We don't rent the Bronco. Our FJ Cruiser is the same trip.

The original Ford Bronco and Toyota's FJ Cruiser both drew from the same design language — short overhangs, upright body, simple capable 4WD with a transfer case that doesn't ask you to think. The new Bronco is a modernized, more sophisticated version of that concept. The FJ Cruiser Trail Teams is the 2013 version of a vehicle Toyota designed to compete directly with the old Bronco and the Wrangler.

For the trips most Bronco searches in East Tennessee are planning — Cades Cove, the Smokies, gravel forest service roads in Cherokee National Forest, the occasional rocky parking area at a trailhead — the FJ Trail Teams is the same vehicle in practical terms. The 4.0L V6, body-on-frame construction, part-time 4WD, and rear locker give you everything the trip actually requires.

The Bronco's removable roof and doors are genuinely its signature features — the reason many Bronco buyers chose it over the Wrangler. The FJ Cruiser has a fixed roof and fixed doors. If the open-air experience is specifically what you're after, the FJ doesn't match. Check Turo for Bronco listings in Knoxville or consider whether the Miata convertible (a completely different kind of open-air experience) serves your trip differently.

The Bronco's modular roof system is also more recent technology — the FJ is a 2013 vehicle with period-appropriate interior and technology. It doesn't have a touchscreen infotainment system. It does have everything that matters for a capable off-road-adjacent SUV rental.