Ever since the nameplate went away after the 1996 model year, fans of the Ford Bronco begged and pleaded with the suits in Dearborn to bring the nameplate back. "Bronco"...it conjures up an the image of a wild horse, untamed, defiant. Ford listened, and in 2021 brought back the Bronco as a Jeep competitor with a bit of retro inspiration from the 1966-1977 first generation utility vehicle. The modern Bronco checks off a lot of boxes where enthusiasts are concerned: from the removable roof to the manual transmission with the factory crawler gear, from the retro looks to the "I'll go wherever the hell I want to go" Sasquatch package that brings 35-inch tires on beadlock-ready wheels, lockers in both axles, deep 4.70 gears, and the look of a ready-to-go off-roader. It's the Ford challenger for the Jeep Wrangler, a rivalry that hasn't been a thing since the first-generation Bronco wrapped up at the end of 1977 to make way for the next generation.

A funny thing about that second-gen Bronco that needs to be mentioned is how much more popular it was than the first generation. The first generation Bronco's goal was to be roomier and better optioned than the Jeep CJ. In 1966, that was an easy target: add power, add legroom, add power steering and you were done. Except a hitch developed in that plan when American Motors purchased the Jeep brand from Kaiser in 1970. Suddenly, AMC started putting luxuries into the CJ lineup as part of their move to convert Jeep's image from a stodgy workhorse into a sporty, fun vehicle. AMC provided powerful six and eight-cylinder engines, opened up the body tub for room, installed air conditioning, and more. Ford's answer was to move Bronco to the F-series platform, leaving Jeep to keep the fun utility market to themselves while turning the Bronco into a full-size sport-utility vehicle. The move was the right one at the time as the buying public proved to not only like the new, bigger Bronco, but proved willing to pay a premium to own one.

Today's Bronco has no issue when it comes to luxuries, power or space for passengers. Ford makes the Bronco in two and four-door variants and offers two engines that have plenty of power on tap. And the Expedition SUV has been filling the full-size SUV role for Ford since 1997. But we still wondered what it would take to give the new Bronco a size advantage that enthusiasts would appreciate...and we found the answer in vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6, and the 1996 Dodge Ram 3500 T-Rex concept truck. Add a tandem axle out back. That's it!

The benefits to a tandem-axle Bronco involve more than a bit of one-upmanship in the neighborhood. First, this converts the Bronco from a basic utility into a utility pickup...think Jeep's CJ-8 Scrambler and you have the idea. There's room for four adults and there's a small, useable bed space out back that could also be used to mount third-row seating, if that's your thing. Second, having the live tandem axle out back adds to the Bronco's off-roading pedigree and would boost towing capability, especially if a passive rear-steer system is utilized. Finally, there is no denying the visual impact of the tandem axle look. Whether you equate it to a military vehicle, a semi tractor or simply as a radical addition, a tandem-axle Bronco will grab eyes wherever it goes.

The Bronco, much like it's Jeep counterpart, begs for modifications. In this case, a removable rack of spotlights mounted atop the extended rollover bar will compliment the winch-equipped brush bar, and we couldn't resist adding in a clear panel into the Bronco's hood to show off engine modifications...or, if one were to be a bit ambitious, a Raptor EcoBoost V6 or Coyote V8 swap. Hey, if we can imagine a tandem-axle Bronco, we can certainly see one with an engine swap coming down the road. Can you?