.jpeg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
Ford recently re-introduced their famed Bronco nameplate in 2021, after a 25-year hiatus. One of the best off-roaders to have ever come from an American maker, the new Bronco had a lot to live up to. Thankfully, it did exactly that, and the Ford Bronco today is one of the best heavy-duty off-roading SUVs in the market, alongside respectable contenders like the Jeep Wrangler and the Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. However, for those who want the off-roading credentials of the Bronco nameplate without having to take it on muddy trails and terrain every single day, Ford introduced the Bronco Sport, which is more of a city-going version of the Bronco.
While the Bronco Sport doesn't have the heavy-duty off-roading equipment and credentials of its big Bronco brother, it does offer a lot of road presence and features. Even then, treading the line between the city-focused Bronco Sport and the off-road specialist Bronco, is the top trim of the Bronco Sport, the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. An extremely remarkable pseudo off-roader SUV, the Bronco Sport Badlands comes loaded with plenty of off-road-focused tech that makes it one of the best off-road capable machines in its entire segment. Compared to the Bronco SUV, there are many who dismiss the Bronco Sport as simply a bigger city crossover, but here are 10 reasons why the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands deserves more respect.
10 Ford Has Given The Bronco Sport Badlands An Exclusive And Powerful Engine
Ford has provided two different engines for the Bronco Sport’s 2022 lineup. While the 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-3 engine makes 181 horsepower and 190 lb-ft of torque, it is limited to the other trims.
On the other hand, the Bronco Sport Badlands gets its own exclusive 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 power unit, which makes 250 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque, which is a huge jump up from the other trims in the lineup. Transmission remains the same, and all Bronco Sport trims come with an 8-speed auto.
9 The 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Is An Extremely Quick SUV
As the lower terms of the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport come equipped with less powerful engines, they are also quite slower than the Badlands. The 1.5-liter engine takes the lower trims of the ‘22 Bronco Sport from 0 to 60 mph in over 8 seconds.
However, armed with its turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, the 250 horses under the Bronco Sport Badlands propel it to the 60 mph mark in just 5.9 seconds, making it a sub-6-second vehicle, and an off-road-focused SUV. The acceleration of the Badlands Bronco Sport is surely in sports car territory.
8 The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Gets The Most Off-Road Tech In The Entire Lineup
Ford has armed the Badlands trim of the Bronco Sport with the most off-roading tech in the entire lineup along with the most power. The 4x4 system of the Bronco Sport Badlands comes with a twin-clutch rear drive.
This allows any single rear wheel to continue moving even if the rest of the three wheels lose traction. Furthermore, the Bronco Badlands is also equipped with a center-locking differential, making for a far more capable and confident off-roader than the other standard trims of the SUV.
7 The Bronco Sport Badlands Comes With Two Additional And Exclusive Driving Modes
It isn’t just a more powerful engine and more off-roading hardware that the Badlands trim of the Bronco Sport gets. While the other trims of the Bronco Sport come with plenty of driving modes including Sand, Slippery, Sport, Eco, and Normal, the Badlands gets two additional modes exclusive to the top trim.
The G.O.A.T. (goes over any type of terrain) driving modes of the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands comes with additional off-road driving modes, namely the Mud/Ruts mode and the Rock Crawl mode.
6 Ford's Trail Control System Is Exclusive To The 2022 Bronco Sport Badlands
The presence of the exclusive Rock Crawl mode in the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands works in tandem with another trim-exclusive feature, which is Ford’s Trail Control system. Ford has been equipping their best off-roaders, including the new F-150 Raptor and Ranger Raptor with the Trail Control System.
Developed for capable and easy rock-crawling, the Trail Control system takes over the acceleration of the Bronco Sport Badlands at a preset speed, leaving you to focus solely on steering through obstacles.
5 The 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Offers The Most Feature-Packed Cabin
As the range-topping trim of the 2022 Ford Bronco, the Badlands model gets plenty of nifty features that passengers would come to appreciate. Along with an exclusive storage space under the back seats, the Badlands also gets 8 cup-holders and plenty of storage cubbies.
An 8-inch infotainment display sits neatly within the center console, along with a 6.5-inch LCD driver’s display. Heated front seats come standard on the Bronco Sport Badlands, and the driver’s seat is also power-adjustable. The SUV trim also comes with a front 180-degree view camera that is self-cleaning.
4 An Off-Road Suspension On The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Makes It Ready For More Than Just Muddy Trails
It isn’t just software features like additional driving modes that make the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands worthy of respect in the off-roading department. Ford has also given the top Badlands trim an off-road suspension, which isn’t found on any of the other trims of the SUV.
The suspension of the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands sits an inch higher than the rest, along with heavy-duty shock absorbers which increase the travel of the Badlands model.
3 17-Inch Carbonized Wheels On The Bronco Sport Badlands Make More Travel Room
While the second-highest trim of the 2022 Ford Bronco Sport, namely the Outer Banks trim, comes riding on 18-inch aluminum wheels, it is the off-road focused Badlands trim that leaves us more impressed with its 17-inchers.
Armed with Falken WildPeak all-terrain tires, the 17-inch wheels of the Bronco Sport Badlands leave more travel room in the wheel wells, and respond adeptly to each driving mode. Despite being all-terrain tires, the WildPeak sets are still capable of making the Badlands trim go from 0 to 60 mph in under 6 seconds, which is impressive in and of itself.
2 The 2022 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Comes Equipped With Front Tow Hooks And Metal Bash Plates
Ford has definitely made the Bronco Sport Badlands ready for any terrain, and they fully expect their range-topping SUV to be taken off-roading properly. This is why the Bronco Sport Badlands comes equipped with front tow hooks as well if you find yourself in need of winching or getting out from a sticky spot.
Along with the tow hooks, the Badlands trim of the 2022 Bronco Sport also boasts metal bash plates to protect the underbody for those times when you’re confidently rock-crawling with your Badlands SUV.
1 The Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Is Just As Safe As The Bigger Bronco SUV
Safety is one of the most important aspects in a vehicle today. In fact, all SUVs have been getting safer than ever before, thanks to advancements in technology. Especially when it comes to an off-roader, you certainly want the confidence of knowing that your Bronco Sport could handle itself and keep you and your loved ones safe regardless of where it is.
Thankfully, the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration is as impressed with the smaller Bronco Sport SUV as it is with the bigger Bronco. The Bronco Sport received a five-out-of-five safety rating from the NHTSA, along with a Top Safety Pick Plus award from the IIHS, which is their highest safety award.