One of the signature features of the current Ford Bronco is the removable or folding roof. In fact, nearly every generation of Bronco, other than the Bronco II, has had some level of removable roof. Even through the 1970s when it looked like convertibles might go away, Ford managed to keep a removable section behind a fixed roof over the front seats. Yet, it seems that for a moment, however brief, the company considered going to a permanent top for its fancy Filson model.
2027 Ford Bronco Filson First Edition from the front three-quarter angleFord
Ford Sought The Sound Of Silence
Yes, Road & Track spoke to the Ford Bronco’s lead engineer, Ed Krenz, who said the team discussed the possibility of ditching the removable roof. Why would that ever be considered? The Bronco Filson is meant to be a luxury off-roader, and to be a credible luxury vehicle, it needs to have a quiet cabin. It’s quite difficult to make a vehicle with a removable roof and doors quiet, especially one with as many meeting points and components as a four-door SUV like the Bronco or even the Jeep Wrangler.
2027 Ford Bronco Filson First Edition from the rear three-quarter angleFord
You have lots of latches that need to be designed not to rattle. You have top pieces that have to be insulated, but can’t be too heavy so that they’re still easy to handle. You have seals that are under more stress and demand than usual door seals. It’s a mess. If you make the roof a permanent fixture, you suddenly don’t have many of those issues.
Of course, the final product does have a removable roof. Krenz said that, even though the possibility of a fixed roof was brought up, it was decided that the removable roof was too fundamental to the Bronco’s character to get rid of it. We also reached out to a Ford representative who confirmed all of this.
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We also wouldn’t be surprised if another reason to stick with the removable roof would be that a permanent roof would bring up a whole new set of problems. This generation of Bronco was designed from the start to be a convertible, and it has a number of years of working out any kinks with the roof system. Finding a way to permanently fit a roof to this body would be, in the favorite word of my father: nontrivial. It could require a host of new components, including body and top parts, mounts, and adhesives. Plus, this hypothetical permanent roof would probably be exclusive to the Filson, meaning the costs wouldn’t be spread across other models that could benefit. The Filson will probably be expensive, but it’s not a money-is-no-object vehicle.
Close-up of the 2027 Ford Bronco Filson interior focused on the steering wheelFord
Ford Does Restrict Your Top Choice
With all of this roof discussion, when we asked Ford’s representative about confirmation regarding the permanent top, we also asked whether a soft top would be an option for the Filson. The representative said that the Filson will only be available with the removable hard top. That’s understandable, since the soft folding roof would absolutely result in a loud cabin, what with the reduced insulation and comparably inconsistent shape. It would also probably look a little low-rent compared with the paint-matched hard top.
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CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
We think Ford made the right decision to retain the removable roof. It’s a unique feature shared with just the Wrangler and no luxury competitors. Plus, as we’ve already discussed, the changes Ford did make, such as redesigned seals, insulation, acoustic glass, and some minor aerodynamic updates, were surely easier to design and implement than a whole new roof or attachment system that wasn’t planned nor that would be shared across the line. If Ford’s sound reduction solution works as well as it says it does, it also will show that a permanent roof wasn’t necessary.
Source: Road & Track, Ford
