by Gabrielle DeSantis

If you were thinking about signing up for the Ford Bronco waiting list, then you’ll have to wait. Online reservations for 2021 Ford Bronco models are currently paused due to growing production challenges. But what problems does the Bronco face? 

2021 Ford Bronco Reservations are on hold 

If you thought that it was finally time to pull the trigger on a 2021 Ford Bronco, then you may have waited too long. Online reservations have been paused. Ford has stopped taking reservations after receiving over 190,000 orders. 

The Detriot Free Press obtained an email recently sent to dealerships explaining why this decision was made. “Based on Dealer Council Feedback, effective Monday, August 23rd, Ford has paused the creation of new reservations for Bronco vehicles. 

This decision to place reservations on hold is due to the high number of two and four-door Bronco model orders and current commodity constraints. Customers are encouraged to work directly with their dealer to assist with the ordering process, delivering timing expectations, and build specifications. 

For example, dealerships can guide customers with the possibility of acquiring a stock vehicle that’s already built or scheduled. Due to the high amount of orders, deliveries of Bronco orders placed today will extend through the 2022 calendar year.”

When can you order a Bronco? 

Ford noted that it would communicate a plan to reopen reservations when available. So, it may be challenging to get a 2021 Ford Bronco model at this point. However, you might get lucky and find one at a dealership. 

The 2022 Ford Bronco order banks are scheduled to open sometime between October and December. This is, of course, if the Bronco models aren’t impacted by delays caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, supply shortages, and quality issues. 

Customers can place an order for a Ford Bronco if they do not have a reservation. You need to work directly with your dealer. If a customer already has a Bronco reservation, it can be converted to an order with customer consent. 

Bronco orders will be built based on the customer reservation time stamp. As the system runs out of buildable orders because of commodity challenges, it will move down the list until it finds a buildable order. 

What are these commodities? 

The 2021 Ford Bronco is facing issues with its hardtop supplier. Webasto, the Bronco hardtop supplier, has struggled to produce the number of tops that Ford needs to fulfill customer orders, even though millions have been invested in solving the issue. 

To make matters worse, the existing hardtops face quality issues. Each hardtop will have to be replaced. This is only one of their recent expensive problems. Ford is also dealing with a recall for faulty seatbelts installed in 2021 Ford F-150 models. 

Ford needs to buckle down on quality control as time runs out for building 2021 vehicles. Automakers tend to switch to the new model year in the summer. However, the 2021 Ford Bronco build has been extended and could be produced into December to fill the massive backlog of orders. 

This launch has been one of the most important launches for Ford in decades. But due to the popularity of the Bronco, people are willing to wait for it and pay extra. The messy launch doesn’t seem to be deterring people yet.

RELATED: 2021 Ford Bronco Production Came to a Screeching Halt

The post Sorry, 2021 Ford Bronco Reservations Have Been Paused appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Americans love trucks. In 2020 alone, we bought over ten million of them. Trucks have handy beds we can use to carry anything we want. But which is the smallest truck bed, and is it useful? Compare the three smallest truck beds available: The Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Cruz.

3rd Smallest Truck Bed: Honda Ridgeline

The Honda company completely redesigned the Ridgeline for 2021. The new truck sports an aggressive look and more power than any Toyota Tacoma. The engineers also revamped the Ridgeline’s bed, the third smallest truck bed available. 

The new Ridgeline essentially has a two-tier bed: Between the wheels, this Honda features a lockable in-bed trunk. In addition, Honda fit this trunk with a drain so it can function as a large cooler.

The Ridgeline’s main bed begins above the wheel wells and is thus a broad, uninterrupted storage space. This is why a sheet of 4×8 plywood, or drywall, fits perfectly in the Ridgeline’s main bed.

 The Ridgeline also has a nifty dual-function tailgate: it can swing out to access the in-bed trunk, or it can fold down to extend your load deck. In addition, the Ridgeline offers eight tie-down hooks in various places. The resulting vehicle is one of the only trucks recommended by Consumer Reports.

Note: you can order several midsize pickup trucks with full cabs and beds shorter than the Ridgeline’s, but you can also option them with larger beds than the Ridgeline. This is why we ranked the Ridgeline as being the truck with the third smallest bed.

• Length: 64 inches (5.3 feet)
• Width: 50 inches
• Bed Cargo Space: 33.9 cubic feet
• Additional Space: 7.3 cubic feet (In-Bed Trunk)
• Tailgate: Swing-out

2nd Smallest Truck Bed: Ford Maverick

The Ford Maverick’s truck bed is ten inches shorter than the Ridgeline, but the bed walls are taller. As a result, the Maverick has the second smallest truck bed.

The Maverick has no in-bed trunk; the bed begins below the wheel-wells. Ford has flattened the top of these wheel wells for loading wide items. In addition, the company engineered a tailgate you can secure at about 45 degrees to create a level surface to bridge a 4×8 piece of plywood or drywall across.

Ford also designed its new Maverick’s bed with ten available tie-downs. These include tie-downs in the tailgate, adjustable cleats on an in-bed rail, and tie-downs on the bottom of the load floor.

Finally, Ford engineered its bed with multiple slots for 2x4s and 2x6s so customers can shelve out their pickup bed however they want. This all-new truck is stronger than expected.

• Length: 54.4 inches (4.5 feet)
• Width: 53.3 inches
• Bed Cargo Space: 33.3 cubic feets
• Tailgate: Multi-Position 

1st Smallest Truck Bed: Hyundai Santa Cruz

The smallest truck bed available in 2022 belongs to the new Hyundai Santa Cruz. This Hyundai bed is more than six inches shorter than the Ford Maverick’s bed. The Hyundai bed is 42.7-inches wide at the wheel wells and 53.9-inches wide overall. The bed is 19.2 inches tall, and its forward wall is slanted, so it is 48-inches long at the bed opening, but the bed floor is 52.1-inches long. 

Due to this unique shape, Hyundai is still listing the volume of its bed as TBD. However, depending on the angle of the slant of the bed’s front wall and the size of the wheel wells, the Hyundai Santa Cruz bed’s volume will fall between 29 cubic feet and 31 cubic feet.

What the Hyundai truck bed lacks in space, it makes up for in innovative utility. Hyundai has dampened the tailgate hinges, so it falls open slowly. In addition, the Santa Cruz features an in-bed trunk with a drain plug. This trunk is smaller than the Ridgeline’s but can easily fit a pair of backpacks or become a cooler. 

The Santa Cruz features two storage compartments, a bit bigger than an automotive battery, in the bed’s walls. The righthand compartment is wired with a twelve-volt outlet, though customers can opt for a 115-volt outlet instead.

Every Santa Cruz comes with a locking tonneau cover. Finally, Hyundai has even included steps in the corner of the rear bumper and mounted LED work lights in the Santa Cruz’s bed.

• Length of bed floor: 52.1 inches (4.3 feet)
• Length of bed opening: 48 inches
• Width: 53.9 inches
• Bed Cargo Space: TBD
• Tailgate: Dampened opening

RELATED: Used Jeep Wrangler Prices: The Cheapest and Most Expensive Model Years

The post Who Makes The Smallest Truck Bed? Compare The Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Cruz appeared first on MotorBiscuit.