How well has your 1.5L bronco sport performed off road?

[SkyHigh98]

Just curious as I plan on buying a used one in a few years, how well has yours done off road? Do you have any pictures of yours off roading?

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[Kraken]

Just curious as I plan on buying a used one in a few years, how well has yours done off road? Do you have any pictures of yours off roading?

I haven't done anything too serious off-road yet. I've only driven Mustangs before, so I'm completely new to going off pavement.

I have been exploring some trails and forest roads locally. This picture below was taken on one of the more smoother parts of a trail I did a couple weeks ago, the rest of it was quite steep with ruts and covered in softball-football sized rocks to go over. I wasn't really wanting to stop and pose for pictures at those parts ?.

My Base model handled it effortlessly, never even needed to switch out of Normal mode.

 

[RSH]

The Bronco Sport isn't so much an offroad vehicle, it's a vehicle that has offroad capability.
Depending on which model you get, that capability varies. Who knows if you will actually buy one or even be interested in a few years.
A lot of things can happen or change in that time frame.
What's keeping you from jumping in now?

 

[christopheru]

I bet one of the reasons for not jumping in now has to do with paying Jeep Wrangler prices for a bronco sport. With the markups you guys suffer in the USA, you can get a rubicon here. So why get a BS?

Anyway, the 1.5 spec does fine off road depending on how you define off road. If off road = not paved (gravel roads) to you, then it is every bit as good as a VW Golf. Once you start upping the anti a bit and exploring down road right of ways, it also does fine. At least it does here in southern Ontario. I have driven mine over road right of ways which turn into narrow dirt tracks where clearance becomes an issue. Even those tracks are still roads that a set up front drive rally car could do at high speed. The drive train gave no grief but I was also not taxing it. Personally, I am not planning on getting too carried away until I redo the suspension and get some proper skid plates. Doing that right is way cheaper than a big recovery and repair.

What none of these machines are is a rock crawler or deep mud machine or river crossing machine (if that river is actually deep). I have forded low rivers and it is quite fun.

I would be curious if the low placed electronics in the vehicle could be relocated higher up? Installing a snorkel is easy - drill, paint, and replumb the air intake.

 

[Benanza]

The Bronco Sport isn't so much an offroad vehicle, it's a vehicle that has offroad capability.
Depending on which model you get, that capability varies. Who knows if you will actually buy one or even be interested in a few years.
A lot of things can happen or change in that time frame.
What's keeping you from jumping in now?

Technically every car has off-road capabilities as off-road does include marked dirt and gravel roads. The limits depend on the vehicle, the equipment, and the driver. If you don't know what you're doing when you get to a serious section it doesn't matter how good the truck, tires, and equipment are if the driver doesn't know how to operate in those conditions.
1.5 L has very serious limitations to deep stuff, and if you don't have experience, a winch, or another vehicle with you, you may want to go where you know the terrain well. However, I have impressed some serious off-roaders with the abilities of this tiny engine that manages to do quite a bit more than I had originally thought. As for an easy rock crawl, you would definitely want to add protection first. I don't think I'd attempt a major rock crawl in this model especially without serious alterations to the BS.

 

[christopheru]

Technically every car has off-road capabilities as off-road does include marked dirt and gravel roads. The limits depend on the vehicle, the equipment, and the driver. If you don't know what you're doing when you get to a serious section it doesn't matter how good the truck, tires, and equipment are if the driver doesn't know how to operate in those conditions.
1.5 L has very serious limitations to deep stuff, and if you don't have experience, a winch, or another vehicle with you, you may want to go where you know the terrain well. However, I have impressed some serious off-roaders with the abilities of this tiny engine that manages to do quite a bit more than I had originally thought. As for an easy rock crawl, you would definitely want to add protection first. I don't think I'd attempt a major rock crawl in this model especially without serious alterations to the BS.

Gravel roads are not off road. They are gravel. Splitting hairs maybe, but they are definitely roads.

 

[Benanza]

Gravel roads are not off road. They are gravel. Splitting hairs maybe, but they are definitely roads.

Definition of off-road
adverb
away from a smooth road; on rough terrain.

This means any unpaved road or path

 

[christopheru]

Definition of off-road
adverb
away from a smooth road; on rough terrain.

This means any unpaved road or path

Better definition of off road: anything not, you know, an actual road.
Sorry, but if I can rail down a gravel road in a stock Golf 7 at 130kmph, it isn’t off road.

 

[AndyMac204]

our base did great off road! it likes to climb. 1 hill was giving the bs a hard time, put it in sand, found the sweetspot on the throttle, and it made it.
i still think theres some stellar off road technology on these platforms.
however, id totally do skid plates and a small lift for next time. there are some vulnerable parts hanging low.

 

[CrashBend]

Just curious as I plan on buying a used one in a few years, how well has yours done off road? Do you have any pictures of yours off roading?

I have the Outer Banks base model with 225 60 R18 Michelin street tires. I lowered the air pressure to 30psi so I can drive it like that. Went into very loose soft dirt and it performed flawlessly.

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