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SPEAKER 1: We've hit the trail to answer two questions.
Is the new Bronco Sport really worthy of the Bronco badge?
And how does it function in the real world?
To find out, we're putting it to the test
alongside that other small SUV with all terrain pretensions,
the Subaru Forester.
Let's get on with it.
Now this might just be the Bronco Sport and not
the Ford Bronco.
But it does have an impressive lineup of hard and software.
All wheel drive, as you'd expect, is standard.
And then it features what Ford calls its goat system.
Now in my opinion Muhammad Ali was the GOAT,
the greatest of all time.
But for Ford, it means, Go Over Any Terrain,
which is a pretty ballsy claim for escape based SUV.
In this the more hardcore Badlands edition,
you get seven different modes, everything from eco
to rock crawl.
You also get uprated suspension in the Badlands,
increased ground clearance with the bigger tires,
and a trick system that employs two different clutches
at the back to give you a kind of de facto locking
rear differential.
So we'll get to play with that.
And we've chosen a hill that might not
look that hardcore on camera.
But what it allows us to do is to show the wheel articulation
of this and the Forester and to get a sense of what
each vehicle is capable of.
So at the moment, we've got all the fancy systems off.
We're just relying on the grip from the tires.
And then my immense, let's be right about it, immense talent.
And one thing this car doesn't have
is a low ratio gearbox, which means
that you've got to be pretty delicate with the throttle.
Now what we're trying to do is go across this articulation.
And immediately you can see it's starting to spin things up.
A little bit more momentum.
Here we go.
A little bit more momentum.
And up she goes.
But to be honest, it's probably not the best if it's your car.
What are we going to do now is we're
going to go back up the same hill using the same route.
But I'm actually going to deploy the goat.
So here we go.
I'm going to put it into, you know what drives me mad,
is as you turn it right, the screen goes left.
Drives me nuts.
So we're going to go all the way through to rock crawl.
Now what that's done is activate this fancy system
at the rear, which allows us to send
almost all the torque to either the right or the left tire.
I'm also going to put it into manual mode on the gearbox
and just lock it into first gear.
And then away we go.
So we're going to take the same path.
I've got the front camera to show me the terrain coming up.
Let's have a go.
You see actually straight away feel the car doing its work.
And she just glides up.
From a driver's perspective, not as exciting.
From a vehicle preservation perspective, really rather
good.
I have to say, this is quite an impressive toy.
So now we're in the Subaru.
On the face of it, it's actually quite a lot simpler.
But it does have an X Mode system and a choice
between snow and dirt or deep snow and mud
or indeed normal which you're in most of the time.
We have a continuously variable transmission, automatic,
which also has an additional function, which gives you sort
of lower ratio kind of thing.
So we're going to try and do what
we did in the Ford, which is take this sort of fairly
aggressive line up this hill.
And at the moment, all the systems are off.
We're just in normal.
So into drive.
Let's give it a whirl.
Should also say that Subaru is on far less aggressive tires
than the Ford.
These are all-- immediately we've got stuck.
I would call these all season tires,
whereas the Ford is very much on all terrain tires.
So I'm going to back up a little bit
and see if we can't give another go.
Now the Subaru as you expect does have a reversing camera.
But it doesn't have the forward facing camera
that the Ford does that I think is particularly useful.
So here we go.
Give it a little bit more momentum.
And-- OK.
So I'm going to try to steer away around this a little bit.
Here we go.
Let's get a bit of momentum.
And as you can see, we are struggling.
And up we go.
So what are we're going to do now
is we're going to take it back round, try again
using all the extra gizmos, use this sort of low ratio
tight mode on the gearbox.
And let's see if we can't restore a bit of Scooby pride.
We're going to activate X Mode, turn it into deep snow and mud.
What that also does is activate a little screen
at the top here, which gives me some guidance about the angle
of the car, both from a lateral and a fore
and after, whatever you call it, perspective.
So just try and use a little bit of momentum,
nothing too serious.
Let's see how we get on.
Actually see the car instantly working harder.
That's impressive.
That is impressive because these tires have nothing
like the grip of the Fords.
Shows how clever electronics are getting, eh?
This has always been the Scooby's sort of trump card
really in the small SUV class.
It might not look like the fiercest of off roaders.
And it might not make bold claims with fancy go faster
stripes like the Ford.
But honestly, both these cars are actually
better than I expected.
And while I think ultimately the Ford will
go a little bit further, they Subaru
is definitely not disgraced.
In fact, in terms of ground clearance, there's only 0.1
of an inch in the Ford's favor.
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The Bronco Sport started at around $28,000.
But this top spec Badlands costs almost $36,000.
It's based on the Ford Escape SUV
but has been beefed up both technically and aesthetically
to appeal to outdoorsy types, or at least those
who like to pretend they're outdoorsy.
The Forester's a lot less extrovert
in the best Subaru tradition.
Rally specials aside, Scooby's have always
been bought by people comfortable in their own skin.
It's an anti statement car.
But it has the tech to go head to head with the Sport.
And at just under $34,000 in this limited trim,
it's a couple of grand cheaper.
Inside, you can really see the Escape influence.
It's not nearly as funky as the big Bronco.
And in places, it does feel a little bit cheap.
I can't remember the last time that I drove a $35,000 car
with a hard plastic steering wheel, probably a rental.
There's plenty of evidence of cost cutting to make space
for all that off-road hardware.
The perception of quality is actually better in the Subaru.
It all works well, there's no shortage of tech.
But it's not going to win any design awards.
If you're a Subaru fanboy, you might call it utilitarian chic.
But for me, it's just a bit dull.
The Bronco Sport does at least try and liven things
up with some neat detailing.
I love this little zipper pocket here on the seat back.
And yes, it will fit an iPad.
You get this little webbing here on the back
for hanging stuff from, 110 volt power supply for charging
something like a laptop, and my favorite feature
under this passenger seat, a sort
of cubbie for dirty shoes with enough room for my filthy size
11 Nikes.
Neat.
But there is a problem.
And it's this.
Yes.
I know I'm 6 foot 4, but it really is tight back here.
But tough on the old crotch.
This Forester's also set up for my driving position.
And as you can see, there's a load more room.
Seriously, if you're thinking about buying
one of these vehicles as a family car and you've
got teenage kids, well worth thinking about.
Cargo space I hear you say.
Well, with both rear seats up, there's very little
to choose between them.
But with the rear seats folded down,
the Subaru has over 10 cubic feet more space.
That's a big difference.
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To be honest, a path like this up to a trailhead
is probably the type of off-roading
that these vehicles will do most of the time.
And both of them handle it with complete aplomb,
we're in normal mode, all the fancy gadgets switched off,
and cruising along listening to the love channel.
Because as we film, it's almost Valentine's Day.
Feeling a bit romantic.
Beautiful scenery, sun is shining.
Hard to believe we're only about half an hour outside of LA.
Honestly though, I could probably get a [INAUDIBLE]
up here.
It's not so tough, this bit.
At least I feel a bit tougher in the Bronco.
I feel a little bit more alpha, macho, manly.
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Let's be honest about it.
Even if you are a weakened adventurer
like the beautiful people on Ford's website,
you're still going to spend most of your time on the road.
And on the terra firma, the Bronco Sport is all right.
Don't expect Honda CRV levels of comfort,
or Mazda CX5 style driving finesse.
But it's still better than more dedicated
off roaders like the Jeep Wrangler.
The ride can be a bit choppy and the steering
lacks a bit of precision.
But we suspect that's exaggerated in the Badlands
edition by the off-roader focus suspension and tire setup.
Be interesting to drive a standard Bronco Sport.
The Forester has a nicer ride quality and steers better too.
But it's still no Mazda CX5.
It's also badly let down by its engine.
The 2 and 1/2 liter naturally aspirated
boxy unit develops just 182 horsepower and 176 pounds
feet of torque and works with a CVT automatic.
By contrast, the Ford's 2 liter turbo
develops 245 horsepower and 277 pounds feet of torque
and works with a more traditional eight speed
automatic that we much prefer.
On the road, the Subaru can feel genuinely sluggish.
And the difference was confirmed when we took both vehicles
to the Edmunds test track.
In the hands of our expert test drivers,
the Bronco Sport recorded zero to 60 in 7.2 seconds,
a full 2.1 seconds faster than the Forester.
But at least a Subaru stopped more quickly than the Ford.
The Forester needed 120 feet to stop from 60 miles an hour,
seven feet less than the Bronco.
Anyway, enough with the facts and figures.
And I'm now full of caffeine.
Let's head back to the trails.
But before we do that, I wanted to demonstrate
another neat feature of the old Bronco Sport.
You have the option here of either opening
the whole tailgate, or get this, just the glass.
Like that.
Even if getting a rucksack out is a bit of a challenge.
So remember that hill that we came up earlier today?
Well, we're now at the top of it looking down.
And we're going to test out the car's hill descent control
systems or whatever Subaru and Ford actually call them.
So in the Scooby-Doo X Mode into deep snow and mud,
using the transmission into its little low mode.
And away we go.
Now one thing that Subaru struggles with relative
to Ford, you have to look at them to see,
is the approach and departure angle.
In other words, how much the bodywork's
kind of hanging over the front and rear of the tires.
And that means you're far more likely to whack
a rock at the front or whack a rock at the rear.
And that's particularly pertinent
going downhill when sometimes it's actually quite difficult
to see what you're doing.
I'm actually just going to use the brakes a little bit
to control the speed.
You can feel the ABS doing its thing.
I'm actually working with the hill descent control
just because I want to manage the speed because I
can see with my human eyes that we have
a pretty big obstacle ahead.
Feel articulation, just easing it down.
And again, I'm kind of working with the systems.
But I am putting in quite a bit of manual input.
I think if we just let it do its thing on its own,
we've probably got too much momentum
for those big articulations.
But we made it down.
Now we should make it up the other side.
Let's swap to the Ford.
So jumping into the Ford, I'm into goat mode rock crawl.
I'm going to use manual on the gearbox
and lock it down into first.
But then I'm going to use what Ford calls trail control.
What this effectively is is a kind
of cruise control for off road work.
And I can actually buy using these little set buttons here
on the steering wheel control the speed I want to go.
So I'm going to lock it into the lowest possible speed.
That's one, take my foot off the brake,
and away we go very slowly.
So immediately, you've got more control
than you had in the Subaru.
And if I now I can turn that up to two or three
and actually manage my speed electronically.
I also love this front camera.
I can see where I am.
So now I'm going exceptionally slowly.
As you can see, all my feet are off the pedals.
And down we go.
Super easy.
Super controlled.
Now this would be useful not only
if you're doing serious off road work
like this, but also if it suddenly snows and you've got
to go down a tricky descent.
That's really impressive.
I've also been playing with this system going uphill.
And there I like it less, the reason
being that sometimes when you look ahead
to different terrain, you actually
want to use a bit of momentum.
So for me, and I've done quite a bit of off roading,
I tend to use it for the downhills
and then control the throttle myself on the uphill sections.
But it's kind of a personal preference.
But it's really good.
Really good system.
And this is the same system that's
now on things like the Ranger Tremor.
And we expect it to be rolled out as part of the off road
arsenal.
Definitely a win for the Ford.
And so to the conclusion.
What have we learned both on and off road?
Well, let's start with question one.
Is the Sport worthy of the Bronco badge?
Is Baron Von Bronco really happy?
And the answer to that is a resounding yes.
Honestly, we've all been super impressed with what
this vehicle can do off road, particularly
in this Badlands trim.
But its ability comes with some compromises,
which is a neat segue into question two.
Is it a good SUV?
We'd be willing to trade a bit of on road refinement
and even a bit of interior quality
for that off-road capability.
But the lack of rear room and rear leg room in particular
should be a big concern for families.
The Subaru Forester isn't as cool and isn't as new.
And that engine's a real let down.
But it arguably offers a better compromise
of some off-road ability with on road refinement and space.
So here's what I think.
If you want a fund junior off-roader
at a pretty accessible price, then buy a Bronco Sport.
If you warm a comfortable, spacious, family SUV,
then perhaps go for our top ranked Honda CRV.
And if you want a bit of both, then by all
means choose the Subaru Forester.
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Head to edmunds.com for all your car shopping needs.
You won't regret it.
There's no horseplay.
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