Bronco Sport Badlands Beefs Up Off-Roading Bits

Ford loves horses.

I mean, there’s the Mustang, then the Pinto, and the iconic Bronco.

Well, the Mustang is still around 60 years later, and so is a renewed Bronco – a direct competitor of the Jeep Wrangler.

Then there’s Bronco Lite – actually the shrink-wrapped retro-compact version Bronco Sport, based on the front-wheel-drive Ford C2 platform that underpins the Ford Escape crossover, former Focus hatchback and Maverick pickup.

So how does the Dearborn automaker top that? It designs a very off-road-oriented Bronco Sport, with some bucking Bronco logos on it so you know it’s bad*** – actually, Badlands.

And y’know – it’s actually pretty good off-road, for being an eco-sedan under its Big Bronco looks.

Bronco Sport Heritage And Styling

In 2023, Ford took the brawny Bronco’s classic 1960s-inspired design and boiled it down atop a compact platform – a Mini-Me that is just over 20 inches longer than the first 2-door Bronco of 1966. And it looks a bit like the big Bronco – a retro grille with the BRONCO name slicing across its middle, flowing into LED light bars that bisect ringed headlights at the outer edges. A slim intake lives above the bumper – corner LED fog lights on lower outer edges. Then things get a bit off-road, as its middle gets a skid plate that flows down under, with a beefy bumper bar. There’s minimal front overhang, a good thing if you want to go off road.

That off-road vibe continues with knobby 17-inch Goodyear Territory rubber on 6-spoke black alloy wheels, neatly framed in black fender flares hatched off chunky bumper corners. Peek between treads and flares, and there’s obvious off-road suspension-nudged room between fender lip and rubber.

And where fender vents go on lesser Bronco Sports, we get flip-up integrated tie-down hooks, good for 150 pounds each – “Great for tying down that kayak on the roof,” said one onlooker. Below them, Badlands fender emblems, looking a bit like magnetic signs.

The roofline steps up a bit over the back seats for headroom, gloss black with chunky cargo bars – black pillars as well. The flat hood is the only aluminum body part on this Bronco, with twin power bumps. The short rear overhang has a beefier bumper with flip-up tow hooks, another skid plate wrapping under, plus BRONCO lettering on a hatchback with separate-opening window with wiper.

It all makes for a taller stance atop some legit off-road rubber with lots of black sandwiching a serious metallic red. This l’il guy has some swagger and a stance that says it can go off-road, unlike some other soft-roading CUVs. And it lured in some big Bronco owners, who related how they saw a row of these Badlands models going down a very steep hill on a Moab desert tour – score one for the baby Bronco.

Bronco Sport’s Interior Is Practical With New 13.2-Inch Display For 2025

EV Rider’s Bronco Sport gets a neat 2-tone interior that’s pretty much like the first version seen in mid-2023, with two differences – a wider center screen – and lots of bucking broncos.

The cloth and pleather bucket seats get contrasting yellow accents and stitching, embossed broncos inboard over flexible slots so back-seaters can slide a cellphone safely away. There’s basic power adjustments and heat, the driver’s seat getting three memory presets. The seats were comfy but a bit flat, lacking in side support but OK for trips. You can remote start via the key fob, which also remote drops side windows on hot days – that black roof does warm things up under Florida’s sun. Door panels are gray, silver and black with stitch-accented armrests. Rubber floor mats add a sense of off-road readiness.

The textured soft-touch dashtop’s hard plastic binnacle frames a 12.3-inch digital display with 140-mph speedometer and 8,000-rpm tach – and a configurable center that can show roll and tilt, audio, navigation information, driving data, even outside camera images, under a strip of engine (turbo boost/battery/fuel) gauges in Sport mode. Its leather-clad steering wheel has manual tilt and telescoping adjustments, tiny plastic paddle shifters, the usual audio/phone/gauge display buttons – and a bronco emblem dead center.

New for ‘25 is the 13.2-inch central display, accessing navigation with traffic info, apps, even a nose camera in off-road modes, or off-road front/rear drive split or the like. Even nicer is a 360-degree screen that shows you what’s all around the Bronco Sport while driving.

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The audio system sounds good, with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as well as Wi-Fi, and an upgraded SYNC 4 system with voice command. But there’s no HD Radio so you’ll miss out on some HD-only over-the-air channels. Most of what you need – heat the seats or steering wheel, adjust climate control, or split the screen into map, audio and other functions – are handled by icons on the screen’s lower border. But I’d love physical fan speed and temperature control buttons. The sliding touchscreen icons are tough to use in motion. Below the air vents, there are start/stop and volume controls, with basic physical buttons for a/c and exterior cameras. Overhead, a row of switches that can be used to wire in extra fog lights or off-road goodies for activation.

The center console has the rotary gearshift elector, as well as the G.O.A.T (Goes Over Any Terrain) Modes to alter engine, transmission, traction control and differentials for how you drive. Eco and Normal are for daily commutes with best and decent mileage; Sport for a more dynamic feel, and the others for off-road or nasty weather stuff (more later). There’s a rear differential and four-wheel-drive lock and trail control. There’s also an auto-off engine, and auto-hold brake selector. You can tap buttons to engage 4-wheel-drive, disable traction control, or one-pedal-driving. Back off the gas and the brakes apply, a much easier way to crawl off-road. A neat inductive phone charger hides forward, and a small but usable storage area lives under the low center armrest.

The back doors are narrow, but access a bench seat with decent knee room (two inches less than brother Escape) – head room is nice due to the roof lift. You get rear vents, plus USB and 120-volt outlet, while feet rest on more rubber mats with a white bronco emblem over the transmission hump. Front seatbacks get zippered pouches and elastic straps, with air vents and USB plugs, and a fold-down center armrest.

The rear seatbacks split 60/40, and fold to expand the 29.1-cu.-ft. rear cargo area to just over 60 cubic feet. Floor and seatbacks are clad in textured plastic. There’s a hinged, dual-level cargo cover with flip-down legs that perch it on the rear bumper to become a work table. You also have a 12- and 115-volt outlet here.

Bronco Sport comes in five trim levels: Big Bend, Outer Banks, Heritage, Free Wheeling and our top-line Badlands. There’s a 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbo three-cylinder with 180-hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. Badlands get a 2-liter EcoBoost turbo-four with 250 hp and 280 lb-ft. And despite having a turbo, it’s still rated for regular 87 octane gas. All get eight-speed automatics and all-wheel drive, plus seven drive modes: Normal, ECO and Sport for the road, Slippery (rain or snow), and Off-Road, Rally and Rock Crawl. Those off-road modes also all adjust throttle response, transmission shift points, steering feel, and braking calibration

Let’s saddle up this baby Bronco.

First, Eco drive mode – the 2,300-mile-old Bronco Sport launched moderately, then gained some steam. The all-wheel-drive is definitely front-wheel biased with a hint of wheelspin to hit 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. The most fun was Sport, which held onto gears to get the most from the engine, plus quicker upshifts and a guttural, fun exhaust note. It hit 60 mph in 6.3 seconds with a quicker launch. The paddles were fine for clean downshifts, but I let it mostly shift itself. We managed an indicated 23 mpg in a mix of Eco and Sport. For comparison, the 2023.5 Heritage model I tested with the same 250-hp engine hit 60 mph in 6.9 seconds, and 6.8 in Sport, and an averaged 22 mpg.

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The Bronco Sport lives on a familiar crossover and sedan platform, but has hardware for off-roading. In front, independent MacPherson strut-type with coil spring, stabilizer bar, twin-tube hydraulic gas pressurized dampers, and steel subframe with aluminum lower control arm. Our Badlands Sasquatch option includes Bilstein position-sensitive dampers. In back, independent double lateral link semi-trailing arms with coil spring, stabilizer bar, monotube hydraulic gas-pressurized dampers, and isolated steel subframe. It’s got a usable 8.7-inch ride height. Its Terrain Management System’s 4×4 system has a twin-clutch rear-drive with differential lock to divert rear axle torque to either wheel side-to-side, mimicking a locking differential.

On pavement, the Bronco Sport is taut but supple enough, the ride well-damped over potholes and speed bumps with quickly-controlled rebound. It did absorb the worst, no head wagging over bumps. Get athletic and there’s some understeer, especially in Eco mode, with some body roll. But this pony tackles expressway ramps neutrally with minimal lean. There’s no apparent wander from the off-road rubber.

The steering is very direct and nicely boosted in Eco mode, with a quick, on-center feel. Its responsive in maneuvering, with serious stiffening in Sport mode. And the all-wheel disc brakes had a very nice, progressive pedal bite, with great feel and good control. Stops were well controlled from speed with no evident fade after some hard repeated hits, albeit some nose dive and ABS chatter at full halt. You do hear the knobby tread song on the highway, and a touch of wind noise at speed, but it’s not intrusive.

Given the serious rubber, suspension mods and front skidplates, we put the Broncoette to the test on a muddy, grassy field full of tire ruts – setting 4×4, rear lock and Trail Control with 1-Pedal Drive. It drove through it all without an issue. There was no tire slippage. The Sport stopped as soon as I backed off the pedal. The front camera view came on as 4×4 engaged, with the transmission staying in lower gears for low-speed torque. Deep ruts presented no issue. The steering is responsive and doesn’t kick back over bumps. The ride was also comfortable with no rattles or hard thumps over the worst. That said, 8.7 inches of ground clearance is not as good as some of the competition. I heard tall weeds sliding on skid plates under me but it did the job.

The Bronco Sport Big Bend starts at $31,695. Our Badlands 4×4 started at $40,115, with the Sasquatch option at $2,990. Other options: $495 Ruby Red Metallic paint, $995 Badlands tech package and a few others for a total $46,720.

Bottom line: Retro-cute outside with a touch of muscle; comfortable and roomy enough inside; powerful for passing and mucking about; and capable enough off road to tackle beaches, basic trails and some sandy driveways.

2025 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands 4×4 Specifications

Vehicle type – compact 5-passenger four-wheel-drive SUV
Base price – $40,115 (As tested: $46,720)
Powertrain – Turbocharged DOHC aluminum 16-valve in-line 4
Displacement – 2 liter
Horsepower (net) – 250 hp @ 5,500 rpm
Torque – 280 @ 3,000 rpm
Transmission – 8-speed automatic transmission
Wheelbase – 105 inches
Overall length – 175.1 inches
Overall width w/folded mirrors – 76.3 inches
Height – 71.5 inches
Front headroom – 39.1 inches
Front leg room – 42.4 inches
Rear headroom – 41.7 inches
Rear legroom – 36.9 inches
Towing capacity – up to 2,700 lbs.
Ground clearance – 8.7 inches
Weight – 3,849 lbs.
Fuel capacity – 16 gallons
Mileage rating – 21 mpg city/26 mpg highway