2021 Brand new Ford Bronco, is this the best Ford Bronco offroader of all time? Let's take a look together.

It's been decades since a new Ford Bronco sat at a dealership lot, but that day is nearly here, fans. The 2021 Ford Bronco returns this summer as Ford's much-hyped comeback kid to the proper off-road vehicle sector. Granted, it has stiff competition in the Jeep Wrangler, but from everything we know, Ford's ready to come out swinging.

You're ready for it, we're ready for it. We're talking about the 2021 Ford Bronco -- the off-road SUV's long awaited return to glory. We're just a couple months away from the first 'Squatch-sized tires hitting the dirt, but we already have oodles of details and information below for you to dive into.

First off, the new Bronco looks the business. I typically stay poker-faced upon seeing a new vehicle for the first time, and honestly, with as many photo leaks as this SUV has seen, you'd think I would've managed to play it straight when Ford extended an early invite to a Michigan off-road park to check it out.

No such luck.

I'm here to tell you, Ford has absolutely nailed the look of this new truck. In both two-door and four-door forms, the 2021 Bronco has the sort of stance, proportion and detailing that not only give this SUV the necessary aura of utility, but lend the vehicle massive presence.

If you're like me, one of the first things you want to know about the 2021 Ford Bronco is: What unbolts, and how quickly and easily? The answer to the first of those questions is the roof, the doors, the fender flares, the fenders themselves and the grille.

Unlike on the Jeep, the Bronco's doors are frameless, which should give this SUV an advantage at feeling like a proper full-fledged convertible when the roof is removed. The Bronco's doors are aluminum, and they weigh 54 pounds (front) and 43 pounds (rear). Bizarrely, that means they're actually slightly heavier than the Jeep's doors, but their smaller size and built-in grab handles should make them easier to operate.

While I was unable to try unbolting the doors on an early prototype myself, the disassembly and removal process sounds more manageable than for the Jeep, what with the latter's door-retention check-strap and awkward wiring harness. What's more, because the doors are frameless, they fit in the cargo area of both two- and four-door models, so they can be carried on the trail with you. The coup de grâce? The sideview mirrors are mounted on the cowl, so you don't lose them going alfresco.

Speaking of trailwork, if you're threading your way off-road through trees or canyons and you're worried about clearances, the fender flares unbolt with a quick twist using a provided tool. Going a step further, unbolting the fenders entirely not only allows better access to the underbody and more suspension clearance, it also invites aftermarket fender designs. As one Bronco engineer told me, you can keep a set of old, scarred fenders for playing in the mud and still have a shiny, unblemished set of "church fenders" when you need your Sunday best.

Ford has clearly leaned heavily on the first-generation 1963-1977 Bronco for stylistic influence, yet the new truck isn't an overdone retro pastiche like Ford's own 2002-2005 Thunderbird or, more successfully, a contemporized rebody like the 2005-2006 GT supercar. In much the same way you can tell that today's JL Wrangler is a faithful, steady update of the war-hardened Willys MB dating from the 1940s, this new Bronco looks like an evolution of the original. Not unlike Porsche's 911, it's as if the Bronco has been on a focused, uninterrupted continuum of off-road badassery up until present day. (Never mind those supersize generations that took hold in the late '70s on through The Orenthal Years.)

Appropriately, the 2021 Ford Bronco is built atop a fully boxed frame that shares some of its genetic makeup with the Ranger. While this SUV's overall dimensions are similar to the Wrangler in both two- and four-door versions, Ford's shorty four-seat model rides on a 100.4-inch wheelbase (a substantial 3.6 inches longer than the Jeep), while the four-door, five-seat Bronco sits on a 116.1-inch wheelbase that's 2.3-inches shorter than its rival. Overall, Ford seems to have taken a long, hard look at the Wrangler's template, but the company has deviated where it felt it needs to. For instance, the front suspension is fully independent, a setup that should yield better ride quality, albeit at the expense of additional complexity (and potentially, off-road ability and robustness).