Ford Broncos and Jeep Wranglers are first and foremost big-kid toys—think Transformers as transportation. Their roofs and doors come off, and they can be extensively customized for specific types of play by combing corporate and aftermarket accessories catalogs. But selecting just the right parts and installing them is hard, so Ford and Jeep offer myriad prepackaged accessory bundles tailored to specific types of vehicular fun, including desert racing, rock climbing, or mudslinging.

The Bronco family’s latest such entry is the Everglades (we’ve dubbed it “the Swamptor” in a sort of homage to the Bronco Raptor, which we call the Braptor). This new model has the foundational dimensions and hardware to tackle modest rock climbing, but it’s optimized for tackling “mud and ruts,” with self-reliance as its primary superpower.

This comes courtesy of a standard Warn Zeon 10-S winch that makes this Bronco ready to yank itself out of or over the toughest terrain right from the factory floor—a boon for overlanding enthusiasts. For what it’s worth, Jeep currently doesn’t offer a factory-option winch on the Wrangler.

As noted in our First Look, the Everglades package is based on a four-door Bronco Black Diamond equipped with the Advanced, Mid, and Sasquatch packages, plus the gray hard top with roof rack and cross bars.

To do up any other Bronco like this would currently cost $50,930, but to finish the $54,495 Everglades, Ford adds a modular Ford Performance bumper with the winch and a protective safari bar; raises the air vent plumbing for the front and rear axles, transfer case, and transmission by 3.4 inches in front and 2.2 inches in the rear (increasing the safe wading depth by 2.9 inches; and installs an air snorkel to help exclude dust, snow, and water from the engine intake.

So equipped, with 35-inch (315/70R17) Goodyear Territory tires, a 3.06:1 low range, and 4.70:1 axles, the crawl ratio is 67.8:1. Wading depth is 36.4 inches, ground clearance is 11.7 inches, and approach, breakover, and departure angles are 37.8/26.3/37.1 degrees. The winch protrudes about 8 inches, reducing approach angle by 5.4 degrees.

Rain drenched Michigan’s Drummond Island’s 100 miles of trails a couple days before our arrival, ensuring we’d get good and mucky.

Tire pressures were dropped from 39 to 32 psi to improve traction without triggering the low-pressure warning lights, and we proceeded through most water and mud troughs with minimal wheelspin. With a pair of hip waders at the ready just in case, we tiptoed into and through the first dozen “water features,” often just idling smoothly along at a few miles per hour in high range with the GOAT mode terrain selector set to Mud & Ruts (four high, rear diff lock).

The ease with which our Bronco tackled these early trials quickly built our confidence. Submerged rocks occasionally sounded off on the underbody armor and skidplates, but we mostly enjoyed listening to the gurgling of water against the floorboards. It was easy to hear, as we had the carpet-delete floor liners with drain plugs in each footwell. Along with the marine-grade vinyl seat upholstery, they simplify cleaning out the Bronco Everglades after a muddy day on the trails.

The island’s toughest obstacle is known as The Steps at Marble Head. This “Jeep Badge of Honor destination” limestone shale staircase drops maybe 20 feet over a run of about 50 feet. With the GOAT dial turned to Rock Crawl (four low, rear diff locked), we locked the front diff and watched the spotters directing us as we climbed down and back up again with relative ease using the less difficult paths along the outermost edges of the steps.

Then, to demonstrate the winch’s capability, the Ford engineers took the toughest line right up the middle, involving several very tall “steps.” They simply parked one Bronco at the top on a clean rock surface with the brakes firmly set, reeled 30 or 40 feet of synthetic line (it’s lighter, so if it snaps it packs less punch) out of the climbing Bronco, and hooked them together.

Then with the remote winch control in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, the driver wheeled and winched his Bronco up the obstacle. Later, a winch strapped to a tree pulled a Bronco up a steep, muddy incline that was also narrow enough to peel the rear fender flares from two of the SUVs. (The flares are designed to break away without major damage.)

The choice to make Everglades four-cylinder-only was a nod to the overlanding audience. The 2.3-liter ekes out 1 mpg better fuel economy in the city and combined cycles (18 versus 17) and hence travels 20 miles farther per tank. But perhaps more important, the four weighs 150 pounds less, freeing up payload for gear. We didn’t miss the 30 to 40 hp (the V-6’s output varies on regular or premium fuel) when driving through water troughs or motoring around on flat pavement, though the extra 90 to 95 lb-ft of torque might have helped on steeper climbs.

Factory-installed items must pass full crash and durability standards, so Ford dictated additional corrosion countermeasures and some new fasteners relative to the Zeon 10-S units provided in the aftermarket. To pass crash standards, Everglades models get a new airbag triggering switch that doesn’t come with aftermarket winches.

The downside of having a winch at all is that it blocks a grille-mounted camera or radar unit, so you can’t get adaptive cruise control or a forward camera view, which we missed during our drive. Ford is working to find a new camera location.

The new snorkel can breathe from either the front or rear by swapping the vent and blanking plates. Leave it facing rear, lower the window slightly, and enjoy the intake roar and turbo wastegate noises. Just remember it’s for breathing clean air above the dust clouds, not for when the engine is underwater.

Matt Caldwell, executive director of Tread Lightly, joined our drive. His organization was established by the Forest Service to help maintain ORV trails and encourage users to stay on trails to preserve nature. Fun fact: A portion of every Bronco purchase goes to the Bronco Wild Fund, which supports five similar organizations.

Tread Lightly alone received $50,000 last year from Ford’s program, which funded trail restoration projects in five states involving cleanup and improved signage and fencing to increase safety and keep trails open, accessible, and environmentally friendly.

The $3,565 premium paid for the Everglades model is just $65 more than Ford charges for the winch alone in its accessories catalog. That makes the bumper, snorkel, breather-tube extensions, unique wheels, and exterior graphics seem like a roaring bargain.

And considering off-road trails in this country feature more mud and ruts than opportunities for desert racing or rock climbing, this strikes us as a package that should have broad appeal. If you’re already waiting for a 2022 Bronco to be built, you can and should consider switching your order to an Everglades. If not, you’ll have to get in line for a 2023 model.