The improved version of Ford’s factory Bronco Raptor was approved by Hennessey’s engineering team following cold weather testing in the snowy mountains of Colorado, allowing production and delivery to start at the company’s headquarters in Texas.
The hypercar manufacturer calls it the Hennessey VelociRaptor 500 Bronco Raptor. Yes, that is a mouth full.
(more…)Transmisi automatik sememangnya menjadi pilihan pengguna kini kerana dilihat lebih praktikal dan efisien berbanding transmisi manual.
Namun, masih ada pengeluar yang cuba untuk meyakinkan pengguna dengan inovasi tersendiri terhadap transmisi manual dengan tiga pedal itu.
Pengenalan transmisi manual tanpa penggunaan pedal klac adalah inovasi yang digunapakai oleh jenama seperti Hyundai dan Kia.
Ford juga dilaporkan turut mendaftarkan paten transmisi yang sama berdasarkan informasi yang dipetik daripada laman Muscle Car and Trucks.
Memetik laporan di laman tersebut, paten transmisi manual ini telah didaftarkan pada Disember 2018 di pejabat United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), sebelum dokumen tersebut telah diterbitkan secara rasmi pada bulan November lalu.
Sistem transmisi manual terbaharu Ford ini hadir dengan modul kawalan yang direka untuk mengaktifkan operasi klac secara automatik dan membolehkan pemandu menukar gear pada tombol gear sahaja.
Sistem ini bertindak untuk melepaskan cengkaman klac setelah ‘sensor’ pada tombol gear mengesan kehadiran tangan pemandu yang sedang menukar gear dan selepas pertukaran gear selesai, klac tersebut akan disambungkan semula.
Melalui sistem klac elektrik ini, kereta secara asasnya tidak lagi memerlukan bantuan pedal klac.
Akan tetapi, Ford menegaskan kereta masih lagi memerlukan pedal tersebut dan ianya sekadar disambungkan kepada modul kawalan sahaja berbanding sistem terdahulu.
Selain itu, dokumen paten tersebut turut menyenaraikan pilihan lain seperti sistem kadar operasi klac yang ditentukan melalui kadar tekanan pegangan tangan pada tombol gear.
Ford mahu menjadikan pemanduan kenderaan transmisi manual lebih menyeronokkan melalui pengenalan sistem ini.
Menurut Ford, sistem transmisi manual baharu ini boleh digunakan untuk kenderaan RWD seperti Ford Mustang, atau kenderaan AWD seperti Ford Bronco.
Buat masa ini, tidak ada sebarang pendedahan daripada Ford tentang bilakah sistem transmisi manual baharu ini akan muncul di pasaran.
‘Raptor’ is the name Ford adds to its models when their performance is boosted to extremes. We’ve seen how Ford Performance, the carmaker’s high-performance division, has transformed models like the F-150 and Ranger to become more hardcore as Raptor versions, and now they’ve done it with the new Bronco SUV.
Ultra4 Racing-inspired
The Bronco Raptor is the newest member of the Bronco outdoor brand of Built Wild SUVs and will be the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever offered. It is also the world’s first Ultra4 Racing-inspired SUV, built for desert running and boulder crawling.
To build the world’s first Ultra4-inspired SUV, Ford Performance had to make the Bronco even faster and bring more off-road capability, agility and maneuverability. “We had to build the Bronco Raptor – it’s our ultimate vehicle for hardcore off-road enthusiasts who demand something more,” said Carl Widmann, Ford Performance chief engineer. “Like the Ultra4 desert race trucks, the ‘Raptor of SUVs’ conquers desert dunes at highway speeds and is equipped with competition-level off-road technology and hardware.”
Starting with the Bronco frame as foundation, the Ford Performance team added more suspension travel and track width for handling stability during high-speed desert runs. At the Raptor core is a fully boxed, high-strength steel frame with new shock towers that increase wheel travel and off-road durability.
Heavy-duty hardware for desert events
Heavy-duty bash and skidplates provide continuous driveline coverage from the front bumper to the back of the engine, transmission and transfer case. In the upper body, B-pillar cross bar and C-pillar reinforcement help deliver a greater than 50% total body-in-prime torsional rigidity increase over a standard Bronco.
Competition-level, Ford Performance-developed axles further deliver on the Ultra4-inspiration. The solid rear axle is upgraded to a semi-float Dana 50 Heavy-Duty AdvanTEK with 235-mm ring gear, while the Dana 44 AdvanTEK front-drive unit includes upgraded half-shafts with 210-mm ring gear. These upgraded front and rear axles increase the track width, while larger front and rear driveshafts support increased wheel torque. An advanced 4×4 system with 3 modes includes a higher-capacity clutch designed to withstand the demands of high-performance desert events.
As with other Raptor variants, the Ford Performance team also installed FOX parts to upgrade the High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system with Live Valve technology. Similar to the F-150 Raptor truck’s position-sensitive damping design, the Raptor HOSS 4.0 system features FOX 3.1 Internal Bypass Semi-Active Dampers that are uniquely tuned at the front and rear and feature integrated reservoirs up front and remote reservoirs in rear.
Suspension height sensors and other sensors at each corner monitor terrain conditions independently hundreds of times every second and adjust suspension tuning accordingly. The Bronco Raptor also runs with a minimum ground clearance of 332 mm, 122 mm more than a regular model.
More power for desert running
To give Bronco Raptor even more desert-running power, the powertrain team developed the proven twin-turbo 3.0-litre EcoBoost engine with specific Raptor-level tuning to meet Ford Performance standards. With a target of more than 400 bhp, this would make the Bronco Raptor the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever. Intercooling and air-induction systems ensure that higher ambient desert temperatures can be endured for long periods.
For higher-speed desert capabilities or crawling over rocks, the compacted graphite iron-block engine, which saves weight while providing strength for added durability, is paired with a 10-speed SelectShift automatic transmission tuned to meet Ford Performance standards. A true dual-exhaust system, featuring first-for-Bronco active-valve technology, uses near-equal-length pipes for an improved exhaust note. The system allows drivers to alter the sound of their Bronco Raptor with four selectable exhaust modes, including Normal, Sport, Quiet and Baja.
Extreme Built Wild design
“As the most badass Bronco yet, the Bronco Raptor design is extreme,” said Paul Wraith, the Bronco’s design chief. “It’s muscular, while maintaining an underlying simplicity with performance-focused details added only for outstanding high-speed capability.”
Familiar Ford block lettering at the front stretches across the signature two-piece rectangular grille. LED headlights with amber daytime running lamps and integrated amber marker lamps further tie in the DNA of the Raptor to provide a menacing look. A heavy-duty modular steel front bumper by Ford Performance includes tow hooks, removable bumper end caps for improved off-road clearance and rigid off-road lamps for greater illumination.
The bonnet is made of sheet-molding compound, which allowed the design team to dramatically sculpt its muscular shape. An integrated vent is molded-in-colour Carbon Black and fender vents are painted body colour.
The Bronco Raptor leverages on the Bronco’s patented off-road modular design, stripped it to its base, and replaced components with unique-to-Raptor front and rear quarter-panels, fenders, fender flares and door appliques. Sheet-molding compound is once again used to sculpt the wider front fenders and integrated bodyside heat extraction ducts, which provide additional engine cooling.
Race-focused interior
The driver gets the familiar heritage-inspired horizontal dashboard, integrating an all-digital 12-inch cluster. The cluster allows drivers to select from various views, including a Bronco Raptor-exclusive Performance View that emphasizes tachometer and gear readings and allows the customization of gauges.
“The Bronco Raptor interior was designed around what we know hardcore off-road racers want in a vehicle,” said Ryan Olsson, design manager. “From the all-new Performance View on the cluster and unique steering wheel with paddle shifters and fingertip access to Raptor-specific controls, to its race-ready, high-bolster front seats, Bronco Raptor leaves the factory ready for the starting line.”
As standard, it has SYNC4 with a 12-inch touchscreen, information on-demand panel and enhanced voice recognition. Other technology features include an exterior camera with 360-degree viewing capability. The Lux Package is available for customers looking for even more human-centered technology, such as an optional 10-speaker B&O audio system and Adaptive Cruise Control.
Towards the end of last year, Ford’s Team Fordzilla esports team unveiled a full-scale model of the P1 racing car that had been designed in collaboration with gamers. Now, it’s giving people the chance to get behind the wheel and take to the virtual track by turning it into the ultimate racing simulator.
The P1 racer – now with vivid new gaming-inspired livery – is powered by an HP Z4 Workstation Intel Xeon W2295 3.00Ghz with 18 cores and the graphic card Nvidia RTX A6000 48GB. Players control the game via a built-in gaming steering wheel and pedals. Upgraded lighting, both front and back, pulses gently like the breath of a sleeping person when the P1 is waiting for the next race. They then come alive during race time as the rear lights synchronise with braking moments during gameplay to connect viewers outside with the action
Aural stimulation is also catered for, with a built-in audio system channelling a realistic, bespoke sound design to the driver to take the racing simulator experience to a completely new level.
Following the success of the P1 project, Team Fordzilla is now also launching a second series as it looks to work with gamers and Ford’s designers once again to create a new Supervan. Ford has a tradition of building race-inspired Supervans based on its Transit models, with the first appearing 50 years ago in 1971.
The new Supervan Vision Concept, will imagine what an extreme performance model of future Transit vans may look like as it takes the Supervan story into a new dimension. The project will follow a similar format to the P1 racer, with gamers asked to vote on the different elements of the design throughout the process. This will be kicked-off during Team Fordzilla’s live show at gamescom 2021, with viewers polled whether they want a track-focused racer or an off-road rally van.
This all comes as Ford’s involvement and dedication to gaming is highlighted by the announcement that a Ford Bronco model – the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands – will be one of two vehicles to feature on the cover of the new Forza Horizon 5 game. The Forza franchise by Xbox Game Studios is one of the most popular for racing fans globally; in 2016, Ford of Europe went to gamescom with Forza and set a new Guinness World Records title for ‘Longest video marathon on a racing game’ using Forza Motorsport 6.
“For the past 50 years, Supervan has been the most extreme expression of what a Transit Van can be. So we thought, instead of developing the next Supervan on the existing Transit, why don’t we create the Transit Supervan of the future? It should be a fascinating project and I can’t wait to see how the gaming community helps to shape it,” said Hans Schep, General Manager, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe.
Team Fordzilla’s P1 ultimate virtual racing car turned into a real model
When Ford brought back the Bronco SUV, it created many new marketing opportunities for the product. Ford Performance also had some ideas and one of them which has been revealed is the Bronco 4600 race vehicle. Representing the all-new outdoor brand of Built Wild 4x4s, the Bronco 4600 demonstrates how the latest Bronco can be prepped by customers for off-road racing, especially in the ULTRA4 series.
Built Wild off-road racing
With the first-generation Bronco having won the 1969 Baja 1000 race outright, the modern Bronco 4600 builds on a winning tradition. This starts with a Bronco 2-door SUV with stock powertrain running on a competition-tuned High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) System.
Testing of the Bronco 4600 begins later this month, with the race vehicles going on to run this year in the ULTRA4 alongside factory-backed Bronco 4400 series race vehicles. The model uses a 2021 Bronco 2-door with a Sasquatch Package, and is powered by a race-tested production 2.7-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 powertrain with SelectShift 10-speed automatic and second-generation T-6 chassis.
It serves as a test bed for a growing list of Ford Licensed Accessories and Ford Performance parts alongside the independent performance aftermarket. Taking learnings from the Bronco R Race Prototype that ran the 2019 and 2020 Baja 1000, the Bronco 4600’s competition-tuned high-performance off-road stability suspension features Fox coil-over shocks with remote reservoirs and Fox pneumatic bump stops at all four corners.
It also features Wilwood Engineering brakes and 35-inch BFGoodrich mud-terrain T/A KM3 tyres mounted to Method Race Wheels 202 Forged Beadlock wheels.
Inspired ‘war paint’
All the Bronco 4600 race vehicles will feature a new livery leveraging factory 2021 Bronco colours – Race Red, Oxford White and Velocity Blue. The front design takes inspiration from the 1969 Baja 1000-winning Bronco, with matte black bonnet, plus white upper and red lower body lines that transitions into a more modern Bronco design scheme extending rearward.
“Our new ‘war paint’ scheme tells the Bronco race story – up front is chapter one that traces back to the victorious 1969 Bronco, then, as you travel along the side, the lines get more diagonal, more futuristic, signaling the future of the brand,” said Scott Guan, Bronco designer. Like the Bronco R Race Prototype and Bronco Sport Rebelle Rally SUVs, the Bronco 4600’s “R” in the grille is distinctly red.
Continuing the Bronco heritage
“Innovating the off-road landscape and competing with Bronco’s higher-speed off-road abilities have always been at the core of Bronco brand’s heritage,” added Dave Rivers, Ford SUV Marketing Manager.
“Our new Bronco 4600 racers underscore our motorsports heritage and how the all-new 2021 Bronco can be tuned from the showroom floor to compete in the gruelling ULTRA4 stock class series,” he said.
The Bronco is now available in Malaysia but Sime Darby Auto ConneXion has the powerful, very rugged, very capable Ranger Raptor. Visit www.sdacford.com.my to know more.
Ford Bronco R race prototype for Baja 1000 is a teaser for 2020 production Bronco
Five years before the Suzuki Jimny and long before the Suzuki Vitara, Ford was already selling a small SUV. It was called the Bronco and appeared in the market in 1965, a time when Ford was still creating excitement with the Mustang that had been launched a year earlier. Although Americans love their vehicles big, the small (for that market) Bronco found a niche for itself and went through 5 generations until 1996 when production of the model ceased,
Today, with strong demand for smaller SUVs, Ford is getting in on the action with a new Bronco. Of course, it is a totally different vehicle from the original and where the Bronco name only referred to the model, Ford is now using it as a brand name for a family of SUVs.
“We created the Bronco family to elevate every aspect of off-road adventure and equipped them with class-leading chassis hardware and exclusive technologies to raise the bar in the rugged 4×4 segment and take people further into the wild,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s Chief Operating Officer. “They’re built with the toughness of an F-Series truck and performance spirit of Mustang – and come wrapped in one of the most stunning and functional off-road designs that’s true to the original Bronco design DNA.”
To go on sale in early 2021, the Bronco family comes in two sizes with 2-door and 4-door variants – a larger one and a smaller compact model that differentiated with ‘Sport’ added as a suffix. But both models have all the necessary systems and engineering to give them extensive off-road capability that justifies using the G.O.A.T. – for ‘Goes Over Any Terrain’ – nickname which the original Bronco had.
However, where the earlier generations used mostly mechanical systems, the latest one has many electrical, computer-managed systems that make driving on rough terrain easier and safer. The Terrain Management System with ‘G.O.A.T. Modes’ (probably something Ford engineers learnt when Land Rover was in the Ford group) has 7 driver-selectable modes to customise traction and engine systems for optimum performance over different surface conditions, to boost acceleration or even to economise on fuel. In Rock Crawl mode, the electronic power steering system is calibrated to provide more precise control and help reduce steering wheel disturbance during low-speed manoeuvres over rocky terrain.
“Bronco has the toughness and smarts to help turn off-road novices into 4×4 pros,” said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford’s Chief Product Development & Purchasing Officer. “Bronco embraces the needs of outdoor enthusiasts – every inch of it was designed and engineered with weekend adventurers in mind.”
The 4×4 systems are available in standard set-up and advanced. The standard system utilizes a 2-speed electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case, while the optional advanced system features a 2-speed electromechanical transfer case that adds an auto mode for on-demand engagement to select between 2H and 4H. Electronic locking differentials for improved traction over rough terrain are available if customers want them.
Other driver assistance technologies include a Trail Toolbox which ‘elevates’ the off-road experience for Bronco. Trail Control provides cruise control for low-speed trail driving (up to 33 km/h forward and about 10 km/h in reverse). Trail Turn Assist tightens off-road turning radiuses through torque vectoring. The innovative Trail One-Pedal Drive acceleration/braking control makes for more precise and confident slow-mode rock crawling.
EcoBoost powertrains
Two EcoBoost engines are available with displacements of 2.3 litres and 2.7 litres. The smaller 4-cylinder engine has outputs of 270 bhp/420 Nm while the larger twin-turbo V6 generates 310 bhp/ 542 Nm. There’s a choice of a Getrag 7-speed (6 + 1 ‘crawler gear’) manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. A hybrid powertrain is in the product plan as well.
For the Bronco Sport, there’s a 2.0-litre EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine that produces 245 bhp/ 373 Nm and also a 1.5-litre EcoBoost unit with 181 bhp/258 Nm. Perhaps these two powertrains will be offered in export markets but at this time, Ford has not mentioned selling the Bronco outside North America and it’s uncertain if there will even be a righthand drive variant. They’ve lost interest in the Southeast Asian markets where there could be a potentially big volume, letting only the Ranger soldier on for the brand.
Every Bronco comes with an independent front suspension and at the rear, a rugged solid axle design featuring coil springs with 5 locating links. Long-travel position-sensitive Bilstein dampers with end-stop control valves at every corner are optionally available for added off-road durability and reduced harshness.
Also available is a semi-active hydraulic stabilizer bar disconnect design which provides maximum articulation and increased ramp angle index for off-camber terrain. This innovative system works by disconnecting during articulation; it can reconnect automatically under all conditions to improve steering and stability at higher speeds.
Ford claims segment-leading levels of off-road capability for the Bronco with 300 mm of ground clearance and water-crossing capability up to a depth of 850 mm. There’s a choice of tyre types and sizes up to 35 inches too.
The first design ideas for the modern Bronco started 16 years ago with the Bronco concept displayed at the 2004 North American International Auto Show. It drew inspiration from the original Bronco style with a slab-side chunky look that traditional SUVs had. In fact, Ford’s designers did a life-size digital scan of a first-generation model to understand its DNA. Incidentally, if you saw the movie Rampage in 2018, you would have seen that concept SUV being driven by Dwayne Johnson.
The production Bronco adopts much of the concept model’s design with modernised retro looks that include classic round headlights on either side of an encapsulated cartridge grille. The 2-door variants come with a standard 3-section roof system incorporating a modular top with four sections that adds a removable panel over the rear seats and cargo area. The 4-door versions have 4 removable roof sections.
A cloth soft top provides easy access to the open air and a unique tilt-up function for quick access to the rear cargo area. To further enable the ‘wide open’ feeling, every Bronco comes with frameless doors that are easily removed. On 4-door Broncos, all the doors can be stored onboard with protective door bags.
“Similar to the first-generation model, Bronco’s square proportions, short overhangs and wide stance are optimized for off-road adventure,” said Paul Wraith, the SUV’s Chief Designer. “The side profile features a flat, no-nonsense surface with clear-cut edges and robustly flared fenders. Large, open wheel wells are a modular design with a quick-release attachment for simple customization.”
Purpose-built cabin
The multicolour LCD instrument panel is clearly inspired by the first-generation Bronco while the colours and materials are inspired by natural palettes and outdoor gear. With off-road functionality paramount, materials are tough and rugged. There are washable rubberized floors with integrated drains and marine-grade vinyl seating surfaces that resist mildew. Instrument panel surfaces are wipeable, with seamless silicone rubber on the dash-mounted hero switches, while rubber touchpoints protect against dirt and water.
Attachment points are built into the instrument panel to mount a device rack, with 12V power connections to easily mount cameras, navigation units, phones or other devices that today’s adventurers will carry.
For navigation, especially off-road, Bronco drivers can plan, navigate and share their adventures on the SYNC 4 infotainment system with a 12-inch display. The system has advanced topographic trail maps and more than 1,000 curated trail maps of the USA. The SYNC system also displays images from the 360-degree camera system to provide additional visibility in tricky exercises such as rock crawling.
A modern high-strength steel roll cage with integrated side curtain airbags in the upper structure and seats helps protect passengers from side impacts and complements driver and front passenger airbags. Needless to say, there’s a full range of active and passive safety systems around the vehicle.
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