{"id":26454,"date":"2020-12-10T14:34:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T18:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26454"},"modified":"2020-12-10T14:34:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T18:34:51","slug":"payne-review-bronco-is-delayed-never-fear-baby-bronco-is-here","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/payne-review-bronco-is-delayed-never-fear-baby-bronco-is-here","title":{"rendered":"Payne review: Bronco is delayed? Never fear, Baby Bronco is here"},"content":{"rendered":"

Delayed by COVID-related supplier issues, Ford Bronco fans must\u00a0impatiently await\u00a0its 2021 summer arrival. To make the time go by faster, may I recommend the Baby Bronco?<\/p>\n

Available at your Ford dealer now, the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport \u2014 aka\u00a0Baby Bronco \u2014 is a housebroken off-roader. Heck, with its cargo-friendly, quiet\u00a0unibody cabin it would make a nice pair with the truck-frame Bronco in your garage.<\/p>\n

I spurred this off-road hoss through Holly Oaks ORV Park\u2019s \u201cSandbox\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Payne, have you gone mad? Off-roading a compact family SUV?<\/p>\n

Madness is encouraged by the Bronco team\u2019s 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\u00a0that even the bigger Bronco doesn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

I\u2019m talking about the available rear, twin-clutch pack system\u00a0that can send 100% of torque to either rear wheel of the all-wheel drive system. If this thrilling\u00a0torque-vectoring capability sounds familiar, that\u2019s 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\u00a0I destroyed the Waterford Hills race track with four years ago.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cBWA-HA-HA-HAAAA!\u201d I can hear Ford\u2019s mad scientists cackling.<\/p>\n

Modified for the ute, the clutch pack allows the Bronco Sport insane drifting capabilities when off-road \u2014 just like the Focus RS wowed us with on-track. \u201cMore throttle!\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\"Rotary<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Which means that when big brother Bronco arrives, you and family can take both vehicles to Holly Oaks \u2014 Bronco Sport for the high-speed bits, and the ladder-framed, twin-differential-locking Bronco for crawling over rocky obstacle courses.<\/p>\n

I should mention that the twin-clutch system is only available on the Bronco Sport\u2019s Badlands trim, which also gets a lifted, 8.8-inch ride height, sport shocks\u00a0and 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.<\/p>\n

A word about the Escape, which shares the Bronco Sport\u2019s bones.<\/p>\n

While I go to bed each night cursing Ford\u2019s 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\u00a0Escape SUV. With a head-turning face outside and clever features inside (legroom-friendly, sliding rear seat;\u00a0affordable hybrid model), it is one of the segment\u2019s best offerings.<\/p>\n

But Escape cannot do battle against the Toyota RAV4\/Nissan Rogue\/Honda CR-V juggernaut alone \u2014 thus the Blue Oval\u2019s astute Bronco strategy that not only targets the iconic Jeep Wrangler, but also expands Ford\u2019s presence in the compact SUV space with the Bronco Sport.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Instantly, Ford is now an alternative to the segment\u2019s popular, off-road\u00a0all-wheel-drive Jeep Cherokee, Compass\u00a0and Subaru Crosstrek cuties. And Ford wasn\u2019t content just to rebadge the Escape a \u201cBronco Sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new ute has a wonderful personality to go with its Bronco-esque looks.<\/p>\n

Where Escape is stylishly sophisticated with its Aston Martin-like grille, tablet screen\u00a0and sliding rear seat, Bronco Sport oozes outdoor playfulness. Its fascia\u00a0is a dead-ringer for the Bronco with \u201csplit\u201d headlights and the Bronco logo branded across its grille. No Bronco-like fenders \u2014 but roof rails and squared-off hindquarters are standard,\u00a0as are healthy 30-degree approach and 28-degree departure angles for those off-road detours.<\/p>\n

Inside, the Sport is decorated with chunky dials, pocket nets\u00a0and 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\u00a0and Sandy (GOAT stands for \u201cGoes Over Any Type of Terrain\u201d).<\/p>\n

My Badlands tester gives the Bronco Sport Jeep Trailhawk-like off-road bandwidth. But the starter base, Big Bend\u00a0and Outer Banks models have plenty of capability to take you to the trail\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n

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\u2019re set.<\/p>\n

Brand manager Jovina Young got comfy with the Bronco Sport\u2019s 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\u2019t use the cargo hold for bikes, the rear hatchback\u2019s built-in floodlights came in handy for when she (and fellow drivers) were camping in the middle of nowhere. There\u2019s even a bottle opener for Miller time.<\/p>\n

\"Good<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Rear carabiner hooks \u2014 shades of an F-150 pickup bed \u2014 helped her anchor gear and luggage with ratchet straps. Front cargo nets were stuffed with pens and other loose gear \u2014 as were the console\u2019s multiple storage bins. While the interior can\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Families \u2014 and off-roaders \u2014 live in their SUVs, and Young is evidence its builders lived in them as well.<\/p>\n

So that\u2019s what\u2019s under the roof. Under the hood is a peppy\u00a0181-horse\u00a01.5-liter\u00a0turbo three-cylinder.\u00a0Badlands buyers can upgrade to a 245-horse\u00a02.0-liter turbo-4, which \u2014 ahem \u2014 adds additional Rock\u00a0Crawl\u00a0and Mud\u00a0& Ruts GOAT modes.<\/p>\n

So that when you you\u2019re headed up north you can stop off at Holly Oaks \u2014 \u201cBWA-HA-HA-HAAAA!\u201d \u2014 and do some crazy off-road stuff.<\/p>\n

Just make sure you\u2019ve got bead-lockers on the tires.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

2021 Ford Bronco Sport<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: All-wheel drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\n

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

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder; 2.0-liter turbo-4<\/p>\n

Power: 181 horsepower, 190\u00a0pound-feet of torque (1.5-liter); 250 horsepower, 277\u00a0pound-feet of torque (2.0-liter)<\/p>\n

Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n

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

Weight: 3,713\u00a0pounds (as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 25\u00a0mpg city\/28\u00a0highway\/26\u00a0combined\u00a0(1.5-liter); 21\u00a0mpg city\/26\u00a0highway\/23\u00a0combined\u00a0(2.0-liter)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/p>\n

Highs: Bronco looks; AWD utility and standard features<\/p>\n

Lows: Toils in shadow of Bronco and Ford Escape<\/p>\n

Overall: 4\u00a0stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Delayed by COVID-related supplier issues, Ford Bronco fans must\u00a0impatiently await\u00a0its 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 \u2014 aka\u00a0Baby Bronco \u2014 is a housebroken off-roader. Heck, with its cargo-friendly, quiet\u00a0unibody cabin it would make a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26454"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26454"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26455,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26454\/revisions\/26455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}