A dirt-ready interior features
rubber floor covering, scrubbable
seat fabric, and an aesthetic
utterly different from the Escape.seat backs for attaching gear, though
here they’re mounted to zippered seat
back pouches that can each conceal a
tablet. Finally, on all but the top leather-
trimmed models, there’s a hidden
compartment under a rear seat cushion
measuring roughly 17 x 8 x 4 inches. You
could live pretty well out of this SUV.
Pricing and fuel economy won’t be
shared until closer to the Bronco Sport’s
December 2020 on-sale date (a few
months ahead of the big Bronco), but we
expect a modest premium over similarly
equipped Escape AWD models.
We haven’t driven it yet, but we’re
cautiously optimistic that it might
squarely hit a nascent but potentially
growing niche of folks looking for an
affordable, efficient, roomy, maneuver-
able SUV that could serve in a pinch as a
bug-out overlander. Q
Probably the Badlands model’s biggest
off-road upgrade is its all-wheel-drive
system—in which the rear differential
is replaced with a simple bevel gear
driving half-shafts fitted with multiplate
clutches that engage drive to each
rear wheel. That means that of the 50
percent of engine torque making its
way aft, all can be applied to either rear
wheel for torque vectoring akin to what
you find on Acura SH-AWD and GKN
Twinster rear axles. There’s also a rear-
diff-lock switch like on the big Bronco.
Tough 2.8mm-thick steel armoring
shields the engine and transmission,
the fuel tank, and the vapor recovery
canister. The exhaust is also tucked
well up out of harm’s way, and there’s
8.7 inches of ground clearance. That’s
up from the base Sport’s 7.9 and a
match for the Renegade and Cherokee
Trailhawk models. Should the Bronco
Sport Badlands find itself in a position to
accept or provide off-road assistance,
there are two open tow hooks front and
rear, each capable of withstanding the
vehicle’s entire weight or more.
The suspension provides 3.9 inches of
jounce and 3.5 inches of rebound front
and rear—an improvement of about
0.6 and 0.04 inch from Escape/Corsair
but dramatically better than what Ford
claims to have measured on a Jeep
Renegade (3.5/2.3 front, 3.0/3.5 rear).When that jounce travel is exhausted, BWI
hydraulic jounce bumpers provide extra
cushioning to help facilitate safe, fast
desert running.
And as a measure of the Bronco Sport’s
suspension articulation, its ramp-travel
index (RTI—the distance a front wheel
can travel up a 20-degree ramp before
another wheel comes off the ground,
divided by wheelbase and multiplied
by 1,000) is 345—20 percent better than
the Escape’s and edging out the Jeep
Cherokee Trailhawk’s 324, Renegade
Trailhawk’s 319, and even the Range Rover
Evoque’s 300 (all as measured by Ford).
A 30.0-degree approach and 32.5-
degree departure angle roughly match the
Renegade Trailhawk’s, but its ability to ford
water to a depth of 23.6 inches soundly
beats that Jeep’s 19.0 inches. This is done
by locating all electronic control units well
above this height or completely sealing
them and ensuring robust door sealing.YOU CAN COMFORTABLY COMMUTE MONDAY
THROUGH FRIDAY, THEN HIT THE MOUNTAINS.
SEPTEMBER 2020 MOTORTREND.COM 37