Ford is about to force the National Park Service to make a tough decision.
The company has released a highly capable off-road Sasquatch Package for the 2025 edition of its Ford Bronco Sport compact SUV. The Bronco Sport could already get past the doorman at some exclusive off-road clubs. Now, it should try knocking on the door of the rest of them.
The park service recently began threatening drivers with fines for driving all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicles on trails restricted to 4-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicles on the theory that AWD can’t safely go everywhere 4WD can go.
That includes the Bronco Sport. It uses all-wheel drive, not 4-wheel drive. Yet its available Goes Over Any Type of Terrain (GOAT) system made it arguably the most capable AWD vehicle.
The Sasquatch Package may remove that “arguably.”
Rear Torque Vectoring, Exclusive All-Terrain Tires
It adds a dual-clutch torque vectoring rear-drive unit, increased ride height, and new position-sensitive Bilstein monotube shocks with piggyback reservoirs to the rear wheels. These are a scaled-down version of the shocks found on the full-size Bronco.
Bronco Sport Sasquatch models get steel underbody bash plates, oversized recovery hooks, and a front brush guard.
Ford worked with Goodyear to develop new all-terrain tires especially for the little cryptid. Reinforced sidewalls and an open-tread design should make them very capable – and expensive to replace.
Ford hasn’t revealed pricing for the package. The most off-road capable 2024 model on dealer lots today, the Badlands trim, starts at $39,985. The ‘Squatch will likely come in closer to $44,000 when it goes on sale in the first quarter of 2025.
Lifted Ride Height, Serious Clearance Angles
Ford will offer the package on the Bronco Sport’s Badlands and Outer Banks trims. It sits 0.6 inches higher than the Badlands and 1.6 inches higher than the Outer Banks. That gives it 23.6 inches of water fording, a 31.2-degree approach angle, a 27.9-degree departure angle, and a 21.7-degree breakover angle.
Numbers like that threaten 4-wheel-drive vehicles, not all-wheel-drive ones. The Bronco Sport with Sasquatch Package reads more like an alternative to the Jeep Wrangler than a competitor for the Jeep Compass.
That’s the point. Matt Simpson, general manager of enthusiast vehicles for Ford, says, “Bronco Sport customers love the outdoors and go off-roading 3.5 times as often as the owners of competitive vehicles and camping twice as often.”
Other 2025 Bronco Sport Updates
Every 2025 Bronco Sport gets a larger 13.2-inch central touchscreen capable of receiving over-the-air updates.
An accessory tray on the dashboard features built-in USB-C ports, making it the perfect spot for a dashcam or GoPro.
New steel front and rear bumpers feature tie-down points. Cool fold-out tie-downs on the front bumpers – found only on the Badlands and Sasquatch models – help secure a rooftop load.
Ford says the 2025 Bronco Sport will reach dealers in November. The Sasquatch Package, though, won’t be available until the first quarter of next year. Pricing for the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport begins at $31,590, including destination fee.
