SUVs make up a huge market segment these days, though with each passing model year family haulers transition further into the realm of crossovers. The lone outlier that brought newfound enthusiasm to the wide range of SUV options available throughout 2021 came from Ford with the long-awaited new Bronco. Where the smaller Bronco Sport shares underpinnings with the Escape crossover, the Bronco appeared as a legit challenger to the Jeep Wrangler's long reign as America's factory off-roader of choice.

With a retro-futuristic design to go with an impressive collection of off-roading goodies available optionally, plus a solid trim ladder from mall crawler up to the hardcore Sasquatch package, the Bronco managed to earn plenty of attention—and plenty of pre-orders. Pandemic-related delays damped some of the buzz, but without a doubt, the new Ford Bronco simply had to earn HotCars' official selection as the Best SUV of 2021.

New Bronco For A New Era

Ford Bronco Lineup
via Ford

Ford revived the Bronco nameplate in honor of the original 4x4 trucks that competed against Jeeps and International Harvester Scouts back in the 1960s and 70s. Throw in the iconic (or notorious) white Bronco that OJ Simpson piloted on the freeways of Los Angeles during his infamous police chase and the fact that Bronco remained off the market from 1996 through to 2021 actually seems fairly surprising.

The Bronco's sixth generation arrived with plenty of design cues harkening back to the four-wheelers of old, including that oversquare exterior available with either two or four removable doors, a choice between ragtop convertible or removable hardtop, and multiple trim levels ranging from base to Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Banks, Wildtrak, Badlands, and Sasquatch. Early reservation holders also might receive a coveted First Edition, though they will command severe dealer markups.

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Challenging The Jeep Wrangler

Bronco Vs Jeep Wrangler
via 4 Wheel Parts

Everything about the new Bronco clearly targets Jeep's long-tenured Wrangler, from the base all the way up to the Sasquatch that arrives with arguably more off-roading capability than a Wrangler Rubicon. But Jeep fans and Bronco critics will undoubtedly point a finger at Ford's decision to equip the new Bronco with independent front suspension, rather than the dual solid axles that both the Wrangler and Gladiator siblings still retain.

Broncos will therefore ride better on the pavement—and the truth remains that even most Sasquatches will end up driving the vast majority of their miles commuting to work, grocery stores, and (gasp) malls. Still, with two optional engines including a turbocharged inline-four producing 300 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque or a twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6 pumping out 330 horses and 415 lb-ft of twist, the Bronco has every Wrangler beat in terms of power (other than the recent reactionary introduction of a 392ci Hemi V8 to the Jeep lineup).

RELATED: 10 Reasons Why The 2021 Ford Bronco Will Be Unbeatable

Better Off-Road Features

SEMA Bronco
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

Though the Bronco might lack some of the most extreme articulation of a Wrangler Rubicon due to the independent front suspension, selecting the various versions in the lineup does add significant four-wheeling features. Probably most attractive, the Bronco's dual disconnecting sway bars can activate immediately at the touch of a button, which Ford proved in perfect fashion during ridealongs at SEMA this past November. The Bronco's system feels much more modern when compared to Jeep's, which only disconnects the front sway bar in a process that takes what feels like a long time and then automatically reconnects (and disconnects again) at around 17 miles per hour. Plus, the Bronco gets a differential Train Turn Assist setting that locks one wheel in place to make tight turns in slippery situations more feasible.

Going for the Sasquatch package means 35-inch mud-terrains from the factory, locking front and rear diffs, higher-clearance suspension with Bilstein dampers, and more aggressive fender flares. The Sasquatch only comes with a ten-speed automatic transmission, though, while lower-spec Broncos can be had with a "seven-speed" manual that's really a six-speed with a crawling gear sort of like the opposite of overdrive. In the middle of the range, Black Diamond gets all seven GOAT modes, 17-inch black steelies, stronger bumpers and bash plates, overhead switchgear, and washable flooring.

RELATED: Here’s Why Ford Customers Love The Manual Bronco

The Most Hardcore Desert Runner

SEMA Amsoil Bronco
via Michael Van Runkle / HotCars

Even with all the various Bronco packages, plenty of potential buyers still scratched their heads at Ford's decision not to offer a V8 engine. After all, in the escalating off-road wars between Stellantis (née Fiat-Chrysler), the Ram TRX now comes with a 702-horsepower Hellcat Hemi! But it turns out a V8 will fit into the Bronco's engine bay, as proven by the recently unveiled Bronco DR that showed up at SEMA 2021, a factory desert runner that will be sold in limited numbers from the factory.

Meanwhile, multiple aftermarket companies over the past year announced plans to drop V8 engine options into their Broncos—alongside the standard modifications like lift kits, rock sliders, light bars, and metal bumpers that so many customers already love to install. And if anything proved just how much the Bronco deserves the title of HotCars Best SUV of 2021, the sheer variety of builds that showed up at SEMA with the full gamut of off-roading goodies sure hammers the point home.

RELATED: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The New Ford Bronco

Runner-Up: Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat

Gray 2023 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
via Dodge

Still, the final decision almost tilted towards the runner-up for Best SUV of 2021, an honor that goes to the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. After all, as the automotive industry as a whole transitions away from internal combustion towards hybridization and full electrification, Dodge appears intent to go out with a bang by dropping Hellcat Hemis into just about everything.

Here at HotCars, even as great as EVs already are, we love a big supercharged V8. And come on, the Durango Hellcat can haul a family of six from a dig to 60 miles per hour in the mid-three-second range! But it's still more of a roadgoing beast, despite having all-wheel-drive, and family hauling means concessions to crossovers, so the Bronco earned the top spot here thanks to its do-everything off-roading capability in a new SUV that arrived at the end of an era.

Sources: ford.com, jeep.com, dodge.com, and ramtrucks.com.