Bronco Sport updated as Ford’s ‘other’ Territory not destined for us

Its introduction four years ago significantly impacted by the pandemic, Ford has unveiled the facelift Bronco Sport in North America as its most affordable SUV now that the EcoSport has been discontinued.

Sport goes Sasquatch

Billed at the time of its reveal as being more on-road based due to its sharing of the unibody C2 platform with the Maverick and Focus, the updates now centre around its off-road prowess in the shape of the Sasquatch package.

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One of the most popular options for the standard Bronco, the Sasquatch, on the Sport, comprises 17-inch alloy wheels wrapped in model specific Goodyear Territory all-terrain tyres, the position-sensitive Bilstein shock dampers, steel bashplates underneath the front and rear bumpers, and four tow hooks.

Inclusive of the Sasquatch means suspension travel at the front increases to 210 mm at the front and 236 mm at the rear, although at 600 mm, the claimed wading depth is unchanged.

New on non-Sasquatch variants are new front and rear springs that add 10 mm to the overall ride height. The claimed tow rating varies between 998 kg to 1 225 kg depending on the engine.

While tech such as the Trail Control system and Terrain Management system with the five G.O.A.T (Go Over Any Terrain) settings; Eco, Normal, Slippery, Sport and Sand, continue, a new Rally mode has been introduced, but only on the flagship Badlands with or without the Sasquatch pack.

For the first time though, the lower-spec Outer Banks joins its range-topping sibling in receiving the twin-clutch rear drive system with a locking differential. Still reserved for the flagship are the Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl modes

Sans the Sasquatch pack, the Bronco Sport’s other exterior changes comprise restyled front and rear bumpers capable of fitting aftermarket accessories, tie-down hooks integrated into the front wings supposed to function as mounting points, and new alloy wheel designs.

Inside

Inside, and similar to its facelift Maverick sibling, the interior updates involve the eight-inch SYNC 4A infotainment system making way for a new 13.2-inch display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Also included is the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with new graphics inspired by those of the Bronco Raptor, and Ford’s Co-Pilot360 system consisting of the following;

• Auto High Beam Assist LED headlights;
• Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking;
• Lane Keep Assist;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert;
• Blind Spot Monitoring;
• Evasive Steering Assist;
• Adaptive Cruise Control;
• Lane Centering;
• rear parking sensors;
• reverse camera;
• Forward Collision Warning;
• Driver Attention Alert

Optional on the Outer Banks but standard on the Badlands is a 360-degree surround-view camera system, Reverse Automatic Brake Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Petrol power only

Up front, the Bronco Sport retains an unchanged engine line-up, though slightly tweaked to produce 132kW/272Nm in the case of the three-cylinder 1.5 EcoBoost and 177kW/376Nm from the range-heading 2.0 EcoBoost.

Connected to both is a rotary-dial eight-speed automatic gearbox incorporating a secondary oil cooler on the latter. A permanent all-wheel-drive system is again standard across all models.

Sorry South Africa…

On-sale from November, the Bronco Sport range spans five trim levels; Big Bend, Outer Banks, Heritage and Badlands, the latter powered solely by the 2.0 EcoBoost.

While pricing is yet to be revealed, the Bronco Sport, as with the Maverick and full-size Bronco, won’t be coming to South Africa anytime soon due to being produced exclusively with left-hand-drive.

At the same, its likely inclusion as the replacement for the Kuga, had right-hand-drive been offered, would have made it more expensive than the Chinese-sourced Territory that debuted as the former’s long awaited replacement earlier this year.

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