We have been looking forward to experiencing the all-new bucking Ford Bronco since it was launched, but for now we have to contend with its inspired though drastically more diminutive sibling the Bronco Sport. The great news is that we got to test the top-spec fully-loaded Heritage Limited Edition model seen here in fabulous Yellowstone Metallic with matching perforated stitched plaid brown leather interior. Obviously, a homage to its big brother’s pedigree, the Bronco Sport has complementary boxy styling based on a monocoque platform shared with the Escape rather than the standard Bronco’s body-on-frame chassis. The Bronco Sport may indeed share quite a lot of key components with the current Escape but it actually uses a slightly shorter wheelbase by 1.6 inches (41 mm) and has an 8-inch shorter body as well. And aside from those proportions, the Bronco Sport, especially with the fun and attractive Heritage packaging, is incomparably more desirable, more versatile and more useful.
Our test unit also came with the optional Off-Road suspension system which raises the Bronco Sport’s ground clearance by an inch combined with more taut calibration to handle modest trails in a system Ford call: High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS). The setup includes hydraulic front bump stops and seven user-selectable “G.O.A.T.” terrain modes for off-road operation as well as all-terrain tires, upgraded all-wheel-drive system, slightly stiffer springs, and retuned struts and shocks. The on-road ride was fairly compliant, choppy at times, but always felt planted. The system actually made the Bronco Sport feel more like a small truck rather than a subcompact crossover but in a good way.
You can buy a simpler Bronco Sport powered by a pure front-wheel drive 1.5-liter turbo, but I see very little sense in that. If you want the aesthetic and functional balance of the Bronco but in a more affordable and more regular consumer-friendly package, then the Bronco Sport with the festive Heritage packaging is the way to go with AWD and the very potent 2.0-liter Turbo EcoBoost (250 bhp @ 5500 rpm / 277 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm mated to an 8-speed automatic). The acceleration from 0-100 km/h is dispatched in 6.2 seconds with a governed top speed of 200 km/h and with the overall fuel economy of 10 kms. /L.
Like with other stablemates. Ford produced a bunch of neat easter-eggs to discover for the Bronco Sport too for some side-fun. Other notable features in our test unit was the practical rubberized flooring and cargo floor, the versatile rear shelf that also can become a table illuminated by adjustable remote led flood lights in the dual-opening trunk, active front grille shutters on the cool Oxford White grille, the magnificent 560-watt 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen infotainment system with an 8-inch central control screen with Sync 3 and the usual digital connectivity, wireless smartphone charger, tasteful analog instruments supported with a 6.5-inch driver information screen, a 180-degree front camera to help with offroad use, extra underseat storage, moonroof, full-LED lighting, bottle opener tucked into the liftgate opening, steering wheel paddleshifts, all the cool design bits like the metal Bronco door badging in the classic ’60s script, and so much more.
The white roof gives the impression of a stepped stadium rear seating but instead helps add slightly more headroom for the second row only. The Bronco Sport looks rugged, and it is for functionality, but it is also very refined and thoughtful. Ford will surely be producing more retrospective variants in the near future. We enjoyed the all-new Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition and hope that it will be available in our market soon. It has so much character and substance. The intelligent Terrain Management SYS-7 system combined with the electro-mechanical limited slip differential managing the four wheels is very effective.
The Bronco Sport Heritage is quite an athletic small crossover on the road too, the small 17-inch alloys (wrapped with P235/65R17 104H Falken Wildpeak A/T AT3W tires) make it very nimble combined with its well-engineered engine (I wish the engine bay was as neat and as well designed though instead of its messy dire look) and optimized transmission that even has precise engine-speed matching when operating the paddle shifters. The Baby Bronco is more than a reskinned Ford Escape, it has genuine off-road capabilities, nice packaging, characterful, playful and entertaining. The Ford Bronco Sport is currently not officially available in our market but it is rumored to be in Ford Philippines’ plans for the near future.