2025 Ford Bronco

Armed with standard 4-wheel drive (4WD), the 2025 Ford Bronco is not only engineered to gobble up just about any terrain laid in front of it, but it can easily slip out of its mountain boots and into a pair of black wingtips when necessary. It seats up to five, provides a choice of six trims (two of which are available in 2-door, as well as the more common 4-door configuration), and the pick of two turbocharged engines. Sure, it’s a bit rough around the edges when called upon to run errands on a paved street, but let’s face it, that’s part of the Bronco allure.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize SUVs, including the Ford Bronco.

The biggest Bronco news for 2025 is the reintroduction of the Base trim, which was missing in action for 2024. Ford is offering it in either a 2-door or 4-door configuration. In other trim-level news, Ford jettisoned the Black Diamond, Wildtrak, and Everglades grades. For those keeping score, that’s a net loss of two trims, which takes the total grade count down to six. But wait: In place of the Wildtrak, Ford will also offer the Bronco Stroppe Special Edition. A 2-door limited-edition trim, the Stroppe Special Edition is a nod to the original Baja Bronco. In addition to a few appearance upgrades like squared-off fenders, orange badging, and 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, this package includes a stabilizer bar disconnect, a High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension 3.0 (HOSS 3.0), and 35-inch Goodyear Territory RT tires. It will arrive sometime in early 2025, bringing the total number of trims to seven.

Adding the two rear doors to the Base is no charge, and on the Badlands increases the bottom line by $1,290. The Stroppe Special Edition is only available as a 2-d00r.

If you can live with something smaller and more affordability is your goal, we can recommend the impressive Bronco Sport, starting at roughly $9,000 less. Currently, Bronco’s only serious rival is the Jeep Wrangler. You can get into a 2-door Wrangler for about $5,000 less than the Bronco.

Only the Base and Badlands trims are available with two or four doors. All other grades only come with four doors.

If we were shopping for a Bronco, we’d pick the Outer Banks trim. And, if we were feeling especially flush, we’d add the High/Lux Package, which includes adaptive cruise control, an upgraded audio system, and more.

Before buying the Ford Bronco, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay.

Outstanding Resale Value

The Ford Bronco holds its value even better than the famously resilient Jeep Wrangler. In fact, the Bronco boasts better resale value figures than just about every other vehicle on the market. And keep in mind the more value you recoup when selling or trading in, the more you have to put down on another vehicle.

The most popular engine in the Bronco is the base 275-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder. (This is about the same as the Jeep Wrangler’s 4-cylinder.) We think it makes more than enough power and torque for typical on- and off-road duty. The performance improves if you’re willing to pay a little extra for premium gas.

You can get the base engine with a 7-speed manual or 10-speed automatic transmission. Naturally, 4-wheel drive comes standard. Although we like the 7-speed manual for rock crawling, in most situations, we prefer the convenience and versatility of the 10-speed automatic.

While it’s an amazing off-roader, one of the Bronco’s key strengths is how much more civilized it is around town compared to its clearest (only?) direct competitor, the Jeep Wrangler. While they both feature rugged, body-on-frame construction, the Bronco is decidedly more pleasant and easier to drive on the streets than the more truck-like Wrangler. You won’t mistake it for an Explorer, but it does have somewhat better pavement manners than the Wrangler.

Still, where the pavement ends is where the Ford Bronco shines. Thanks to standard 4-wheel drive, the aforementioned body-on-frame architecture, as well as favorable approach, departure, and breakover angles, every Bronco is an excellent off-roader.

Moreover, a major contributor to making the Bronco ready for anything is its Terrain Management System with G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes. Select the right mode for the terrain you’re driving on, and the Bronco will optimize things like shift points, steering, and throttle mapping to deliver the best and most capable experience. When available, you should consider the Sasquatch Package, with its off-road-bred extras, if you yearn to hit a boulder-strewn trail.

As an engine option, Ford offers a 315-hp twin-turbo V6. (This is notably more than the Wrangler’s 285 hp from its normally aspirated V6.) Ford only mates the V6 engines with the 10-speed automatic transmission. If you are willing to part with the nearly 92-large the Bronco Raptor fetches, Ford rewards you with an even more powerful 418-hp twin-turbo V6.

Fuel Economy

The turbocharged 4-cylinder engine is cheaper than the more powerful twin-turbocharged V6, but only technically more efficient. Both deliver 20 mpg in combined driving. For the turbo-4, that works out to 20 city and 21 highway. This mileage doesn’t vary from the manual to the automatic transmissions. For the V6, it’s 19 city and 21 highway. The Jeep Wrangler does better by an mpg with its 4-cylinder and V6 offerings.

As you move through some of the Bronco’s trim levels, the mileage may drop. For example, the combined mileage for the Badlands trim with the turbo-4 is 17 mpg. Move up to the Raptor and the estimated combined fuel economy plunges to 15 mpg.

The Ford Bronco’s interior design perfectly matches its personality. In other words, it is practical and rugged. Moreover, it’s not afraid to get dirty when the top and doors are off, thanks to the rubberized floor and available drain plugs. Some of the materials in the lower trims may seem a bit cheap compared to more upscale SUVs, but this cabin is designed with rough-and-tumble durability in mind.

Two-door Bronco models seat a total of four people, while 4-door variants accommodate up to five. No matter the door count, the Bronco has spacious front seats, but the rear seats are a bit cramped (35.7 inches of legroom) in the 2-door models. If you’ll have rear-seat passengers regularly, the 5-passenger, 4-door models are more family-friendly. The 4-door Bronco’s rear legroom is 36.3 inches. This space is a bit tighter than the 4-door Jeep Wrangler (38.3 inches). The cargo space is decent, and it’s available with an integrated MOLLE panel system behind the front seats to carry your gear securely. The 4-door Bronco offers 35.6 cubic feet behind the second-row seat to the Wrangler’s 31.7 cubic feet. Folding the rear seat in the 4-door models creates 77.6 cubic feet of cargo space in the Bronco and 72.4 cubic feet in the Wrangler.

Admittedly, “Bronconess” may not appear in your dictionary, but it encapsulates the essence of the Bronco design heritage. The exterior design of the Ford Bronco is both stylish and practical. It has a boxy shape and distinctive front end reminiscent of the original Bronco of the 1960s. You can get the Bronco with a 2-door or 4-door body, both of which come with removable doors and a removable roof. Now that’s Bronconess.

Terrain Management System with G.O.A.T. Modes
The Bronco comes with G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes, making this SUV ready for virtually any terrain. Available drive modes like Sand/Snow and Rock Crawl make the Bronco easy for off-road novices and experts alike to enjoy the Bronco to its full capability.

Sasquatch Package
If your aspirations include some serious trekking into the wild, the Sasquatch Package brings factory upgrades that make the Bronco an even more accomplished off-roader. This package includes 35-inch off-road tires, a HOSS 2.0 suspension system with Bilstein dampers, electronic-locking front and rear axles, a 4.7 final drive ratio, and muscular fender flares.

Two body styles
Because when rolling into really tricky off-pavement situations we prefer a shorter wheelbase SUV, we love that Ford offers the Bronco in two configurations: a 2-door and 4-door body. Sure, it’s a bit of a tradeoff. The shorter wheelbase of the 2-door model is great for technical off-roading, and the more practical 4-door body has a roomier interior.

Seven trims
With a ton of variety in its model range, there’s a Ford Bronco for everyone. The lower-end trims are affordable off-roaders, the Heritage Edition has some retro flair, and the aggressive Raptor model is good for high-performance off-roading.

SYNC 4
This rugged off-roader still comes with modern technology. The SYNC 4 infotainment system is user-friendly and feature-rich, with perks like wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and more.

HOSS suspension systems
The Bronco has four different HOSS suspension systems available. All of them are great for off-roading, but the more advanced systems add features like a Ford Performance steering rack, live valve technology, and semi-active dampers.

For all grades but the trim-topping Bronco Raptor, buyers have the pick of a turbocharged 4-cylinder or the optional twin-turbo V6. The 4-cylinder makes 275 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, while the V6 delivers 315 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque with regular fuel. Spending a bit more at the pump for premium gas boosts the performance numbers to 300 hp and 325 lb-ft in the 4-cylinder, and 330 hp and 415 lb-ft in the V6. For comparison, the Jeep Wrangler is available with four engines ranging in horsepower from 285 to 470.

The turbo-4 mates with either the standard 7-speed manual transmission or the optional 10-speed automatic transmission. Only the 10-speed automatic is paired with the twin-turbo V6. Our heart tells us the V6 is the way to go, but the turbo-4 is remarkably spirited and doesn’t cost an extra $2,000. Fuel economy isn’t a factor because the combined mileage doesn’t vary much between the engines. A third engine (a bigger twin-turbo V6, producing 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque) provides the go for the Bronco Raptor.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Ford Bronco is backed by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty. This coverage length is the same offered by the Jeep Wrangler.

Safety Rating

The Ford Bronco received the highest 5-Star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Every Bronco model comes with forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection and high-beam assist.