A blue Ford Bronco parked in front of some trees with the text Will It Baby in the background - Erin MarquisWe haven't done a "Will It Baby" post at Jalopnik in a while because, frankly, none of us have babies, the desire to have babies, or even the ability to have babies. But I do have three nephews, all born three years ago just a few months apart from each other, which means they are prime "BIG TWUCK!" age. Enter, the Ford Bronco. My desire for a Ford Bronco press car was twofold. Firstly, I wanted a rugged car to do rugged things, because my friends and I went backcountry wilderness backpacking over Memorial Day Weekend. The Bronco Badlands with the Sasquatch package and beautiful Velocity Metallic Blue that Ford dropped off for me, with its 2.7-liter Ecoboost V6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission, certainly fit the bill. We ended up hiking an almost entirely deserted island in the middle of Lake Michigan, so the most rugged thing the Bronco really got to do was drive around a bit on former Jalopnik Editor-in-Chief Rory Carroll's land (by the way, have you checked out Alloy yet?) and transport four full-size backpacks and four stinky hikers out to the dock and back to Detroit. Rough and ready, but not quite what Ford had in mind for the Sasquatch package. As a road-tripping car, it was a mixed bag. The Bronco wasn't bad, it has plenty of space for occupants and a heck of a lot of bags, but it wasn't great, as its beefy 35-inch tires and removable body panels made for a loud and whistling ride at freeway speeds. This wasn't unexpected, however. The ride quality of the Bronco could be compared to its rival, the Jeep Wrangler, only much nicer.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe other reason? My brother's three-year-old son loves cars, but the Ford Bronco in particular (much to my 4Runner-owning brother's dismay) so on the last day of my loan, we formulated a plan to pick his son up for daycare in his hero vehicle, which made me pause and ask the question: will it baby? With an MSRP of $72,425, that price alone might make it out of a lot of parents' orbit anyway considering what it costs to raise a kid these days. But before we could wow the kiddo, we had to get the lad safely into the car first. Read more: Long- Vs Short-Stroke Engines: What Are The Differences?Suns out, tops offA man in a black t-shirt puts a toddler seat in the back of a Ford Bronco - Erin Marquis/JalopnikFirst thing first, we had to take the hardtop covers off, because it was 80 degrees and sunny in Michigan and anyone from this gloomy, swampy state knows you've got to seize those sun rays while you can. This has been written about plenty, but the hardtop is so stupid easy to remove; just a single heavy duty latch and a few fasteners on three lightweight panels. The panels are so easy to maneuver even I could handle them on my own — after hauling a 40 pound bag nine miles a day for four days, I wasn't feeling like my strongest self — and they are killer easy to reattach later. A roofless car was a real thrill for the little guy, as this was his first ride ever in such a fun vehicle. But if you're hoping to use this article to convince the spouse that a badass off-roading vehicle is just what the doctor ordered for a family car, you're out of luck. The bulky front-facing toddler booster seat fit and installed easily according to my parenting expert, but there was only room for it because I've got such stubby little legs. All the height under the hips in the family went to my brother it seems, because there was no way to get the booster seat in behind the passenger seat. Even with my solar plexus practically pressed against the steering wheel the little guy's long legs almost reached the back of the driver's seat. And because the rear seats are very upright (something uncomfortably pointed out by those stinky hikers) getting a rear-facing infant seat back there would be even more difficult. The wide space between front seat driver and passenger did make turning around to hand the little guy things and check up on him pretty easy, however, and the cargo area has plenty of room for the accouterments of child rearing.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe wide-opening doors were a boon for my brother, as was the ride height. But while my brother loved the Bronco's lift, his wife, who is five inches shorter and owns a Buick Envista, struggled to get their son out of the Bronco. Luckily his knees are new-in-box and my nephew was thrilled to leap from the high up Bronco into the grass below.Nothing beats enthusiasmA little boy sits in his toddler seat in the back of a Ford Bronco - Erin Marquis/JalopnikWould the Bronco be a decent car to live with with a baby? Unfortunately, probably not. You could do it, sure, but it would take a lot of adjustments, at least one member of the parenting team to be vertically challenged enough to fit the kids in the car but not so short they couldn't get them out. And it would be best if the kids were a bit older to accommodate those unaccommodating rear seats. But you know, while it was an interesting exercise in usability, the real joy of this car is the response it elicited in the kid's heart. The Bronco may be a tough vehicle to live with, but the beefy SUV is an easy vehicle to love, a fact my nephew reminded me of as soon as he saw the big blue Bronco. By some crazy happenstance, my sister-in-law dressed my nephew in the exact same color as the Bronco. He was beyond thrilled to not only ride in his favorite car, but match it too. He talked excitedly all the way home, pointing out power lines and tree tops that had previously been obscured by his parents roofed vehicles. He stuck his tiny hands in the air, felt the breeze through his fingers and giggled and laughed in a way that was genuinely restorative to my shriveled cynical heart. After I left, he talked about the ride all night, according to his parents. I can't help but think I was a part of forming a core memory for the little guy, planting a seed that will someday (hopefully) sustain his car enthusiasm into adolescence and adulthood. And I certainly don't mind being the cool aunt with the "big twucks." AdvertisementAdvertisementWant more like this? 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