Criticize the Bronco Sport all you want – it shouldn’t bear the Bronco name, it should have been the Maverick whilst the Mav shoulda been the Ranchero, and so forth – but there’s no denying it is a healthy seller for the Blue Oval. A new Sasquatch package is likely to push those sales even further north.
Available for both 1.5-liter Bronco Sport Outer Banks and 2.0-liter Badlands models, most shoppers will notice Those Tires right away, showing up as 235/65/R17 Goodyear Territory All Terrain socks. This is a size which technically equals a 29-inch tire in off road parlance – this might earn haughty derision from buddies running 33s on a Big Bronco but at least you’re in the game and looking the part. That standard front brush guard plus those modular front and rear bumpers with steel bash plates also help in that department.
A new Rally mode is baked into the driving selector for Badlands owners while a locking rear differential, previously available only on that trim, it’s now available on the Outer Banks with this Sasquatch package as is Trail One-Pedal Drive. Samquanch Sasquatch also gets Bilstein rear shocks with piggyback reservoirs for a wider range of compression and rebound damping. In terms of suspension travel, Badlands Sasquatch has over 8.0 inches up front and nearly 9.0 out back, a little over half-an-inch more than stock. New front and rear springs increase ride height by about the same measure.
Think that Ford is trying to turn Sasquatch into something of a sub-brand in the way Subaru has with Wilderness and GMC has does with AT4? You bet yer muddy boots they are. In addition to the typical tow hooks and d-rings, check out those integrated tie-downs in the front fenders which cosplay as badges when not in use. A bank of auxiliary switches nabbed from burlier Ford products are also available, meaning the thing is ready to be wired for some accessories.
A total of 59,754 Bronco Sports were sold in the first half of this year, a sum besting every other SUV/crossover in the Ford line save the Escape (with which it is roughly on par in terms of volume) and Explorer. The addition of even more meaningful off-road gear – and a decent dose of visual grit thanks to those tires which is all some customers will care about – will surely add to those numbers.
[Images: Ford]
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