I have a bad habit.
When I get a take-out green tea in a vehicle, I squeeze as much liquid out of the teabag as I can, leave it on the floor to remove at home.
A friend was shocked when he caught me doing this. But look at the floors, the seats! Heck, I could dump the whole tea onto the seat.
Not many vehicles allow that kind of swagger in the event of spillage. The 2021 Bronco Sport is different.
The seats, like the rest of the interior, are meant for adventure and the unexpected. Seat material is durable, washable. Switches on the centre cluster are sealed with silicone – in case windows are down and sunroof open during a rip through muddy, rutty terrain.
Bronco Sport is the first model in Ford’s recently launched Bronco lineup. The larger take-the-doors-off Bronco will soon appear. Meantime, this ‘baby’ Bronco is kicking up dust.
2021 Bronco Sport offers safari-like demeanor, three-banger under the hood and room for a mountain bike
With its cute face and safari-like demeanor, including added height in the roof over the rear seat, the Bronco Sport turns heads. That squared off roof is not just for looks – you can put a mountain bike in there.
2021 Bronco Sport
Sharing a platform with Ford Escape, but with a new suspension system, there are four trim levels – Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks and Badlands. Badlands will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine, advanced 4×4 system and eight-speed automatic transmission.
A 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder powers the three other models, including our Big Bend tester. During my time in the Bronco Sport, I usually forgot it was only a three-banger, kudos to Ford engineers.
Video review of 2021 Bronco Sport.
Full review of 2021 Bronco Sport here.
Bronco name has loyal following
The storied name, Bronco, splashed across the front grille in large letters, meant the ute drew older gawkers, who would remember the original Bronco, which debuted as an instant hit in the summer of 1965 and held its loyalty among fans through five generations until 1996.
Younger gawkers were just as prevalent, probably remembering the fifth-gen Bronco (1992-1996) their parents were driving when they were kids.
2021 Bronco Sport (Photo: Garry Sowerby)
It remains to be seen if the 2021 Bronco Sport and its soon-to-arrive big brother will retain that cachet but, judging by the excitement caused on the streets of Halifax, the Bronco is bucking (sorry) in the right direction.
In the 2021 Bronco Sport, I loved
- zipped pockets behind driver and passenger seats
- integrated bottle opener
- charging surface and space for key fob that’s not the cupholder
- G.O.A.T. driving modes (Goes Over Any Terrain) for Slippery, Sand, Eco, Normal, Sport – Badlands model adds Mud/Rut, Rock Crawl and Baja
- Tea-proof seats
2021 Bronco Sport (Photo: Garry Sowerby)
