2024 Ford Bronco Sport Review: Bronco Lite
Almost every automaker fields an entrant in the most popular vehicle class in the USA, that of the compact crossover SUV. The problem is that these car-like crossovers are usually offered with all-wheel drive on some trims only, and they're unable to tackle more than the occasional dirt road. As a Lite version of the rugged Bronco, Ford's Bronco Sport is different. All trims are AWD, and it is more off-road capable than most rivals, especially in 250-horsepower Badlands form. The range loses last year's base trim, so the AWD capability comes at a bigger premium this year, with the base price of the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport now starting at over $31,000 - this puts it a little pricier than rivals with a softer focus, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, or Ford's own Escape. The Jeep Compass is similarly rugged in concept, but that's now seven years old and outclassed by its rivals. So is it Bronco Sport or nothing if you want a decent off-roader in this class?
New for 2024
For 2024, the Bronco Sport's base trim is discontinued, so the next in line, the Big Bend, becomes the entry-level model. This also means that the entry price for a new Ford Bronco Sport increases by around $2k to over $31k. New this year is the Free Wheeling special edition, recalling the colorful appearance packages available on the Bronco during the '70s and '80s. It decks the exterior of the car out in sunset striping and graphics, with red-accented wheels and a silver grille, while the cabin gets similar design accents. Newly available to the Big Bend is a Black Appearance package that blacks out its wheels and exterior trim. Two new paint colors make their appearance, too - Desert Sand and Azure Gray Tinted Clearcoat, and the Outer Banks and Badlands get a premium leatherette-trimmed steering wheel this year.
2024 Ford Bronco Sport Price: Which One to Buy
This year's Bronco Sport price list starts with an MSRP of $31,230 for the base Big Bend trim. Next in line is the Heritage Edition, which will cost you $33,700, followed by the Free Wheeling special edition at $33,730, the luxury Outer Banks at $35,915, and the off-road-focused Badlands at $38,390. These prices don't include the destination fee of $1,595.
Only in the most expensive Badlands trim does the advantages of going for the Bronco Sport come into sharp focus. The base trims cannot match it on rugged off-road terrain, while their uninspiring 181-hp three-cylinder powertrain lags on performance. The off-road focus in the base trims is insufficient to recommend them over the better-driving CX-50 or more economical RAV4. But the Badlands' powerful 250-hp engine and excellent off-road chops make it unique in this class, approximating the ability you'd expect from a Jeep product. For us, then, it's either the Badlands or a rival.
Big Bend | Outer Banks | Badlands |
---|---|---|
Base | Luxury | Off Road |
$ 31230 | $ 35915 | $ 38390 |
1.5L turbo inline-three (181 hp/190 lb-ft), eight-speed auto, AWD | Equipped with the Big Bend’s features, plus: | Equipped with the Outer Banks’ features, plus: |
17-inch alloys, LED headlights | 18-inch alloys, LED signature lighting | 2.0L turbo I4 (250 hp/277 lb-ft) |
Cloth upholstery, automatic climate control | Leatherette upholstery, heated power front seats | Off-road suspension, 17” alloys, LED foglights |
Eight-inch touchscreen, six-speaker audio system | Heated leatherette steering wheel, dual-zone climate control | Skid plates, advanced 4x4 system |
Ford CoPilot360 driver-assistance suite | 6.5-inch digital driver-info display | Additional off-road driving modes |
Rain-sensing wipers, rear parking sensors | Forward-facing 180-degree camera system |
Interior and Features
The general cabin design is a bit of an anticlimax, considering the eye-catching exterior, but it’s modern, with a tablet-like touchscreen and all the expected features.
The interior of the Bronco Sport isn't as memorable as its Bronco-copying exterior, but Ford adds some visual interest with accent colors on the upper trims and good-quality leatherette on the seats of the Outer Banks. Only the Badlands has access to leather. Various hard plastics can be found inside, but the materials used for the dashboard and furnishings are mostly solid and sensibly textured. Interesting design touches include the rotary gear selector and handy storage shelf below the audio system. Seating comfort is reasonable, with lots of steering and seat adjustment provided, but the seats themselves lack a bit of lateral support, and the cushion is a smidge short for taller folk. The interior space doesn't lead the class, and the cabin isn't particularly quiet on the move due to the angular body generating quite a bit of wind noise. Getting in is easy, thanks to the ample ground clearance of nearly eight inches, even on the base trims, but the rear door openings are narrow.
Space
Cabin space is quite impressive, considering the Bronco Sport's body is around ten inches shorter than many of its rivals, but it's still short of the type of legroom you'll find in a CR-V or Escape - especially in the second row. The boxy body contributes to truly generous headroom all-round, though. Getting a rear-facing child seat in through the narrow rear doors that don't open very wide to boot might be a bit of a challenge.
Cargo
Given its sub-173-inch body length, the 32.5 cubic inches of trunk space behind the rear seats is generous, if short of the CR-V's near-40-cube figure. This figure applies to the bottom three trims and drops slightly to 32.4 cu-ft with the moonroof fitted, due to the lower ceiling height. With the 60/40-split second row folded, trunk volume expands to 65.2 cu-ft. The Badlands has a smaller trunk, presumably due to its different 4x4 system and under-floor configuration, offering 29.4 cu-ft behind the second row (29 cu-ft with the moonroof) and 60.6 cu-ft with the rear seats folded (60.1 cu-ft with the moonroof). The trunk has rubberized flooring that can easily be removed and cleaned, and there are tie-down carabiner hooks and loops in the cargo area.
In the cabin, there are many places to stow things, including the previously mentioned shelf underneath the audio system in the center stack, along with a glovebox, front and rear door pockets, overhead sunglasses storage, and no fewer than eight cupholders strewn about the place. There is rear passenger-side under-seat storage in the Badlands.
Ford Bronco Sport | Toyota RAV4 | Honda CR-V | |
---|---|---|---|
Seating | 5 Seater | 5 Seater | 5 Seater |
Headroom | 39.1-41.5 in. front 41.7 in. rear | 37.7 in. front 39.5 in. rear | 38.2-40 in. front 38.2 in. rear |
Legroom | 42.4 in. front 36.9 in. rear | 41 in. front 37.8 in. rear | 41.3 in. front 41 in. rear |
Cargo space | 32.4-65.2 ft³ 29-60.6 ft³ (Badlands) | 37.6-69.8 ft³ | 39.3-76.5 ft³ |
Materials and Colors
The Big Bend comes with easy-clean cloth upholstery and a cabin in one of two interior colors: Ebony or Medium Dark Slate. The Heritage Edition ships with a Navy Pier cabin and plaid cloth on the seats while the Free Wheeling gets an Ebony cabin, Sunset Weave cloth seats with yellow-and-orange striped paneling, Ombre stitching, and orange interior accents. The Outer Banks' seat upholstery and steering-wheel trim is leatherette, with a choice of an Ebony/Roast (dark copper) cabin with Roast accents, or Navy Pier.
The Badlands reverts to cloth upholstery in a unique style, with the color of the seat and interior accents depending on the choice of cabin - Ebony/Area 51 (a turquoise-blue hue) or Ebony/Roast, the latter requiring a $2,900 upgrade to perforated leather upholstery and six-way power adjustment for the passenger seat.
Features and Infotainment
With the Big Bend now the base trim, the entry-level feature count is fairly decent. You only get cloth upholstery, the front seats are unheated and manually adjustable, and the climate control is single-zone, but other than these basic specifications, most of the expected features are present, such as keyless entry, push-button start, a manually tilting/telescoping steering wheel, rear privacy glass, five G.O.A.T. driving modes, and a 4.2-inch driver-information display. Moving up the ranks adds features such as dual-zone climate control, leatherette upholstery, heated power front seats, a premium-wrapped steering wheel, and a larger 6.5-inch driver-information display. Leather upholstery costs extra and is available on the Badlands only.
The Sync 3 infotainment system does duty in every Bronco Sport. It has an eight-inch touchscreen and comes with SiriusXM, voice recognition, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, AppLink, FordPass Connect, four USB ports, and an AM/FM radio and audio system with six speakers. Navigation with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link can be added at extra cost. The audio setup can be upgraded to a 10-speaker B&O sound system by Bang & Olufsen, but only on the Outer Banks and Badlands.
Big Bend | Outer Banks | Badlands | |
---|---|---|---|
Heated power front seats | N/A | S | S |
Dual-zone climate control | N/A | S | S |
G.O.A.T. system with multiple driving modes | S | S | S |
Eight-inch touchscreen w/ Apple CarPlay & Android Auto | S | S | S |
10-speaker B&O sound system by Bang & Olufsen | N/A | O | O |
Performance
On-road ride and handling don’t lead the class and the Bronco Sport can feel a little truck-like, but the compromise is acceptable, considering its off-road prowess.
The base engine in the Ford Bronco Sport's lower four trims is a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline three-cylinder with 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque. This powertrain comes as standard with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The combination delivers fair performance, giving the Ford Bronco Sport a 0-60-mph sprint of around 8.5 seconds - not quick by any measure, but with a strong flow of low-rev torque preventing it from feeling flat-footed. The Badlands is the only trim that's fitted with a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 250 hp and 277 lb-ft, which is good for a 0-60 dash in a far quicker low-to-mid six-second range, and a top speed limited to 125 mph. It also has an eight-speed auto, but its drivetrain differs in that it doesn't have the other trims' regular AWD, but instead an advanced 4x4 system with a twin-clutch rear drive unit and Ford Trail Control. It's not a fully-fledged Bronco, but it will surprise you with its off-road ability. Trailering is provided for, and the 1.5L powertrain's maximum towing capacity of 2,000 pounds is impressive in a class where many rivals max out at 500 pounds less. The 2.0L Badlands can tow 2,200 lbs.
If you want a crossover with excellent on-road refinement, you'd be better off with an Escape or CR-V, because this is not the Bronco Sport's main mission. It doesn't provide quite the ride and handling of the competition, while the boxy body generates quite a bit of wind noise, so the car ends up feeling a little more like a truck than a crossover, with a high ground clearance and somewhat bouncy ride. This is, of course, down to the baked-in off-road ability, which, though not of the Rubicon variety, beats most rivals hands down. These traits are amplified in the Badlands, which is noticeably more bouncy and agricultural than the other trims, but at least compensates with excellent off-road aptitude and comes with a powerful engine, too, along with no fewer than seven G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) driving modes.
Fuel Efficiency
Gas mileage isn't great, thanks to the boxy body and standard AWD. As expected, the best mpg figures the Ford Bronco Sport can produce come courtesy of the 181-hp three-cylinder powertrain, which returns city/highway/combined estimates of 25/29/26 mpg. The 2.0-liter in the Badlands is appreciably heavier on fuel, with corresponding figures of 21/26/23 mpg. These figures are a long way off those of the 2.5-liter AWD RAV4, which returns 30 mpg combined.
The Bronco Sport's fuel capacity is 16 gallons, giving the 1.5L trims an expected range of around 416 miles on a tank. You're unlikely to get much farther than 368 miles in the 2.0L Badlands.
1.5L Turbo Inline-3 Gas 8-Speed Automatic AWD | 2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas 8-Speed Automatic 4X4 | |
---|---|---|
Power | 181 hp | 250 hp |
Top speed | TBA | 125 mph |
MPG | 25/29/26 mpg | 21/26/23 mpg |
0-60 | Est. 8.5-8.6 sec. | Est 6.2-6.5 sec. |
Max. Towing Capacity | 2,000 lb | 2,200 lbs |
Safety
Top-of-the-class crash scores and a standard CoPilot360 driver-assistance suite mean the Bronco Sport is as safe as houses.
The NHTSA's safety review of the Ford Bronco Sport was very complimentary, giving the car a five-star overall rating, with only the rollover test scoring less, though four stars is still a decent result for an SUV. These results are mirrored by the IIHS, which has partially tested the 2024 Bronco Sport and gave it Good scores for all the major criteria. The car received a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award from the agency.
The Ford CoPilot360 driver-assistance suite is standard on every Bronco Sport. It contains front-collision alert with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning with active lane-keep assist, and automatic high beams. Other features include automatic LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers. The $895 CoPilot360 Assist+ package is an option on all trims and adds adaptive cruise control with stop & go, lane centering, speed-sign recognition, and evasive steering assist. Rear parking sensors are standard on the Outer Banks only and optional on the rest.
Big Bend | Outer Banks | Badlands | |
---|---|---|---|
Front-collision alert w/ automatic braking | S | S | S |
Blind-spot monitoring w/ rear cross-traffic alert | S | S | S |
Lane-departure warning w/ active lane-keep assist | S | S | S |
Adaptive cruise control | O | O | O |
Rear parking sensors | O | S | O |
US NHTSA Crash Test Result
Overall Rating | Frontal Barrier Crash Rating | Side Crash Rating | Rollover Rating |
---|---|---|---|
5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Reliability
In terms of reliability, the Ford Bronco Sport puts in a good showing, scoring an excellent 87 out of 100 for JD Power's Quality & Reliability criteria. The number of recalls has become lower, too, with none so far for the 2024 model. The 2023 Bronco Sport was recalled three times for a leaking ABS module, a cracked fuel injector, and parking lights that may flicker - but this was a big improvement over the 2022 model, which was recalled six times.
The limited warranty of the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport is none too impressive, and just the minimum we'd expect nowadays, covering the car for three years/36,000 miles. The powertrain warranty runs for a longer five years/60,000 miles.
Warranty
Basic | Drivetrain | Corrosion | Roadside Assistance |
---|---|---|---|
3 Years / 36,000 Miles | 5 Years / 60,000 Miles | 5 Years / Unlimited Miles | 5 Years / 60,000 Miles |
Design
The Bronco Sport stands out from the crowd of cookie-cutter compact crossovers with its distinctive, boxy design that shamelessly exploits its Bronco family ties - and borrows heavily from its bigger brother. Styling cues include the typical Bronco stepped roof, grille treatment, and round headlights, which are LED across the board. LED foglights are optional on the Big Bend and Free Wheeling trims, and standard on the rest. Most trims run on different styles of 17-inch alloys, with 18s reserved for the Outer Banks, and the glasshouse is blacked out.
The Heritage Edition comes with white steel-style alloys, a white roof, and a white grille with red BRONCO lettering. The new Free Wheeling special edition bears the distinctive multi-color livery of the Broncos of nearly half a century ago, with orange and yellow body-side and hood graphics, a silver grille, and red-accented alloys. The Badlands stands out for its one-inch suspension lift, all-terrain tires, skid plates, and front tow hooks. A power moonroof is a $920 option on all trims.
Verdict: Is The 2024 Ford Bronco Sport A Good SUV?
For most people's needs, the Bronco Sport is too off-road focused to be the best all-round compact crossover SUV. It lags behind on efficiency, refinement, ride, and handling while commanding a price premium for its standard AWD and superior off-road ability. This makes it more of a niche choice, with the Escape covering Ford's bases for a mainstream compact. That said, besides the ancient Jeep Compass, there's really nothing else in this class that does the same job, and we think that Ford providing a Bronco 'Lite' is a stroke of genius. It sets the Sport apart in its segment. It might not be the best all-rounder, but it's the best at being an adventure-focused compact SUV. It's the car you might have never known you needed.