Why the Bronco Has No V8

I decided to launch the blog to provide my thoughts on industry squabbles. Little bit of background on me. I am an owner at Juggernaut Performance and have been in the auto industry for 30 years (my entire life). My family owns a Ford dealership established in 1922. I work on both ends of the spectrum. We are a small dealer and I am a certified tech some days, a shop manager others, parts manager, sales manager, and performance tech. We run Juggernaut out of the shop and I am usually the one both selling GT500s and installing blowers. As well as your normal maintenance and work on everyday vehicles from Fiestas to F550s.

Current topics include why the Bronco is an Ecoboost, and Ecoboost in general compare to V8s. So lets start by saying, the Bronco WILL NOT have a V8 right now. The older generation is whining because their 150 hp 1974 Bronco had a V8. The coyote has a huge aftermarket following. Blowers, tuning, exhaust, etc. It is also on the way out of production. So my first note is why would Ford use the aging platform in a brand new platform? We would have a bunch of 2010 Mustangs on our hands in a couple years with the replacement coming out.

The second and most important note is why not an Ecoboost? The 2.7 has 325 hp and 400+ ft lbs in the F-150. This is plenty of power and torque for a little square SUV meant for rock crawling. More than enough even. A Bronco with a blower and 1000 hp would flip over backwards on itself. The Ecoboost engines have proven to be a reliable platform that are mod friendly. Tune and intercooler will be the best off the bat mods for any Bronco power wise. Of course you see some videos with techs bad mouthing Ecoboosts and bla bla bla looking for media attention. They have some isolated issues. No more than any other engine platform when you look at the millions of Ecoboost engines on the road. The coyote has had its share of issues too! Look at the 18 Coyote tick that was basically a viral fad in itself. The ones with issues complain about it on facebook. But guess what, the silent majority has no issues.

The sound. That’s the only argument for a V8 that makes sense. Ecoboosts sound bad. That’s just how engines with less than 8 cylinders work (short of a select few of course). A V8 Bronco would sound much better. But, that means more money for suspension and body mods instead of dumping money into the exhaust!

Bottom line, Ecoboost is reliable overall. It makes plenty of power. Easy to mod. THERE IS NO TURBO LAG (stop being stuck in 1985). Your Bronco will have an Ecoboost. You’ll have to get over it or buy a Jeep! (oh wait, these have n/a V6s with half the torque of the Ecoboost)😊