When Ford rebooted the Bronco name in 2021, it was perhaps one of the most hotly anticipated launches in recent memory. With the Bronco redesigned and refocused to compete head on with the Jeep Wrangler, Ford threw out all the stops to make it a modern-day go-anywhere SUV. Available with two or four doors, a manual or automatic transmission, and some serious off-road hardware, the Bronco offers a configuration for almost any off-road enthusiast. We think Ford is unlikely to make any significant changes to the 2025 Bronco.
Casual buyers might picture off-roading as simply driving down a dusty trail, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The Bronco offers enough options, be it through accessories or hardware, to tackle just about any kind of off-roading you can imagine. In its basic form, the Bronco's ground clearance and standard four-wheel drive will get you down most trails with ease. If you're into slower, more technical off-roading over larger rocks, the Bronco's Sasquatch package includes some seriously impressive and rugged off-road hardware. And if you like going as fast as possible through the dirt, the Bronco Raptor adds trick shocks, a more powerful engine, and recalibrated stability control to help you live out your desert-running dreams.
You can't mention the Bronco without mentioning the Jeep Wrangler. Both vehicles can go pretty much anywhere and offer pretty similar levels of off-road capability, from mild to wild. Toyota's 4Runner also deserves a look. It is getting quite long in the tooth, but when properly equipped, the Toyota offers nearly as much off-road prowess but it behaves far better, and is much quieter, on the open road. Read on below to find out what we like, dislike and love about the Bronco.
Edmunds bought a 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition to find out what the Bronco ownership experience is really like. Check out our experiences with our Ford Bronco First Edition here. While there have been a few changes since 2021, most of our observations still apply to the 2025 Bronco.
Edmunds Expert Rating
Our VerdictThe Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
The latest Ford Bronco takes advantage of its heritage without being overly retro or silly. This is a traditional SUV that has a lot going for it, including loads of potential off-road capability and a wide range of configurations. Poor fuel economy and excessive wind noise on the highway are its main drawbacks.
Rated for you by America's best test team.How does the Bronco drive? Whether you stick with the turbo four-cylinder or opt for the turbo V6, the Bronco has sufficient and smooth power for daily driving with a quick-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. The extra oomph from the V6 makes on-ramps and short merges easier and more fun, and the V6 Bronco reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 7.3 seconds, an average showing considering the big tires and four-door configuration.
Jumping hard on the brakes produces plenty of nosedive — normal for off-road SUVs — though emergency stopping distances were much longer than we'd like. From 60 mph, a panic stop took 146 feet — we typically see that kind of distance with heavy-duty pickup trucks. It should be noted that our test Bronco was equipped with the Sasquatch off-road package and its rugged tires, but other Broncos we've tested with less aggressive rubber stopped a mere 10 feet shorter — that's still longer than we'd like to see.
The real star is the steering. Thanks to an independent front suspension, the Bronco's steering wheel relays confidence and stability to its driver at freeway speeds. While you shouldn't expect excitement on curvy roads, you'll appreciate that the steering on long-distance drives won't leave you fatigued.
How comfortable is the Bronco? While far from a luxury vehicle, the Bronco is more comfortable on the road than an equivalent Jeep Wrangler, its most direct competitor. The Bronco's seats feature better support and enough adjustments to reduce fatigue on long freeway drives. A truck-based construction means it has a bit firmer and bouncier ride than other SUVs, but it's not enough to make you want to drive it any less.
The dual-zone climate control allows you to adjust the intensity of the auto setting, and the available heated front seats work extremely fast, which is excellent if you've got the doors off on a cold day. The removable hardtop lets in a significant amount of wind noise at pretty much any speed, dragging down the Bronco's score in this category. There were also several rattles and vibrations during our off-road testing.
How’s the interior? Like other off-road vehicles, getting in and out of the Bronco can require a decent step up or down, but there are plenty of grab handles placed throughout the cabin to help. We'd prefer the front grab handles be placed on the windshield pillars instead of the dashboard, but they'll do in a pinch. Inside, the generous adjustment ranges for the driver's seat and steering wheel will ensure that all controls and gauges are within easy view. We appreciate the large and chunky physical controls — their size and placement make them easy to see and use when you're wearing gloves.
Lots of headroom makes the Bronco's interior feel large. This feeling continues in the rear seat, even in two-door models, but accessing those seats in the two-door Bronco can feel like a pinch because the front seats don't slide forward far enough.
How’s the tech? The Bronco offers a decent collection of advanced driver aids. The adjustable drive modes also make it pretty easy to optimize the SUV's traction depending on what kind of off-road surface you're driving on. Unfortunately, we found some of the driver aids, including the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance, don't operate as smoothly as those on some rival SUVs.
Otherwise, the Bronco benefits from the latest Ford infotainment and connectivity software. The center display boasts clean graphics and easy integration with Android and Apple smartphones whether you want to use a cable or go wireless. The stereo in our test vehicle had trouble covering up road noise at freeway speeds.
How’s the storage? The Bronco's bigger size compared to the Wrangler translates into a larger interior with more cargo volume. The Bronco's rear swing gate opens to the passenger side and stays in place thanks to a strut. On hardtop models, the rear glass folds up easily, but the soft top doesn't open as far and needs a prop rod to stay up. Interior storage options are adequate, with an appropriate number of cupholders and nooks and crannies for personal items. Properly equipped, the Bronco can tow up to 3,500 pounds. That's enough for a small trailer but ultimately less than what the Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner can pull. All Broncos can be flat-towed (all four wheels on the ground).
How’s the fuel economy? Depending on the configuration and engine, the Ford Bronco gets an EPA-estimated 17 to 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Generally these figures are lower than those for comparable Jeep Wrangler models. Our test vehicle, a kitted-out four-door Bronco with the 2.7-liter V6 got an underwhelming 17 mpg in our real-world testing.
Is the Bronco a good value? Some people might be disappointed with a few cheap-looking interior materials in the Bronco, especially in higher-end models, but others may see the benefit to long-term durability when the interior is exposed to the elements. The Bronco delivers off-road hardware more broadly through its pricing spectrum than the Jeep Wrangler, providing greater access for shoppers at different price points. Warranty and ownership perks are about average.
The Bronco offers praiseworthy capability and character in equal measure. Its rugged design looks cool without trying too hard. As with the Wrangler, removing the Bronco's roof and doors makes for a highly enjoyable driving experience, but the Bronco has more on-road appeal with its superior ride and handling.
The off-road driver aids are helpful not just for rookies, and tools such as the Trail Turn Assist add genuine fun even for seasoned off-roaders. And if getting a manual transmission wasn't a bragging right already, the Bronco does one better by giving you a super high-ratio crawler gear.
Ford hasn't released official information on the 2025 Bronco as of this writing. We'll update our recommendation if anything changes, but based on last year's Bronco, we suggest going for the Big Bend trim. It might be the base trim, but it still offers a good amount of standard equipment and you can add the Sasquatch or Mid trim packages if you want to add more capability or creature comforts.
[Editor's note: The following unofficial information is based on last year's Bronco. We expect the 2025 model will have a similar lineup and we'll update this section once we have complete information.] The Ford Bronco is a four-wheel-drive SUV available in eight primary trim levels. In order of price, they are: Big Bend, Black Diamond, Heritage Edition, Outer Banks, Badlands, Wildtrak, Heritage Edition Limited, Everglades and Raptor. All Broncos can be kitted out with a long list of options, ranging from appearance and personalization options to different roofs to off-road hardware, wheels and other accessories. Keep reading for what you need to know about the Bronco's most significant standard and optional features.
Big Bend:
Starts you off with:
- 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (300 horsepower, 325 lb-ft)
- Seven-speed manual transmission or optional 10-speed automatic
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Tow hooks (two front, one rear)
- LED headlights
- Hardtop (two-door versions) or soft top (four-door versions)
- Digital instrument panel
- Push-button start
- 12-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Navigation system
- Seven-speaker audio system
- Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration (with wireless connectivity)
- Terrain management system with six drive modes
All Broncos also come with:
- Hill start assist (momentarily holds the brakes to keep the Bronco from rolling backward at a stop)
- Automatic emergency braking (warns if a front impact is imminent and applies the brakes if you don't respond in time)
- Hill descent control (keeps the Bronco at a constant speed while descending steep slopes)
- Trail Turn Assist (can help the Bronco make very tight turns when off-road; automatic transmission only)
Black Diamond
Ratchets up the off-road capability with:
- Heavy-duty front and rear bumpers
- Skid plates
- Black grille
- Rock rails (prevents body damage while off-roading)
- Prewired auxiliary switches
- Seven-mode terrain management system
Optional for the Black Diamond and most other Bronco trims is a turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 good for 330 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. It comes with the 10-speed automatic transmission.
Heritage Edition
Plays up the retro theme of the Bronco with:
- Special bumpers and fenders
- Heritage-style graphics
- White hardtop
- White grille
- Skid plates
- Side step rails
- Plaid cloth upholstery
- Contents of the Mid and Sasquatch packages (detailed below)
Outer Banks
A fancier version of the Big Bend trim thanks to:
- Standard automatic transmission
- Body color-painted door handles, fender flares and mirrors
- 18-inch aluminum wheels with all-terrain tires
- Side step rails
- Upgraded LED headlights
- Leather-trimmed seats
- Power-adjustable front seats
- Contents of the Mid package (detailed below)
Badlands
Builds on the Black Diamond's off-roading-oriented features with:
- Unique Badlands suspension
- Front stabilizer bar disconnect (allows for improved wheel articulation for off-road driving)
- 33-inch all-terrain tires
Wildtrak
Builds on the Outer Banks with:
- Heavy-duty modular front bumper
- Turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 engine
- Fox shocks with internal bypass dampers
- Special graphics
- Prewired auxiliary switches
- Seven-mode terrain management system
- Contents of the Sasquatch package (detailed below)
Heritage Limited Edition
Similar to the Heritage Edition but also has:
- Turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 engine
- Leather-and-vinyl combination upholstery with plaid inserts
- High/Lux package (see below)
Everglades
The Everglades trim level starts with Black Diamond content and adds:
- Four-cylinder engine, 10-speed automatic only
- Unique exterior graphics
- Unique front and rear fenders
- Heavy-duty front bumper
- Winch kit by Warn
- Air snorkel
- Vinyl upholstery
- Contents of the Mid and Sasquatch packages (detailed below)
Raptor
The off-road-focused Bronco Raptor starts with Badlands content and the Sasquatch and High packages, adding:
- Turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine (produces 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque)
- 17-inch wheels with 37-inch all-terrain tires
- Heavy-duty rear axle
- Fox shock absorbers
- Active exhaust
- Unique exterior and interior styling elements
- Paddle shifters
Here's what you need to know about the Bronco's main optional packages.
Sasquatch package
Optional on most trim levels, it adds more off-road capability thanks to:
- 17-inch beadlock-capable alloy wheels (beadlocks can secure the tire to the wheel to help maintain tire pressure at low pressure settings)
- 35-inch mud-terrain tires
- Shorter final drive ratio
- Electronically locking front and rear axles
- Lifted suspension
- Modified fender flares
Mid package
Adds more tech and convenience via:
- Proximity keyless entry
- Ambient interior lighting
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Heated front seats
- Remote start (available only with automatic transmission)
- Rear parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible behind the vehicle when parking)
- Blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic warning (alerts you if a vehicle is in your blind spot during a lane change or while in reverse)
- Lane keeping assistance (steers the Bronco back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker)
High/Lux package
Adds to the Mid package with:
- Front parking sensors
- 10-speaker B&O audio system
- Extra sound deadening
- Wireless smartphone charging pad
- Adaptive cruise control (maintains a driver-set distance between the Ford and the car in front)
- 360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Bronco and its surroundings for tight situations)
- Evasive steering assistance (enhances the forward collision mitigation system with steering-based collision avoidance)
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1200" height="588" fill="none" preserveAspectRatio="none"%3E%3Cmask id="b" width="1200" height="588" x="0" y="0" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" style="mask-type:alpha"%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23a)" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3C/mask%3E%3Cg mask="url(%23b)"%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23c)" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23d)" fill-opacity=".15" d="M581.718 62.893c42.993 1.53 86.281 5.888 129.704 13.204 311.828 52.485 552.538 242.016 657.698 483.656-149.97-147.971-450.891-226.33-789.375-232.079-338.534.839-640.434 74.572-792.746 220.292 108.75-240.047 352.255-425.97 664.832-473.803a1041.548 1041.548 0 0 1 129.887-11.27Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23e)" fill-opacity=".5" d="M611.247 209.93a1458.84 1458.84 0 0 1 139.573 27.692c333.61 83.239 577.16 267.208 668.67 475.188-148.93-138.63-468.279-241.218-835.209-290.421-367.6-43.915-702.265-24.445-881.281 72.561 140.567-178.524 422.355-295.817 766.181-293.074 47.867.484 95.274 3.212 142.066 8.054Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23f)" d="M735.039 879.394c48.524-6.62 97.023-16.967 145.3-31.2C1227.03 746.059 1475.76 472.327 1564.28 145c-151.17 209.633-482.23 344.436-865.05 388.31C315.515 568.571-35.93 504.564-227 330.342-73.333 632.61 226.169 849.617 586.429 878.604c50.15 3.871 99.74 4.07 148.61.79Z" opacity=".3"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23g)" d="M694.222 783.712c50.956 12 103.317 20.27 156.946 24.578 385.102 31.013 738.232-146.76 952.062-439.434-231.22 151.216-613.24 158.795-1012.047 55.796C394.784 312.716 68.643 114.101-55.211-133c37.44 360.528 253.087 691.895 601.449 858.946 48.557 23.091 97.963 42.302 147.984 57.766Z" opacity=".9"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23h)" fill-opacity=".5" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3C/g%3E%3Cdefs%3E%3ClinearGradient id="a" x1="1005" x2="989.087" y1="23" y2="552.522" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23007EE5"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".333" stop-color="%231561D4"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%230A4AAB"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="c" x1="1005" x2="989.087" y1="23" y2="552.522" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23007EE5"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".334" stop-color="%231561D4"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="d" x1="675.999" x2="879.999" y1="648.999" y2="120.999" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23fff"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%23fff" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="e" x1="656.5" x2="637.602" y1="213" y2="622.259" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop offset=".115" stop-color="%23fff" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".944" stop-color="%23017D8D"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="f" x1="398" x2="737" y1="599" y2="387" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%2300ABB5"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%2300A0B5" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="g" x1="1051.5" x2="271" y1="567" y2="575" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%230098C2"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%23033E96" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="h" x1="1005" x2="986.038" y1="23" y2="587.43" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop offset=".813" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".972"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3C/defs%3E%3C/svg%3E)
