The two major joint ventures "hard-core off-road" are both "originator-level" players, can domestic brands withstand it?
The original hardcore off-road market was a niche "player" market, and later the Great Wall tank brand came out of the circle, expanding the audience of this sub-category, and now it has become a "hot" field.
However, it is necessary to count the strength players of the hard-core off-road, and I have to say the veteran players of the joint venture. Despite the slow update and backward sense of technology and fashion, it still has a very high status in the hearts of many off-road players. Recently, there have been two "originator-level" hard-core off-road SUVs coming soon. What is the strength? Can a group of domestic hard-core off-road models withstand the attack of the old joint venture artillery? Let's take a look.
1. The new Prado
Unveiled on November 17
What to watch: The old off-road gun is renewed
It is reported that the all-new Prado will make its domestic debut at the 2023 Guangzhou Auto Show to be held in November, and will start pre-sales at the same time. It is reported that the starting price of the new Prado in North America is 50,000 US dollars, about 359,000 yuan.
The all-new Toyota Prado offers two styling front faces, with the main difference being the paint of the headlights and detail parts. One of them takes a pure hard-core off-road route, using a retro round headlight design, a bit of Haval dog flavor, focusing on multi-functional, off-road and other scenes.
Another design style, the front of the car uses a lot of rectangular elements, with square headlights, split grille and thick front surround, presenting a very tough visual impact. This design style will focus on comfort and luxury, and is more suitable for those who like to drive in the city.
It is worth mentioning that the new car is not equipped with external tires, and the full-size spare tire is placed in the lower part of the chassis. In addition, the Toyota bull head badge on the front and back of the new generation Prado has been replaced with the letters TOYOTA.
In terms of interior, Toyota's latest family-style design style is adopted, and the overall lines are relatively rough and square, which matches the tough appearance very well. The car is equipped with a full LCD instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch floating center display, while also retaining enough physical buttons to ensure ease of use and reliability.
It is worth noting that the new car still uses a mechanical gear lever and a driving mode, differential lock and air conditioning switch in the form of physical buttons, after all, the mechanical buttons are more convenient to operate when off-road, and at the same time more reliable.
In terms of power, the new car will be equipped with a combination of 2.4T hybrid system + 8AT transmission, with a maximum output of 243kW and a maximum output torque of 630Nm, and the motor can provide an additional 49 horsepower, and the transmission system will be mated to an 8-speed automatic manual transmission. In addition, the new car will also be equipped with off-road equipment such as a full-time all-wheel drive system with Torsen limited-slip center differential, high- and low-speed time-sharing all-wheel drive with lockable middle differential, electro-mechanical rear axle differential lock, multi-terrain control MTS and creep mode.
2. Ford Bronco
Expected debut time: at the end of the year
Highlights: Tank 300 "prototype", hard-core "grandfather" domestically produced
The Ford Bronco, known as the "grandfather" of hard-core off-road SUVs, is finally about to usher in domestic production. This Ford "Burning Horse" is regarded as a legend in the off-road vehicle industry by many fans. It is reported that the new car was introduced by Jiangling Ford, and the car has been declared by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the new car is expected to make its public debut at the end of the year.
According to the recently exposed spy photos, the domestically produced Ford Bronco basically maintains the design of the overseas version of the model. In terms of appearance, they are all square silhouettes, with classic round lights, and a through-line "Bronco" logo, revealing a strong American style. At the same time, the metal front bumper below has been blackened to give it a tougher feel.
On the side of the body, the domestic model adopts a hard-top detachable shed, and is equipped with large black wheel arches and large-size off-road tires, which looks wild. In terms of body size, the length, width and height of domestic models are 4800 (or 4825) mm, 2070 mm and 1990 mm respectively, and the wheelbase is 2950 mm.
At the rear of the car, there is an external spare tire, a side-opening tailgate and straight taillights, and the JMC Ford logo on the right side.
According to spy photos, in terms of interior, the domestic Ford Bronco is highly consistent with the overseas version of the model, and also adopts the classic "T" layout, which is also a more hard-core design style. It is expected to be equipped with decorations of different colors, as well as a large central control screen + multi-function color LCD instrument cluster to ensure a stylish and individual atmosphere.
In terms of power, the domestic version will be equipped with a 2.3-liter turbocharged engine with a maximum power of 202 kW, a maximum torque of 455 Nm, and a top speed of 161 km/h. It is worth mentioning that the new car also has a trailer qualification, and the original factory is equipped with an optional rear traction device. You must know that the domestic price of the parallel-imported Ford Bronco is as high as 700,000 yuan, and now that it is produced in China, whether the price can be lowered is the key. If the price is moderate, I believe there will be a good market response in the future.
brief summary
However, in recent years, the domestic hard-core off-road market environment has undergone earth-shaking changes. Domestic hard-core models represented by the Tank 300 have risen, and new energy products such as Yangwang U8 and Formula Leopard Leopard 5 are about to be launched. After the new generation of Prado and Ford Bronco models are produced in China, will they be able to maintain their position in the domestic hard-core off-road market? It's worth the wait! Welcome to pay attention to "Boundless Car Domain" and leave a message in the comment area below to share your views.