1 week Ago By Peter Bleakney
Article content Ford’s rough and tumble compact SUV, the Bronco Sport , gets a refresh for 2025 that includes interior and infotainment upgrades along with more off-road capability. Not to be confused with the larger Ford Bronco that plays in the big dog sand box, the Bronco Sport lives in its big brother’s shadow in this regard – its mission to blend day-to-day comfort and usability with respectable off-road capability. All done up in the most charming of Tonka toy wrappers.
Ah, but it seems Bronco Sport customers, who, according to Ford, are the most outdoorsy and active of any buyers in this category, wanted more mojo when leaving the asphalt. Look out “big” Bronco, here comes the Bronco Sport Sasquatch. Your kid brother just got a whole lot more attitude, and with its new Rally Mode and twin-clutch rear drive unit, it wants to spit a rooster tail of sand in your grille.
Damn kids. After a few hours of desert running, rock crawling and sand storm auto crossing in a 2.0L EcoBoost turbo-four Badlands Sasquatch, it’s fair to say this most off-road capable Bronco Sport is the real deal.
But before we get more grit in our teeth, let’s back up earlier in the day to when I took a 1.5L EcoBoost turbo three-cylinder Bronco Sport Big Bend ($38,495) with Black Diamond Off-Road Package ($3,645) on a three-hour on-road drive from San Diego to Borrego Springs. Interior features in the Ford Bronco Sport The first things you’ll notice when jumping in the 2025 Bronco Sport are the new 12.
3-inch configurable digital gauge cluster and 13.2-inch central touchscreen rocking Ford’s newest SYNC 4 infotainment. It’s a slick system, graphics are good, and for 2025 both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless.
All Bronco Sport models get a suite of safety systems dubbed Co-Pilot 360 Assist+ that includes auto high beams, blind spot info with cross traffic alert, lane keeping assist, driver alert, front collision mitigation, adaptive cruise with stop and go and lane centering, evasive steering assist and rear cross traffic braking. Co-Pilot 360 Assist 2.0 (optional on 1.
5L Outer Banks, standard with 2.0L Badlands) adds 360-degree camera with split view, reverse brake assist, and parking sensors. 2025 Ford Bronco Sport driving impressions Outward visibility is excellent in the upright Bronco Sport, and I’m enjoying the textile seats.
And this 1.5L three-cylinder turbo engine is a gem. It’s smooth, linear, makes a neat little growl, and with 180 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque on tap, the Big Bend never feels strained as we head through the mountains to inland California.
The ride quality is good too. This is a very likable little crossover with bags of character, and the three-cylinder models feels lighter on its feet than the 250 hp, 280 lb-ft four-pot Badlands. The G.
O.A.T.
selector (Go Over Any Type of Terrain) can call up five modes – Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Off-Road. The $3,645 Black Diamond Off-Road Package on this three-cylinder Big Bend adds four recovery hooks, up to 2,200 pounds of towing capacity when properly equipped (2.0-liter Bronco Sports can tow up to 2,700 pounds standard), additional steel underbody protection, 110-volt outlet, aux switches and wiring, fender tie downs, interior grab handle, and more.
To get the 2025 Sasquatch Package ($4,995) in a three-pot model requires ponying up for the upper trim Outer Banks ($43,195). Sasquatch adds twin-clutch rear-drive unit and locking rear differential, increased ride height, and 29-inch 235/65/R17 Goodyear Territory All Terrain tires and more. Need more boonie-bashing capability in your Bronco Sport? The 250-hp four-cylinder Badlands ($48,995) with Sasquatch Package ($4,495) is the most capable of the bunch.
Here, ride height is increased further (up to 8.3 inches of front suspension travel and 8.7 inches of rear suspension travel), and Bilstein rear shocks with position-sensitive damping and external reservoirs replace Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard monotube off-road dampers.
The Bilsteins give a wider range of compression and rebound damping. Select Off-Road mode or new Rally mode and a low angle front view appears on the central screen. Previously this Trail View was good for only up to 25 mph (40 km/h).
Now it functions at high speeds to support Rally mode’s desert running capabilities. Also available is a Split View that displays the front tires using the cameras under the side-view mirrors. It works a treat when picking your way through rocky terrain.
Standard front brush guard, steel skid plates, and modular, accessory-ready front and rear bumpers with steel bash plates protect your assets. As would be expected, Ford set up some pretty comprehensive off-roading exercises, all designed to show off the 2025 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch. After conquering some ridiculously rocky ascents, we chuddered down a 20-degree descent (equally jagged) using new-to-Bronco Sport One-Pedal Drive (from the big Bronco and Raptor families) that automatically engages the brakes when lifting off the gas pedal.
With adjustable pre-set speeds, it also acts as an off-road cruise control of sorts. Things got fun when we twirled the G.O.
A.T. mode dial to Rally and picked up the pace, hammering along some undulating gravel trails and kicking up legitimate rooster tails through sandy sections, thanks to that rear-drive clutch pack.
Rally mode enables higher speeds in sand by holding gears longer for increased power on demand, sharpening throttle response, and increasing feedback through the steering. A sandy and rutted desert auto cross course (negotiated in Rally mode) really gave us a chance to chuck the Badlands Sasquatch about. With engine revs kept well above any turbo lag zone, the Sasquatch showed quick throttle response and unbridled enthusiasm, its tidy size a bonus when slicing and sliding through the course.
We had extra incentive to keep the speed up as the massive dust clouds we kicked up would completely engulf the SUV if you didn’t outrun it. The Badlands Sasquatch felt like it could do this all day. I know I could have.
In reality, most buyers won’t get to abuse their Sasquatches in such a life-affirming manner. And if they do, there will be plenty of on-road driving in between. Hence, I took a full-zoot 2.
0L Badlands Sasquatch on the lengthy road drive back to San Diego. Compared with the three-cylinder Big Bend I drove earlier in the day, the Bad-Sas has a stiffer ride and the all-terrain tires are noisier and less precise in the bends. There’s a bit of turbo-lag with this 2.
0L four cylinder too, but overall, the on-road penalty for all the Sasquatch’s off-road prowess is minimal. Apparently, Bronco Sport owners add more accessories to their vehicles than any other buyers in the segment, and Ford obliges with plenty of ways to spend your money. Both front and rear bumpers are new, adding modular points on which one can fit a range of accessories, such as brush bars and driving lights or mounts for dune flags.
Nifty flip-up tie-down points on the front fenders give points for securing rooftop gear. Anything you see on a Bronco Sport that looks like metal, is metal – no silver painted plastics here. Indeed, Sasquatch Packages for both three- and four-cylinder models are the big news in Bronco Sport world, but the interior and infotainment upgrades across the board for 2025 give this fun and funky compact SUV extra appeal.
For this correspondent, the eagerness and fuel economy of the 1.5L three-cylinder is all I’d need in a Bronco Sport. Sasquatches can be spotted at your local Ford dealer now.
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