2025 Ford Bronco Sport First Drive: Sasquatch Boosts Off-Road Talent But At A Price

With the nose of the new 2025 Bronco Sport pointed directly at the ground, I couldn't see the horizon or the sky out of the windshield. My left rear tire was up in the air with about a dozen people standing by watching. The employee from Ford who was directing this part of our off-road expedition had successfully guided four other drivers down this particularly treacherous set of rocks via two-way radio, and I was the last to drive down. 

Between the first car's descent and mine, however, the already-strong desert winds had picked up significantly. Gusts that felt strong enough to tip the Bronco Sport over were drowning out the guide's directional commands and it was impossible to make out what he was saying over the radio. I opened my door and asked for help.

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It wasn't a particularly proud moment for me, especially since I consider myself a relatively seasoned off-roader, but I wasn't ashamed either. I wasn't sure if my next move would see me crawl down the trail, or if the Bronco Sport would end up on its roof, and I wasn't inclined to find out. The trail guide walked over to the Bronco Sport, climbed in, and took the reins. He put it in reverse, set the right line and moved it down the trail a few feet before handing it back off to me. An exercise in humility, certainly, but also a good example of just how capable the Bronco Sport has become.

Ford has given the Bronco Sport a thorough set of updates for 2025 and, out in the desert landscape of Borrego Springs, they were showing off some of the changes they're most proud of. My poorly-picked line aside, the Bronco Sport is more adept off-road than previous models thanks to the addition of the Sasquatch package. 

The Sasquatch name is pulled down from a package on the larger body-on-frame Bronco, and with the Bronco Sport it adds all-terrain tires, Bilstein rear shocks, unique front and rear springs, steel skid plates, four in-bumper recovery points, new off-road modes, and trail one-pedal drive (useful in those tricky nose-pointed-at-the-ground scenarios).

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Off-roading hardware is showing up in all sorts of places these days — most recently with the new Honda Passport Trailsport — but with unibody SUVs like the Bronco Sport is where the hardware seems to be making the most impact. The Bronco Sport isn't as gifted as the standard Bronco, but it does really well on the kind of rocky terrain that was presented to our media-drive group out in the desert. And thanks to the pairing of a twin-clutch rear-drive unit and a locking rear differential, the Bronco Sport does pretty well in the sandy stuff.

After some more mild rock crawling in the desert, the group of drivers that had been assembled to sample the various flavors of Bronco Sport headed back for lunch. We took a break from the blistering desert winds but our day wasn't over yet. Next up was an off-road autocross. In a wide-open area of loose sand, Ford set up a series of cones directing us through the desert to showcase the Bronco Sport's higher-speed proficiencies. 

More than once, I tossed the Bronco Sport into a corner and punched the throttle. The back end rotated, with a big rooster tail of sand along for the ride. With some judicious throttle applied through the exit of high-speed corners, it maintained more than one drift until the 29-inch all-terrain tires can dug in and sent me forward in a straight line.

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On this flicky desert autocross course, I used the Bronco Sport's new Rally Mode, which holds gears longer and allows for some of this playful behavior. The Bronco Sport's new AT tires and its new springs give it a bit of a lift over previous models and some additional suspension travel, so the ruts already carved into the sandy desert floor were no issue. After multiple laps of the desert course, grinning ear to ear as I tossed up rooster tails and initiated mini-drifts through sandy chicanes, Ford gave us all a collective pat on the back and sent us back to our hotel. Off-road mission, accomplished.

On the road to-and-from the desert, I had the opportunity to drive multiple versions of the Bronco Sport, getting fully acquainted with the SUV's on-road manners. The route included a bit of open highway, some curvy mountain back roads, and a fair amount of city streets. On the highway, the ride was relatively smooth considering the Bronco Sport's reasonable starting price and its short wheelbase. Bumps and potholes were easy to shrug off.

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Hitting the canyons in the Bronco Sport, however, especially with off-road oriented tires, was not a particularly joyous experience. It's maneuverable, easy to park, and the size is just right for city life, but it's not the kind of car I'd take on a mountain b-road for a peppy Sunday cruise. There's a significant amount of body roll and steering is a bit too heavy for its small scale. There are also some compromises to noise levels thanks to the all-terrain tires.

Up front, the Bronco Sport was comfortable and spacious enough for a long day behind the wheel. The seats were well bolstered and kept me from sliding around in most scenarios. Whether I was drifting around Ford's cone-defined off-road autocross, or connecting corners in the mountains, I was firmly planted in the driver's seat. The Goodyear all-terrain tires, however, were seriously noisy over 60 miles per hour.

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On pretty much any highway surface there was a noticeable hum from underneath the vehicle. Music could drown it out, but only at a volume that would drown out conversation too. The noise coming from the tires was compounded by the significant wind noise coming from the windshield and the big side-view mirrors. 

I don't expect to be bathed in luxury and serenity in something like the Bronco Sport, so these were relatively easy pills to swallow, but it made me wonder just how much the average SUV buyer was willing to sacrifice for the extra off-road capability. If a Bronco Sport lived in my garage, I'd consider an extra set of wheels and tires around for off-road duty, leaving some milder all-season tires mounted for daily driving comfort.

There are two engines available for the Bronco Sport. The first is a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder EcoBoost engine that makes 180 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. The upgraded engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder (also branded an EcoBoost) that makes 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. 

Both engines provide adequate power, but if you're the kind of driver that wants to drift across a sandy desert floor, go with the bigger 2.0-liter engine. Both engines are paired with 8-speed automatic transmissions, but the 2.0-liter motor gets an extra oil cooler and a manual shifting mode with paddle shifters for a slightly more engaging experience.

Without an available hybrid powertrain, EPA estimates for the Bronco Sport aren't particularly impressive. The 1.5-liter engine gets an estimate of 27 mpg combined (25 city/30 highway) which can't quite match the least-efficient version of the Honda CR-V at 28 mpg combined (hybrid versions of the CR-V boast as much as 40 mpg combined). The Subaru Crosstrek is rated between 27 and 29 mpg combined, depending on the trim level. The peppy 2.0-liter engine in the Bronco Sport is more entertaining than the 1.5-liter motor, but you'll remember the drawback of your decision every time you fill up: it's rated at 23 mpg combined (21 city/27 highway) by the EPA.

Having spent a full day in the newest Mustang on my way to driving the Bronco Sport, I was pretty familiar with Ford's infotainment interface. Even after that primer in the muscle car, though, I still had a hard time getting used to the new 13.2-inch center touchscreen that is the highlight of the Bronco Sport's dashboard. It had an excellent display (especially with the off-road camera) and it responded quickly to commands. It never got held up or delayed me in any of the tasks I requested, but finding the right button wasn't easy without taking my eyes off the horizon. 

Trying to change the temperature or fan speed on a day with unpredictable weather patterns in the desert was pretty annoying. The temperature went up, down, and sideways, so there were lots of changes to be made and lots of frustrating interactions with the touchscreen as a result.

It also felt particularly strange to be selecting the temperature on a touchscreen, rather than with buttons or knobs, because of the Bronco Sport's off-road vibes. Ford can't claim it doesn't understand that, either: there are now four aux switches available on the interior of the Bronco Sport, mounted above the center console in the ceiling and pre-wired for accessories like light bars. It's a particularly tactile feeling, throwing switches like that, and a persnickety touchscreen simply doesn't match the vibe.

There are a lot of features standard on every Bronco Sport. The 13.2-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, wireless smartphone compatibility, and a full suite of driver aids like blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking are all standard. MSRP for the base Big Bend trim is $32,285 (including $1,595 destination fee and $695 acquisition fee) and it's a good starting point if you want a rugged, affordable SUV. 

From there, the Free Wheeling and Heritage trims add a bit of styling flare, while the Outer Banks and Badlands trims add significant refinement and performance upgrades. The Outer Banks and Badlands trims are also where you can get access to the Sasquatch package with all its off-roading capability.

The Outer Banks trim, with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine has an MSRP of $37,585 and the Sasquatch package would cost an extra $3,535 on top of that. The Badlands is a bit more off-road ready right out of the box and it upgrades to the larger and more powerful 2.0-liter engine, starting at $42,405. With its higher level of off-road equipment, the Sasquatch package is less of a leap — adding $2,990 to the total price — a reasonable price for the extra capability. There's a pretty big spread between the standard Big Bend Bronco Sport and the top Badlands trim, but there are lots of small options packages and accessories to fill the spaces in between them.

After a day driving several versions of the Bronco Sport on a wide variety of terrains, I was torn. While I wasn't thrilled with the new touchscreen interface in the Bronco Sport, and the ride was a bit noisy thanks to the all-terrain tires, I did enjoy the overall driving experience. 

The optional 2.0-liter engine gave the Bronco Sport a bit of attitude and the exterior styling continued to be reminiscent of the larger Bronco. The added capability of the Bronco Sport with the Sasquatch package feels a welcome addition to the lineup: it's truly impressive on rocky terrain and loose surfaces alike.

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Aside from the noisy tires, there wasn't much to complain about in the comfort department, either. I fit nicely in both the front and back seats, and there's a decent amount of cargo space in the rear (plus some cool accessory options if you want to fill your trunk with on-board refrigerators or propane stoves). Materials quality and feature availability is impressive across the range and I'd likely get used to the touchscreen interface over time. When I added it all up, the sum of the parts was a win for the Bronco Sport – adding features and capability that are certainly appealing, helping it to stand out in an increasingly competitive segment.