Has there been a Ford vehicle more hotly anticipated than the upcoming Bronco? It’s doubtful. We’re still waiting for the full size two and four door Bronco to arrive at dealerships, but in the meantime, we have the Bronco Sport Outer Banks to tide us over. The Bronco Sport is the smaller cousin of the Bronco, it has a 105 inch wheelbase which is about the same as a Ford Escape, but it shares many of the same features as the full size Bronco, and it’s as rugged as you’d expect from a vehicle that bears the Bronco name.
We have a 2021 Bronco Sport Outer Banks in a brand new color called Area 51, and it goes nicely with the black painted roof, the black painted roof rails that can support up to 150 lbs of gear, and the 18 inch black painted aluminum wheels. All of the lighting up front is LED including the fog lights and the circular signature lighting around the headlights. It’s got a black mesh grille with Bronco in white lettering across the front. Behind the grille, you get active grille shutters that regulate the air flow, this improves engine performance and fuel economy. All the rear windows are dark tinted, and the tail lights are LED. Across the liftgate you get Bronco Sport in white lettering, and there are actually two buttons under the liftgate handle. The one on the right side opens the back glass, while the button on the left side opens the entire liftgate.
The inside of the liftgate is actually equipped with LED flood lights, great for when you’re loading things up at night. And another fun feature, the cargo bay has a latch that can double as a bottle opener, perfect for doing some tailgating. And with these second row seats folded down, you get 65.2 cubic feet of cargo space. That’s aided by the safari style roof. The raised roofline at the back isn’t just for looks, it seriously improves the cargo space in the back, you can even fit two mountain bikes back here because of it. And the icing on the cake, it has a rubberized cargo floor, you don’t have to shy away from throwing your muddy boots back here.
Under the hood you get a 1.5L EcoBoost engine. It’s a turbocharged three cylinder that produces 181 horsepower and 190 lb. ft. of torque. It’s got a surprising amount of get-up and go to it, and it helps the vehicle get 28 miles per gallon on the highway. And of course, the Bronco Sport is four wheel drive, and it’s got a smooth as silk 8 speed automatic transmission. All the underpinnings of this vehicle are off-road tuned, particularly the new HOSS suspension system. That stands for High Performance Off Road Stability System. It’s a system designed to maintain composure on rugged terrain, but without the ride being too jarring. The Bronco Sport comes with a revamped terrain management system as well, we’ll be discussing that later on in this blog post.
The Bronco Sport interior is rugged yet upscale, it has heated two tone leather trimmed front seats. They’re perforated, and they’ve got the Bronco logo in the stitching. It’s also got a good sized moonroof. The vehicle is push to start, and you shift into gear with a rotary dial. Behind the heated leather wrapped steering wheel you can see the 6.5 inch digital gage cluster. This is the screen that will show you the terrain management system, with GOAT modes. The Bronco team loves their acronyms, GOAT stands for goes over any type of terrain. Each one of these GOAT modes changes aspects of the ride and drive based on what type of terrain you’re trying to tackle.
These modes include sport, eco, normal, deep snow & sand, and slippery. In the center stack you get an 8 inch touch screen, this is where you’re gonna see your voice activated navigation system. The navigation system actually allows you to leave a breadcrumb trail when you stray off the beaten path. If you find yourself lost in the woods, the breadcrumbs will lead you back to the trail. This screen is also where you’ll see this high resolution backup camera, and where you can change the color of the interior’s ambient lighting.
Below the screen you get a wireless phone charging pad, just lay your phone down on it and it’ll start charging. This Bronco Sport comes with a premium audio system from Bang & Olufsen. It’s a ten speaker system with a subwoofer, and it sounds fantastic. Possibly best of all, it has all the safety features you expect from a top of the line Ford. It’s got adaptive cruise control, a lane centering system for the highways, blind spot monitoring, and it’ll even come to a complete stop automatically if a collision is imminent. But how is the back seat area?
Well, the backs of the front seats are rubberized, making them super easy to clean if you get them dirty. They’ve also got zippered pockets and even molle straps. It’s a spacious back seat area as well, there’s 35.9 inches of legroom back there. And to top it all off, you get remote start on the key fob, as well as on your smartphone with the FordPass app. Check out our inventory to pick out your perfect Bronco Sport. If you don’t see it, let us know and we’ll order it for you. Don’t forget, the best place to buy a Bronco Sport in Dexter, Sikeston, or Poplar Bluff MO is right here at Bud Shell Ford!
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