The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Comfortable on-road
- SUV-like lines
- Off-road capable
- Big easy screens
- Good value
Dislikes
- $42,000 off-road models
- Automatic is fussy
- Stubby seat bottoms
- Loud at highway speeds
- $1,595 destination fee
Buying tip
The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport bundles off-road capability in a comfortable, well-equipped small crossover package.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport borrows its styling and some off-road prowess from the larger Ford Bronco, even though it shares a platform with the Ford Escape. With the Bronco Sport, Ford targets an adventure-seeking demo in a crowded compact crossover SUV class with rivals such as the Subaru Crosstrek and Jeep’s reduced SUV lineup.
Is the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport a good SUV?
Yes. It charms with its retro style, it rides well enough, and Ford made it a much better value for 2025 with newly standard equipment. That adds up to a TCC Rating of 6.7 out of 10. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport?
The 2025 Bronco Sport follows its namesake a bit closer with an available Sasquatch off-road package that adds Bilstein shocks, skid plates, tow hooks and recovery rings, and other off-road enhancements to top Outer Banks and Badlands grades. Every model, from Big Bend through Heritage and Free Wheeling trims, gets a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The Bronco Sport embraces the boxy profile of the big Bronco and compresses it into a more road-friendly package. Available tow hooks, brush bars, and studly all-terrain tires can be had, while flourishes like white roofs, steel wheels, or stripes splash some retro fun into the lineup. The cabin is more utilitarian, and we appreciate its simplicity.
Choose between a perfectly fine 181-hp 1.5-liter turbo-3 or a more robust 238-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 in the Badlands. Both use an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels in different ways; the Badlands has a twin-clutch system with a locking rear differential for more assured off-roading. In any model, tire and wind noise slaps through the square cabin.
The Bronco Sport holds about 65 cubic feet of gear with the rear seats folded flat, and modular compartments including a big tray behind the touchscreen and cool accessories such as rubberized flooring, bins, carabiners, and Molle straps optimize the space. The rear seat legroom can be snug, and the front seat bottoms are a bit short.
Also new for 2025, Ford equips the Bronco Sport with an array of driver-assist technology that includes adaptive cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, and automatic high-beams. That complements its good safety ratings.
How much does the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport cost?
The refreshed 2025 Ford Bronco Sport with the well-equipped base Big Bend model costs $31,590, including a $1,595 destination fee. In addition to the larger touchscreen and digital instrument cluster, Ford adds wireless smartphone compatibility, roof rails, keyless start, cruise control, and standard all-wheel drive.
Options include a track-mounted organization system, rubberized floors, a surround-view camera system, and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. If you want an off-roader, hit the range-topping Badlands for $41,590. The Sasquatch adds $2,990 to bring the price to $44,580.
Where is the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport made?
In Hermosillo, Mexico.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Styling
Boxy ends and off-road gear dress the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport in SUV garb.
Is the Ford Bronco Sport a good-looking SUV?
Yes. It blends retro SUV styling details with a modern cabin. It’s smart, fun, and distinctive in a small crossover class that seldom steps out of line. It’s a 7.
Ford raids the big Bronco’s closet to mature what many people call the Baby Bronco. Roof rails sit on a square turret of glass atop broad shoulders with just the right amount of body cladding on the fenders and bumpers. A ridged hood drops off to a vertical face stamped with white Bronco letters. It’s stitched by running lights and circular headlights that look like eyehole screws. Rectangular panels stretch it wide visually, but its tall stance makes it seem bigger than it is.
Sasquatch packages on Outer Banks and Badlands models wear modular bumpers sporting a brush bar up front, front tow hooks and rear D-rings, skid plates underneath, and 17-inch wheels wrapped in 29-inch all-terrain tires.
The cabin benefits from a glow-up with a 12.3-inch digital cluster and a 13.2-inch touchscreen, but the blocky, modular theme from outside carries over inside. Lots of hard plastics on door and dash components expose its utilitarian spirit, but the uncluttered dash and basic console are welcome touches. Sasquatch models add auxiliary switches on the ceiling, and a couple more off-road modes to toggle through on the console. The console gear shifter might be the only misstep in cabin design, as it feels flimsier than the Bronco Sport’s rugged pretensions.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Performance
Off-road chops and on-road chill make the 2025 Bronco Sport a fun choice.
As comfortable on road as it is capable off-road, the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport earns a point for striking a good balance.
How fast is the Ford Bronco Sport?
Despite the name, speed is not the Sport’s forte. All but the top Badlands trim employ a 1.5-liter turbo-3 rated at 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque. The 8-speed automatic shuttles the power to all four wheels as expected, though wishy-washy throttle inputs make it thump through gears as if trying to figure out your intentions.
The Badlands model gets the same 8-speed auto and a 2.0-liter turbo-4 rated at 238 hp and 277 lb-ft with premium fuel. It has more bite off the line and better matches the Bronco Sport’s promise of fun.
Is the Ford Bronco Sport 4WD?
Yes, all-wheel drive comes standard, but in two different ways.
All but the Badlands and models with the Sasquatch package use a common AWD system with a basic front-rear power split and five selectable driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Off-Road. The modes affect the torque delivery, throttle response, and traction control. A twin-clutch rear axle with a locking differential capable of diverting torque to either rear wheel as needed comes on Badlands and Sasquatch grades. This version adds Rock Crawl and Rally drive modes.
The Bronco Sport Badlands features 7.9 inches of ground clearance and 17.7 inches of water fording depth. While this falls short of the big Bronco, it beats most other compact SUVs. It also features monotube rear shocks, softer springs, tuned front struts, hill descent control, and a front-facing camera that shows obstacles in some drive modes. Opting for the Sasquatch package on Outer Banks or Badlands models boosts the ground clearance to 8.8 inches due in part to the 29.5-inch all-terrain tires; it can ford nearly two feet of water. The package swaps out the monotubes for Bilstein rear shocks with better damping for rebound and compression. The Badlands Sasquatch has a larger cooling fan for longer and faster spins through the desert. A One-Pedal Drive mode lets you climb or descend by pressing only the throttle; let off the gas without touching the brake and it holds in place, even on a slick incline. Five skid plates also gird the Sasquatch. The Badlands can tow up to 2,700 pounds with the hitch that comes standard on the Sasquatch package (2,200 pounds without Sasquatch).
The Bronco Sport provides a comfy enough ride and much better steering feedback than a Wrangler, though plenty of road noise transmits through the cabin. Turbo-3 models offer up to 2,000 pounds of towing capacity.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Comfort & Quality
The Bronco Sport has good space but stubby seat bottoms.
The 2025 Bronco Sport has good passenger and cargo room for the small crossover class, but Ford’s stubby seat bottoms could use an extension. Good rear legroom of 36.9 inches earns it a point but it doesn’t feel that roomy back there; the 32.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats earns another point to a 7.
Drivers who enjoy the higher ride position inherent in a crossover SUV should appreciate the commanding views out of the boxy greenhouse of the Bronco Sport. Most trim levels come with manual seat adjustments but no matter the pumping and shifting, the front seat bottoms come up short and don’t have enough thigh support. Optional rubber floor and cargo mats complement all the rugged plastic dash parts and make cleaning out the available water-repellent upholstery a breeze.
It seats five, but rear passengers would rather not host a third. Seat top buttons ease folding down the 60:40 split rear seats, but you first have to push the headrest button. Doing so creates a flat floor with about 65 cubic feet of space, which is huge for this class. Ford offers an adjustable cargo floor and an assortment of bins, shelving, pockets, tie-downs, carabiners, and clips.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Safety
Ford equips the 2025 Bronco Sport with the latest driver-assist tech.
How safe is the Ford Bronco Sport?
We expect the five-star NHTSA rating to carry over for 2025, and that rating complements more standard driver-assist technology this year. Add good outward vision for the boxy greenhouse and it adds up to an 8. Complete testing from the IIHS could change this score; we’ll update this review accordingly.
Every Bronco Sport comes with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic high-beam headlights, and, new for 2025, adaptive cruise control that restarts on its own from a stop as well as parking sensors. A surround-view camera system with an available camera view that shows what’s under and around the front axle is optional.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Features
Loaded with more standard features, the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport adds up to a good value.
Ford added more standard safety features as well as the 13.2-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch touchscreen to make a value out of its $31,590 starting price. With an array of off-roading options and accessories, the 2025 Bronco Sport scores a 9 here, missing the perfect 10 for its mid 3-year/36,000-mile warranty without any scheduled maintenance.
Every Ford Bronco Sport comes with all-wheel drive, and the base Big Bend model has wireless smartphone compatibility, cruise control, keyless start, roof rails, a built-in bottle opener, and 17-inch alloy wheels.
Which Ford Bronco Sport should I buy?
For casual off-roaders, consider a Black Diamond package on a Big Bend model that gets the look of the Sasquatch with the all-terrain tires, tow hooks, skid plates, and modular bumpers, but without the Bilsteins or the rear locker. If looks are your thing, check out the $34,730 Heritage retro model with its white roof and steel wheels or the Free Wheeling model with its silver grille, exterior stripes, and red-accented wheels. The $36,580 Outer Banks model tempts us with the available Sasquatch package, but it has to be bundled with the Tech Package to bump the price to $41,810. Once you’ve gone that far, you might as well go for a Badlands.
How much is a fully loaded Ford Bronco Sport?
The 2025 Bronco Sport Badlands costs $41,590, and the Sasquatch adds $2,990 to bring the price to $44,580. Without the package, the Badlands has 17-inch wheels with mud-terrain tires, the locking rear diff, upgraded off-road gear, front tow hooks, and a front-facing camera.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Fuel Economy
The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport should get 26 mpg combined.
Is the Ford Bronco Sport good on gas?
We expect fuel economy ratings to carry over on the unchanged powertrains. The 2024 Ford Bronco Sport rates at 25 mpg city, 28 highway, 26 combined. That turbo-3 earns the Bronco Sport a 3 out of 10 here. Models with the turbo-4 land at 21/26/23 mpg.
Expect the Sasquatch package to eat away 1-2 mpg.