Jeep responds to Bronco, offers doors-off mirror kit

Jeep is firing back at the Ford Bronco with its latest accessory.

Mopar on Friday said Jeep Wrangler SUV and Gladiator pickup owners can buy a new kit to attach side mirrors to their vehicles after taking off their doors. The vehicles' side mirrors are attached to their front doors.

The Bronco comes equipped with the side mirrors mounted to the SUV's A-pillars, keeping them in place when the doors are removed.

The two mirrors included in the Mopar kit attach to the cowl-end cap bolt and the upper door hinge of the Wrangler and Gladiator. Installation requires a T40 bit wrench, which is included in the standard tool kit that comes with the vehicles. The mirrors have a built-in break-away to avoid damage while navigating tight roads or trails, and come with a two-year warranty. Suggested pricing is $295.

“With our new doors-off mirror kit, Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator owners will enjoy an improved range of vision during their open-air adventures," Mark Bosanac, Mopar's head of service, parts and customer care in North America, said in a statement. 

The new offering shows how competition in the marketplace encourages automakers to be innovative, said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at auto research website iSeeCars.com

"I think you’re definitely seeing a reaction to the new challenger — no pun intended — to the Jeep Wrangler that the Bronco represents," he said. "I’ve always said I love it when two capable companies in any industry, including the auto industry, start a fight with each other. The consumer wins. Here we are, Mopar comes out with this really cool new feature, and I don’t think we’d be seeing it if Ford hadn’t produced the Bronco."

The Bronco is Wrangler's toughest competition in years in the growing and profit-heavy off-road segment. With a buzzy debut in July, the Bronco as of last week had 190,000 reservations with people putting down $100 in anticipation of the vehicle. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has sold more than 150,000 Wranglers so far this year.

"We’ve innovated Bronco from day one so the mirrors are located on the vehicle with or without the doors on," Ford spokesman Jiyan Cadiz said. "It’s something we saw as an opportunity to improve the off-road landscape with. It's ready from the factory just as it is."

bnoble@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @BreanaCNoble