Time now for this hour's car review. I had a chance to drive the 2024 Ford Bronco Sport, the big-bend 4x4 version. This is considered a small SUV, seats 5. Exterior changes from last model year? Not much. It was all new in 2021. This is about the second or third one that I've had.
Speaker 1:I was very fortunate at the Ford Motor Company and my friend Ken Peabody arranged for me to drive a Ford Bronco Sport when I went up to visit cousin Steve and his wife Penny. I remember that, and it was the Heritage Edition. It had the white wheels and the yellow body on it with the white top. It was really cool. It got lots of looks, that's for sure. This one's the Big Bend 4x4. It's new this year.
Speaker 1:Not much, as I said, has changed as far as the design is concerned. Uh, reminds of the older land rover conservative but attractive design. Big wheel openings, wheels based on the trim level that you buy. Available colors and trims are numerous. It's too numerous to mention. You just have to go and check it out. The Big Bend decals look good and that's part of the attraction of the Big Bend.
Speaker 1:There are a lot of other things that are attractive as well. The full-time all-wheel drive system has different springs, shocks. It's a different, more off-roady version of the Bronco Sport and I don't know whether you know this or not, but the Bronco Sport is basically a re-skinned Ford Escape. Wow, did you know that Mars? No, I did not. I did not know that either. Incredible. They change. You know they'll use the same platform a lot of times for different cars, but I did not realize that was one of them. Yeah, it's an escape Ford Escape. I didn't either, until I started doing the research on it, what I liked about it. The exterior competes with many true off-roaders like, for instance, the Jeep Wrangler, et cetera. Now, what could use improvement? I say not sure. I don't know if I'd change anything about it. It's very attractive and it fits very well in the Bronco family. It's certainly not near as expensive as the real Bronco of late.
Speaker 1:Interior highlights Dash is well laid out, handy cell phone cubby right underneath the infotainment screen, like that. Trim level dictates either a warm feel or the stark off-road vibe, and I will tell you that they have so many different trim levels you can make this thing look completely different on the inside. Have you had a chance to drive one of those? No, I haven't, but I saw some of the pictures that go with it. It was wait, is this the same vehicle Exactly? I can't emphasize that. Enough Cargo room more than you'd think, with the rear seats up even, and obviously with the rear seats down. Lots. What I liked about it the interior, the versatility of it all. What could use improvement? The black appearance package looks good, but you have to question whether the $1,795 price point on that package, that trim, is worth it. The Bronco Sport, I said, is a re-skinned Escape under the body panels.
Speaker 1:1.5 liter engine Wow, it's an EcoBoost, so it's got a turbo on it and it's three cylinders. You know I'm always used to 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12. Oh no, this is 3. 3 sounds just weird. It's like how does it go down the road? You hit the firing order and you go boom, boom. That's pretty much it. 181 horsepower, though I thought that was pretty good. Much yet. 181 horsepower, though I thought that was pretty good.
Speaker 1:Torque, 190 pound-feet, 8-speed automatic transmission. It works well. It's not a rocket ship by any stretch of the imagination and it will tow up to a ton, about 2,000 pounds. 25 miles per gallon in the city is what it's rated, 29 on the highway for a combined of 26. I got 28.2 miles per gallon over 341.2 miles. What I liked about it the 181 horsepower. It doesn't seem to work, but it does. With that eight-speed automatic transmission. It gets the job done. Not a rocket, but it gets down the road and you can actually pass people, if that's what your intention is. What I liked about the ride and handling the GOAT mode GOAT stands for goes over any terrain. It's adjustable and has the all-wheel drive algorithms that adjust to whatever you set it. What could use improvement? It didn't take it off-road, but this Badlands version rides like an off-roader on the street.
Speaker 1:Base trim price $31,230. Price is tested $38,940. The base model price that you can get in one $29,795. Competitors and boy, there are plenty of them, and here are just three. The Honda CR-V starts at $29,500. Toyota RAV4 goes for $28,675. These are all entry-level prices. Mazda CX-5 starts at $29,300. And that, my friends, is the review of the 2024 Bronco Sport Big Bend Edition. Didn't you like it? Wasn't it good? Did you like it wasn't it good? Do you agree? Yeah,