Ugh, just checked. The Bronco is an "electro-mechanical" unit. Which is, like the article suggested, pretty light
duty and weaker than a true gearbox.
The annoying insistence that the US market requires "auto" full-time cases is frustrating. Looks like Ford is on board. Chevy and Jeep never left it. Nissan removed their excellent and heavy duty transfer case out of the Y62 patrol and put in a junk unit for the Armada. Only Toyota and Land Rover bring their heavy-duty cases over here. But Rover insists the center diff be electronically controlled, which is almost as dumb as the other manufacturers' "electro-mechanical" cases...but not quite.
So yeah, I'd probably buy a part-time Ranger, but not because I wanted too.