft top samurai at the same time. Both fun small SUV’s at the time. But the Bronco was a great ride. Later had the full size Bronco too.

[FliesFLL]

Fact: The original US model Volkswagen Rabbit, which debuted in 1974, was riding on a 94.5 inch wheelbase and was 150 inches long....

Great video!

[marlins]

Thanks for another thorough, objective history lesson.
All I remember about these Bronco IIs were that they were everywhere when I was a teenager- they sold very well.
However....I honestly don't recall the litigation and rollover controversy....sorry. I guess by my late teens I was no longer paying as much attention to new cars every Fall.
I was just a baseball-obsessed weightlifting teenager who if anything paid attention to the Grand Marquis instead?!?

[johnmc]

You hit the nail on the head. Our industry is dying because these awful companies would rather spend billions on litigation, than thousands/millions on engineering.

[rampy]

I worked at a Ford dealer from 93-2000. I was surprised by how many of the mechanics there who drove Bronco II's. I remember following some of these things thinking that they almost looked like a square driving down the road, meaning the the wheelbase seemed equal to the track width. I know they aren't, but it is close. Also, there were some cool old cars and trucks driving down that road where you filmed that Bronco!

[davelemieux]

My wife’s car when we met. She loved it!

[abpsd]

I owned a Bronco II for a while. Not a bad little maneuverable vehicle, it seemed relatively stable with front and rear sway bars. I even got into a situation at a construction site and it didn't roll over. I think the Bronco II got the bad rap because people that were accustomed to driving a compact car got into a Bronco II and drove it like a car instead of treating it like a 4WD truck.