I’m wondering if anybody is going to buy the new Bronco. I’m leaning towards “after the first year or two, not really, no”. It’s one of those ultimate “everybody totally wants it you gotta build it” cars, the kind that the press and enthusiasts clamor for and then wind up not actually buying.

The Stinger GT has the right ingredients (looks great, rear-drive turbo 6, chassis set up by the guy who was in charge of the BMW M division back when that still meant something), and Kia just needs to be able to get that across in the marketing to be a hit.

The Bronco has to live up to the expectations that have been shoveled onto it by enthusiasts and the press, since even if Ford tries to deny it, that’s why they’re building the thing. It’s automotive fanservice, and no matter how good it winds up being, automotive fanservice eventually winds up disappointing.

It’s easier for a company with something to prove to sell the car they intend to use to prove it than it is for a company to sell the car that fans and the press demanded they make. Just ask Toyota, they’ve done both. They had something to prove with the original Lexus LS, and it was a huge success. They built the car we all said we wanted with the 86/FR-S/BRZ, and look how quickly our excitement turned to falling sales and “where’s the power lol?”

Still, though, it would be ideal if they were able to immediately start selling both with ~30,000 miles on the clock and a CPO warranty.