Which Ford Bronco Sport Has The Bigger EcoBoost Engine?

While the Ford Bronco Sport may share its underpinnings with the more established and more conventional Ford Escape, the Bronco Sport stands apart from its crossover competition in many ways. First, there's the chunky, retro styling, which is heavily inspired by the larger, full-size Ford Bronco and makes the Bronco Sport stand out in parking lots full of blobby crossovers.  This rugged personality has been a big part of Bronco Sport's appeal since its debut for the 2021 model year, and that's continued with the updates that Ford gave to the Bronco Sport for 2025.

Then there's its off-road capability. No, the Bronco Sport won't quite dominate expert trails the way a body-on-frame 4x4 like a Bronco or a Jeep Wrangler will, but it's extremely competent for a unibody, car-based crossover, especially in its Badlands and Sasquatch forms. Additionally, the Bronco Sport also distinguishes itself by offering a fairly muscular engine upgrade option in the form of Ford's 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder. The larger EcoBoost engine is only offered on the flagship Bronco Sport Badlands model, which also packs a wide range of off-road upgrades. Let's take a deeper look to see if the larger engine is worth the extra money.

Even in its lower spec versions, the Bronco Sport is well-equipped. All trims of the Bronco Sport come standard with all-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic transmissions, and are powered by Ford EcoBoost engines. However, the less expensive Big Bend, Heritage, and Outer Banks trims come with the smaller 1.5-liter three-cylinder that makes 180 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque. 

The 2.0-liter EcoBoost that comes standard in the Bronco Sport Badlands not only gets you an extra cylinder and an extra 500ccs of displacement, but a significant jump in horsepower and torque to 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet. For those who mainly want the Bronco Sport's styling, the three-cylinder engine is adequate, but the Badlands trim's larger engine means it's over two seconds faster in timed 0-60 runs, according to Car and Driver. That huge boost in torque also contributes to the Badlands' off-road ability, and our own time behind the wheel of the 2025 Bronco Sport has shown that extra power makes it a lot more fun to drive on loose surfaces.

Along with the engine upgrade, the Bronco Sport Badlands also brings a lot of extra off-road gear, including a more advanced AWD system, a Trail Control system, all-terrain tires, and more. With a $40,115 starting price (plus $1,995 destination), the Badlands trim doesn't come cheap, but when you factor in the price of options across the lineup, ponying up extra for a big boost in performance could make a lot of sense. 

Could additional engine options be coming to the Bronco Sport in the future? Because its platform mates the Ford Maverick and Escape both offer hybrid powertrains, there's long been speculation that a hybridized Bronco Sport may eventually join the lineup. Though it hasn't happened yet, recent rumors suggest that a Bronco Sport Hybrid may finally arrive when the second-generation model comes, perhaps for the '27 model year.

If the Escape and Maverick are anything to go by, a Bronco Sport Hybrid would likely split the difference between the 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter EcoBoost versions and become quite a popular model. Even if a fuel-sipping hybrid model arrives, though, the 2.0 EcoBoost would likely still be the top choice for both on-road performance and off-road fun, as we found during our seat time in the 2025 Ford Maverick.