Ford Motor Co. is leaning into what it sees as an underserved market with a refresh on the Bronco Sport for 2025 with expanded availability of the Sasquatch off-road package, updates to its technology and new features to tackle adventures.

Since it launched for the 2021 model year, Bronco Sport has attracted buyers looking for an SUV capable of off-roading, but at a more accessible price point than its larger sibling. Ford has carved out a niche in the segment, and it's taking advantage of that advantage among a crowded marketplace of SUVs, the team behind the vehicle said.

Orders for the new model year are open with deliveries beginning in November from its plant in Hermosillo, Mexico. Ford will share pricing at a later date. The 2024 model starts at $29,795.

"When we relaunched Bronco Sport in 2020, we started to reach a part of the market that a lot of people didn't think existed," said Michael Weller, brand manager for the vehicle. "Our customers seek out challenges. They want to climb that mountain or go down that more challenging hiking trail, because accomplishing that and achieving that gives them this great sense of satisfaction.

"... 'These people don't buy small SUVs' was the conventional thinking," he continued, "because nothing really existed that appealed to them. So we gave them Bronco Sport, and we're really reaching these buyers."

Weller pointed out that Bronco Sports are from full-size pickup trucks, not SUVs. He said Bronco Sport owners go off-roading three and a half times more frequently and fishing two times more often than drivers of other small SUVs.

Bronco Sport U.S. sales are down 3.8% through July. The volume still is more than the larger Bronco, whose plant was hit by last year's United Auto Workers strike. The baby Bronco also achieved the top spot for small SUVs among 18 models for initial quality by J.D. Power.

"We wanted to make sure we would meet all of our durability and robustness ... requirements," said Eddie Khan, vehicle engineering manager, noting that developers visited more than 50 off-road venues to speak with customers about their experiences with the SUV. "We have tested more than 600,000 miles on durability testing on these vehicles during the process of development on various terrains and various locations."

Bronco Sport gets new front and rear bumpers with steel bash plates equipped with "Bronco Bolts" detachable by an Allen wrench to accessorize with brush bars, driving lights or mounts for dune flag. There are two hooks in the front and cast D-rings in the rear. A front brush guard is standard, and the vehicle also has steel skid plates.

There isn't an electrified option for the Bronco Sport. Weller said the automaker has seen customer interest and "anything's possible in the future," but an electrified Bronco Sport would have to meet the brand's performance requirements.

"We've got to do it right," he said.

Previously available on the 2-liter Bronco Sport Badlands model, the Sasquatch package is being expended to the 1.5-liter Bronco Sport Outer Banks trim. Sasquatch models will be available in the first quarter of 2025.

The package offers a twin-clutch rear-drive unit and locking rear differential to better handle rugged terrain. Ford and Goodyear also developed larger 29-inch 235/65/R17 Territory All Terrain tires adapted from the Bronco with an open-tread design and reinforced sidewalls to provide better traction. The 2-liter engine has capacity for up to 2,700 pounds of towing.

Bilstein rear shocks with position-sensitive damping and piggyback reservoirs replace Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard monotube off-road dampers to better absorb impact at higher speeds. New front and rear springs increase ride height four-tenths of an inch over the current Bronco Sport Badlands, while the Sasquatch model has up to up to 8.3 inches of front suspension travel and 8.7 inches of rear suspension travel, an increase of six-tenths of an inch.

The Sasquatch package also augments Ford's Sand GOAT Mode, Goes Over Any Type of Terrain, with a new Rally Mode focused on holding gears longer at higher speeds in sand to boost power on-demand, sharpen the throttle response and increase feedback through the vehicle's steering. Every Bronco Sport will come standard with a new Off-Road GOAT Mode.

"It's built wild in line with with the Bronco brand tenets," Weller said.

Bronco Sport Trail One-Pedal Drive also joins Trail Control for rock crawling, allowing the driver to use only the accelerator pedal to control the speed of the vehicle. Easing off the accelerator engages the brakes and releasing it brings the vehicle to a halt.

The lower-trim Bronco Sport Big Bend has an off-road option, as well, with the new Black Diamond Off-Road package. Like Sasquatch, it adds four recovery points, up to 2,200 pounds of towing capacity and additional steel underbody protection.

Inside, Bronco Sport gets a 13.2-inch center display, up from 8 inches on the current model. Powered by the Sync 4 infotainment system, the vehicle's software is updateable over-the-air and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 12.3-inch driver digital instrument display includes Bronco Raptor-inspired animations that appear when the GOAT mode changes.

Likes its larger sibling, the Bronco Sport is available with an "Bring Your Own Device tray" located atop the dash behind the center display that has two USB-C inputs. It's designed with a GoPro in mind, but also can hold a phone, wallet and keys. The front passenger also gets a new counsel-mounted grab handle.

"Bronco is about modularity and ease of accessorization," Weller said, "and we lean into that heavily with the 2025 update."

New exterior colors include Velocity Blue and Ruby Red Metallic. Outer Banks has a new Platinum Blue interior theme, and Badlands Sasquatch is noted with yellow stitching.

Safety systems in Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+ are standard. The 2.0 package optional on the Bronco Sport Outer Banks and standard on the Bronco Sport Badlands adds a 360-degree camera with Trail View to show tire overlays automatically in Off-Road and Rally modes as well as Split View that shows the front tires. It also includes Reverse Brake Assist and Speed Sign Recognition.

Ford on the Sasquatch models also added four auxiliary switches under the hood in the dash to power on and off attached devices like camping lights, addressing what Khan said had become a "cumbersome" issue with the current model. On Outer Banks Sasquatch, Badlands and Badlands Sasquatch models, new integrated tie-downs can help secure rooftop loads like kayaks or paddleboards. Rated to up to 150 pounds, they stow in the fenders.

"We as a team went out for camping, we had a kayak, and we really had a very difficult time to find a suitable tie-down point in the front of the vehicle," Khan said. "And that came about the idea of introducing something in the fender to tie it down."

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