A few years ago, Ford caused an explosion of excitement in the off-roading world when it punched the Bronco into existence. Finally, the default answer for a capable 4×4 with a removable roof wasn’t just “Jeep.” But Ford didn’t let the big bucking horse gallop on its own, for the Bronco also came with a little brother. The Ford Bronco Sport kept some of the off-road capability and was instead a cheaper practical family hauler. Now, with the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport, the Blue Oval has decided to grow the baby Bronco up to be much closer to its brother, and I think it’s going to be a hit out of the park.
Back in 2020 and 2021, our co-founders David Tracy and Jason Torchinsky got to drive the original baby Bronco Sports. David summarized his review by saying:
“On the road, the engines aren’t exciting. Off-road, the vehicle doesn’t let you drift, and it could potentially struggle with thermal issues. Plus, it suffers from a number of ailments that car-based off-roaders typically suffer from: The Bronco Sport will be hard to modify with a lift kit, it doesn’t offer great articulation, and it doesn’t have a low-range transfer case for stress-free, low-speed rock crawling.
But for small adventures, the Bronco Sport is plenty capable.”
Jason’s review hit similar notes:
“[I]t’s kind of a normal, boring, everyday SUV wearing a tough off-roader costume, complete with lots of little fun and silly details and accessories. It’s doing some cosplay.
But you know what? People do cosplay because it’s fun. Because they have fun doing it, and if dressing up like something that’s not exactly you but makes you feel good to do it, who am I to say that’s wrong? It’s not. It’s fun, and not everything in life has to be rational.”
I’ve driven both the big boy Bronco and the wee Sport and I agree with my colleagues. They’re two different vehicles appealing to two different kinds of buyers. It’s been a successful product too. Ford says half of Bronco Sport buyers are women, Bronco Sport owners go off-roading 3.5 times more often than the competition, and Bronco Sport owners go camping twice as often as the competition. However, Ford believes it’s time for a change and that the Bronco Sport should be a lot more substantial than an Escape cosplaying a tough off-roader.
(Full Disclosure: Ford invited me out to Maryville, Tennessee, for a day to learn all about the updates brought to the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. Ford paid for my lodging, travel, and food.)
Soon enough, the general public will be able to descend into Maryville, Tennessee and take part in an off-roading experience Ford calls the Bronco Off-Roadeo. The Maryville location will be a new one and Ford says now most Bronco owners will live within 500 miles of these off-road experiences built to show off what your Bronco or Bronco Sport can do.
It was here that a slew of journalists learned of Ford’s plan to beef up the Bronco Sport to make it closer to the big Bronco. Ford says that the upgrades you’re about to read here were driven by customer feedback. Apparently, customers love their Bronco Sports, but wished their rides were more capable. This is the answer.
I think we should first go over why owners have been asking for more. The Ford Bronco Sport was engineered out of the architecture used in the Ford Escape and the Lincoln Corsair. That means you’re getting a unibody crossover platform that is front-wheel-drive biased and with a transverse engine. There are MacPherson struts up front, multi-links in the rear, and a twin-clutch rear drive unit is bringing the power to the rear wheels.
Starting with a car-based platform is why David ended the review I quoted above. The big Bronco is a body-on-frame beast while the Sport has to work past its inherent compromises.
Much of the underlying Bronco Sport has remained the same. There’s still an Escape somewhere under the sheet metal and there are still two powertrain choices. The base engine is still a 1.5-liter EcoBoost triple making 180 HP and 200 lb-ft of torque while the bigger mill is a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four making 238 HP and 277 lb-ft of torque. You’re still getting a twin-clutch rear drive unit and heck, the 2025 even looks like the previous model year.
Instead, Ford had made a lot of small changes that should mean big things for those who have been begging for more capability.
What’s New
The biggest addition to the Bronco Sport is the addition of the Sasquatch Package, which Ford says is more or less trickled down from the big Bronco. This is a first for the Sport and it can be applied to the Outer Banks and Badlands trim levels with both engines.
Ford says the Bronco Sport Sasquatch Package begins with the twin-clutch rear drive unit, which is a carry-over from the Badlands. However, now this unit is available to the Outer Banks as well through the Sasquatch Package. According to Ford’s documents, the Outer Banks does keep its air-cooled PTU while the Badlands has a liquid-cooled PTU.
Now, Ford says that these Sasquatch rigs have a “locking rear differential,” but that is playing things a bit loose. What Ford really means is that the rear drive unit’s clutches can clamp together, simulating a real locking diff. Twin clutch units aren’t as capable as real mechanical lockers, and I’ve heard our resident off-road gear guru Pat Rich describe hitting the 4×4 lock button in one of these systems to being like “more AWD” than a true lock.
Otherwise, here’s a neat graphic showing how this system works:
Moving on from there, every Bronco Sport with the Sasquatch Package, regardless of trim level, gets 29-inch 235/65/R17 Goodyear Territory All Terrain tires that Ford says are the largest set of rubbery meats in the “Non-Premium Sub-Compact Utility” class.
In terms of suspension, Sasquatch models include Bilstein rear shocks with position-sensitive damping and piggyback reservoirs. Ford says new front and rear springs raise ride height 4/10 of an inch higher than the current Bronco Sport Badlands, while the Bronco Sport Badlands gets 8.3 inches of suspension travel up front and 8.7 inches of travel in the rear. Ford says that’s an improvement of 6/10 of an inch over the regular Badlands.
Sasquatch models also get a front brush guard, steel skid plates, modular front and rear bumpers with steel bash plates, and four thick recovery hooks in front and rear. The modularity in the bumpers comes from the addition of Ford’s “Bronco Bolts.” Basically, the bumpers are covered in random bolts. These exist so that you can zip them out, place a modification on the bumper, and zip the bolts back on.
More of these bolts are inside of the cabin. Another Sasquatch feature is the addition of auxiliary switches in the cabin. These are hooked up to wires in the engine bay, ready for your mods.
Before we move on, I should note that Ford didn’t spend all of its time on the Sasquatch Package. Other new parts include neatly concealed cargo tie-downs on the fenders. This is something the big Bronco already had but Sport customers wanted. These hooks hold 150 pounds each and are meant to keep something big on your roof secure.
Also new is the Black Diamond Off-Road package on the base Big Bend trim level. You don’t get the nifty twin-clutch rear drive unit, but you do get the four recovery points, extra underbody protection, and 2,200 pounds of towing capacity.
Before we head inside we’ll add all of this up. 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend, Outer Banks, Heritage, and Free Wheeling trim levels have an approach angle of 22.1 degrees, a breakover of 18.6 degrees, and departure of 30.8 degrees. Tossing on the Sasquatch Package changes those numbers to 24.1 degrees, 21 degrees, and 27.3 degrees, respectively. Likewise, those standard trims get 7.8 inches of minimum ground clearance whereas the Outer Banks Sasquatch gets one more inch.
The Badlands model has an approach angle of 30 degrees, a breakover of 20.4 degrees, and departure of 26.7 degrees. Tossing the Sasquatch on that nets you 31.2 degrees, 21.7 degrees, and 27.9 degrees, respectively. Water fording numbers have not changed from last year regardless of model and the Bronco Sport’s max towing capability is 2,700 pounds with the bigger engine.
Moving inside, the big news is the addition of the Bronco Bolts and a new grab handle for when the going gets tough. Big and center is a 13.2-inch infotainment display with SYNC 4, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. To the left of that is a 12.3-inch instrument cluster. Some more big news comes from a reconfigured G.O.A.T. Mode system.
Ford says the original G.O.A.T. Mode system was a bit too convoluted, so now it’s been simplified. All non-Badlands models, including the Outer Banks Sasquatch, now have just Normal, ECO, Sport, Slippery, and Off-Road driving modes. Ford said it might have been confusing to know which mode you should have been in before. But now, the company just wants you to hit Off-Road mode and stay there when you’re wheeling.
If you do so, you’ll be able to use the vehicle’s cameras at unlimited speeds to help you navigate trails. Depending on your trim level, you can get a 360-degree camera to see all around the vehicle when you’re off-roading.
Badlands and Badlands Sasquatch models get two additional off-roading modes: Rally Mode and Rock Crawl Mode. Rally mode holds gears longer, sharpens throttle response, and increases steering feedback for high-speed driving in sand. Rock Crawl uses the vehicle’s brakes to help the vehicle get over rocky terrain, almost as if you had front and rear lockers.
The higher trim levels also combine Trail One-Pedal Drive and Trail Control together. This is basically a trail-driving cruise control system where you just need to use one pedal to drive. Let off of the gas and the Bronco will apply the brakes and slow down for you. The idea here is that inexperienced off-roaders just need to focus on the trail rather than any fancy footwork.
Finally, Ford combines the class-leading screen size inside with more tech:
The 2025 Bronco Sport includes Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+ is standard on every trim and includes:
· Auto High Beam Headlamps
· BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with Cross-Traffic Alert
· Lane-Keeping System (includes Lane-Keeping Assist, Lane-Keeping Alert, and Driver Alert)
· Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking (includes Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning, and Dynamic Brake Support)
· Rear View Camera w/ Rear Parking Sensors
· Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go and Lane Centering
· Evasive Steering AssistFord Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 is optional on the Bronco Sport Outer Banks and standard on the Bronco Sport Badlands. It adds:
· 360-degree Camera (w/ Split View)
· Reverse Brake Assist
· Speed Sign Recognition
The Same Bronco Sport, But More
I was able to take the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch on a short trail run.
Most of the trail was easy enough that a Smart Fortwo could handle it. However, there were rough sections where the Bronco Sport met terrain so rough that I scraped the front skid plate and the inner skid plates. The crossover took the bashes in stride, a good thing since getting much harder than a fire road will test out the vehicle’s protection.
Later on, the trail became deeply rutted with soupy mud. My Smart would have flailed back in the section that scraped up the plates, but I would have come to a hard stop here. I stopped the Bronco Sport in the worst spot on purpose and to the crossover’s credit, it got going again like the mud was nothing.
Now, I’ll reiterate here that the Bronco Sport is still an Escape-based crossover, so don’t try conquering the kinds of trails built for Land Rover Defenders and the big Broncos. The Sport is capable, and now better than before, but you should know your limitations. A Bronco Sport would be a ball at an off-road park and on the trails, but maybe think twice about the harder stuff out at Moab.
But should you bite off more than you can chew, I’m happy to say that Ford isn’t leaving you up a creek without a paddle. Remember how embarrassing the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness skid plate was? If you don’t, it’s literally a thin piece of metal riveted to flimsy plastic.
Here, have a picture of it before it blew over in a gentle breeze:
Well, Ford benchmarked the competition, tried to avoid their mistakes, and then tested its thicker skid plates and recovery gear the same way it does for trucks like the Raptor. So, I believe you’ll be able to thoroughly beat one of these up and still drive home.
All of this adds up to a Ford Bronco Sport experience that feels oh-so-familiar with what I’ve driven before, but there’s more of it. I’d say these small, but numerous improvements take the Bronco Sport out of the “cosplay” arena that Jason mentioned and right into being more of a decent weekend off-roader that’s also a fine daily driver. I’d love to see how a Bronco Sport could handle something like a Gambler 500.
Ford doesn’t have pricing just yet, but if you like what you see here, the company says to be prepared to go on an adventure this November for the regular models and in early 2025 for the Sasquatch. Pricing is said to come out closer to release.
Update: The configurator for the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport is live. Pricing is as follows:
Big Bend – $29,995
Heritage – $33,135
Free Wheeling – $33,135
Outer Banks – $34,985
Outer Banks Sasquatch – $40,215
Badlands – $39,995
Badlands Sasquatch – $42,985
Add $1,595 to the above prices for the destination charge.
(Images: Author)
I’ve always preferred the Blazer to the Bronco (the classic ones) It’s too bad Chevy messed up and made the newer one an ugly SUV
This is making me want a series where a staffer who has 0 offroading experience takes a big Bronco (preferably a base model) offroading, while an experienced staffer (with all of the offroading experience) takes one of these and tries to keep up. It would really showcase whether experience or hardware is the most important. (Maybe David vs. Matt?)
Just for reference, a BS Badlands with Sasquatch is 44K. A big Bronco Black Diamond 4 door is 44K with no options. You have a Ford store at your disposal.
Side note: I think Beau said in an early Autopian podcast that you could someday get a fleet of every Ford Tremor product and have a comparison (Maverick, Ranger, F150, F250). I happen to like this idea A LOT.
Omg I love this idea. Can we have a third staffer in the completely wrong vehicle? I think my 2008 Smart is up to the task. 🙂
Do it and you’re cool. Call it David vs the Goliath (Bronco)
I volunteer as tribute
‘Biggest tire in non-premium something something’ has the same vibe as ‘this 1971 road runner is 1 of 1 in plum crazy with green interior, strobe stripe, ac, air grabber, auto, 2 speed wiper, tinted window and 2.73 gears!’
What class even is that? I figured the Cherokee Trailhawk would be a big competitor to baby bronc, but the Cherokee has 245/65R17’s (bigger tires, so not the same class), a true low range t-case, and a real rear locker. I expected the Sasquatch to add these things to the bronco sport.
My friends just got a new Bronco Sport after their old one was rear ended (twice!) by a Trailblazer and I’m honestly glad that they didn’t get this one, because the ergonomics are so much worse in the new one.
Yeah I’m banging that drum, this interior is worse to use and worse looking. Fight me, Ford designers.
It’s a shame Fords quality/reliability is such absolute garbage right now, they are designing fun products they just can’t build them for crap…
Its better than a sticker and embroidery package like so many others, but I think the development team maxed out what the BS platform can handle. It’s so close to being what they want it to be, but they can’t really do much more on this platform with this hardware.
That’s probably a fair statement, but how awesome is it that they did max the platform? They could have gone the Wilderness route adding lifting springs, mild AT tires, and some plastic trays pretending to be skidplates, but no, they really seem to have gone all in and get the most they could out of it.
truth. Still, one thing I would make sure if I were buying is getting the liquid cooled PTU. Ford PTU’s have a habit of exploding. I’m not sure I would even trust the liquid cooled one, but its better than nothing.
Except the Cherokee Trailhawk has a true low range and a true locking rear diff, so Does could have at least done that.
Im not even sure Ford could get an AAM ecotrac II or Lock system. I think Jeep had exclusive rights.
They could have made their own version somehow though.
They could have, but no one does. The twin clutch system in it now is made by GKN. Hardly anyone makes their own AWD systems these days. But yes, this is the main thing that keeps crossovers as softroaders is wheel torque and Jeep so far is the only one that addressed it, though in a very convoluted and complex way.
The only thing that brush guard is doing for me is making me wish we had real pedestrian safety regulations in the US.
Why don’t they offer this as a hybrid?
I mean, assuming a spare (or at the very least, a fix-a-flat) is under the hatch floor…I can’t see any place to put a hybrid battery without impeding further on interior space.
That’s just surprising since the Escape and Maverick both have hybrids…
I mean, they might get away with it by tucking a battery under the rear seats or deleting the spare and raising the floor in the cargo area.
Let’s not forget the Bronco Sport is shorter than a Maverick or Escape and having the extra off road bits on top of it does not help.
A big factor in these phony “off roaders” booming sales is generational- I learned to drive in the 60s when 4WD was rare and a Beetle, Corvair, or Saab was considered the hot bad road setup. Thus I learned a lot of rapidly being lost driving skills like minimizing wheelspin, staying out of ruts, 2nd gear starts, rocking out of holes, and we always had a shovel and learned how to use it. Lacking those skills, young folks today over rely on AWD/4WD, no wonder they get stuck so much…
Old Beetles and Corvairs also had the engine over the drive wheels which helped a lot. You’d think FWD cars would have the same advantage, but add in power-cutting traction control, ABS, and all the other modern safety systems, and small FWD cars fall on their faces pretty quickly.
I’d also add that modern communications like cell phones have dulled a lot of the necessity for learning to help yourself. Now if you get stuck, just call AAA from the comfort of your car. Why bother digging yourself out?
I agree people should learn the skills you mentioned, but I think there are a lot of reasons why they aren’t.
Reminds me of the mid 60s when we spent an hour getting my grandpa’s ’55 Chevy wagon across a muddy section of county road in northern Minnesota. Ran into town to get supplies, by the time we headed back a deluge had turned the more dirt than gravel road to mud. Made it OK several miles until despite grandpa’s driving skills we got stuck in a low spot. Took me, my brothers and dad damn near an hour of pushing, digging, and rocking to get through that muddy couple hundred yards, but the experience was worth every minute! Today’s AWD/4WD cosplayers would probably give up and call the wrecker at first bog down, but it’s a paved road now so they’ll never learn how to handle real bad roads.
Considering that a fully loaded 2024 Badlands is around $45K (oy!), I’m guessing Ford will add $2495 for the Sasquatch Package, which will put it into lightly-optioned full size Bronco Big Bend price territory. Even without the Sasquatch, I’d wager the bigger truck will still be more capable than a Sport with it.
Neat idea, though.
The configurator is up. The Badlands start at $39,995, with the Sasquatch Badlands Package at $2,990. There is also a Badlands Tech package for $865 and a Sasquatch Graphic Package for $525. Oh and the $920 Power Moonroof also requires the tech package.
I was pretty close. Adding all the main options gets within spitting distance of $47K.
For that matter, you can get a decently equipped Explorer for around the same money. Yes, they are totally different vehicles, but most of these are merely family vehicles anyway.
Heh, Ford didn’t want to reveal the pricing just yet, so I wonder if the configurator being up so soon is a mistake. Either way, added the pricing in!
Something that’s interesting is that the Sasquatch Package for the Outer Banks technically costs $5,200 since you can’t add it without also adding a tech package.
As a Ford stockholder, nice to see the company positioned to suck up more of you city folks vehicular cosplay $$$. Enjoy your fantasies… I live in a town of 28 with cornfields on two sides and the nearest stoplight is 20 miles away. And what do I drive- front wheel drive Golf TDIs and a Transit Connect minivan, the only “off road” prep is bash plates on the TDIs and winter tires in winter, which runs from Labor Day to Memorial Day. I get around just fine, even when I drive the dirt township and park roads. Off roading? Unless you’ve got the landholders permission the nearest place is 100 miles away so dirt roads and snowstorms are they biggest challenges you’ll find here. Even the snow ain’t much of a challenge, our city tractor and maintenance worker is right on it and the legendary MN DOT clears their two highways that run through town. And if you really want to show off your lifted “truck” and wander out before the plows, it’ll look pretty ridiculous with it’s lifted body exposing all the snow you plowed with those massive axles!
Sounds just like my situatiom. Honda Accord and subaru tribeca are primary movers. Winter/off road prep, change to winter tires. If the driveway gets snowed in, I break out the snowblower or wait for the local farmer who blows out the drive on contract. Nearest offroading play area is about 100 km. All the local farmers have trucks but none are cosplay, they are strictly for work. Have no problem with offroading or jacked trucks except for the blinding headlights in my rear view mirrors when they follow too close.
this is a really dumb post on an auto enthusiast’s site, though. what were you thinking with this reply?
Parson me, I forgot that “enthusiasts” enjoy this stupid cosplay.
Some so, I would gather
That’s all well and good for the flat midwest, but these things will sell like crazy in the Rockies and PNW, where mountains abound and outdoorsy types love to display their outdoorsy-ness to other outdoorsy people. Subaru engineers came to Oregon to design their Wilderness packages based off the local shops and dealerships that were lifting Outbacks, Crosstreks, and Foresters. Now you see Wilderness spec Subarus EVERYWHERE, and I guarantee none of them see more than a Forest Service Road to a hiking path.
This will sell like hotcakes here and fill up the REI parking lots alongside Crosstreks, Outbacks, 4Runners, and Defenders. Sprinkle a couple of Ineos Grenadiers in for flavor (yep, those sell well here).
That said, there are quite a few people that really do offroad their Subarus. I was one of them before getting a Jeep. The older pre-CVT Subarus with limited slip differentials and electronic locking AWD are surprisingly capable within the limits of their approach angles (which are poor due to the engine being forward of the front wheels). I could scramble over moderate trails that would be a cakewalk for a Wrangler or 4Runner, but no FWD CUV or VW Golf could handle.
Thing is, almost nobody wants to be seen in either vehicle. I had a Passat 5 cylinder FWD that also passed many an AWD or even 4WD truck or Crossover in the winter. The fact is, the Bronco sport, regardless how terrible the 1.5 is as well as the sketchy longevity of the transmission, is till really just on par with the Transit connect. maybe the engine is a bit more refined, but instead of two hoopties, you could have one, that works in place of both of yours. and it looks sort of sporty spice off-roady to boot.
Sasquatch as a brand idea smells like feet.
Did Ford set up a product planning group that did lots of field research with people who are overlanding and the number one thing they noticed was a pervasive stench of body odor?
As an avid offroader, I am of two minds on this. The first is that this likely will add more capability than most people who buy something like that will need, though likely at a price point that is higher than reasonable. The second is that I am not looking forward to running into these clogging trails that they have no business being on. That may sound cynical, but it is already an issue I’ve encountered with the the other off-road CUVs this will compete against, where under-experienced drivers buy the hype and then get their vehicle stuck. Maybe this will help them get stuck less often, but I fear it will just get them further down those hard trails to spots that are even harder to get them out of.
That’s funny because that was a major driver behind my YouTube channel, showing people how capable every vehicle really is. My test course is easy for most true off-road capable vehicles, but very difficult for crossovers. I loved putting the venerable outback on the test hill only to have it fail the hard line. Hopefully it helps people understand that their off-roaders… aren’t.
40+ years ago, a fellow in a Wyoming restaurant told me the following aphorism; know how you can tell the 2 wheel drive trucks from the 4 wheel drive trucks? The 2 wheel drives are stuck in the snow, the 4 wheel drives are stuck in the deep snow.
I love this site. In particular, a deep-dive that DT did when the Maverick first came out showed where the future trouble points are.
I also love reading Andrew’s stuff at The Drive. His review leaned heavily into the very poor reliability of the Bronco Sport, and he got a mealy-mouthed reply from Ford, which…what were they going to say? “Our trucklet sucks?”
Did you see anything that looked chintzy on here that made you worry? What have you all heard regarding reliability?
There were a number of interior items that felt like they were cheaper than they should have been. For example, some of the hard interior plastics felt like a throwback to the early 2000s, which isn’t a compliment. However, the units at the event were sort of rough pre-production models. The ones we got to drive were such early builds they had 3D-printed parts and more or less alpha-ish software. So, I’ll reserve judgment on quality until we drive production units.
The biggest reliability issue we’ve come across (unless David chimes in with anything else he’s found) was with the PTU overheating off-road. That was a whole big deal a few years ago. Other things I’ve found are complaints about interior quality, electrical gremlins, and glitchy software. I suppose we’ll see closer to production time how tight the 2025s actually are.
The thermals are my biggest curiosity with the new Sasquatch Package. I wonder how much longer the Badlands’ liquid-cooled PTU can go before overheating compared to the air-cooled PTU on the Outer Banks.
I know that these rear diffs have been a bugaboo for a long time, back to even stuff like Honda Elements and the like, but these were an issue as well as you said.
I can only speak to the mechanical twin, the Maverick, for reliability issues. There have been issues with the hybrid (battery issues, start/stop issues), but the 2.0 EB seems fine. The biggest Achilles heel of both drivetrains has been CV axles. These trucks (and I assume the BS) freaking eat through factory axles like crazy. Stock, or especially lifted (mine is getting new axles under warranty as I type). Otherwise, most of the issues have been based on how cheaply the trucks are built (paint quality is meh, interior plastics scratch, infotainment freezing, etc. The PTU issues are often solved with easy fluid changes every 30k miles.
The fun part for the 2.0 guys is that if it does blow up, we aren’t incredibly concerned, as a Corsair 2.3 bolts right in!
“Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch”
I’ve never been able to keep track of the Bronco and Bronco Sport models and trims, but now I’m officially giving up.
You can’t keep up with one package on a trim level?
you know the point he’s making
I don’t. This isn’t alphanumeric nonsense. It’s the Bronco Sport with the Badlands trim and the Sasquatch package. It’s straightforward
I’m sure part of what he/she is saying that there’s no reason for all of these different packages, especially when they get branded on the outside as though they were a separate model as opposed to a simply trim package…because it’s not just a trim package. Like how you’ll see Ford trucks zipping around with “Tremor” loudly stickered up on its flanks…but it’s really a F-something-50-XLT/Lariat/Eddie Bauer….and so on.
Plus, don’t forget how Ford continues to goof around with the trims on the bigger Bronco, deleting some, moving others, adding some, and so on. IT plays like someone that doesn’t really know what they’re doing.
It’s a model, trim and package. Assuming you’re okay with model and trim, which basically every single automaker does, this is literally one extra data point from the bare minimum. It seems silly to get upset about the Bronco’s naming convention when you have things like the BMW 4 series 430i X Drive Gran Coupe naming convention
I don’t really think he or she is upset
Just chiming in here at the end to confirm that I’m not upset at all. I was making a joke. When the model, trim and package have names like in this case, the full name sounds particularly ridiculous to me. That’s all. Hence the joke. The Bronco Sport is not the only example, of course, but this article was about that vehicle.
Thanks to all for chiming in! Cheers
I’ll be honest; I, too, thought the Sasquatch was a trim and not a package.
These updates are nice, but praising it as a true Sasquatch package is a bit much. It’s basically a skid plate, some tie down points, and a diff button that will might as well be renamed “The Clutch Eater”
Do I praise it as a true Sasquatch package? I looked through again to be sure and I noted that the package (which also adds slightly larger tires to your list) makes the Sport closer to the big Bronco, but warning that it’s still an Escape-based crossover that can’t do what the big boys can.
Still, they are legitimate improvements, which is more than Surbaru can currently say about its Wilderness models, which have weirdly been downgraded over the years.
I was unaware that they have been downgraded. How so? I don’t remember reading about that
The main area is in underbody protection. The original Wilderness models had real skid plates. I bashed the heck out of a Forester Wilderness to test the plate it had!
Then some change happened at Subaru (sadly I cannot elaborate further) and they downgraded the skid plate to that embarrassment that David wrote about. Yeah, it’s not just on the Crosstrek Wilderness but across all Wilderness products. But Subaru keeps marketing it as a real skid plate.
OK, I do remember that skid plate thingy. Thank you!
The wilderness saga from subaru is straight up hilarious which makes Mercedes’ point right on. Ford put some effort into it and they deserve kudos for it. Pricing wise does it make sense? Tough to say these days as we consumers want all the cake, we want it cheap, and have some left after we ate it.
Honestly I expected more Sasquatch for $3K. The suspension bits and beefier skid plates are welcome improvements, but the front bumper guard is tacky and a Sasquatch is not a Sasquatch without bigger tires than the regular Badlands.
Bronco Sport owners are fitting up to 245/70 R17 tires with the stock suspension. Last I’ve heard that’s a 30.5″ tire which would look like a true upgrade over the stock Falkens / Goodyears
A lot of these little crossovers have more capability than they let on. That said, good on Ford for making meaningful changes to get out and back from a fairly rugged trail without breaking.
Huh. These are actually good improvements. The tiedown hooks in the fenders will be useful for things like tents or awnings.
It seems like they finally covered the exhaust pipe so it won’t get dented in while driving over rocks. The exhaust tip still seems to be in a place to get crunched when crossing ditches and such, however.
Trail One-Pedal Drive I do not like. That’s not a great thing to have in place of engine braking for going downhill.
I was always skeptical of Sasquatch but now I Believe!
This is what Jeep should be doing but their Compass is aging and the Renegade is gone. Jeep should renew both to compete in that segment, they were the kings back in 2018 or so, you could see them everywhere but now Bronco Sports are more common to see, even more common than the latest Ford Escape. I like what Ford is doing.
First they went after the Weangler and it came out good. Now attacking the lower segment and shows they are committed long term about this, and I like it. Whenever someone shows a zombie conglomerate like Stellantis how things should be done, I root for them. Sadly Jeep will suffer.
I’m intrigued by watching Ford go all Mustang on an SUV – offer performance packages/goodies on the lower end stuff to get the buyers who want something more out of the ordinary but don’t want the big bad, for whatever reason. Sure, some of it is things like adding Shelby stripes to base model S197s (shudder), but plenty of it is cool, worthwhile stuff.
The extreme lack of articulation on that thing while tripoding on rocks is hilarious. I’ve always been critical of these Bronco Sports because of the marketing, where I’ve met people with these that believe they’re nearly as capable as real Broncos, or at least far more capable than they really are. That said, these seem genuinely capable for what they are, and are certainly more than 99.5% of the buyers of these would ever need.
Also shocked that steel bumper bar passes pedestrian crash requirements. We can’t have pop-up headlights because they’re “too dangerous for pedestrians” meanwhile Ford can bolt a literal steel bar directly 3″ proud of the bumper and nobody bats an eye. Cue “We live in a society” meme.
That’s because the U.S. doesn’t have pedestrian crash standards because apparently people outside of cars don’t matter for whatever reason. I think I recently read that Australia banned them even in the aftermarket because they absolutely obliterate whatever they hit. We need to do that here.
Oh wow, I had always been under the understanding that there was at least SOME semblance of pedestrian consideration in the FMVSS. I’m wondering if these are some weird loophole where they’re not too far from the front bumper and not taller than them, so it’s just assumed its fine? Either that or you’re spot on an nobody here cares, which I want to believe isn’t the case, but unfortunately probably is.
Yeah, it’s pretty crazy. And that’s why vehicles like the Cybertruck can’t be sold in Europe but can be here.
I think you just gave them a new marketing campaign: “Bronco Sport – more capable than a Smart Fortwo”
While I tend to cringe at the vast majority of soft roaders and off road cosplay packages on crossovers I’ve actually always liked the Bronco Sport. It’s attractive, cheerful, and comes in a lot of great colors. I find it charming in similar ways to a Mini, if that makes sense. It’s also the right amount of capability for probably 95% of people out there.
I get so tired of kitted out Wranglers that’ll never see more than a gravel road going 25 over at all times and bullying people in traffic. For whatever reason the DC area is chock full of them and they really grind my gears. Bronco Sports, on the other hand, are basically the same size as lifted Golf or Kona. They just kind of blend into traffic.
At the end of the day I think they’re fun little cars and all of these updates make them a bit more capable. Also I think the stats that their owners off road them way more than normal crossovers is neat. People are actually using the extra capabilities. Really my only gripe is they can get damn expensive when you load them up. At $40,000 they’re a great buy. At $50,000+ just get the big boy Bronco.
It really is the Bronco II done right (as in, without the rollover hazard). I like to think there’s some old guy/girl from that model who really believed in it back then who’s now working on the Sport and is excited that their vision for what it should be is finally here.
Didn’t the Bronco II have a full frame though? I also think the II is more cable off road then these Sports.
Totally – I think it was based on the then-Ranger platform?
But Ford marketed them as this sort of fun, everyday SUV compared with the big Bronco of the time, which was pitched as a purpose-built vehicle, not something most people would actually drive as a daily. So if less capable than the II, the Sport does seem to hit where Ford seemed to be aiming back then.
(I have a soft spot for the Bronco II – classmate of mine got one when they came out, and I still marvel that we never tipped over, the way he drove…)
And a Hi/Lo transfer case.
I think the Bro dozered wranglers are everywhere around any major city in the US. I have my FJ always covered in mud with dents and falling apart bumpers and always and I seem to always get angry looks from the pavement queen wranglers and other lifted types of brodozer vehicles.
Also the Bronco sport kind of reminds me of a Land Rover which is weird because it seems Fjord was like we need to copy the styling of a company we used to own.
They’re just so ridiculous. It seems like every one I run into has angry eyes, an obnoxious light kit, wheels that are so massive it adds a foot to the overall width of the vehicle, all sorts of shovels and recovery accessories that’ll never be used tacked on, etc. They’re a real menace on the tight streets in DC and the worst part is they’re usually driven maniacally by angry dudebros or the occasional pick-me girl.
Wranglers are inherently dangerous vehicles…and it’s made even worse by Fury Road-ing them and driving at 25 over at all times. I’ve seen so many death wobbling while furiously switching lanes on the highway and fear that it’s only a matter of time until I see it go wrong…and once it does it’s not just a risk to the driver and passengers, it’s a risk to everyone around them because they’re piloting a 5,000 pound brick that’s almost certainly not properly set up for all the mods they’ve done.
You know what the vast majority of them would be better served by? A Bronco Sport.
“occasional pick-me girl.”
I actually had to look that up as such a thing does not exist here in “Man Jose”.
“Does San Jose really deserve the nickname Man Jose?”
If you look at just the top-level census numbers, there are roughly the same number of men and women living in San Jose.
Break those numbers down further, though, and you’ll find a big difference among single people in their 20s and 30s. According to the 2015 American Community Survey, in this group there were roughly 134 men for every 100 women in San Jose. That’s a big disparity!
It’s been this way for a while. In 2000, San Jose had more single guys than the entire state of Alaska.”
https://www.kqed.org/news/11231284/does-san-jose-deserve-the-nickname-man-jose
That’s right, the dating scene in San Jose make China’s look like ladies night!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex-ratio_imbalance_in_China
So ladies if you prefer to get your *cough* love *cough* by shooting an Alaska sized barrel full of single guys with no options why not plan your next layover in Sunny California? Who knows, one of those guys might even have a job!
Who gives you angry looks about a muddy car?
Normally brodozzed wranglers or your to typical brodozer that would insult a Toyota for being Japanese. Could just be they don’t like FJs?
Front tow points on a crossover is a miracle, I hope it is not too expensive and actually can go up more than one sandy hill before going into limp mode.
I would be more worried about a good tug on only one of them permanently making the structure into a trapezoid
some people are better at tugs than others.
This is true