Ford’s hoping history can repeat itself with a new partnership with outdoor outfitter Filson. They’ve officially debuted a special edition Bronco SUV packing power, off-road performance and premium trim. It picks up on the long-running alliance Ford had with the old Eddie Bauer brand. More from Headlight.News.
Ford has a fondness for teaming up with exotic apparel and outdoor brands. And it’s hoping its newest alliance will hit the mark with Bronco fans.
The automaker has teamed up Seattle-based outdoor outfitter Filson to come up with a high-line version of the popular Ford Bronco. The Bronco Filson offers unique design touches, an array of outdoor-oriented features and a gutsy, specially tuned version of Ford’ 3.0-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine.
“Bronco buyers don’t just want a vehicle — they want a partner for wherever they’re headed,” said Andrew Frick, president, Ford Blue and Ford Model e. “Filson has spent more than a century making gear people trust and putting their products to the test in extreme conditions. That’s exactly the standard we had in mind when we built this vehicle, and it’s why our customers love Bronco.”
What’s a Bronco Filson?
The Bronco Filson is based around the off-road-focused Sasquatch version of the big SUV. It boasts features like 35-inch rock-crawling tires, underbody protection, front and rear electronically locking differential and Fox shocks. New power running boards also are part of the package.
It also carries over features found on the Sasquatch intended to maximum go-anywhere traction. That includes Ford’s Terrain Management System with G.O.A.T. – short for “Goes Over Any Type of Terrain” – which adds seven selectable driver assist modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, Baja, Off-Road, and Rock Crawl. The Filson package also gets Trail 1-Pedal Drive and Trail Turn Assist.
Ford’s familiar Sync 4 infotainment system has been tweaked to add more off-road capabilities, including an app offering onX off-road trail naps. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as are a 12-inch touchscreen and 5G and WiFi connectivity.
More in line with what Filson is known for, the special Bronco package adds useful features like “Filson-inspired removable saddlebags.”
EcoBuster
Ford expects the modified 3.0-liter EcoBoost V-6 to be a particularly strong draw for Bronco Filson. It turns out 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, in line with what the Bronco Raptor currently delivers. Fuel Economy is 15 mpg city, 16 mpg highway.
Surprisingly, Ford claims the Filson package will have “the quietest Bronco cabin ever built,” according to a company press release, Credit, it said, goes to “improved airflow, acoustic glass, and enhanced seals.
Other features, it added, include “new ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and an upgraded B&O audio system, it’s a quiet, climate-controlled retreat when conditions outside turn harsh.”
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What does Filson bring to the party?
“Every material we chose with Filson had to be honest, tactile, and relentlessly durable,” said Paul Wraith, Ford’s global design director in charge of sport utility vehicles. “And like a great piece of gear, this interior isn’t meant to wear down, it’s designed to wear in, aging beautifully alongside you and your adventures.”
Along with the removable saddlebags, the Filson Bronco adds door-mounted bags, as well as optional dirt- and water-resistant bags in the cargo compartment. The latter detachable bags, explains Ford, “feature customizable compartments for everything from fly boxes and first-aid kits to camera lenses, and carry easily from vehicle to campsite.”
Bronco Filson models get a unique grille, “heritage-painted” wheel arches, painted mirror caps, and exclusive trail sight tie-downs designed to secure longer items like canoes. There also are unique colors, including Field Green Metallic, Marsh Gray, Avalanche Gray, Desert Sand, Shadow Black, and Oxford White.
A Bronco Filson First Edition features a unique Iron Sands Copper Metallic exterior paint, a unique fender badge, a custom serialized console badge and Filson cargo compartment bags.
Pricing and availability
This is far from the first time Ford has co-branded some of its products with well-known partners. It currently has tie-ups with Carhartt and even Major League Baseball. Earlier partnerships involved the likes of Nautica, Cartier and Bill Blass, Perhaps the most successful of these deals teamed Ford with outdoor goods retailer Eddie Bauer from 1984 to 2010. That’s the sort of partnership Ford hopes to recreate with Filson, company officials recently explained.
The 2027 Ford Bronco Filson will go on sale early in 2027, the automaker said.
“Bronco Filson,” it said in a statement, “has a targeted starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price in the mid $70,000s.”
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