2026 Ford Bronco Sport

It’s hard not to fall for the charms of the Ford Bronco Sport. Affectionately dubbed the “baby Bronco” by off-road enthusiasts, the Bronco Sport has an aesthetic personality and off-road chops inspired by the Bronco, but with a 4-door-only body and unibody construction that make it more car-like on the road and, arguably, more practical. Some subcompact SUVs in this class are more efficient, more affordable, and have more backseat space, but the Bronco Sport has a blend of character and capability that few small SUVs can match.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of subcompact SUVs, including the Ford Bronco Sport.

A new Bronze Package available for the Big Bend and Badlands trims adds 17-inch bronze-colored wheels, bronze trim inside and out, and tougher floor liners. This new appearance package adds even more visual variety to the Bronco Sport lineup.

The starting price of the Ford Bronco Sport is on the higher end of this class. Most rivals – like the Subaru Crosstrek, Hyundai Kona, Chevy Trailblazer, and Honda HR-V – start at under $30k. Even if you want a serious off-roader, a Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness is about $5k cheaper than a Ford Bronco Badlands.

Before buying a Bronco Sport, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Ford Bronco Sport resale value is about average for the segment. Recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The beauty of the Ford Bronco Sport is that it drives about as well as any other SUV in this class in everyday driving. Normally, this wouldn’t be all that noteworthy, but it’s impressive considering the Bronco Sport’s uncompromising off-road capability. Standard all-wheel drive (AWD) across the board ensures both off-road readiness and confident traction in slippery road conditions.

When we drive the Bronco Sport on the pavement, it’s reasonably smooth and comfortable with predictable steering and braking. The 3-cylinder engine that’s standard in most trims provides adequate thrust, but requires a little patience for on-ramp sprints. There’s a bigger and stronger turbo 4-cylinder option that’s exclusive to the Badlands trim and adds quite a bit more muscle. However, the more powerful engine comes with a fuel economy penalty of 4 mpg in mixed driving.

If you’re attracted to the Bronco Sport for its off-road proficiency, there are three option packages you should know about. The budget option is the Black Diamond package available for the base Big Bend trim, which makes some modest upgrades like skid plates and all-terrain tires. The Outer Banks and Badlands trims have their own respective Sasquatch packages. Both come with a HOSS off-road suspension system, a more capable AWD system with a twin-clutch rear drive unit, and Trail Control, which is like low-speed cruise control for off-roading. Advantages of the more capable Badlands Sasquatch package include an even more advanced HOSS suspension with Bilstein dampers, as well as additional engine cooling. All three incorporate an extra rugged appearance package.

Powertrain

In our testing, we’ve found the Ford Bronco Sport’s cabin to be functional and durable, if not fancy. Some SUVs in this class surprise us with upscale designs and premium materials. The Bronco Sport is not one of them. What this interior does have going for it is that everything is easy to control, the gearshift knob is inoffensive, and the steering wheel controls are intuitive. Although there’s not much to complain about inside the Ford Bronco Sport, we can’t say it feels like the interior of an SUV in the $40,000 range when fully loaded.

In some ways, the Bronco Sport’s interior has as much personality as its exterior. In addition to liberal “Bronco” branding, a few rare quirks include grab handles around the center console, an “Accessory Ready” cubby behind the infotainment screen, available MOLLE straps behind the front seats, and little underseat storage cubbies in the rear seats.

The Bronco Sport’s upright design provides pretty generous headroom, but backseat legroom is just okay for this class. With 36.9 inches of legroom, these back seats are about as roomy as the Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek, but the Hyundai Kona and Chevy Trailblazer have noticeably roomier back seats that your rear passengers will appreciate. However, the cargo room is fairly generous at 32.5 cubic feet behind the back seats.

Some subcompact SUVs require advancing beyond the base trim to get a more desirable infotainment system, but every Ford Bronco Sport comes standard with a 13.2-inch central display and a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. This is a great infotainment system with clear menus and intuitive controls, but we wish it weren’t required for HVAC controls; we like buttons and knobs.

Sasquatch packages
The Outer Banks and Badlands trims of the Ford Bronco Sport are available with their own respective Sasquatch packages, maximizing what a subcompact SUV can do off-road. Upgrades include a HOSS suspension system, a more capable all-wheel drive system, all-terrain tires, and appearance packages to match their capabilities.

G.O.A.T. modes
Another element that the Bronco Sport borrows from the Bronco is Ford’s G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes. The standard drive modes are Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Sand, while the Badlands trim further adds special Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl drive modes.

SYNC 4
Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment interface is one of the better ones in this class. It’s intuitive and comes packed with features like wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and Alexa Built-In, and a lovely 13.2-inch center display is standard on every trim.