When Ford resurrected the Bronco in 2021, it made big news as this all-new Bronco, touting its impressive off-road capabilities, went toe-to-toe with the Jeep Wrangler. But along with the Bronco, Ford also gave us the Bronco Sport - a slightly smaller version of the Bronco. The Bronco Sport is a Bronco in name only - as under the retro body work the Sport is more closely related to the Ford Escape rather than a regular Bronco. This week I am in a Bronco Sport - and I am discovering that it is one of the most adventurous compact SUVs in its class.
The 2025 Bronco Sport is more than just a Ford Escape playing dress-up. Available exclusively with all-wheel drive, the Bronco Sport may not be able to go places the bigger Bronco can, but the baby version still boasts some genuine off-road tech making it one of the most capable compact SUVs when the pavement ends.
The Bronco Sport competes with other small SUVs like the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Jeep Cherokee, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4. This is a tough market to compete it, but the Sport holds the advantage as having the most off-road features.
Under the hood of the Sport is a 1.5 liter turbocharged three-cylinder that makes 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque. This engine comes in four of the five trim levels the Bronco Sport is offered in - the Big Bend, the Heritage, the Free Wheeling and the Outer Banks. The Badlands trim swaps out the three-cylinder for a 2.0 liter four-cylinder that makes 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. All use an eight-speed transmission, and as noted earlier, all come with all-wheel drive.
Every Bronco Sport is equipped with Ford's Terrain Management System that it calls G.O.A.T. Not to be confused with the greatest of all time, in the Sport it stands for Goes Over Any type of Terrain. Each mode, (Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Sand) is a different combination of calibrations for throttle response, transmission shift points, the all-wheel-drive system, traction/stability control, and the antilock braking system intended to make the most of available traction. It's the sort of feature that makes no difference most of the time but makes all the difference when it really matters.
For 2025, every Bronco Sport receives a larger 13.2-inch display, replacing last year's 8-inch screen. Also, every Bronco Sport now gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, as opposed to just the higher trim levels in prior years.
Starting under $34,000, the Big Bend is the entry level Bronco Sport and rides on 17-inch wheels, has smart phone charging, roof rails and LED headlights. The Heritage builds off the Big Bend but adds a retro theme with white-painted wheels, and white roof. Want to get noticed? You will in the Free-Wheeling trim, with its 1970s and 1980s inspired graphics, done in bright red, orange and yellow on the sides and hood, along with 17-inch wheels with red accents, and a silver-painted grille, all making for a very colorful appearance package. The Outer Banks is the way to go if you prefer on-road comfort over off-road capability. It has larger 18-inch wheels, leather interior, heated power front seats and dual-zone climate control. The most capable Bronco Sport is the Badlands. Along with the larger engine, it is fitted with all-terrain tires, and off-road-optimized suspension, underbody skid plates, two additional G.O.A.T. modes (Mud/Ruts and Crawl) and a forward, 180-degree camera system.
Outer Banks and Badlands Bronco Sports can now be fitted with the rugged Sasquatch package which includes upgraded springs for a .6-inch ride-height increase, Bilstein shocks, a twin-clutch rear differential, underbody skid plates, different all-terrain drive modes and 29-inch all-terrain tires.
The tester is a Bronco Sport Big Bend done in Velocity Blue. It's fitted with the Black Diamond Off-Road package ($2570) which adds in all-terrain tires, brush guards, black bumpers, recovery hooks and underbody skid plates. The MSRP is $35,710.
Inside, the Bronco Sport boasts an attractive design along with many popular features and several neat innovations. Up front, the baby Bronco has an upright, yet comfortable seating position while there is a decent amount of rear-seat legroom. Its roofline rises in the rear, providing additional headroom and enough cargo volume to fit a couple bicycles. The cargo area can also be fitted with a slide-out table that doubles as a workspace, a 400-watt power inverter, and LED lights built into the inside of the rear gate that provides overhead lighting. There is even a built-in bottle opener on the rear gate.
On the road, the three-cylinder (it is still hard to believe they are putting three-cylinders in SUVs these days) is surprising in that it has no issues moving the almost 3,500-pound SUV. Now, it won't win any speed awards, but at the same time, no one will ever know it is one cylinder short of the norm. On the upside, that small engine is efficient enough to be able to go 27 miles on a gallon of gas.
It's hard to go wrong when looking for a small SUV, especially with ones made by Toyota and Honda. But if you're looking for a small SUV with the best off-road capability, the one with the most to offer is easily the Ford Bronco Sport. It makes for a good driver, and it can tackle most of the terrain you throw at it. And being packed with technology as well as usable space and features, all make for the Bronco Sport a standout in its class.