We update our long-term test of the 2023 Ford Bronco and dive into how well the Bronco Sport handles on pavement during spirited driving. We also discovered a small concern.
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Our 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands continues to bring a smile to our faces every time we drive. The odometer is at 1,000 miles, and we have had a lot of time to explore sunny, dry, and wide-open country roads in the Bronco Sport. We have now had ample time to dissect how it drives and feels when driven with gusto on-pavement. In addition, we can provide one update on a small issue we uncovered.
Bronco Sport Badlands Spirited Driving - Hello Torque Steer
As owners and fans of the Bronco Sport know, the Badlands has the up-powered 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine. This engine is also included with the Heritage and First Edition trims. The engine is a corker and one of our favorite parts of the car. It offers fantastic torque and more than enough power, which we can prove!
One aspect of the Bronco Sport Badlands that didn’t quite catch my attention when I tested the 2021 First Edition in winter, or my own ‘23 Badlands over its first very wet week of ownership, is its front wheel drive bias when driven hard on dry pavement. By “driven hard,” I am referring to jack-rabbit starts heading off from red lights and stop signs, and Sport Mode use on twisty mountain roads. The Bronco Sport is mostly a front-wheel drive crossover SUV that will grudgingly provide power to the rear wheels. Often too late for my taste.
The Bronco Sport Badlands can easily chirp its tires when given full throttle at a start. When stopped at a corner and then when accelerating hard while turning into traffic, the Bronco Sport Badlands exhibits quite noticeable torque steer. The front tires are simply being asked to do too much, and they get a little squirrelly. One must concentrate on keeping the steering under control because the front tires are pulling you out of your desired driving line due to managing excess torque. We also get a fair bit of tire scrub on warm, dry pavement. It’s clear that the Bronco Sport Badlands was designed primarily as a front-wheel drive vehicle. We even feel the torque steer occasionally when accelerating while underway and turning at the same time.
The driver information display also shows the torque provided to each wheel. We carefully studied this while doing various acceleration runs. In Normal Mode, the power and torque are almost always to just the front wheels. After they start to slip (too late), the center differential reacts and then provides torque to the rear wheels. In Sports Mode, the front bias continues. Only when using “Slippery” Mode did we see any initial rear wheel torque distribution before slippage. And it is, of course, spoiled due to the throttle and transmission mapping, which “de-tunes” the powertrain to prevent tire slip. In other words, Slippery Mode makes the Bronco Sport no fun.
Now, we could engage the 4WD lock, but the owner’s manual warns the owner not to do that on dry pavement every few pages. It is clear that Ford does not want that center diff left on when driving on dry pavement. Such a bummer! This issue could have been prevented by Ford designers. The solution is to engineer in more rear torque distribution.
Aside From That…
Now, this issue does not spoil all the fun. Quite the contrary! I have been pushing the Bronco Sport Badlands around in such a way as to have maximum fun with a minimum chance of losing my license. In other words, driving fast and fun where it makes sense and is safe. Just a reminder - this is my own vehicle. I treat media vehicles a bit differently and don’t break any rules with them. We have plenty of track time and closed course time to push media vehicles past their limits, so we act responsibly when we test them in public. At least I do.
The torque steer is manageable once you come to expect it. You simply hang on to the wheel and prepare to steer like crazy until the car is headed straight ahead and the AWD system catches up to the situation.
Against all odds, the Falken WildPeak AT3 all-terrain tires are great on dry pavement. They howl a bit when asked to turn in at speed, but that is fine and to be expected. The grip and sharpness are way better than I would have guessed they would be.
While we are on the topic of tires, I cannot help but wonder how much better this Bronco Sport Badlands would handle with Falken Ziex CT60 AS touring tires on such fun runs. My suspicion is they would make this vehicle much more fun and would eliminate the tire scrub and howl. I also think the grip in turns would be more predictable and enjoyable. But would I want to give up the dirt road and snow capability? No way.
Ford Bronco Sport Badlands - Braking
Now that the brakes have worn in a bit, we have started to use them to full effect. The brake pedal feel in the Bronco Sport Badlands is ideal. Firm, not spongy. Linear, not grippy or grabby. The pedal does not soften in spirited driving after a few hard stops either. Perhaps equal to the engine and transmission, the braking feel is one of my favorite ways the Bronco Sport makes me happy when driving hard.
I broke out the Turtle Wax to do the leading edges and hood. Where I live, it is always smart to apply some wax in order to avoid small chips and bird droppings where the paint takes the most abuse. While waxing the leading edge of the hood, I found a paint defect in a bad spot. It is not a big deal now, but if it results in the paint losing adherence, I will be really disappointed. I may buy a front deflector strip to cover it and protect it from chips. Ford had a bad run with paint defects a decade back. And my Cactus Gray color is a new one. As you can see, I like to torture myself with borrowed worry.
1,000-Mile Wrap Up
So far, I have had a fantastic ownership experience with my 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. I’ve been using it as a daily driver as well as a weekend getaway vehicle on all sorts of surfaces. Its utility is matched well by its driving enjoyment. Up next will be a story about two accessories I have purchased. Check back for that story next week.
Here are our prior long-term test posts:
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Long-Term Test - Initial Likes and Dislikes
2023 Bronco Sport Badlands Long-Term Test Update- Off-Pavement, Flooded Roads, Highway
John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his eleven years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.
Image of 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands by John Goreham
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