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Payne review: Bronco is delayed? Never fear, Baby Bronco is here

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 10, 2020

Delayed by COVID-related supplier issues, Ford Bronco fans must impatiently await its 2021 summer arrival. To make the time go by faster, may I recommend the Baby Bronco?

Available at your Ford dealer now, the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport — aka Baby Bronco — is a housebroken off-roader. Heck, with its cargo-friendly, quiet unibody cabin it would make a nice pair with the truck-frame Bronco in your garage.

I spurred this off-road hoss through Holly Oaks ORV Park’s “Sandbox” section so hard that stones got caught in the rim and dislodged the tire. Instant flat. Thankfully, the Bronco Sport comes with a spare so you can be on your way in no time. But the real lesson here is that you might want to equip your Bronco Sport with bead-locks like the Baja boys.

Payne, have you gone mad? Off-roading a compact family SUV?

Madness is encouraged by the Bronco team’s mad scientists who have invented one of the most refreshing utes to hit the market this year. Not only does the Bronco Sport resemble the open-air, all-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler-fighter coming next year, but it sports some performance drivetrain technology that even the bigger Bronco doesn’t have.

I’m talking about the available rear, twin-clutch pack system that can send 100% of torque to either rear wheel of the all-wheel drive system. If this thrilling torque-vectoring capability sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The twin-clutch pack comes right out of the ferocious Ford Focus RS (before Ford waved the white flag on cars and went all-SUV) that I destroyed the Waterford Hills race track with four years ago.

But pieces of the Focus RS live on: its 350-torque, 2.3-liter turbo-4 engine in the Mustang HiPo, and now the twin-clutch pack in a family SUV, for goodness sake.

“BWA-HA-HA-HAAAA!” I can hear Ford’s mad scientists cackling.

Modified for the ute, the clutch pack allows the Bronco Sport insane drifting capabilities when off-road — just like the Focus RS wowed us with on-track. “More throttle!” yelled vehicle engineer Eddie Khan as I hurtled into a tight, sand-choked turn. And, sure enough, the rear end slewed out, enabling me to rotate quickly like I was driving a rear-biased, 4×4 Ford Raptor instead of a common, front-wheel drive based ute.

Rotary shifter. Lots of tuning knobs. And a tablet screen. The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport interior is user friendly.

Which means that when big brother Bronco arrives, you and family can take both vehicles to Holly Oaks — Bronco Sport for the high-speed bits, and the ladder-framed, twin-differential-locking Bronco for crawling over rocky obstacle courses.

I should mention that the twin-clutch system is only available on the Bronco Sport’s Badlands trim, which also gets a lifted, 8.8-inch ride height, sport shocks and off-road-spec tires for its Outback aspirations. But my loaded tester only cost $36,340, which is likely 10-grand south of a Bronco and much less than a premium-trim Ford Escape.

A word about the Escape, which shares the Bronco Sport’s bones.

While I go to bed each night cursing Ford’s decision to bury the Focus and Fiesta ST compact hatches (the latter a Payne Top 10 list pick), I’m soothed by the superb, compact Escape SUV. With a head-turning face outside and clever features inside (legroom-friendly, sliding rear seat; affordable hybrid model), it is one of the segment’s best offerings.

But Escape cannot do battle against the Toyota RAV4/Nissan Rogue/Honda CR-V juggernaut alone — thus the Blue Oval’s astute Bronco strategy that not only targets the iconic Jeep Wrangler, but also expands Ford’s presence in the compact SUV space with the Bronco Sport.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport boasts Bronco-like styling, standard AWD and two engine options. It starts at just over $28,000.

Instantly, Ford is now an alternative to the segment’s popular, off-road all-wheel-drive Jeep Cherokee, Compass and Subaru Crosstrek cuties. And Ford wasn’t content just to rebadge the Escape a “Bronco Sport.”

The new ute has a wonderful personality to go with its Bronco-esque looks.

Where Escape is stylishly sophisticated with its Aston Martin-like grille, tablet screen and sliding rear seat, Bronco Sport oozes outdoor playfulness. Its fascia is a dead-ringer for the Bronco with “split” headlights and the Bronco logo branded across its grille. No Bronco-like fenders — but roof rails and squared-off hindquarters are standard, as are healthy 30-degree approach and 28-degree departure angles for those off-road detours.

Inside, the Sport is decorated with chunky dials, pocket nets and storage bins right out of an outdoor catalogue. One of those dials is the signature Bronco GOAT mode drive selector including Eco, Normal, Sport, Slippery and Sandy (GOAT stands for “Goes Over Any Type of Terrain”).

My Badlands tester gives the Bronco Sport Jeep Trailhawk-like off-road bandwidth. But the starter base, Big Bend and Outer Banks models have plenty of capability to take you to the trail’s edge.

By raising its roof higher than Escape (to the benefit of 6-foot-5 giraffes like me in the back seat), the Sport can fit two bikes under its hatch. Just remove the front wheels, secure the hub forks to an installed bicycle bar and you’re set.

Brand manager Jovina Young got comfy with the Bronco Sport’s utility when she took it to the grueling, all-female eight-day Rebelle Rally in California this year. Bone stock, her Badlands Sport is still covered in sand from the rally. While she didn’t use the cargo hold for bikes, the rear hatchback’s built-in floodlights came in handy for when she (and fellow drivers) were camping in the middle of nowhere. There’s even a bottle opener for Miller time.

Good thing the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport comes with a spare. Every good off-roader should have one.

Rear carabiner hooks — shades of an F-150 pickup bed — helped her anchor gear and luggage with ratchet straps. Front cargo nets were stuffed with pens and other loose gear — as were the console’s multiple storage bins. While the interior can’t be hosed down like a rubberized Bronco Rubicon, the thick rear mats can be extracted for washing. Want to segregate mud-caked shoes? Or hide a wrapped Christmas gift? A sub-storage compartment is secreted under the rear seat.

Families — and off-roaders — live in their SUVs, and Young is evidence its builders lived in them as well.

So that’s what’s under the roof. Under the hood is a peppy 181-horse 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder. Badlands buyers can upgrade to a 245-horse 2.0-liter turbo-4, which — ahem — adds additional Rock Crawl and Mud & Ruts GOAT modes.

So that when you you’re headed up north you can stop off at Holly Oaks — “BWA-HA-HA-HAAAA!” — and do some crazy off-road stuff.

Just make sure you’ve got bead-lockers on the tires.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV

Price: $28,155, including $1,495 destination charge ($36,340 Badlands cloth seats, $40,250 Badlands First Edition leather as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder; 2.0-liter turbo-4

Power: 181 horsepower, 190 pound-feet of torque (1.5-liter); 250 horsepower, 277 pound-feet of torque (2.0-liter)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.8 seconds (Car and Driver est. for 2.0-liter); towing, 2,200 pounds

Weight: 3,713 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA 25 mpg city/28 highway/26 combined (1.5-liter); 21 mpg city/26 highway/23 combined (2.0-liter)