2024 Ford Bronco

Each trim has a slightly different personality, though the Heritage Edition with its white grille and wheels stands out the most—until you get to the Everglades with its mesh-like grille, snorkel, and winch, or the wide-stance Bronco Raptor. 

The cabin has a vintage flair, too ,with its horizontal dash and plentiful Bronco badging. Ford did a nice job with fun details, though the materials are far from special. Even Jeep’s Wrangler is dressier inside. 

Most models have cloth seats, though leather and synthetic hides are available.

Most serious off-roaders will be fine with the widely available Sasquatch package that adds Bilstein shocks, a raised suspension, and a few more goodies. The Wildtrack trim goes several steps farther with its Fox shocks, even more ground clearance, and trio of locking differentials. 

If you need absolutely everything, the Raptor sits up even higher and features semi-active dampers from Fox plus a front stabilizer bar disconnect and heftier Dana axles. It also rides on 37-inch tires that are as much as five inches taller than other trims, giving it a staggering 13.1 inches of ground clearance.   

Just which Bronco suits your needs will likely depend on two things: 1) an evaluation of the trails you’re likely to encounter; and 2) how much swagger you want. Most of us don’t need Raptor-grade utility, but they sure do look great, right? 

How fast is the Ford Bronco?

It’s no bucking bronco in most forms, but the Bronco is plenty peppy. The base 2.3-liter turbo-4 puts out as much as 300 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque when running on premium fuel (or 275 hp/315 lb-ft on regular unleaded), which is good enough for decent acceleration with the standard 7-speed manual gearbox. A 10-speed automatic is optional there, and standard otherwise.

The step-up 2.7-liter turbo-4 puts out as much as 330 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque on premium, and it can fire off a sub-seven second run to 60 mph.

Ford offers as many as seven drive modes, which tweak steering heft, throttle tuning, and transmission behavior. 

Bronco Raptors use a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 rated at 418 hp and 440 lb-ft of torque. They’re noticeably quicker, though without the manic rush of power found in a Jeep Wrangler 392. 

Broncos have a comfortable ride thanks largely to their huge tires and, in most versions, sophisticated shocks and dampers. The independent front suspension and electric power steering deliver good handling and highway stability, while the coil-sprung rear end promises impressive off-road articulation. 

The Bronco can tow up to 4,500 pounds in Raptor form, though most of the lineup is rated at 3,500 pounds. 

Four-door models have 35.6 cubic feet of cargo space, though the rear door is heavy and the liftover makes loading bulky items a chore. 

The standard soft top is predictably loud even at neighborhood speeds. The available retractable soft top is easy to swap out while on the go. A four-panel hardtop runs $700 or so and it’s fairly simple to remove once you’ve done it a couple of times. The cargo area is big enough to store the roof panels, too. 

You can even remove the doors (and store them inside the Bronco, though not alongside the hardtop panels). Conveniently, the rearview mirrors are mounted to the body, so they stay attached to the Bronco when the doors are off. 

The Bronco’s interior is designed to be easy to clean after a day of off-roading, so materials are far from luxurious. Ford did a so-so job of picking low-sheen plastics with appealing grains, though. The Wrangler is better in this regard. 

Most versions offer blind-spot monitors and active lane control, while adaptive cruise control is generally unlocked after adding a few option packages. 

The base version this year is the Big Bend, which for $41,025 comes with 17-inch alloy wheels wearing 32-inch tires, synthetic leather seats, a 12.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and basic crash-avoidance tech. 

Which Ford Bronco should I buy?

That’s a tough one to answer. The Black Diamond runs around $2,500 more, which buys bulky steel bumpers, rock rails, additional drive modes, and a few other off-road goodies. It’s a great starting point for off-roaders, especially since you’d likely spend way more than that adding those items by flipping through an aftermarket catalog.

The Badlands trim is for more dedicated four-wheelers with its 33-inch all-terrain tires, disconnecting front sway bar, and locking front/rear differentials. At $51,290, it’s no bargain, but it’s an amazing four-wheeler right out of the box. 

On most trims, the optional Sasquatch package adds 35-inch wheels mounted over 17-inch wheels as well as locking front and rear axles. That gear is standard on the Everglades, Wildtrak, and Heritage Edition trims. 

How much is a fully loaded Ford Bronco?

The Raptor costs $91,730 this year, which buys a twin-turbo V-6, upgraded Dana axles, arctic truck-style fender flares over 37-inch tires, and a host of additional tweaks. Aside from some questionable cosmetic options ($1,950 for carbon fiber trim!), the Bronco Raptor comes nearly loaded from the factory. You can add leather for $2,500 and forged wheels that are beadlock-capable for $1,995. Opt for every goodie in the book and the price comes in just below $100,000.