Cars

2021 Ford Bronco Sport is a tiny-tough small SUV

Ford's 2021 Bronco Sport has unibody bones, but rugged and adventuresome ambitions.

Steven Ewing

Steven Ewing spent his childhood reading car magazines, making his career as an automotive journalist an absolute dream job. After getting his foot in the door at Automobile while he was still a teenager, Ewing found homes on the mastheads at Winding Road magazine, Autoblog and Motor1.com before joining the CNET team in 2018. He has also served on the World Car Awards jury. Ewing grew up ingrained in the car culture of Detroit -- the Motor City -- before eventually moving to Los Angeles. In his free time, Ewing loves to cook, binge trash TV and play the drums.

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Steven Ewing

July 13, 2020 5:00 p.m. PT

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If you thought the 2021 Bronco Sport was going to be some lily-livered CUV, guess again.

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It's offered in Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks, Badlands and First Edition trims.

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The standard engine is a 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine good for 181 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. This is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

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You can opt for a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, knocking out 245 horses and 275 pound-feet of torque. This too is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, although with this upgraded engine you get manual shifting capability with paddles.

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Depending on the trim, your Bronco Sport can be had with 29-inch tires. Not too shabby for a little crossover.

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With those larger tires you get 8.8 inches of ground clearance, an approach angle of 30.4 degrees, departure angle of 33.1 degrees and a breakover angle of 20.4 degrees.

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The little Sport can also ford a maximum of 23.6 inches of water.

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The GOAT (that's "goes over any terrain") management system includes modes Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Sand; Mud/Ruts and RockCrawl modes are available on Badlands and First Edition trims.