Just like its larger cousin and its many and varied trims, the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is available in a multitude of configurations. Jeep has dipped its toe into a similar thing with its crossovers, but Ford is taking a page straight out of the big Bronco with its trim lineup for the Bronco Sport.
In total, there will be five trims available at launch: Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks, Badlands and First Edition. The First Edition trim is limited to just 2,000 initial vehicles, so we won’t be seeing many of those, and it won’t be around in the second year.
In this breakdown, we’ll cover all five trims, their features and the corresponding prices.
Base
It starts at $28,155 for the Base Bronco Sport. You get the 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission here — four-wheel drive is standard. The flat black-painted grille and black Bronco badge is your first hint that this version is the Base trim, but it’s also paired with the standard 17-inch “Sparkle Silver” wheels. Roof rails come standard, and so does the flip-up liftgate glass opening and cloth seats.
Thankfully, Ford provides some of the tech we all want on the Base model as standard. You get the eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Ford’s Co-Pilot360 suite of driver assistance systems that includes things like blind-spot warning, automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist. The G.O.A.T. mode switcher also comes standard with five different modes for a number of off-roading scenarios.
Big Bend
This is where Ford begins to add a few extra nice-to-haves to the equation. The look is switched up here, too, with a gray grille and white Bronco lettering up front. It gets the same powertrain as the Base Bronco Sport, but it also picks up 17-inch gray aluminum wheels (matching the grille), heated side-view mirrors and push-button start.
Ford makes the interior slightly more utilitarian, too. Big Bend adds “easy-to-clean” cloth seats, zippered seatback pockets with MOLLE straps, a rubberized cargo floor and seatback protector, rear center armrest and two-way manually-folding rear seats. Automatic climate control is added and so is SiriusXM radio. Before options, the Big Bend trim starts at $29,655, making it $1,500 more than the Base Bronco Sport.
Outer Banks
The Outer Banks trim is where the Bronco Sport starts getting luxurious. On the outside, you’ll notice this trim has a black grille with white lettering. It also adds a black-painted roof and black-painted 18-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in all-season tires.
On the inside, Ford has added heated, leather seats up front — both the driver (eight-way) and passenger (six-way) seats are also powered. A leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, rain-sensing wipers and windshield wiper de-icer round out the new convenience features. Additional tech comes in the form of an upgraded 6.5-inch digital instrument cluster screen, reverse sensing system and dual-zone climate control. All these features will cost you, as the Outer Banks trim starts at $33,655.
Badlands
This is the Bronco Sport you want if off-roading is in your future, or you just want the coolest and best possible trim. A number of mechanical upgrades makes it more expensive, but also more capable. You get a unique off-road suspension and a different four-wheel-drive system that features a twin-clutch differential on the rear axle capable of torque vectoring. Bigger 28.5-inch all-terrain tires wrap 17-inch gray-painted wheels, and you also get metal bash plates, a low-speed trail cruise control function, front tow hooks and a trail camera system.
On top of the extra capability off-road, Ford makes the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder standard equipment to give the Bronco Sport significantly more go. Finally, the G.O.A.T. mode switcher is expanded to seven different terrain modes. The Badlands trim takes all the equipment from the Big Bend as its starting point, so if you want all the luxuries of the Outer Banks, those will have to be added as options after the fact. Its price starts at $34,155 and only goes up from there.
First Edition
This one is peak Bronco Sport for anybody willing to spend big money on the crossover. It’s based on the Badlands trim, but it also features every luxury item and option in the book as standard equipment. You get a gray grille with Bronco lettering in black, and you also get unique black graphics on the hood and sides of the vehicle. Just like the Badlands, it comes with the 2.0-turbo and the trick four-wheel-drive system.
Special “Navy Pier” leather seats set it apart inside, and the moonroof and 10-speaker B&O audio system come standard, too. The Class II trailering package is equipped and so are 29-inch all-terrain tires. The motto here is, if it’s on the ordering sheet, this one probably has it. There will only be 2,000 of them sold, and the First Edition big Bronco is already sold out. The Bronco Sport First Edition starts at $39,995, and they’re still available to reserve as of this post’s publishing.
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