2021 Ford Bronco build and price configurator goes live
Whether you plan to buy one or not, you can now spec your dream Bronco. Plus, some roof changes are lowering prices on Bronco's two priciest models.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Build & Price feature -- a.k.a. the configurator -- is finally live, and while the Blue Oval's site once again bogged down something awful at launch, things have improved to the point where you can now build your dream 4x4 and see how much it's going to cost you.
As you may recall, Blue Oval last rolled out a slew of new information on its website for its 2021 Ford Bronco and 2021 Ford Bronco Sport on reveal night. Part of the proceedings went swimmingly, but part didn't go well at all. The good news for Ford was that interest was nothing short of massive -- fans practically threw credit cards at their computer screens in hopes of being able to reserve these new SUVs. The bad part? They practically had to, because Ford's website was overwhelmed with would-be $100 Bronco reservation holders, and the whole works ground to a halt.
Ford officials tells Roadshow the company beefed-up its server infrastructure to accommodate an influx of traffic, but it still clearly struggled to keep up in the hours following the website tool going live at 12:01 ET on Friday. That's somewhat understandable, because there are a ton of options and choices to be made. According to an official Ford statement, there are already over 190,000 reservation holders for the forthcoming body-on-frame bruisers. Presumably, many of those folks will be logging on in short order to spec out their dream Bronco. (Back in late July, Ford officials confirmed the company had received over 150,000 $100 hand-raisers in the two weeks following the vehicle's reveal, so new reservations have evidently slowed.)
The 2021 Ford Bronco Build & Price tool allows reservation holders and fans alike to choose between two- and four-door body styles and the various trim lines, including Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks, Badlands, Wildtrak and First Edition. It's possible to visualize the models in different colors for the first time, and price out options and packages.
While Ford was quick to divulge the base price of each Bronco trim when it revealed the truck, this is the first time the company has detailed the specific prices of add-ons. (The B&P tool for the unibody Bronco Sport has been online for some time now, as this model is going on sale much sooner). The configurator even includes a visualizer that allows for three-quarter views from both front and rear, with both the doors and roof on or off, though immediately after the site's come online, some of this additional functionality seems annoyingly intermittent.
The first production 2021 Ford Bronco models are still on track for Spring 2021, and Ford says it's still planning to reach out to reservation holders beginning in December to help walk them through the order process.
Bronco roof color changes
Bronco Nation, a fan website for the vehicles backed by the automaker itself, has revealed new developments with regard to the availability of various roof options. Namely, the 2021 Ford Bronco's top-end models, First Edition and Wildtrak, will only be offered at launch with molded-in color hardtops.
The models were initially announced as sporting black-painted modular hardtops, but in order to curb build combination complexity and ensure higher quality, those tops won't be available until late 2021. Furthermore, white multipiece hardtops won't arrive sometime during the 2022 model year, and body-color tops aren't scheduled until some point in the 2022 model year, as well.
That's the bad news. The good news is, going to 100% mold-in-color tops not only reduces complexity, it reduces assembly cost, and Ford is passing on the savings to buyers of the First Edition and Wildtrak. Prices are decreasing by $1,895 on those models, the cost of the black-painted roof option. Ford had originally announced that the fully loaded First Edition model would cost $60,800, meaning Bronco pricing will henceforth top out at $58,905 before options. The Wildtrak was originally revealed with a $50,370 price tag, meaning the priciest non-limited-edition 2021 Bronco will now start at $48,475.
A Ford spokesperson confirmed the accuracy of these roof developments to Roadshow.
You can check out some of the colors and models in our new gallery above, but we're guessing you've already stopped reading this and are headed over to Ford's Build & Price tool. (That's OK. We are, too.)
