Yesterday’s big news out of the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit was all about Ford trucks. Namely, the automaker officially announced the return of the Ford Ranger pickup in 2019, followed by the Bronco in 2020.
And that’s about all Ford said. There were no details given. Neither a Bronco nor a Ranger were rolled out onto the stage. As executive vice president Joe Hinrichs spoke onstage, video footage of a Europe-market Ranger rolled behind him; when he broke the Bronco news, only the Bronco logo appeared on the screen.

But we got a very brief chance to speak with Hinrichs at the Ford display later that day. And he confirmed a few choice new details on the hotly anticipated return of the Bronco.
First off, this won’t be the full-size 4×4 we all remember from the O.J. Simpson chase. Hinrichs confirmed that the 2020 Bronco will be built on the 2019 Ranger’s frame. To recap, the Ranger that will return to the U.S. market in 2019 will be largely based on the mid-size pickup of the same name that’s currently sold in Europe and elsewhere. So if you’re looking for an idea of the Bronco’s dimensions, the European Ranger would be a good place to start. All versions of that truck ride on a 126.8-inch wheelbase with a 73.2-inch-wide body. The longest Rangers, the four-door Super Cab and Double Cab models, have an overall length of 211.1 inches. That’s quite a bit longer than the 184.9-inch length of the cu...