2024 Ford Bronco Sport - Review by David Colman

An intelligently designed compact SUV

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent THE AUTO CHANNEL

After an endless succession of new vehicles that required a PhD in AI to operate, the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport comes as a welcome return to automotive sanity. Imagine if you will a real – not virtual – dashboard, with physical instruments that record operational status with actual pointers. How about a full array of buttons and switches to activate various functions, all clearly labeled, each menu-free and ready for immediate use. For those of us who never requested nor wanted cars that duplicate cell phones, the Bronco Sport is a welcome revelation. Here’s a tidy, reasonably inexpensive compact SUV that places ease of operation above complexity of design.

The particular version we drove garnered more stares per mile than anything else we tested this year. That’s because Ford selected a “Free Wheeling” example of the Bronco Sport for the press fleet. The multi-hued model we tested is one of five different Sport models available. The cheapest is the Big Bend ($29,795), followed by the Heritage ($32,365), the Free Wheeling ($33,730), the Outer Banks ($33,935), and the Badlands ($38,390). Our Oxford White test model was dolled up with a multi-hued five-color rainbow striping package that made it impossible to lose in any parking lot. Complete with “17-inch Ebony Race Red Painted Wheels,” our loaner also sported a $1,785 Convenience Package that included a wireless charging pad, LED fog lamps, universal garage door opener, 8-way power driver’s seat, rear parking sensors, and heated front seats. The addition of Ford Co-Pilot Assist ($895) brought the total tariff to $38,695. But Ford threw in a couple of “National Discounts” that dropped the sticker to $37,695.

For that amount you receive a vehicle that is adequately off-road compatible thanks to full-time 4-wheel drive. The Sport is under-powered by a three-cylinder 1.5-liter gasoline-fueled engine mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This engine makes 181hp and 190lb.-ft of torque which won't make for fast acceleration, but will allow it to tow a 2,200-pound trailer. Our test Bronco was fitted with a $690 small receiver hitch and a wiring harness. This engine is quite a fuel miser, posting an overall EPA fuel economy rating of 26MPG. It will noisily accelerate the 3,593-pound SUV to 60mph in 8.2 seconds, and run the standing start quarter-mile in 16.3 seconds at 84mph. If that’s not quick enough, you can upgrade to the Badlands Bronco Sport, which Ford equips with a more powerful 2.0-liter inline-4 making 250hp and 277 lb.-ft. of torque. That version, also fitted with paddle shifters, will dispense with the zero-to-sixty MPH run in just 5.0 seconds, and cover the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds at 93mph.

For most of our driving, the 1.5-liter motor proved adequate. Only when passing slower traffic or accelerating to match freeway speed did we note its marked lack of grunt and rather noisy sound track. If it were up to us, we would forego the stellar paint and tape of the Free Wheel decoration package in favor of the stouter motor available in the Badlands Bronco Sport. But we did like the the looks of the rainbow-striped seats made from “Sunset Weave Cloth.” Ford calls the embellishment “Ebony Ombre Stitching” and it definitely added a whimsical element to the freewheeling concept. Unfortunately, the slab-backed seats were not nearly as comfortable as they were pretty. In keeping with the outlaw theme, each time you fire up this Bronco, the video screen on the dash projects a cartoon rendition of desert boulders morphing into a prancing wild horse.

Our test Bronco Sport was equipped with 225/65R17 Continental Pro Contact mud and snow tires carrying a treadwear rating of TW500. The agile Ford handled well on this rubber up to a certain point, but when prodded past that point the Contis howled in protest. We would either select a more grippy street tire, or go all out with an off-road biased tread pattern. Either way, you will enjoy flinging this petite Bronco through its paces on a curvy road.

We were most impressed with Ford’s attention to detailing. For example, the grill and all four exterior door pulls are painted a metallic shade of silver that looks perfectly compatible with the precise vinyl stripe overlays. As for the stripes themselves, they are perfectly aligned and look like they will outlive the life of the Bronco. There's nothing cheap about this treatment.

Along these lines, we noted with satisfaction the full interior rubber matting that is designed to grip and retain anything that contacts it. Also, the Sport abounds with other nifty details, like a split rear tailgate, which can be opened from exterior releases to pop the whole door, or just the window glass. Inside the tail, you’ll even find a handy bottle opener. And note that this tailgate does not need a power assist, because it weighs close to nothing. It's just what you would expect from a compact SUV that’s as intelligently designed as the Bronco Sport.

2024 FORD BRONCO SPORT

• ENGINE: 1.5 liter inline-3, turbocharged and intercooled, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection
• HORSEPOWER: 181hp@6000rpm
• TORQUE: 190lb.ft.@3000rpm
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 25MPG City/29MPG Highway
• PRICE AS TESTED: $37,695

HYPES: Human Compatible Controls

GRIPES: Marginal Grunt, Flat Seats

STAR RATING: 8 Stars out of 10

©2024 David E Colman