Ford Bronco Sport 2.0 Ecoboost Badlands
Exciting alternative
Ford Bronco Sport 2.0 Ecoboost Badlands
© press-inform – the press office
The new Ford Bronco has had a huge impact on its home market, the USA. The new edition of the off-road classic has endless waiting times and is traded for up to 100,000 dollars on the black market. But it can also be tamer and more family-friendly: with the sister model Ford Bronco Sport. Still, there is no boredom.
No, the obligatory four-door brother Bronco Sport doesn’t drive in front of the lens as sharp as the real Bronco. But the 4.39 meter long SUV is not a bore thanks to ground clearance, mandatory all-wheel drive and rear axle lock, but a real off-road vehicle that is also very popular, because it can convince not only in everyday life, but also off paved slopes. Ford lacks such a car in Europe; in the USA, thanks to the bronco couple, he is available as a double lottery. The two-liter top model in particular can be rolled up in the rustic Badlands version with off-road details, so that it can even curse the mighty Jeep Wrangler customer. And for all those who want to go into tough terrain, there is still the real Ford Bronco – optionally as a two- or four-door model.
While the Ford Bronco is offered with a 2.3 liter four-cylinder turbo (270 hp) and a 310 hp V6 Ecoboost, the Bronco Sport takes it on a more cautious basis. Significantly better than the pale 1.5-liter turbo with 180 hp from narrow three cylinders is the Badlands top model, whose two-liter four-cylinder turbo has a lively 180 kW / 245 hp. It goes from zero to 100 km / h in under ten seconds and the US tires alone brake the all-wheel drive at 180 km / h – otherwise more than 200 km / h would be easily possible. Its real consumption: 9.8 liters of premium fuel per 100 kilometers.
The sound of the Ecoboost engine in the Eco and Normal drive programs is anything but a US off-roader, as the in-line four-cylinder, which is compulsorily linked to an eight-speed automatic, whispers to itself in almost every speed range. The 376 Nm maximum torque at 3,000 tours are always ample enough to be able to accelerate sportily at any time, even at low or medium speeds with the corresponding speed. Nevertheless, one wishes for the 2.7 liter V6 of the Bronco faster than expected. In the sports program, the four-cylinder blows artificially acoustically supported extremely sonorous and powerful, but it remains with four combustion chambers.
With the familiar four-door model, Ford offers an affordable mass-produced model, because the basic version of the 1.7-ton Bronco Sport starts at a low-priced $ 27,415, while the top version Badlands with better equipment and lived off-road ambitions costs at least $ 34,090. There are LED headlights, a sound system, various USB connections, automatic air conditioning, various driving programs and cameras all around, which make life much easier, not just off-road. The driver assistance systems work very confidently and on the US highways the Ford copilot system for almost 900 US dollars relieves the driver as an extended cruise control with lane keeping significantly and less nervous than some European competitors. Even the Badlands is standard on unimposing 17-inch wheels; On request, there are stately 29-inch AT tires for use off-road or on the promenade. They look great – but cause the balanced suspension setup to wobble faster than you would like.
The heated leather seats look great with the stamped bronco, but could be more comfortable because they lack adjustment range, lateral support and legrest in equal measure. This is noticeable on longer journeys and here one or the other competitor simply offers a higher level of comfort. It looks exactly the same in the rear and there is not even a comfortably warm seat heater for cold days. The generously dimensioned cargo area shines with a separately opening glass pane, but does not offer the long-established electric tailgate operation, which makes loading and unloading practical. That cannot happen in this league and the generous loading compartment with a volume of 832 liters, which can be expanded to up to 1,716 liters by folding down the rear seats, does not hide the fact that it is. There is more than enough storage space inside – at second glance even under the rear seat or in the backrests of the front chairs.
It is also unusual that the still too young Ford Bronco Sport does not have fully animated instruments, because the digital 2.5-inch open space behind the wheel is fenced off by two analog clocks. There is also an eight-inch central screen in the middle of the dashboard, from which not only route guidance and music selection can be read, but all functions can also be controlled. The controls fit, but could be easier, especially via the steering wheel, and the voice control itself is a complete disappointment. All that remains is to stop and enter the destination using the touch function. Usage for years in the USA – not even in the endlessly long surcharge lists in Europe: the Ford Bronco Sport not only offers keyless access, but also a remote start function via radio key. Americans like to use this when it is very hot in summer to cool the car down or in the cold season to warm it up. As with the Bronco, the same applies here – the Bronco Sport, made in Mexico, would also look good on Ford in Europe.