2023 Ford Bronco Sport Review: Nostalgia Comes At A Premium
- SYNC 3 doesn't require a subscription
- Knobs and buttons to control radio and HVAC
- More off-road capability than the competition
- EcoBoost sounds amazing off the line
- Oxford White wheels, grille hard to keep clean
- High price to pay for nostalgia
- Not the most fuel-efficient of compact crossovers
- Misses Ford's latest infotainment technology
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug. And it's certainly the case with the retro-modern take on the original "Mustang of the Dirt," the Ford Bronco. The big horse returned to the off-roading scene in 2021 to battle the Jeep Wrangler on the trail with various trims in two- and four-door configurations, ranging from the Base all the way to the Badlands. Ford even introduced two specialist trim levels in 2022 for those waiting for their Bronco to hit the assembly line: the hardcore off-roader known as the Everglades, and the desert thunderhorse with reptilian DNA dubbed the Raptor.
Just to really hit the nostalgia buttons, 2023 bore witness to the Bronco Heritage Edition and Heritage Limited Edition trims. This duo pulled more from the first-generation Bronco of 1966 through 1977, in the form of Oxford White grilles, wheels, and roof panels, accented with blocky lettering in red and some retro-modern badging.
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Of course, the big horse didn't come alone (or first, for that matter). Those desiring a smaller Bronco for the everyday got theirs in the form of the Bronco Sport, spiritual successor to the Bronco II of the 1980s, and based on the same C2 platform as the Ford Maverick and Escape, as well as the Lincoln Aviator and Nautilus. And, just like the big Bronco, the Bronco Sport received its own versions of the Heritage Edition and Heritage Limited Edition trims for the 2023 model year. Though a capable crossover in its own right, is such nostalgia worth the price of admission? To find out, Ford sent a Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition in Yellowstone Metallic for a week-long review.
Big (little) horseshoes to fill
Though the original Bronco started with a small hoofprint, the short-lived second-generation of 1978-79 introduced a horse that was more of a Clydesdale than a, well, Bronco. The legendary nameplate would continue down the big path for the remainder of its life until its 25-year sabbatical began in 1996. While this was well and good for more than a few fans, others missed the size and maneuverability the first-gen Bronco offered. Thus, in March of 1983, Ford introduced the Bronco II, created alongside the first-generation Ranger, upon which the new little pony was based.
The compact SUV went up against the three-door variants of the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer/GMC S-15 Jimmy and the Jeep Cherokee, marketed as a horse that could go anywhere, even the places its older brother no longer could (out of the factory, anyway). The little horse that could lasted until 1990, when it was replaced for the 1991 model year by the Explorer, the SUV that would upend the entire auto industry.
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The strategy is similar today for the Bronco Sport: offer a smaller ride for those who need a crossover that can do more than most, while still delivering more in the way of comfort and everyday driving than the full-scale Bronco. It also serves as another example of the flexibility of Ford's C2 platform, wrapping it in a tough, handsome package that has garnered more than a few fans seeking a more affordable route to the Bronco name (especially since the base Bronco is not available for the 2024 model year).
Heritage can come with power
If you opt for the 2023 Bronco Sport Heritage Edition, you'll get a 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbo-three and its 181 horses moving all of the wheels through an eight-speed automatic, with five user-selectable G.O.A.T. terrain modes. Step up to the Heritage Limited Edition, though, and you'll get the Badlands' 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbo-four, as seen above under the nest of wires. No plastic engine covers to pretty up the engine bay, but this corral doesn't need dressing up, not when it has 250 broncos and 277 lb.-ft. of torque to power through any obstacle in the Bronco Sport's way.
The power is managed through the same eight-speed automatic, aided by a torque-vectoring rear differential, a lockable center clutch pack, and two extra G.O.A.T. modes for the ultimate tribute to the great outdoors.
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Power meets the road or trail (or lack thereof) through a set of 17-inch Oxford White wheels wrapped in 29-inch Falken Wildpeaks. Unlike the first-gen Bronco's white steelies, though, this set of wheels are painted aluminum designed to mimic the steel wheels of old. Keeping those rims at their whitest is easier said than done, even if most of your driving is on-road. There's a price to pay for off-roading nostalgia, but considering the Bronco Sport's overall purpose in life, it's a price probably worth paying.
Older infotainment tech not so bad, all things considered
Saddle up, and you can't miss all of the physical controls this little pony has. From heating and air to the radio and driver gauges, tangible and easily-adjusted buttons and knobs are welcome in the ruggedized crossover. There's also a front 180-degree camera to help with parking and navigating rougher terrain, wireless charging for your iPhone or Pixel, and a shelf to put said-phone underneath the radio controls when it's not charging. Ford's Co-Pilot360 brings adaptive cruise control, lane-centering, blind-spot monitoring, hill-descent control and more to the table.
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Above the radio controls is the eight-inch touchscreen equipped with SYNC 3 that's been in every Bronco Sport since the beginning. Though the infotainment system's been replaced in newer models like the F-150 Lightning and the latest seventh-gen Mustang with SYNC 4/4a, the Bronco Sport in all trims is one of the remaining holdovers of the SYNC 3 world.
That may not be such a bad thing. With more manufacturers turning towards subscriptions for heated seats, more horsepower and GPS navigation, perhaps not having the latest and greatest is the best move for those who don't want to pay for anything more than SiriusXM. The SYNC 4-equipped F-150 Lightning, for example, comes with subscriptions for Ford Streaming (so your passengers can watch YouTube videos), Ford BlueCruise (for hands-free driving), built-in navigation, and access to the Blue Oval Charge Network. And those are just Ford's subscriptions. Bronco Sport owners can breathe a sigh of relief with their "old" infotainment system's lack of such things.
Nice saddles for a utilitarian interior
The Bronco Sport Heritage Edition comes with plaid cloth seating for five, while this Yellowstone Metallic Heritage Limited Edition lives up to the "Limited" bit with lovely saddle tan leather with plaid perforated inserts and white stitching. The front seats are heated, as is the steering wheel, for those days when the trail is chilly, and each front bucket comes with the Bronco logo stamped into the leather just below the headrests. The driver gets eight ways of adjustment, the front passenger just six ways, while both can bask in the Sun's glory with the standard moonroof fully opened.
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The luxury gives way to utility quickly thanks to the Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition's front-to-back rubberized flooring. The theme continues out back with the rubberized cargo floor and the seat backs on the 60/40-split rear bench. There's even a mini table that can be stored either against said seat backs, or above the cargo floor area for privacy. The table comes with two legs for additional support and a built-in ruler for measuring the big catch at the lake. With the table against the seat backs, cargo room comes to 32.5 cu. ft. of space. Setting the table aside and folding the rear seat backs down, that space grows to 65.2 cu. ft.
Galloping over the roads and through the woods
Ford's 2.0-liter turbo-four may not be the fastest thing around, but it does sound wonderful pulling out of the intersection with the accelerator pushed down. Not so wonderful is the gas mileage, so let us be thankful this horse only needs 87 at the fuel pump. The EPA says the Heritage Limited nets 21 mpg in-town and 26 mpg on the highway for a combined 23 mpg rating. With most of the driving done in-town during the week I spent with this horse, I netted a peak 22 mpg on the mixed loop between my home and Draper Valley Overlook, and an overall 21.2 mpg before the crossover moved on to the next town. Placing the Bronco Sport in the Eco G.O.A.T. mode made a noticeable difference in overall fuel consumption.
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Visibility could be a challenge when it came to parking, mainly due to the height of the hood and its side bulges. A 360-degree camera would've been great to have — Ford doesn't actually offer it on any Bronco Sport trim — but the front 180-degree camera worked well. Cruising around town and through the mixed loop with adaptive cruise control is still a wonderful addition to driving, though when things get too slow behind the big rigs, the Sport G.O.A.T. mode wakes up all the horses in the stable for a stampede past the lumbering beasts of burden.
What price for heritage?
The 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage and Heritage Limited Editions further tie the baby Bronco into the big horse's legacy. Alas, if you want something like this in your driveway for 2024, the two choices are the Heritage and the all-new Free Wheeling trim, the latter based on the sunset stripe-decked rides of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Both 2023 Heritage trims are also limited to 1,966 copies each, the number based on the first year of the original Bronco's life in the great outdoors,1966. Thus, finding one will be like finding a needle in the haystack.
If the Heritage Limited Edition is the pony on your wish list, though, there is one more thing to consider: the price of admission. As tested, that price is $46,600, which is on the doorstep of the big 2023 Bronco Heritage Edition two-door, and a few thousand dollars above the Bronco Sport trim it's based upon, the Badlands. A lot of that price comes from the fact that the options on the Badlands are standard on the Heritage Limited.
Still, do you pay that much for nostalgia on a Bronco Sport, or do you just go ahead and saddle up on the retro-modern big horse? It depends on what you want out of the Bronco experience: throwing down at Moab against the Jeep Wrangler, or outdoing the Toyota RAV4 Adventure and Jeep Cherokee on the easier trails and trips downtown. Either way, the Heritage and Heritage Limited trims on the big Bronco and little Bronco Sport are the ultimate tribute to one of the greatest off-roaders of all time. You'll certainly turn heads no matter where you go.