Calling its compact SUV the Bronco Sport to cash in on the kudos of the ‘real’ Bronco was a smart move by Ford. The Bronco name suggests your school-run kid hauler is actually a tough, trail-ready animal, and to be fair, the Badlands version of the Sport does have some off-road credentials thanks to its extra ground clearance, underbody protection, and torque-vectoring rear diff.
But with rivals also now pushing their own rugged trim options and the SUV still languishing way behind the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V in the sales charts it looks like Ford has decided to bring the Bronco Sport closer to the Bronco proper with a new, more extreme off-road variant.
Our spy photographers caught this camo-clad Sport prototype on test in the U.S., showing some interesting differences to the various trims currently available from Ford dealers. Though it’s difficult to make out much detail at the front the ground clearance seems more generous and the six-spoke wheels and chunky Goodyear tires are definitely new, at least to the Sport – the tire firm’s Territory MT rubber is already available on the other, more off-road-focused Bronco.
Related: Ford Is Working On New Derivatives Of Popular Maverick And Bronco Nameplates
And then there’s the pair of exhaust tailpipes poking out horizontally from beneath the rear bumper. They don’t look like they’d do much for the departure angle, but they give this Sport a substantially sportier demeanor, and we like it. One plausible theory is that we’re looking at a new Tremor grade, Ford having already used that name on other vehicles, including the Maverick and Ranger. A slightly less likely scenario is that Ford is considering a Raptor version of the Bronco Sport.
The Sport would certainly need a ton more muscle to justify the Raptor badge if that second theory is right. Base Sports currently feature an 181 hp (184PS) 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine, and even the top-spec models don’t generate more than 245 hp (248 PS) from their 2.0-liter engines. One other possibility is that we’re looking at a rumored hybrid version of the Bronco Sport that will use electrical assistance to give a boost to both power and economy. What do you think this Bronco Sport is?
