It could be a soft-top power-retractable?
Even though a vehicle has its world premiere, the development phase does not end. This is especially true if the vehicle is customizable like the new Bronco. Karen Morrison spotted a prototype of the four-door model in a parking lot, wearing camouflage on the roof that extended all the way to its back. The big Bronco was adorned with manufacturer plates and looked very odd, but it was actually hiding something.
The full-size Bronco, as it is now known, was designed to provide an open-air experience. It allows the owner to remove the roof in a simple and fast process. Four removable roof sections are available on the four-door Bronco model. They include the left and right panels, the rear section and center panel. All of these can be removed by one person.
The modular hardtop includes rear quarter windows, which are hidden on the prototype. However, they can be removed “in half the time it takes for other competitors,” according to Ford. Blue Oval is pleased to announce that you don’t need to remove the roof in order to get rid the rear quarter glass. The four-door Bronco is standard with a cloth soft roof. You can also have both.
Okay, but Ford’s prototype may be hiding something. Although you can guess what it might be, our friends at Muscle Cars and Trucks suggest that the Bronco may have had a power-retractable soft roof similar to the one Jeep offers with its Sky One-Touch Power. Bronco owners will be able to lift the soft top at their choice of position, if it is anything like the Wrangler.
It will be interesting to see if Ford has come up with a way to distinguish its electric roof-opening mechanism and the Sky One-Touch Power. This is true even if we are actually looking at a power retractable soft top. It might be related to one of the 200+ accessories that Ford will support at launch.