Video Review: Is The Ford Bronco Sport the Surprisingly Better Bronco to Buy?

Ford's baby Bronco is a surprisingly good little crossover — and at least you can get one now

We’re using a Ford to go hunting for prototype Fords!

The Blue Oval made some high-profile launches over the past couple years, including the new Bronco SUV and its baby brother, the Bronco Sport. For this year, each model has a “Heritage Edition”, with the Bronco Sport’s variant running north of $46,000 in its Heritage Limited configuration. We just got our hands on this throwback to classic Broncos — in Yellowstone Yellow, no less. But that’s not the whole story: Rumor has it some prototype models (including the new Mustang and revamped F-150 half-ton truck) are testing up in Colorado’s high country. So, today’s video is twofold: Review the new limited-run release of the Bronco Sport and see if we can spot some camouflaged Fords up in the mountains.

What is the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Edition all about, anyway?

One caveat we need to address right off the bat is that the car we’re actually testing here, the Heritage Limited Edition, is not currently available to order. Ford limited that car (as well as the larger Bronco Heritage Limited Edition) to just 1,966 units each. This Limited Edition comes based on the Badlands, while adding in the white wheels, grille and roof, as well as larger 29-inch all-terrain tires and the special Bronco badging. Inside, you get leather-trimmed seats with Oxford White door inserts and unique center console badging.

Under the hood, this car packs the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Since it’s based on the Badlands, you also get Ford’s more advanced twin-clutch all-wheel drive system and Mud/Ruts/Rock Crawl modes as part of the G.O.A.T. system.

You can still order the standard Heritage Edition, which is based on the mid-range Big Bend instead. That car uses the smaller 1.5-liter engine with 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque and the H.O.S.S. suspension system. The standard Heritage Edition is still a capable car at a more reasonable $35,840 starting price (as opposed to $46,400 for our Limited Edition).

The Ford Bronco Sport is surprisingly good, even compared to its big brother

With its arrival, the temptation has been to effectively write off the smaller Bronco Sport if you want a capable adventure rig. Through our various tests, this smaller crossover is a surprisingly capable rig, and a model you should absolutely consider.

Another major consideration with this car: Apart from the fixed-production Heritage Limited Edition and the base model (for the moment), it’s much easier to get your hands on a Bronco Sport now. Ford is still working to crank out more Broncos to alleviate its backlog, but order books are still slammed to the point where you won’t get your hands on one until at least next year, if you try to special order one. If you just try to get one off the lot…well, I wish you the best of luck navigating four or five-figure dealer markups.

Check out Roman’s thoughts on the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition below: