2023 Ford Bronco Black Diamond review

Within 10km of driving the 2022 Ford Bronco, I had to ask: “Why the hell isn’t Ford bringing these to Australia?”

Let’s be honest, Ford can’t go wrong with any 4x4 riding on the T6 platform at the moment and the Bronco would complement the Ranger and Everest models in Australia as being a better off-road and lifestyle alternative.

I must admit that I was a little disappointed when the kind lady at the counter at LAX handed me the keys to the big red Bronco Black Diamond as I was expecting a Bronco Raptor for this drive. While the Raptor is the off-road hero of the Bronco model range with its 37-inch tyres, lockers and 3.0-litre V6 engine, the Black Diamond version was much lower and slimmer than the Raptor which would have been a rather tight fit in the hotel car park.

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The plan for the Bronco was to do a road trip that would be every car junkie’s dream run to the SEMA show in Las Vegas and Raptor or not, this Bronco would get the job done. So after three days of seeing the sights around LA, heading to Malibu, I jumped in the car and headed east.

The drive from LA to Vegas takes about a five hours on the highway, with some stops I was able to take in some of the scenery, as well as checking out some very cool and interesting vehicles that were also heading the same direction.

Being a soft-top, the Bronco did have some road and wind noise, but that’s really unavoidable when there isn’t a sheet of metal separating you and the sky.

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The Bronco does come with a hardtop option, but this particular model not only has a fully removable roof, but you can also unbolt the doors completely and the process is very simple. If you check out the Bronco section of the Ford website, there’s nothing short of seven different options for soft- and hardtop variants. Nobody is going home unhappy with their choice!

It’s no secret that Ford has targeted the Jeep market with the Bronco so there are many similarities the Jeep Wrangler in its features.

JUMP AHEAD

• Powertrain
• On-road
• Off-road
• Interior
• Exterior
• Verdict
• Aussie ownership
• Specs

Powertrain

Although the Black Diamond doesn’t have the same 3.0L V6 of the Bronco Raptor, it does come with the option of a more-than-capable 2.7-litre EcoBoost V6 that also has twin turbos.

As standard, they come with a 2.3L EcoBoost inline 4-cylinder which makes around 220kW and 440Nm of torque on premium fuel, but if you chip in an extra USD $1895, you get the V6 which makes an extra 22kW, not to mention an 122Nm.

For the manual gearbox lovers, the sad news though is that the 7-speed manual transmission is only available with the 4-cylinder engine.

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Once you step up to the V6, the only gearbox option is the 10-speed auto, but to be honest, with so many cupholders and buttons to press, having to manually shift gears just adds to the driving effort in a car which is already pretty easy to drive.

There is an option to go for full-time or part-time 4x4, but the car I had was part-time. The Black Diamond comes with a 4.46:1 ratio locking diff, but for an additional USD $5290, you can go to a 4.7:1, but it means you have to option for full-time 4x4.

To be honest, it felt very good and I doubt very much that unless you were planning on going full SEMA spec with a set of 40-inch crawlers that you’d need to change it.

On-road

Overall, I was impressed with the power and the way it drove. One of the big selling points with the Bronco is the seven GOAT modes, which stands for ‘Goes Over Any Terrain’.

The GOAT modes consist of everything from Normal and Eco which are great for when you just want to cruise and chill out (Eco for when the next gas station is a little farther away), right through to Rock Crawl, for when there’s a closer gas station, but you have to take that scary canyon pass to get there.

The modes are all tweakable to suit your own style, but the whole system is intuitive and works very well at taking the thinking out of it. Note though, unlike some other models, namely the Raptor, the Bronco does miss out on Baja mode, yet it is very similar to the sand mode.

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Off-road

I’ll be honest in saying that I didn’t really allow myself enough time to properly experience the Black Diamond off road.

Having said that, on the handful of opportunities I did get it into Rock Crawl mode, it seemed quite effortless to drive and more than capable.

Also, the fact that almost every second booth in the 4x4 hall at SEMA had their own variant of a heavily modified Bronco, there’s no doubt that with the aftermarket parts available already, that you could pretty much pick up a car on the Monday and have it ready to compete at King of the Hammers by the Friday afternoon. With or without carbon panels!

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Interior

I think it’d be hard to find a late-model Ford with a bad interior and given the Black Diamond is very much focused on heading off road, it does come ready for action with some great features.

The first thing you noticed are those great chunky Bronco grab handles which are a big help off road, not to mention for getting in and out once you’ve fitted a suspension lift and big tyres. The dash itself has a more modest eight-inch touchscreen than some other model Fords such as our Ranger and Everest, but has everything you need.

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Without going into details too much about all off the electronic bells and whistles, as well as the safety features and CarPlay options, it’s important to notice that that Ford’s intention for this car was to aim it at people who like adventure and who are also not afraid to get a bit of mud here and there.

On the inside, there’s rubberised flooring and removable drain plugs, so you can easily wash away your sins after a big weekend. Then, for those who like to carry rechargeable gadgets and tools, there are 12V charging points and USB ports in the front and rear of the car, including 12V points in the cargo area.

Right at the back when you open the swing-out door, there’s also a really clever retractable shelf which would come in handy for all manner of activities and can handle 120kg.

Exterior

When Toyota released the FJ Cruiser, I was lucky enough to head off on a magazine shoot where it was put it through its paces against an old BJ40.

Toyota’s attempt at making somewhat of a retro version of the old 40 was definitely a good attempt, but I think Ford nailed it better than Toyota did, albeit being a few years farther down the track. You have to admit they have had plenty of practice with designing retro-looking Mustangs.

Features wise, aside from the big and unmissable BRONCO lettering on the black moulded grille, the factory-fitted Daytime Running Lights and LED fog lamps are a great touch, not to mention the blacked-out door handles and other non-chrome features.

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Black Diamond buyers get a number of other cool features to suit their adventurous style.

Underneath, there are bash plates in the front, but then farther back, more protecting most of the vital components, as well as a set of what are surprisingly tougher than they look, rock rails protecting the sill panels.

On the front you can option up a heavy-duty modular bumper which is configurable to your needs and can accommodate anything from lighting and a dealer-fitted winch. It also comes standard with two tow hooks on the front and one on the rear.

I’m still not sure if I love or hate the fact that it also comes standard with steel wheels. Essentially, yes you’re not going to destroy them as much as expensive alloy wheels when you’re bashing round in the rocks, but they do look a bit cheap. They also come with much smaller 32-inch tyres than the Raptor which has 37-inch fitted standard, so there’s a big difference in ground clearance.

VERDICT

If I’m going to be honest, I’d still love to drive the Bronco Raptor. By all accounts it’s an absolute weapon and with those big, wide guards and 37-inch tyres, I would have looked like a total badass driving the streets of LA in it wearing my expensive sunglasses.

Regardless though, I really did enjoy driving the Black Diamond and it was much nicer than I expected, even though my expectations definitely weren’t low.

Would I own one? I’d say yes, but I definitely think I’d want to fit it with big rubber and option it up more, yet as a get-in-and-drive car that you can collect the groceries in on a Wednesday, then hit the trails in on the weekend, it ticks all the boxes.

One small feature I really liked which doesn’t really add to the driving experience in any way are the small touches inside and out where it says “since 1966” (Jeep does the same but has a few more years bragging rights). Ford are obviously very proud or the Bronco’s heritage and I think they’d done a great job of doing it justice.

Aussie ownership

For now, Ford Australia say it has no plans to bring the Bronco to Australia. Yes, some people have spotted an oddly plated and LHD Broco making its way around the streets of Victoria, but Ford Australia did a lot of the engineering development of the Bronco here as the lead team on the T6 platform vehicles.

ARB also has a development LHD Bronco in Australia as the official factory-backed supplier for accessories for the Bronco in the USA, in much the same way as it is for the Ranger and Everest here.

Ford’s official line is that the Bronco was developed purely as a LHD vehicle, even though it does ride on the same chassis/platform as our Ranger and Everest. With Ford about to restart converting and selling F-150 trucks here in Australia, there’s no reason they couldn’t do the Bronco as well, providing there was enough demand for it.

Melbourne’s American Vehicle Sales has said that it will be looking at getting approval for and selling converted Broncos in Australia. It has already converted a few models at its Autogroup International facility for other right-hand drive markets, so watch this space for more details on the progress of that.

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2022 Ford Bronco Black Diamond specs