Test Drove a Bronco Sport

[lwilliams34]

When I originally decided to replace my Mazda CX5 with a Bronco I had not considered the Bronco Sport Model.
My focus and interest was on a true truck like experience that closely matched the Jeep.
However, after ordering and then finally receiving the Bronco I wondered how the Bronco Sport compared to the Bronco and that maybe I over bought.
I finally decided to stop by my Ford dealership to test drive the Bronco Sport and put my mind to rest on the decision.
Here are my observations on the Bronco Sport
I test drove a 2024 Outerbanks model with the small 1.5L 3 cylinder engine.
The first thing I notice was NVH through the steering wheel from the 1.5L engine. It was weird, but for such a small engine you always knew it was there due to the vibration characteristics. I was surprised at how adequate it was for both city and hwy driving with enough power to get you up to speed. Adequate was the best word to describe it as it didn't blow me away with it's pickup. I think the option for a 2.3L 4 cylinder would have been killer.
The cabin interior was quiet on the hwy, but there was some wind and road noise from the tires. Definitely less so than the standard Bronco, but the more ergonomic lines play into that. I also noticed a buzz/rattle coming from the back portion of the interior which did not go away.
I liked the overall look of the exterior. It reminded me of the Ford Escape/Explorer with the traditional suv frame that replaced the Bronco back in 1996.
However the interior left much to be desired. The "fabric like" material bordering the leather felt thin and cheap with the Bronco embossed logo on the seats getting lost in the rough fabric.
An especially glaring problem for me was the design of the rear quarter windows with the molded plastic B pillar overlay blocking the majority of blind spot visibility. That area could have been narrower providing a much better view out the sides. The small screen size also seemed to really reduce the overall usability of the backup camera and other controls. The extra cubby just under the screen could have been eliminated providing area for a larger screen. I did appreciate all of the physical buttons for audio, climate, etc. Upgraded floor mats were a nice touch.
The overall feel inside the cabin while driving was almost "station wagonish" if that is a phrase I can use. It felt longer than its dimensions and outside exterior suggested. As i mentioned it felt zippy and nimble around town which was fun. The lower ride height reminded me a bit of the Subaru line which feels more like a sedan driving experience vs a truck/suv.
This is the first automatic transmission vehicle I've driven with the dial controls and I have to say I do not like it at all. I much prefer the physical lever for getting in and out of gear. I can't imaging having a modern muscle car (Shelby GT500) and having to twist a dial to get into drive or reverse. Just something so wrong about that.
I loved the manual rear lift gate with the option to open just the glass or the full hatch.
The rear storage space with back seats up is really nice. I just wish the 2 door bronco had about 3-6 more inches or depth with seats up; it was almost a deal breaker for me, but i've adjusted.
It was disappointing that many of the neat interior features I had heard about were not available on the lower trims, such as the rear seat storage cubbies and zippered pouches. This was not the Big Bend model, but the outerbanks, which is one step below the highest trim level. It all just seemed so scaled back and a bit cheap for a higher trim level sport at 38k msrp.
To really get the full feature set including the larger engine you would have to scale up to the top end Badlands trim which gets you in full Bronco territory price wise.
I am certainly not knocking the Bronco Sport as it has sold very well and I see a lot of them on the road, but for me it really did not live up to the image I had of it as a resurrection of the Ford Escape/Explorer from rugged days gone by. I'm glad I had a chance to test drive one and put my mind to rest.
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[V1Rotate]

Being that it’s a night/day different unibody platform designed to compete with the likes of the Grand Cherokee and Subaru Wilderness’ of the world but brilliantly marketed with the suspect “Bronco” name it’s no surprise you saw an apples to oranges result

 

[lwilliams34]

Being that it’s a night/day different unibody platform designed to compete with the likes of the Grand Cherokee and Subaru Wilderness’ of the world but brilliantly marketed with the suspect “Bronco” name it’s no surprise you saw an apples to oranges result

As I sat in the dealership waiting to test drive the Sport there was a Ford Escape and Explorer side by side in the show room. I almost shed a tear thinking about how much of the old school rugged SUV had been stripped from these vehicles. I couldn't tell them apart from each other or the myriad of cross over vehicles on the market today.
I own a Mustang as well and to me the Sport just feels too much like the Mach E badging. The Mustang and Bronco logo should not have been placed on these vehicles.

 

[indio22]

As I sat in the dealership waiting to test drive the Sport there was a Ford Escape and Explorer side by side in the show room. I almost shed a tear thinking about how much of the old school rugged SUV had been stripped from these vehicles. I couldn't tell them apart from each other or the myriad of cross over vehicles on the market today.
I own a Mustang as well and to me the Sport just feels too much like the Mach E badging. The Mustang and Bronco logo should not have been placed on these vehicles.

Overall the Sport should be a better pavement vehicle than the big brother. The shifter dial though, does that thing have a lockout, what if the driver or someone else starts spinning it by mistake or to the wrong setting?

My elderly mother recently got a new Hyundai car with a turn signal type twist shifter thing, and it's a problem, people are all over the web complaining about usage for older folks.

 

[lwilliams34]

Overall the Sport should be a better pavement vehicle than the big brother. The shifter dial though, does that thing have a lockout, what if the driver or someone else starts spinning it by mistake or to the wrong setting?

My elderly mother recently got a new Hyundai car with a turn signal type twist shifter thing, and it's a problem, people are all over the web complaining about usage for older folks.

I agree, I can't throw the Bronco around in town like I did my Mazda CS5, but it does surprisingly well on pavement especially since I got the Big Bend without all of the lift and heavy artillary.
As far as the transmission goes.. between that and my Mustang brothers complaining about the new 2024 model having ALL temp controls on the screen including the blower motor I think we've reached the point of diminishing returns.
Instead of the auto makers looking smarter they are just sliding down the hill in terms of good ole fashioned common sense.

 

[adam1991]

This is the first automatic transmission vehicle I've driven with the dial controls and I have to say I do not like it at all. I much prefer the physical lever for getting in and out of gear.

People say this, and I've never understood it. It's an automatic transmission. Pull a lever, push a button, spin a dial--what's the diff? You put it into D and move on with your life.

 

[adam1991]

Being that it’s a night/day different unibody platform designed to compete with the likes of the Grand Cherokee and Subaru Wilderness’ of the world but brilliantly marketed with the suspect “Bronco” name it’s no surprise you saw an apples to oranges result

FWD unibody Escape platform vs RWD BOF truck platform.

Imagine that.

The just-out-of-nursing-college daughter of a friend of mine just bought one.

 

[Brian_B]

The shifter dial though, does that thing have a lockout, what if the driver or someone else starts spinning it by mistake or to the wrong setting?

It's entirely electronic, so it has all the computer nanny stuff that keeps you from doing really stupid things.

 

[RagnarKon]

I own a Mustang as well and to me the Sport just feels too much like the Mach E badging. The Mustang and Bronco logo should not have been placed on these vehicles.

Yeah a lot of people feel the same way.

But it’s nothing new I guess. Heck I remember when the Bronco II was launched in the 1980s and people were having similar “not a real Bronco” conversations back then too. And even now, we have a lot of folks that believe the 4-door Bronco isn’t a real Bronco either and doesn’t deserve the nameplate.

Personally, doesn’t bother me too much. And if having options like a 4-Door Bronco and a Bronco Sport makes the overall Bronco brand more financially feasible (which seems likely given the sales numbers) then by all means… it can pull up a chair.

 

[adam1991]

to me the Sport just feels too much like the Mach E badging.

Superb analogy.

A rose by any other name, eh? Or should I say, a weed by any other name...

 

[adam1991]

The shifter dial though, does that thing have a lockout, what if the driver or someone else starts spinning it by mistake or to the wrong setting?

You act as if the dial thing does anything different than a shift lever.

They each do the same thing: tell the computer what the driver wants.

It's not as if that automatic trans shift lever is actually connected to any part of the transmission, and is therefore "superior" to the dial.

 

[V1Rotate]

And if having options like a 4-Door Bronco and a Bronco Sport makes the overall Bronco brand more financially feasible (which seems likely given the sales numbers) then by all means… it can pull up a chair.

Yup.. it’s 1000% about sales and nothing more. The masses want watered down crossover SUV‘s that tell them what to do and how to use it.. Slapping branding on them that get people’s attention (IE Bronco / Mustang) is a brilliant move to separate them from the 25 other dorky options on the market these days but they’re all cut from the same cloth and intended for the same market

 

[adam1991]

This is the first automatic transmission vehicle I've driven with the dial controls and I have to say I do not like it at all. I much prefer the physical lever for getting in and out of gear. I can't imaging having a modern muscle car (Shelby GT500) and having to twist a dial to get into drive or reverse. Just something so wrong about that.

Let me ask you about the Braptor, then. Put it into manual mode using the lever--which does nothing more than tell the computer that's what you want to do--and...then what? There's no yanking and banking of that lever to be done. It's just flappy paddles.

 

[GI_Jo_Nathan]

We have a 2024 Lincoln Corsair that we bought for my wife. Couldn't talk her into the Bronco Sport. We wanted something smaller than her Flex and I really like that size of vehicle.

To its credit it's all-wheel drive with the 2.0L engine and I have no complaints. It has the piano key shifter buttons under the radio that take a little getting used to, but it drives great.

 

[indio22]

You act as if the dial thing does anything different than a shift lever.

They each do the same thing: tell the computer what the driver wants.

It's not as if that automatic trans shift lever is actually connected to any part of the transmission, and is therefore "superior" to the dial.

The lever is "superior" in the sense that it's a commonly used interface understood and familiar to many people. Doesn't matter if same thing happens under the hood, the interfaces are different, and interfaces absolutely matter in terms of human interaction.

Ford could put a joystick in place of a steering wheel for turning control, hey it's all fly by wire turning the vehicle so what does it matter? We will see over time how the dials and other new shifting interfaces pan out in actual usage.

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