New Filson Edition Bronco Coming Early 2027

[Bronco21Maybe]

Should have made the Whataburger Edition, with three cupholders per seat for your drinks, fries, and shakes. With fold down tray tables. Orange exterior with paper-bag brown leather seats.

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[HalfmuleFarmer]

They really are going for a niche without a lot of brand recognition. I live in Texas and lived in the mid-west and never heard of them. A high-end lumberjack fashion statement that does not have the curb appeal of a Hennessy or mods like a Saleen will be hard to charge over what they already do. Do people want to drive around with a fake fire ranger livery on a high-end Bronco with diamond stitching named after an outdoors store with Alaska vibes?

We had Vermont's Orvis in Texas for a minute, but people could not relate to the fly-fishing culture of the north when we already have so many homegrown outdoor retailers.

Judging from this site it is heavy on plaid like the old Scout seats. It might sell well in PNW where people know the brand. They should have done Bass Pro Shops or a brand with national recognition.

You’re missing the point. Ford is not going for broad appeal with a Filson collab, they’re going for “elevated brand positioning.“ It doesn’t matter that a price-conscious customer hasn’t heard of Filson, that’s not the demo that will be buying a premium edition (that will be no doubt overpriced). It’s all about communicating Ford = quality. Read that post above yours. It’s about heading off the competition that’s coming from Scout and others that might be perceived as more high-end, and avoiding getting lumped in with Jeep as just an American car maker of mid-level quality. I’m not saying they’re going to sell a lot of the Filson edition. They’ll probably only make a very limited number. It won’t be a profit center, it’s a rolling brand advertisement.

Hennessey or Saleen are performance brands that the customer they’re after with this edition will never have heard of. This customer is not interested in capability, they’re interested in status. It’s not us that this is being made for. It’s for the people who have never set foot in a Bass Pro Shop or a WalMart or a Costco. It’s a market segment that Ford feels they are not adequately capturing. Again — it’s not the people on this forum.

 

[Bronco21Maybe]

There's really not much about the new Scout that reminds me of the old Scouts. They missed the boat on that one, IMO. Looks like a bunch of the other SUVs already on the market.

 

[JustWideman]

It’s for the people who have never set foot in a Bass Pro Shop or a WalMart or a Costco. It’s a market segment that Ford feels they are not adequately capturing. Again — it’s not us.

They should just do a Lincoln Neiman Marcus edition then, Bronco's ride harsh and have too much wind noise to be Land Rover up-market SUV money.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

They should just do a Lincoln Neiman Marcus edition then, Bronco's ride harsh and have too much wind noise to be Land Rover up-market SUV money.

Those Lincoln SUV boats are already out there. I parked next to one the other day, an “Aviator” maybe? Had never seen one before. I can’t imagine they’re flying off the showroom floors.

The Filson brand vibe is not Kardashian premium like Neiman Marcus (who I believe is out of business), but premium like a $800 fly reel. It seems insane (to me), but the people who buy that stuff are out there. They don’t drive Jeeps or Broncos unless they’re vintage and renovated and plushed out. Maybe these people actually get out there, in their Defenders or hipster rebuilt FJs. Who knows. The IMAGE clearly projects the personality Ford wants to map onto the Bronco, so they can continue to raise prices. It skews significantly younger and more rugged (than a pure luxury brand) and Ford wants some of that. The idea is appeal to the potential well-monied buyer, who is probably in his 50s or above, who has likely never even considered owning an American-made car before.

This ’positioning’ is also to distance the Ford brand from the image these types of consumers might have of ’off-road’ culture. For them, Jeep = dudes with wrap around sunglasses, ‘defund the ATF‘ t-shirts, swilling Monster energy drinks and Bud Light. They do not aspire to join that community. But maybe they want a highly refined escape vehicle to head to the hills in after their crypto crashes.

 

[Kevin Scarbel]

while I love the ideas you have... Obviously those changes attract you and me as well... BUT the "Filson" targets another group that is influential with mall moms and others that tend to spend a lot of money..... I hope they address the options you listed.... but in this case Ford is chasing the money.... I only hope Ford recognizes that they need us... without us that other market is not there to chase. We have to be here, know what our Broncos can do and use them..... That allows the "got to have the best thing everyone else wants" crowd to even consider the Bronco... and it has to be a "Better than you have" model... that quite frankly you or I find over priced for what it offers....

Think about it... that hard cover for the spare is a glowing indicator of the target market for this thing. AND it will probably have it's own special color... Probably the "Forrest Service Green" to make it unique and so everyone can see what it is at a distance.... Just sayn....

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We are on the same page.
The women I've interacted with feel the (SAS-equipped) Bronco rides too rough (though it doesn't), and feel it lacks power (it doesn't, but they're driving BMW, M-B and Porsche crossovers).

 

[UtahBrandon]

Being raised in the Seattle area, Filson has great brand recognition for very high quality and durable gear with a lifetime warranty, however, over the last few years, with a private equity company taking over the Filson brand, there's a lot more product being manufactured overseas and their quality has suffered and their pricing seems to have increased dramatically.
I'm all about buying vintage Filson gear, but it's unfortunate that they're eroding the very thing that made them so iconic for the sake of profit.

 

[JustWideman]

Neiman Marcus (who I believe is out of business)
Neiman is still in business, Eddie Bauer closed down a few months ago.

The idea is appeal to the potential well-monied buyer, who is probably in his 50s or above, who has likely never even considered owning an American-made car before.

They'll return it when they realize the swing gate is not automatic and their roof mounted fishing pole tube for their $800 rod makes wind noise.

This ’positioning’ is also to distance the Ford brand from the image these types of consumers might have of ’off-road’ culture. For them, Jeep = dudes with wrap around sunglasses, ‘defund the ATF‘ t-shirts, swilling Monster energy drinks and Bud Light. They do not aspire to join that community. But maybe they want a highly refined escape vehicle to head to the hills in after their crypto crashes.

Those people are already driving Ineos Grenadier's that is a more luxury 4door, auto, 4x4. Ford is making a market segment that does not exist, the whiteheads are already overpaying for "heritage" color Broncos, because their dad had one. Is someone gonna pay BRapter money for a smoother driving Bronco that looks like all the soccer moms OBX's at the mall? Stroppe is not selling and going 4door only, turns out the Baja winning nostalgia was not as big as they hoped. It's their marketing people trying to keep their jobs and asking ChatGPT how to grow sales.

GM gave up trying to cater to this and targets markets better with Chevy/GMC, Cadi brands and resists bringing back the capable K2 Blazer and 2door Tahoe to appeal to the rednecks off-road/mudders and driven by villains in murder mystery TV shows.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

Agree it’s the INEOS market they’re after. Or they’d like to stop INEOS from gaining more of a foothold. If they come in just under the Grenadier’s price, it’ll be a viable option. Lots of people don’t want to risk buying a new brand and being 500 miles from a dealership in UT or CO or MT. This Bronco will be only 4DR and auto, I’m sure. It will have to stand out from the mall-crawling lower trims to appeal to the snooty target audience, yes. It won’t be painted like a red, white and blue billboard.

 

[userdude]

Agree it’s the INEOS market they’re after. Or they’d like to stop INEOS from gaining more of a foothold. If they come in just under the Grenadier’s price, it’ll be a viable option. Lots of people don’t want to risk buying a new brand and being 500 miles from a dealership in UT or CO or MT. This Bronco will be only 4DR and auto, I’m sure. It will have to stand out from the mall-crawling lower trims to appeal to the snooty target audience, yes. It won’t be painted like a red, white and blue billboard.

 

[Desmolicious]

Inneos Grenadiers are very cool. They however should drop the Inneos branding and badging and just call them Grenadiers, and come up with a cool Grenadier badge. The Inneos badge looks like something a Vietnamese EV mfg would use. Plus no-one outside the petrochemical industry has ever heard of Inneos, so start with something people can remember!

Problem w the Grenadier is not really the price (ok that was the problem for me!) but the fact that there are such few dealerships AND you need to go to a dealer to reset the oilchange light! It needs a dealer only tool which is insane given that the vehicle is sold as a go to the middle of nowhere and survive thing. Not a "Marjorie, have James take the Grenny to the dealer to take care of that light" thing...

Oh, if you think the plastics are bad in a Bronco, check out what you get in a $95,000 Grenadier...

 

[JustWideman]

Are camo fenders "up-market"? Their image is just a SAS bronco with tow package. Filson's camo clothes look...questionable.

Toyota TRD Pro does camo fenders and they look silly, but you cant get them without it.

 

[HalfmuleFarmer]

Are camo fenders "up-market"? Their image is just a SAS bronco with tow package. Filson's camo clothes look...questionable.

Toyota TRD Pro does camo fenders and they look silly, but you cant get them without it.

Methinks that’s a reflection on paint-matched flares.

 

[5GENIDN]

Methinks that’s a reflection on paint-matched flares.

I would hope so (reflections that is).... Camo flares would make me gag.... I am not buying one... I try really hard to look past some aesthetics other people find attractive... BUT camo flares on a Bronco? I am sorry... I am not sure I could keep my lunch down.

 

[userdude]

I would hope so (reflections that is).... Camo flares would make me gag.... I am not buying one... I try really hard to look past some aesthetics other people find attractive... BUT camo flares on a Bronco? I am sorry... I am not sure I could keep my lunch down.

To wit, the term "camo flares" seems a contradiction in terms.

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