By William Byrd
Ford and Filson want to take customers from Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz. They said this out loud. To automotive journalists. You have to respect the confidence.
The 2027 Ford Bronco Filson was revealed in June, and Ford has been touring it around the country this summer for exactly this purpose: getting journalists and enthusiasts close enough to touch it and form opinions before orders open in the fall. I attended the Washington, DC, stop thanks to the Washington Auto Press Association and came away with a few thoughts. The short version: the ambition is real, the execution is pretty solid, and whether the target customer actually exists in the numbers Ford needs is the interesting question.
What It Is
The Bronco Filson is not a special edition. Ford is positioning it as a permanent trim in the Bronco lineup, sitting above the Outer Banks and Badlands. It’s not inexpensive, targeted to start in the mid-$70,000 range when orders open this fall, with vehicles arriving at dealers in early 2027.
Under the hood is the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 from the Bronco Raptor, producing 418 horsepower. The Sasquatch Off-Road Package and Fox shocks are standard. It is a four-door-only proposition. There is a First Edition for North America, finished in an exclusive shade called Iron Sands Copper Metallic with a serialized console badge. The Filson collaboration includes a limited-edition apparel collection already available at Filson stores and online.
Filson, for context, has been making outdoor gear since 1897. They have supplied the U.S. Forest Service, outfitted hunters and prospectors, and built a reputation for making good stuff that lasts long enough to become someone else’s problem. Ford and Filson actually collaborated in 2020 on a Wildland Fire Rig concept, so this is not a cynical pairing of a car brand with whatever heritage label was available. There is a genuine shared customer here, somewhere.
I’ll admit the Filson store that hosted the event had some great stuff. My colleague and good friend Patrick Min did a “The Price Is Right” guess on the Bronco Filson hoodie at $120. He was so wrong. Based on TPIR rules, he lost!
It was $119.
First Impressions
The interior is the main event, and the Bronco Filson’s cabin makes a reasonably convincing case for itself. Double stitching, decent materials, a level of finish that reads as intentional rather than assembled from the options catalog. Filson’s signature tin cloth appears throughout, which is a nice touch. The seats feel fine, not exceptional but good, and appropriate for a vehicle that will spend time in places where the seat is the last thing you think about.
The details are where the collaboration works well. There is a small pouch on the back of the seat that looks exactly like a miniature Filson messenger bag, which is either charming or a bit much depending on how seriously you take this kind of thing. More Filson bags are strapped to the rear pillars as well. Whether you want your car’s interior to communicate the vibe is a personal question. I thought it looked pretty good.
Here, check it out for yourself.
The $70,000 Question
Back to Ford’s stated ambition to pull buyers from Land Rover and Mercedes. These are vehicles that start north of $100,000 and climb steeply from there. A Bronco Filson at mid-$70,000 is, on paper, a meaningful undercut. And yet. The buyer who is cross-shopping a G-Wagon is not primarily making a rational decision about off-road capability. They are making a statement, and the statement costs what it costs. A Bronco, however excellent, however Filson-branded, is still a Bronco. This is not a criticism of the Bronco. It is an observation about how premium badge purchases work.
The more realistic scenario, as I see it, is that the Bronco Filson becomes the thing that wealthy people buy as their outdoor vehicle, their ranch truck, their weekend machine, parked next to things that cost considerably more. The ninth car, not the primary one. That is still a viable business for Ford, and I’m sure there are customers who will appreciate what the Bronco Filson delivers.
Orders open in fall 2026. The Bronco Filson Tour continues through the summer. If you are curious, go see it in person.
2027 Ford Bronco Filson
Targeted Starting MSRP: Mid-$70,000s | Engine: 3.0L EcoBoost V6 | Output: 418 hp | Standard: Sasquatch Package, Fox Shocks | Body: 4-door only | Orders: Fall 2026 | On Sale: Early 2027 | Assembly: Michigan Assembly Plant, Wayne, MI
Kamil Kaluski 
Jeff Glucker