Need to kick-start an automotive lineup? Go nostalgic and old school. Ford Motor Company did just that when summoning the venerable bucking Bronco out of retirement and back into action. Bronco often gets celebrated as Ford’s original Sport Utility Vehicle.
Bronco returned center stage in the 2021 model year after a near 25-year hiatus from Ford’s portfolio. The Blue Oval Company began teasing the general public and automotive press in 2017 hinting of its imminent return. The successful 2021 reboot represents its sixth-generation platform but with plenty of visual familiarity harkening back to its humble start back in the mid-1960s.
First off, it’s important to distinguish between Ford’s Bronco Sport, this week’s ride and the similar sounding Bronco; two very different animals. No Bronco Sport existed back in the 1960s, just Bronco. Bronco Sport circa 2023 shares its undercarriage with the uni-body (car frame) Ford Escape compact crossover, but with plenty of rugged, off-road technology Escape lacks.
The larger, off-road designed 4 x 4 Bronco circa 2023 borrows truck-like underpinnings with the mid-size body-on-frame Ford Ranger pickup truck. Bronco comes in three and five-door models (counting the back hatch) while the smaller Bronco Sport comes standard as a five-door. Bronco and Bronco Sport assemble at two different production plants and demand remains brisk.
Sales of both designs skyrocketed since the re-intro. The 2023 calendar year saw U.S. Bronco Sport undergo a 28 percent rise in sales from the previous year reaching 127,476 units while Bronco topped the 100,000 unit barrier at 105,665.
In the 2023 model year, both Bronco Brothers take the next logical marketing step, adding specialty trims creating even a bigger bucking buzz. Both Bronco and Bronco Sport add a 2023 Heritage Edition and for a little extra cash, a top-tier 2023 Heritage Limited Edition. Both pay tribute to 1966, Bronco’s first year in showrooms.
While Bronco Heritage Editions continue forward in the 2024 model year, the 2023 model year marks the sole showing of our tester this week, the 2023 Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition. Same goes for the larger Bronco Heritage Limited Edition. Plus, Ford’s assembling only 1,966 units each of the Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition and Bronco Heritage Limited Edition coinciding with the celebratory intro date of 1966.
Each of the two Bronco Sport Heritage choices include their own specific internal combustion powertrain. Our Bronco Sport Heritage Limited (the pricier of the two) included a larger 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder EcoBoost (read turbocharged) engine cranking out 250 horses enhancing high-speed off-roading while the Heritage Edition supports a 1.5-liter EcoBoost inline three cylinder generating 181 horses.
The fuel tank holds 16 gallons of fuel welcomed by a capless fuel lead incorporating a convenient self-sealing plate/barrier, eliminating the hassle of a tethered twist cap. Our Heritage Limited Edition recommends 93-octane premium fuel for optimal performance, although 87-ocatne suffices. Fuel economy lags behind many compact crossover competitors, with the trade-off being better-than-average off-road abilities.
An observation concerning the unibody Bronco Sport. Unlike five-door rivals including Toyota’s RAV4, Chevrolet Trax and Honda CR-V, Bronco Sport’s exterior harkens back to an edgier style with the roof squared-off rather than a curved, aerodynamic back end. While subjective, this provides a work-like, blue-collar approach when viewing from several different angles, an appealing choice for many.
Building upon a go-anywhere theme, our Bronco Sport Limited Heritage boasted Ford’s terrain management system proudly tapped as G.O.A.T (Goes Over Any Terrain) operated via a twist dial between front bucket seats when selecting settings. While off-road adventures may be few and far between in Chicagoland, snow mounds and muddy terrains are not.
The G.O.A.T. dial offers an array of seven drive modes, (Normal, Eco, Slippery, Sport, Sand, Rock Crawl and Mudd/Ruts), more than what’s found in the throng of compact crossover competitors currently flooding the marketplace. Also standard, an off-road suspension and a trail crawl mode, helping establish this as the most off-road capable Bronco Sport trim available in 2023.
Bronco Sport’s self-proclaimed 4 x 4 design lacks a locking center differential and low-range transfer case opportunity, resembling an all-wheel design at times. A 4x4 iconed button adjacent to the G.O.A.T. dial summons four-wheel high utilizing a twin lock rear drive unit with a differential lock able to divert almost all rear axle torque to either wheel.
Also near the G.O.A.T. dial, dual inline beverage holders, an electronic pull-tab parking brake and a small metal-like rectangular retro plate marking the 1966 start date of Bronco production.
Our Bronco Sport Heritage, Limited Edition tester boasted a can’t miss, upbeat, banana-yellow exterior (Yellowstone Metallic in Bronco speak) unique to the Heritage Limited Edition. Two other outside hues, Peak Blue and Robin’s Egg Blue, are also exclusive to the Sport Heritage Limited edition.
Aside from the two Heritage Editions, returning Bronco Sport trims (many with exciting, visually descriptive designates) in the 2023 model year include: Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks and Badlands. Our Heritage Limited tester is based off of the Badlands trim (the most capable off-roader of the five conventional trims) with distinguishable extras.
Another nice aspect of both Bronco Sport Heritage editions, they’re sold well equipped with few option selections. Pricing for our 2023 Bronco Sport Heritage Limited started at $44,655 with the only extra a $150 cargo management system (read adjustable/removable cargo-area shelving). The bottom line reached $46,400 after factoring in a $1,595 destination charge; quite pricey for a compact crossover. A 2023 Bronco Sport Heritage checks in at $35,840.
The upbeat Yellowstone Metallic eye teaser teams up with an Oxford white roof, 17-inch white aluminum wheels with exposed lug nuts, a circular Bronco logo center and 29-inch all-terrain, deep tread tires. Oxford white also dons the narrow, machined, horizontal front grille with BRONCO spelled out in race red lettering. Bronco Sport Hertiage Limited and the Badlands trim of which it’s based upon include upfront lower tow hooks and the best towing capacity rating (2,200 pounds) Bronco Sport offers.
Exterior A, B, C and D pillars all opt for a black hue, creating a tri-color palate with the white roof and Yellowstone Yellow. Black composite, plastic-like trim protects bumpers while trimming lower side door bottoms and round wheel wells.
Inside, our Sport Heritage Limited edition upgraded to leather trimmed plaid seating with a tan/brownish color. The instrument panel combines an animated center screen with two circular, framed analog-type dials at each end with the left one tackling tachometer readouts while the right side displays miles per hour. The tachometer’s bottom includes a block-style temperature gauge, the speedometer’s circle includes a bar-style fuel gauge. The steering wheel’s 3’O-clock spoke includes a scroll button for choosing various menu items within the animated window.
A smallish, touch-and-swipe sensitive, eight-inch multi-function screen embeds into the upper central dash flanked by vertical-type air vents The screen works in tandem with a welcome, sizable pair of twist dials (volume and station select) and manual-push forward and backward buttons too often missing in rival sound systems. These tactile options often respond faster than a screen push, which sometimes did not sense the finger-pressing command.
A separate, independent ventilation system resides lower within the central dash with outboard twist dials monitoring dual temperature zones and a series of small push buttons in between adjusting fan direction and fan speed. Above the HVAC settings, a small inlet convenient for knickknacks, envelopes to be mailed or Smartphones.
Smartphones may also enjoy a flat wireless charge pad in a grove at the bottom of the center console, a standard perk in Heritage Limited Editions. Also in the phone box, two USB ports accommodating cords when connecting Smartphones with Ford’s Sync 3 system (various other Ford products have graduated to Sync 4).
An eight-speed electronic automatic transmission dial between front bucket seats rotates through PRNR with a simple twist. The pushable M in the dial’s middle opts for a manual shift of the forward gears with the aid of steering wheel paddle shifters.
The manually operated back hatch, hinged at the top, lifts up when loading. For quick trips, the glass window pops open independently while the lower half remains in place. It’s flanked by vertical taillights with the passenger’s side supporting a capital ‘D’ outline with the driver’s side reversing the capital ‘D’. Behind the second row, 29.4 cubic feet of cargo space awaits, rather generous for a compact crossover along with the height-adjustable shelf/privacy cover.
This door design differs from the body-on-frame Bronco, which swings out a-la a refrigerator door hinged at the right side. Bronco’s spare tire mounts on the hatch door. Bronco Sport, and our Heritage Limited Edition tester, chose an indoor location for the spare in the hatch region under a large, removable, rubberized floor mat which washes clean, if needed, with the aid of a garden house. Also washable, rubber mats snapped to the back of second row seats. Fold the 60/40 seatbacks down onto cushions, and cargo opportunities expand greatly (to 60.1 cubic feet) as does the rubberized and easily washable floor.
While second-row headroom bests many in the compact crossover segment thanks to a high, flat roof, leg room requires more compromise with the two sliding bucket seats ahead. Bronco Sport markets as a five-seater, but for optimal comfort two adults travel in optimal comfort.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition
Price as tested: $46,400
Engine: 2.0-liter EcoBoost four cylinder
Horsepower: 250
Wheelbase: 105.1 inches
Overall Length: 172.7 inches
Overall Height: 71.4 inches
Overall Width: 76.3 inches
Fuel Economy: 21 mpg city, 26 mpg highway.
Powertrain Warranty: Five Years/60,000 miles
Assembly: Hermosillo, Mexico