2020 Ford Bronco Mule Caught Testing, Internet Freaks Out

Lightly concealed Ford Everest hits the streets of Michigan. America proceeds to lose its mind.

If there’s a more hotly anticipated automotive model than the 2020 Ford Bronco, we sure don’t know about it. But the incredible excitement surrounding the rebirth of Ford’s beloved off-road ‘ute also comes with cautious worry. Mainly because we don’t know what the thing’s going to look like. And even though Ford has assured us the new Bronco will indeed retain the character of the original, folks are still skeptical.

This concern was on full display when Motor Trend caught what appears to be a 2020 Ford Bronco mule testing recently in Michigan. Without even reading the article, people immediately flooded MT’s comments section on Facebook with cries of disgust. “This looks like a generic piece of garbage, test mule or not,” one reader declared. “That looks as though it’s nothing more than a glorified Grand Cherokee clone,” cried another.

This, despite the fact that MT makes it very clear from the onset that this is a mule. And for those not familiar with the global Ford Everest, this is, in fact, a Ford Everest body. We already know that Ford isn’t going to sell us a rebadged Everest here in the U.S. Because it came from the mouth of Ford chief technical officer Raj Nair himself. “[The] Bronco is completely unique from that Everest,” were his exact words, months ago.

As MT points out, Ford didn’t even bother to conceal most of the bodywork. Heck, it’s even right-hand drive. So obviously, Ford is simply testing out some powertrain and/or suspension bits that it doesn’t want us to see yet. For now, we’ve just got to trust Nair and Ford’s president of the Americas, Joe Hinrichs, who assured us that “you’ll recognize it as a Bronco.” So in the immortal word(s) of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, R.E.L.A.X.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.