Ford Bronco, Meet the Battleship 700 — The 1,113-HP Off-Roader That Can Actually Swim

Ford Bronco, Meet the Battleship 700 — The 1,113-HP Off-Roader That Can Actually Swim​

Just when you thought the off-road SUV wars couldn't get any crazier, somebody apparently decided that driving through the water wasn't enough.

Why ford a river when your SUV can practically become a boat?

Meet the Geely Battleship 700, a new plug-in-hybrid off-roader coming out of China with outrageous power, serious off-road hardware and one feature that immediately caught our attention here at BroncoBusting:

It can actually propel itself through deep water.

That naturally raises a question for Bronco owners.

Has the off-road SUV arms race officially gotten out of control?​

Bronco Goes Through Water. Battleship 700 Goes Swimming.​

Ford has certainly never been shy about the Bronco's water-crossing capability.

The 2026 Bronco with the Sasquatch Package can ford up to 33.5 inches of water, while the Bronco Raptor increases that maximum to 37 inches. That's impressive capability for a production off-road SUV.

But Geely apparently looked at water fording and said: What happens when the water gets deeper than that?

The Battleship 700 normally has an advertised wading depth of 800 mm — about 31.5 inches — which actually puts its conventional water-fording ability in roughly Bronco territory.

Then things get weird.

The vehicle has an emergency water-travel system designed to allow the SUV to float and propel itself through deeper water rather than simply drive along the bottom.

In other words, the Bronco is designed to cross the creek.

The Battleship 700 apparently wants to cross the lake.

Then There's the Horsepower​

Here's where the numbers become almost comical.

The 2026 Bronco Raptor produces 418 horsepower and 440 lb-ft of torque from its 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6.

The Battleship 700 uses a plug-in-hybrid powertrain with three electric motors and a gasoline engine. Its claimed combined output is 830 kW, which works out to roughly 1,113 horsepower.

That's nearly 700 horsepower more than a Bronco Raptor.

Now, horsepower doesn't automatically make something a better off-roader. Anyone who has spent time on a real trail knows gearing, suspension travel, tires, ground clearance, locking differentials, approach and departure angles, weight and driver skill can matter considerably more than a giant horsepower number.

But 1,113 horsepower in a boxy off-road SUV?

We certainly weren't expecting that.

Battleship 700 vs. Ford Bronco​

On paper, these two vehicles take very different approaches to off-roading.

2026 Ford Bronco Raptor

• 418 horsepower
• 3.0L EcoBoost V6
• 37-inch tires
• 13.1 inches of ground clearance
• Maximum 37-inch water-fording depth
• HOSS 4.0 suspension with FOX Live Valve dampers
• Front stabilizer-bar disconnect
• Removable doors and roof
• Huge American aftermarket and established off-road community

Geely Battleship 700

• Approximately 1,113 hp claimed combined output
• Plug-in-hybrid powertrain
• Three electric motors
• All-wheel drive
• Approximately 31.5-inch conventional wading depth
• 233 mm, or about 9.2 inches, of ground clearance
• Differential locks
• Specialized maneuvering technology including a tight-turn function
• Emergency deep-water flotation/propulsion capability

The Battleship wins the horsepower-number contest by a ridiculous margin, but look closely at the rest of those specifications.

The Bronco Raptor has 13.1 inches of ground clearance versus approximately 9.2 inches for the Battleship 700.

That's a major distinction if we're talking about crawling over rocks rather than swimming past them.

And That's Really the Interesting Part​

The Battleship 700 doesn't necessarily look like somebody built a machine specifically to beat the Bronco at the Bronco's own game.

Instead, it represents a completely different philosophy.

Ford has spent years refining a relatively traditional purpose-built off-roader: big tires, substantial suspension travel, lockers, skid plates, removable body panels and mechanical capability.

Geely is throwing electrification and technology at the problem.

Massive electric-motor power.

Advanced driver-assistance systems.

Special maneuvering modes.

And, apparently, the ability to turn your SUV into an emergency boat.

That's what should make vehicles like the Battleship 700 interesting to Ford fans even if we never see one sitting next to a Bronco at an American dealership.

Could Technology Like This Eventually Come to the Bronco?​

That's the question we'd really like to ask.

Not necessarily the swimming part — although we'd pay good money to watch Ford engineers test a floating Bronco.

But electrification creates opportunities that simply aren't available with a conventional drivetrain.

Electric motors can control individual wheels with tremendous precision. Hybrid systems can provide enormous low-speed torque. Vehicle electronics can increasingly manipulate suspension, steering and drivetrain behavior depending upon terrain.

Ford has already demonstrated that it isn't afraid to experiment with Bronco technology.

So while nobody needs a 1,113-horsepower Bronco tomorrow, vehicles such as the Battleship 700 demonstrate just how quickly the definition of a "serious off-road vehicle" may be changing.

But There's Something the Battleship Can't Copy​

The Bronco isn't successful simply because of a specification sheet.

Take the doors off.

Take the roof off.

Throw some gear in the back.

Hit a trail.

Modify it.

Break something.

Fix it.

Meet another Bronco owner on the trail.

That's a huge part of what makes the Bronco what it is.

There is an enormous aftermarket surrounding the platform, an established enthusiast community and decades of history behind the Bronco name.

You can't manufacture that overnight with another 500 horsepower and a propeller.

And America Isn't Getting the Battleship — At Least Not Yet​

Geely has confirmed that the Battleship 700 will reach Australia during the second half of 2027, putting it into a market packed with serious off-road vehicles.

There has been no confirmed U.S. launch.

That means we're unlikely to see one lining up next to a Bronco Raptor at an American trailhead anytime soon.

Still, it's worth paying attention.

Because the Battleship 700 shows just how strange — and interesting — the next generation of off-road SUVs could become.

So We'll Leave This One to the BroncoBusting Crowd:​

If Ford offered a future Bronco with an emergency flotation system that could actually propel itself through deep water, would you want it?

Or would you rather Ford forget the boat tricks and keep concentrating on what the Bronco already does best:

four wheels, big tires and a nasty trail ahead?

Let us know in the BroncoBusting forums.

Source: MSN's coverage of the Geely Battleship 700, Geely information and published vehicle specifications. Ford Bronco specifications are from Ford's 2026 Bronco specifications.