Skip to main content

The Ford Bronco sent the automotive world into quite a tizzy. Bronco customers are waiting, at times, over a year to get the keys to their truck. Is the Bronco worth all that when the smaller 2022 Ford Bronco Sport is right there and super capable? Instead of waiting for the big Bronco, here are three reasons why you should buy the Bronco Sport over its bigger brother. 

A gray 2022 Ford Bronco Sport crossover SUV drives in the snow in the wildnerness
2022 Ford Bronco Sport | Ford Motor Company

The Bronco Sport is available and the Bronco isn’t really

What better reason to buy one Bronco over the other than the fact that only one of them is available? Well, it’s not that getting a Bronco Sport is easy, per se, but since they came out before the big Bronco, more orders have been filled, making supply slightly better. 

The other part of the availability issues is that the Bronco Sport is highly sought after and still in short supply, but the Sport still isn’t as desirable as the Bronco. The Bronco is the cooler truck. Anyone with any serious off-roading goals will likely have the Bronco in their sights. But just because the Bronco is good off-road doesn’t mean the Sport can’t still be pretty good. 

The Bronco Sport is a real off-roader

The 2022 Ford Bronco Sport compact crossover SUV driving through the wilderness with a roof rack full of cargo
2022 Ford Bronco Sport | The Ford Motor Company

Although the Ford Bronco Sport is clearly a less intense version of the big Bronco, it can still boogie off-road. The Ford Bronco Sport is based on the Ford Escape. Although they look pretty different, the underpinnings are nearly identical. Despite sharing engines, transmissions, and chassis, the two SUVs are slightly different. For one thing, the Escape is not an off-road vehicle by any means, yet the Ford Bronco Sport can run a rutted trail with the best of them. 

Consumer Reports ran their tester off-road but admitted that they didn’t want to take it up the rock trail. Even though Consumer Reports wasn’t feeling up to trying to more difficult course, the G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Terrain) selector includes five modes that optimize the 4WD system for various conditions, including a specific Sand mode. 

Most Bronco Sports can handle mild off-road trails, but you have to step up to the Badlands trim to get off-road-specific features. This off-road-ready model gets metal skid plates, off-road shock absorbers, the option for all-terrain tires, and a more advanced rear differential that can better distribute power compared to other trims. The Badlands also adds additional Rock Crawl and Mud/Ruts modes that work with the rear differential lock to provide traction in more challenging off-road scenarios. And it is with this model the Bronco Sport graduates from the goofy little brother to the big Bronco and becomes a contender. 

How much does the 2022 Bronco Sport cost? 

Desert Sand 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades with the sunset in the background
Desert Sand 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades | Ford

One of the best reasons to pick one car (or anything for that matter) over another is price. If this weren’t the case, we’d all be driving Ferraris to work and a Lamborghini LM002 to the farm. 

The 2022 Ford Bronco Sport starts at $27,495. The big Bronco starts at $29,300. Now consider the availability of both models, then the performance differences, and lastly, the price. The big Bronco is extremely hard to buy, is more capable off-road, but not exponentially, and costs more to boot. 

There is no question that the big Ford Bronco is cooler. The market has proven it. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy the Bronco Sport. In fact, that may even make a better case for Bronco Sport. As always, consider your options, learn the facts, and buy the best car you can for the money you have.