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2nd Thoughts about the Bronco Sport? - Will You Consider Switching from the Bronco?

North7

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With all the great reviews out today on the Bronco and Bronco Sport, what is surprising to many is how capable the Bronco Sport turns out to be, after most had written it off. Below I've listed some of today's positive Bronco Sport reviews, once you read through these highlights, I'm wondering if it has gotten any others to reconsider their Bronco decision, but more on that at the end of the post.

Here is the ride-along report from a Bronco6G forum member, from this thread:
2.7L Bronco Sasquatch Ride Along In-Depth Review by Bronco6G Member
BRONCO SPORT
Rode in a Badlands w/ 2.0L. I think we can all agree that we wrote off the Sport as nothing but an escape with some off-road trim and drive modes (thats how we described it internally as well) but it was the most shocking experience for me.

The sport was fast and plenty of torque and power to tackle the hills and loose sand they had planned. The first hill climb was approx 19degrees and we cruised it with little effort. The driver made changes to the drive mode on the fly, no need to pull over to select which mode you wanted.

My favorite section was when we went full send down a hill and banked left across some loose sand, whipping the rear end out and essentially doing a 4-wheel drift. Each wheel has active torque vectoring, similar to the FocusRS. Once we were near the apex of the turn, the driver put in more power and we sailed right through the remainder of the sand and went straight into a smaller hill. This trim level had a front camera which came in handly for those blindspots esp when traversing hills or blind turns. I think it automatically comes on once your vehicle reached a minimum angle but there was probably a switch you can activate to manually turn it on as well.

The Sport was quiet. We had the A/C on full blast and all you heard was the piped in engine noise. Couldnt even hear the road or NVH noise from going full send on the entire coarse. Pretty nice if you want the creature comforts while off the beaten path.

Overall, i was pleasantly surprised at what the Sport can do. Its got plenty of power and torque and off-road capability and honestly, this vehicle would satisfy what most Bronco customers would want. If you want a soft offroader or even a rally-orientated vehicle that literally feels like its floating above dirt roads, the sport is perfect for you.
Interesting observations from Bronco6g forum members:
I agree about the Sport, I'm guilty of writing it off but I saw a pic of the yellow Badlands (maybe the same one you rode in) and it looked really good.
Side note, it seems the Bronco Sport is going to surprise a ton of people. Like the OP I was guilty of writing it off, but this review and some of the footage of it looks like it will be the real deal for what it is.
Also this: "it (Bronco Sport) should be overkill for the off-roading most people do with their vehicles." Other than those making use of a removable top or utility features, the Sport is the better reality based match for a lot of folks.
From the Bronco reviews thread, here are a few stand out points from the Sport reviews:
2021 Bronco First Ride Media Reviews Compilation (Articles/Videos)!
The Bronco Sport can rocket over the same broken terrain that had me bouncing all over the interior of the larger two-door Bronco, but it registers barely a chatter or jostle making it through the wheels, suspension and chassis. It’s astonishingly composed off-road at higher speeds, charging through deep sand without fail like a dune buggy...

...especially after Ford showed that the SUV could also sport yet another inch of lift and even more aggressive 31-inch tires on a concept version.
https://www.cars.com/articles/2021-...mpressions-more-capable-than-expected-425411/
While the bigger two-door and four-door Broncos are meant to be the company’s ultimate off-roader, don’t think that the smaller Bronco Sport isn’t capable, too. Well, this one is even more capable: Ford started with the top Badlands trim and adds a 1-inch lift kit plus 31-inch BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM3 tires. Ford Performance by Rigid LED off-road driving lights are mounted to a front “nudge bar,” while a Yakima LockNLoad Platform roof rack sports off-road gear mounts with equipment including a high-lift jack kit, Ford Performance recovery boards and jerry cans for extra fuel.
https://www.cars.com/articles/ford-...accessorize-for-your-off-road-odyssey-425336/
The Bronco Sport Badlands is legit

Ford talked up how proficient the Bronco Sport’s Badlands trim was off-road. My brief ride-along more or less affirmed that. It has a ton of power and torque, and handled more or less everything the standard Bronco did.

We didn’t do a one-wheel up obstacle test like we did in the big Bronco, and I believe we forded the water obstacle at a shallower point. But otherwise, it should be overkill for the off-roading most people do with their vehicles.

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/lifestyle/5-things-learned-test-driving-160100687.html
So taking into account some of the above information, has it done anything to sway your Bronco purchase decision towards the Bronco Sport Badlands model?

For me, after reading and watching these Bronco Sport Badlands reviews, I want to learn more about it. I have to wonder, maybe the Sport will really provide me with more than enough off-road capability for what I would most likely use it for. Don't get me wrong, the Bronco 4 door Badlands is still my first love, and of course the Bronco will give me way more capability and features.

But now it seems it gives me more to consider, for example, I would be fine without the removable roof, as I would seldom, if ever, take it off. It will be interesting to compare a fully kitted out Bronco Badlands to a fully kitted out Bronco Sport Badlands, once of course the Build & Price website comes online. With all the options and accessories we want, who knows how that will sway our decisions?

2021-ford-bronco-sport-badlands-trail-rig-concept.jpg


Here is the link to the Sport reviews on the sister Bronco Sport Forum:
2021 Bronco Sport First Ride Media Reviews Compilation (Articles/Videos)!

Here is a good video of the Sport taking on Moab:
Video: Bronco Sport Proves Impressive Off-Road Abilities at Moab
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5280Bronco

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Your going to get a lot of adamant NOs out of this group due to the majority of people on this board being offroad enthusiasts. It's going to steal some sales for sure from the middle ground consumer, guaranteed.
 

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THEMANatwar

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No.
 

Monster79

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Not so much to reconsider the Big Bronco but consider adding a Sport as well. That cyber orange is looking to damn good, big question though is how I fit in the damn thing....
 

zaki

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HELL!! ?
I mean HECK NO!!?

No....the Sport maybe capable BUT it just don’t got the Bronco Bad Ass looks!?
 

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Jalisurr

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I would seriously consider a sport if they came in a 2 door with a bit shorter wheelbase. I'd need to see what their durability looked like and it would need a lot of aftermarket support for power, diffs, etc though.
 

Toccoa

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Ford Bronco 2nd Thoughts about the Bronco Sport? - Will You Consider Switching from the Bronco? 1597783491052
 

Laminar

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I thought about it enough to B&P one today - the issue is that you have to get a Badlands to get the good engine and AWD system. Anything less than a Badlands gets the weaker 1.5 EcoBoost and the normal non-torque-vectoring AWD system. Of course the demo unit was a Badlands!

And a Badlands with the Badlands package (kind of between mid/high) runs $37k, roughly Black Diamond 4 door pricing.

Dealbreakers for me:
- No stick
- No rear legroom (if it's anything like the MKC/Corsair loaners I've had)
- Costs as much as a real Bronco

Now if they dropped in the six speed from the Focus RS, we'd be having a conversation.
 

DrewBronc21

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No way. I’ve had a Rav4 and Escape as fleet cars for work:) The Bronco isn’t transportation. It’s nostalgia, and has very specific attributes that aren’t found in the Sport or really any other 4x4s right now. The sport is not a substitute for the Bronco. Now if I were shopping for an only car just as a mode of transportation.....I still wouldn’t get a Sport.
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