The Ford Bronco Sport Review

We all like to look tough and hopping into the new Ford Bronco Sport Badlands will allow you to do just that. At Napleton News, we like looking semi-tough, at least. That’s why we are in the Bronco Sport Badlands today.

What is the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands?

It’s smaller than its larger sibling namesake, but that doesn’t make it any less capable. The Ford Bronco Sport normally comes with a 181-horsepower 1.5-liter 3-cylinder making 190 lb-ft of torque. But our tester was the anything but normal Bronco Sport Badlands. That means it sports a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that delivers 250 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. Power hits the tarmac with an 8-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive across the board.

This Badlands trim model features an advanced all-wheel drive system with five GOAT driving modes. Here, GOAT doesn’t stand for “greatest of all time.” Instead, it’s shorthand for “go over any type of terrain.” These terrains include Normal, ECO, Sport, Slippery, Sand , Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl.

Looks count with the Bronco Sport!

Taking inspiration from its larger Bronco sibling, the Bronco Sport Bandlands features the general chunkiness of the full-sized version, just in ¾ scale. Unlike the larger Bronco, there are certain features that didn’t make it to the smaller version. Namely, the removable roof and doors didn’t make it to the smaller Sport version.

Adding a sense of toughness to the Bronco Sport, ours was equipped with a “Bull Bar” to help nudge the local bovine population out of the way. In the back, a two-stage door offers the chance to lift just the rear window or alternately, the entire tailgate.

What about inside?

Pretty utilitarian inside, the Bronco Sport is made to be ridden hard and put up wet. Meaning, it’s meant to be used extensively and then washed out, cleaned up or what have you. Rubber floor mats are easily removed for cleaning as needed.

At the center of the dashboard is an upgraded 13.2-inch infotainment display. Touchscreen controlled, it’s easily reached for access to any of the Bronco’s functions. There’s a new accessory tray in the dashboard that also serves as a USB hub for your personal electronics.

If there is a shortcoming to the Bronco Sport, it would be in rear seat legroom. With a long-legged driver, the left rear passenger may be challenged in how to get their legs into a comfortable position.

Behind the wheel of the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands edition.

Once inside, it’s all familiar.

Controls are at once familiar yet contemporary. A pushbutton starter on the dash. Check. A rotary dial gear selector. Check. Window switches and other tactile controls. Check again. But what’s this? Android Auto and Apple CarPlay? They are both here, thankfully (We’re looking at you , General Motors).

Powering down the highway is simple enough in the Bronco. Road noise is kept to a minimum despite the huge Goodyear tires that do double duty taking you off-road and then back on again. This Bronco is a handler with a load of agile moves just waiting to be commanded.

Stepping on the gas presented a rather surprising growl from the 2.0-liter engine. Along with the growl, came a surprising spurt of motivation that got us out of the way of quite a few bad drivers. If the Bronco did have some sort of downside, it would be the lightness of the rear when we had to put heavy pressure on the brakes. A definite skittishness happens as weight shifts forwards in a panic stop. It’s kind of like the feeling you get when making a panic stop in a pickup truck with an empty bed.

In the grand scheme of things, the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands edition doesn’t exactly break any new ground. But that’s ok. Sometimes it’s wrong to mess with a good thing.

Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Edition Specifications