image: Ford
Today, a new Bronco package joins the family. It’s pink.
Or, rather, parts of it are.
Let’s get into this limited-run design.
A Ford Custom Garage Creation
In 2024, Ford launched a new upfit program, Ford Custom Garage, during the vehicle trends and aftermarket accessories SEMA Show.
The program produces limited-edition appearance and performance packages for Ford trucks and SUVs. Think of the packages as easy options to customize your vehicle while staying under warranty. You’re getting bundles professionally designed and tested to Ford factory standards for precise fit and function that can be serviced by any Ford Dealer in the U.S. Time-strapped owners who want upgrades or people who aren’t interested in planning, sourcing, and installing modifications but like a custom look can benefit.
Several packages dropped at launch, and Ford has released more over the last 21 months, including the Coastal Package that left me shocked, in a good way. That brings us to the newest: Meet the Desert Rising Package.
images: Ford
Desert Rising –– Ford’s First Pink 6th Gen Bronco
Inspired by the hues of Utah’s Great Salt Lake and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, when the north arm runs almost neon and the sands turn berry at dusk and dawn, Desert Rising is built on an Outer Banks and installed prior to delivery. The modifications can be part of your financing, and you’ll drive off the lot in a customized Bronco.
The Facts and Features
Like the special 2021 First Edition and 2023-2024 Heritage Limited Edition trims, Desert Rising is also capped in number. The package comes serialized, with a console badge denoting its sequent. A run of only 1,000 will be made.
White Method wheels are paired with a white bucking Bronco on the swing gate. While the package receives a Ford Custom Garage badge above the rear handle, it does not have fender badges of any kind –– no Outer Banks decal, no Bronco script used on other Ford Custom Garage bundles.
All Desert Rising Package-equipped Broncos receive one of several standout items: custom Katzkin Leather seats, done up in a saturated pink surface with matching stitching. Black leather contrasts that tone, cutting the richness. They also get the painted grille design first seen on the SEMA 2024 Wild Fund Bronco concept and released as the Bronco Modular Grille Kit the following year.
Read: New! The Bronco Modular Grille Kit and Bronze Wheels
Magenta Bronco lettering sits against a lighter rose color that continues around the headlights and grille bezel.
image: Ford
The most notable exterior feature is the bodyside graphics. Undulating rose, pink, and magenta lines suggest the shifting grains and Navajo sandstone cliffs of Coral Pink Sand Dunes. This feature is optional.
Not Optional: Bronco Capability and Function
Utah is home to another iconic off-highway vehicle playground, this one filled with red rock and arches. Moab.
At the beginning of difficult trails there and at other trails around the nation, you may come across a gatekeeper, a tricky, technical obstacle that serves as a warning and test for you as a driver and your vehicle. Conquer it, and you’re ready to take on the trail. If you’re too uncomfortable or your vehicle can’t make it, then you’re saved from finding that out later, once you’re already committed.
Lots of you have taken on Behind the Rocks’ Guardian Rock in Moab or the granite slabs of California’s Rubicon Trail entrance. Plenty of owners have continued, but maybe some had to turn back.
Why am I bringing this up? At the beginning of the year, the Bronco community held a discussion: Does pink belong on an off-roader? I was curious to know what, if anything, would distort the Bronco brand. What appearance choices go too far and take away from the Bronco’s highly capable aesthetic? Does "durable" have to mean earth tones?
Turns out, not only are we an open-minded bunch about what others do with their vehicles, but also we're go-anywhere in our own. Not once has a Bronco failed an obstacle because of its color.
Bronco DNA is Built Wild, rugged and tough, ready to take on adventure. The Desert Rising Package is no different. Front and rear lockers, 35” tires, and the heavy-duty modular front bumper with recovery points combine off-roading prowess with a different version of beauty.
“Enthusiasts want to personalize their vehicles, and we recognize that every trim package isn't for every customer,” says senior designer Bhavna Mistry. “Desert Rising was designed for those looking for something bold, expressive, and fun. We hope drivers take these vehicles to unforgettable destinations that only a Bronco can reach, creating memories along the way.”
Having a vehicle that matches your preferences doesn’t take away what it can do. We see colorful Broncos at every event, and now, some owners will be able to claim their favorite tone from the factory. And maybe this package is the start of additional unique colors from Ford.
Desert Rising is the first chapter in what Ford calls the Horizon Series. “There's more to come, and we're excited to continue sharing that story,” says Mistry.
Get Your Limited Desert Rising Package Bronco
Desert Rising is available in four exterior colors:
- Oxford White
- Shadow Black
- Avalanche Gray
- Ruby Red
Read: Exclusive | All the Colorways of the New Ford Custom Garage Desert Rising Package
While only the Oxford White version was available for Bronco Nation to see in person at the Michigan International Speedway, where Ford revealed it to media, I was lucky to be shown two of the other colors on a phone. Desert Rising on Shadow Black is my personal favorite, and Ruby Red was a pleasant surprise as well. The one downside is cost.
At a suggested retail price of $13,695, the Desert Rising Package brings an Outer Banks with Sasquatch Package technology up among the top trims in dollar amount. So far, the Ford Custom Garage Packages have ranged closer to a little more than half of that, including tires and labor. Still, for the first time on one of these packages, you’re getting custom leather seats (not covers), in addition to the bodyside graphics, wheels with custom center caps, unique trail sights similar to the premium Filson Bronco, and a serialized experience, all under warranty.
If Desert Rising is the Bronco package for you, talk to your dealer, and soon. Orders open for the package today, July 27. Once all 1,000 have been claimed, there will be no more made.
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