The Ford Bronco Is Reportedly About To Get The Lincoln Treatment

Off-roaders are all the rage right now, from ruggedized compact crossovers to lifted all-wheel-drive supercars. Each day it seems like more car companies announce their foray into the off-roader space, from Honda to BMW's M Division, but the latest company aiming to hike up its skirt and get dirty is not the one you might expect. Yesterday, sources told Autoweek that Lincoln is working on a body-on-frame competitor to the G-Wagen and Range Rover based on the mighty Ford Bronco.

Lincoln already sells the full-sized truck-based Navigator, but it's designed more for steep driveways in the Hollywood Hills and the occasional gravel road than it is for serious wheeling. The Ford Bronco also shares underpinnings with our Ford Ranger midsize pickup and the Everest SUV that's sold in other markets, but this new luxury off-roader is planned to launch toward the end of the decade or in 2030, so it's possible it will integrate components from a next-generation Bronco platform. How will Lincoln turn the rowdy, topless Bronco into a quiet, cossetting, go-anywhere chariot for the wealthy is unclear, but the new Lincoln will reportedly have a distinct design with softer lines than the Bronco.

Lincoln tends to fly under the radar, and I think that's a shame. It has a badass model naming scheme at the moment, and a cool corporate interior and exterior design language, but Lincoln faces an ever-growing and ever-improving onslaught of luxury SUV competition. Though the Navigator is the brand's flagship, a smaller, truly off-road-capable model could end up being the most compelling offering in Lincoln's stable.

The current line of Lincolns consists of the compact Ford Escape–based Corsair, the midsize two-row Nautilus, the three-row Explorer-based Aviator, and the Navigator. The Corsair is in its final model year, and the Corsair is built in China and thus subject to tariffs. Lincoln CEO Joaquin Nuno-Whelan commented recently that Ford is prepared to spend billions to make Lincoln a viable brand and take the brand in a more emotional and exciting direction, which would be nice. Lincoln could really benefit from a statement-making model, and a Bronco-based off-roader might be just what the storied American automaker needs to make a splash in the luxury segment.