2021 Ford Bronco Sport is ready for mountains and malls

This isn't the full-beans Bronco, but rather the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport, a compact unibody crossover meant as a slightly smoother-edged complement to the rough-and-tumble big boy.

That might make it seem like it's rife for undesirable compromises, but nope, this blocky little thing lives up to its name, and then some.

When it comes to the Bronco Sport's competition, there's a whole bunch of it, and the Ford isn't always the clear champion.

While adventure gear aplenty may fit behind the second row, the Bronco Sport Badlands lags behind several cars in terms of net cargo capacity, including the Subaru Forester, Nissan Rogue and even its platform-sibling Ford Escape.

Many of its competitors are able to break the 30-mpg-highway barrier, too, which the Bronco Sport barely musters with the smaller three-cylinder engine.

And while the 2.0-liter Bronco Sport can tow a decent 2,200 pounds, it comes up 1,300 pounds short against the Chevy Equinox, Toyota RAV4 and, again, the Ford Escape.

But numbers on paper rarely tell the whole story.

When you consider everything from dual-purpose capability to aesthetics, it's clear that the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport has carved out a hell of a niche for itself, one that I believe will resonate with buyers who want some Bronco-based street cred without going HAM on the truck-based big-boy model.

This small SUV has been a long time coming, and it absolutely feels like it was worth the wait.

Keep scrolling or clicking to check out even more pictures of the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport.