The Ford Bronco made its triumph return in 2020, following a nearly 25-year absence from the market. With SUVs more popular than ever before it only made sense for the automaker to bring back its most beloved off-roader. Sure enough, the car-buying public greeted the throwback model with open arms and wallets (some examples were being flipped for double the sticker price during the early months). Over 400,000 examples of the new Bronco—which is available as either a mid-size or compact SUV, the latter of which is called the Bronco Sport—have been sold since it went on sale as part of the 2021 model year class.
But five years on, is the no-longer-so-new Bronco still worth getting excited about? We recently took the Bronco Sport Big Bend on a quick road trip to upstate New York to find out.
A History That Dates Back to the 1960s
Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend
Bryan Hood
Introduced in 1965, the Bronco has the distinction of being Ford’s first SUV. It was conceived as a rival to the Jeep CJ and Toyota Land Cruiser and its off-roading capabilities were a selling point from the beginning. The model proved to be enough of a success that five different iterations would be offered over the next three decades, as well as a compact spin-off called the Bronco II—itself a precursor for the Bronco Sport—that was sold between 1984 and 1990.
It’s rare for a car model to remain in production for multiple decades, and by the middle of the 1990s Bronco sales were in a state of decline, thanks, at least in part, to it only being available in a two-door configuration. In 1996, Ford discontinued the vehicle. It probably didn’t help that the vehicle had played a pivotal part in a certain notorious low-speed police chase that was watched by over 90 million Americans two years prior, though the automaker claimed this didn’t influence its decision.
A lot changed during the Bronco’s quarter-century away from the market. The biggest thing was that the SUV became the dominant class of vehicle in the U.S. They had never been big sellers before the 1990s, but by 2020 47.5 percent of new cars sold in America were SUVs. And that figure has only risen in the years since the sixth-gen Bronco made its debut.
Versatility in a Smaller Package
Inside the Bronco Sport Big Bend
Bryan Hood
We live in an era where everything old is new again, so we don’t imagine that many enthusiasts were all that surprised when Ford announced it was bringing the Bronco back. The Blue Oval’s lineup hasn’t been short of SUVs over the last few decades, but in 2020 it was missing a good old-fashioned 4×4. In fact, if you wanted something you could take off-road, your best option was a truck, the F-150 Raptor.
The new Bronco has filled this hole. It’s a boxy bruiser that you can drive over nearly anything terrain with confidence (especially in the high-performance Raptor variant). And both the three- and five-door versions look mighty good doing that too, thanks to a retro-styled design that features several visual references to the nameplate’s first generation. The SUV isn’t just a cynical nostalgia play, even if could have been. It’s a fully modern-day update, with all the creature comforts (heated seats) and useful tech (driver assistance software) that today’s drivers expect.
But the Bronco Sport is something different. The nü Bronco II is smaller than the standard Bronco—though it still has room for five—with a length is an inch shorter than the two-door model and 16 inches shorter than the four-door. It’s sleeker, with a look that still features some throwback details but with cleaner, more modern lines. It also might be the more versatile of the two Broncos, even if it’s the less robust off-roader.
Enough Pep for Most of Us
Bryan Hood
There’s no point denying it: the Bronco Sport is less powerful than its bigger sibling, which, in its Raptor guise, makes 418 hp and 440 ft lbs of torque. It shares a platform with the Ford Escape compact SUV and Maverick pickup, although unlike those vehicles all-wheel drive comes standard. Under the hood you’ll find either a 1.5-liter three-cylinder or a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder both of which are mated to an eight-speed automatic. The former produces 180 hp and 190 ft lbs of torque, the latter 238 hp and 277 ft lbs of torque. A Bronco Sport with the three-pot can jog from zero to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds, while the more powerful version can do the same in 5.9 seconds.
Those numbers aren’t anything to write home about, but most of us really don’t need much more. The Big Bend has the smaller of the two engines and we never found ourselves wanting for more grunt. The SUV had no problem maneuvering its way through New York City, though the jolt of its “Auto Stop-Start technology” did take some getting used to. This wasn’t a surprise, of course. What was, though, was how much zip the car had once we were clear of the city. Even more impressive was how it handled the changes of elevations in the Catskills region. Sure, you could tell the acceleration wasn’t the best, but it was more than up to the task once it got going.
Fit for Overlanding Adventures
Bryan Hood
The Bronco Sport may not have as much grunt as the regular Bronco, but it still has four-wheel drive. That means you can leave the pavement should your journey require it. It’s also got a decent payload and towing capacity for a vehicle of its size. Despite its compact classification, the vehicle itself can carry a load of 1,163 pounds and tow an additional 2,200 pounds (though that number dips to 2,000 with the three-cylinder engine). That means it should have little trouble towing pop-up (or teardrop) trailers, ATVs, and other assorted adventure gear, making it well-suited for overlanding.
When we did leave the pavement upstate, we were struck by how surprisingly smooth the drive felt. No, we wouldn’t want to take the SUV rock climbing, but this is exactly the kind of all-terrain ability you want for something you’re going to drive to the campground and back.
An Ideal SUV for Escaping the City
Despite its lack of power and size, the Bronco Sport is just about as capable as its bigger sibling. Unless you’re looking to desert race in Baja California or scale the rocks in Moab, compact Bronco can do just about everything a driver—even one who fancies themselves an off-roader—needs it to do, whether your’re planning on a day trip or something longer for the entire family.
The SUV’s smaller footprint also makes it much easier to deal with when you’re back in civilization. If you’ve ever tried to park a hulking vehicle on the streets of New York, you know it can be both annoying and stressful. But we had little trouble finding a spot in our crowded neighborhood once we’d returned from our sojourn. There’s something to be said about a vehicle that can do a little bit of everything, with a minimum of fuss.
