The base 1.5L turbo triple is quick enough but it is noisy and also emits an harmonic vibration at every common cruising speed that was remarked upon by all passengers who drove in the car. The 2L turbo is quick, quiet, smooth and flexible but fuel economy is unimpressive. The eight-speed automatic transmission is carefully matched to the engines. The steering is nicely weighted, precise and the car holds its line well on the highway. Road noise and wind noise are not successfully repressed. The Bronco Sport has a supple ride.

The original Bronco, a dedicated off-road vehicle with standard four-wheel drive, launched for the 1966 model year. It continued with minimal updates until 1978. Starting with the 1979 model year, the vehicle, based on the F-Series pickup-based, grew substantially. Ford offered the Bronco II, a Ranger pickup-based SUV, from 1984 to 1990. The current Bronco Sport has a similar footprint to the original Bronco and the Bronco II. The Bronco Sport is based on a modified Escape platform built on a slightly shorter wheelbase, is marginally taller and usefully narrower for driving on trails and in tight urban conditions. Shorter overhangs permit greater approach and departure angles, separate the Bronco Sport from its Escape showroom mate. Like a number of recent Fords, the Bronco Sport reflects some styling themes of its previous divisions, in this case, Land Rover. The stance, proportions and even the stepped “Safari” roof of the new Bronco Sport are all reminiscent of Land Rover styling cues. Nonetheless, this crossover looks very good. The interior features crisp analogue gauges, straightforward minor controls and a deliberately “trucky” design. Cabin materials are attractive with some interesting finishes and numerous soft-touch surfaces. Legroom is class-competitive up front but rear seat legroom is adequate at best for smaller adults. The front seats are reasonably comfortable but some drivers find the seating position too high and too close to the roof. Cargo space is narrow and lacks depth below the window line. Adjustable flood lights can be deployed from the open rear tailgate, and Ford notes that there are more than 100 dealer-installed accessories available for the vehicle.

All-wheel drive with five drive modes (Sand, Slippery, Sport, Eco and Normal) is standard on all trims other than the Badlands trim that adds a twin-clutch system as well as Mud-Ruts and Rock Crawl modes. The Bronco Sport is equipped with the Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+ including a forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot, rear cross traffic and lane departure warnings, a lane keeping system and active cruise control. Except for the Badlands model powered by a 2L turbo four, all other trims are powered by a 1.5L-turbo triple. Power is sent to all wheels via a conventional 8-speed automatic transmission. The base Big Bend trim features five drive modes and heated front seats. The Heritage and Free Wheeling models are essentially trim packages. The Outer Banks variant includes a heated steering wheel. The Badlands model features the super-powerful 2L turbo four, a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system and the two extra drive modes.