“Sooner or later, everything old is new again,” Stephen King has said. Jeans are getting loose again, Michael Keaton is back as Batman and the Ford Bronco has returned after a quarter-century to take on tough terrain (and hopefully avoid low-speed police pursuits). At long last — made even longer by COVID-19 pandemic delays — the iconic SUV is here to enthuse enthusiasts and challenge the even-more-iconic Jeep Wrangler’s rock-crawling reign. If any indication may come from the decisive first-place finish of our Bronco review among last week’s most popular articles, the off-roader is starting off at the right departure angle.

Not to be confused with the earlier-arriving Bronco Sport — the Bronco’s smaller, unibody-constructed, more citified sibling — the body-on-frame Bronco is the real deal. One of its most endearing characteristics is Ford’s refusal to sacrifice on-road drivability for off-pavement prowess, which it nonetheless has in abundance.

“With a better, if slightly detached, on-road feel and factory off-road capabilities that would rival a goat’s, the Bronco will certainly give the Wrangler a run for its money,” Cars.com reviewer Brian Normile writes in his comprehensive critique. “Ford appears all in on the Bronco, and if buyers and shoppers show the same sort of enthusiasm, the Bronco has a chance to make up ground on the Wrangler’s cultural status, too.”

For Normile’s full review, follow the link below to Cars.com’s No. 1 article of the past week.

Another new expert review showed well in its debut week, with our take on the 2021 Tesla Model Y landing in fourth place on the countdown. Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek lauds the Model Y for having everything a shopper might want in a luxury electric SUV: efficiency, range, performance, and generous passenger and cargo room relative to its size. But that’s not to say the Model Y is without its shortcomings. And in a new era where competition is increasingly stiff, the nameplate becomes a question — as in, Y would you spring for this Tesla when Ford and Volkswagen have competitive models for less money?

“If a stiff ride or lacking Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and an instrument panel are deal breakers for you, you have more compelling options in the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4,” Bruzek concludes. “But it’s really hard to look elsewhere when the Model Y does so many things so well — things that are core to what’s considered good for both EVs and SUVs.”

For our full review of the Model Y, follow the link below to our No. 4 article of the week. Meanwhile, checking in at No. 6 is yet another review of sorts: our rapid-fire rundown of the things we like and we don’t like about the redesigned 2022 Honda Civic.

Rounding out the week’s top five are the 2021 edition of Cars.com’s American-Made Index, at No. 2, which this year deemed the Tesla Model 3 the most American car among 90 models that made the cut; an examination of when the auto industry’s ongoing inventory shortage will end (in short: not anytime soon), at No. 3; and a roundup of more than two dozen models Cars.com editors deemed to have above-average availability amid the dearth of inventory, at No. 5.

Beyond that, we have headlines on the Ford Maverick, Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe and much more, so keep clicking. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:

1. 2021 Ford Bronco Review: Worth the Bucks

2. 2021 Cars.com American-Made Index: Which Cars Are the Most American?

3. How Long Will the Vehicle Inventory Shortage Last?

4. 2021 Tesla Model Y Review: Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too

5. Inventory Pinch: 25 Models Still Out There

6. Is the 2022 Honda Civic a Good Car? 6 Pros and 2 Cons

7. 2022 Ford Maverick Pricing Starts at $20,000, But What Does That Include?

8. July 4 Deals: What’s the Best Deal on an American-Made Car?

9. Which 3-Row SUVs Offer Captain’s Chairs?

10. 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4xe Review: Not Bad, Just Confusing

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Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.

10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Ford Bronco Bucks Off Tesla Model Y, Honda Civic