2023 Ford Bronco Heritage review

This isn’t the Ford Bronco’s first rodeo. The American off-roader has been around since 1965, the same year another wild horse – the Mustang – hit the production line for the first time.

The latest, sixth-generation was introduced in 2020 after a 14-year hiatus and featuring a retro design with cues from the original.

And we’re testing the Heritage edition that takes historical links further, including 1960s-style ‘Bronco’ scripting on the front guards, a white grated grille, white wheels, and ‘F-O-R-D’ spelled out on the front grille instead of 'BRONCO'.

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The Bronco shares its T6 platform with the locally developed Ranger and Everest.

Let’s avoid any teasing, though. We got the opportunity to drive a Bronco as part of a US media trip for the launch drive of the 2024 Ford Mustang, but the retro off-roader isn’t currently planned for the Australian market as it remains strictly left-hand drive.

It would have made a natural addition to Ford Australia’s fleet: the Bronco shares its T6 platform with the locally developed Ranger and Everest.

The Bronco is about 10cm shorter than an Everest but with a slightly longer wheelbase.

JUMP AHEAD

• So, it's a rival to the Jeep Wrangler?
• Is the Bronco's interior modern and practical?
• What's it like to drive?
• Should Ford bother making the Bronco in RDH?

So, it's a rival to the Jeep Wrangler?

Exactly. The original Bronco was even inspired by the Wrangler’s ancestor, as Ford wanted to tap into America’s growing band of 4WD adventurists who, in the 1950s, were buying the Willys off-roader (as well as the International Harvester Scout).

And the Bronco also comes with removable doors and roof.

The Ford is available as a (short-wheelbase) two-door or four-door where the Wrangler is a five-door only these days. Pricing is similar in the US – both start from about US$35,000 and stretch beyond US$80,000. The flagship Bronco Raptor costs $132,000 when converted directly to Aussie dollars.

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Is the Bronco's interior modern and practical?

The Bronco’s cabin is ruggedly retro, with a high and chunky dash, hand grips galore, some biggish physical dials, and diff lock switches on the dash top.

Digital driver and infotainment displays add the 2023 flavour, though the graphical cluster lacks sharpness and configurability, and looks more like an oversized trip computer.

At least the infotainment is Ford’s solidly executed Sync 4 operating system, which is simple to use.

There’s a slot in the centre console for a smartphone but charging is via lead only unless you tick an option box.

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Storage options include a decent-size console bin, twin cupholders, and the removable doors employ net pockets that save helpful weight but are happy to bulge with a couple of small drinks bottles and a wallet.

The removable doors, however, also result in the window and mirror switches being placed awkwardly on the front of the centre console bin. Jeep does this better by placing its window switches on the Wrangler’s dash.

For a vehicle with a 2.9-metre wheelbase, adults don’t enjoy as much rear-seat legroom as you might expect, though there’s plenty of headroom even with the roof in place.

The Bronco Heritage’s seats are finished in a cloth plaid pattern and are comfortable to sit on, though have little in the way of lateral support.

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Rubber mats front and rear mean owners will be less stressed about passengers jumping in with muddy/wet shoes.

Rear seat cushions, and headrests, collapse forward cleverly via separate buttons to create a not-quite-flat extended cargo bay.

The boot is usefully sized, however, with generous width and height. It’s accessed by a horizontally split tailgate combining lower, side-hinged tailgate and top-hinged glass window.

The one miss here is that, owing to the external spare-wheel mount, the upper glass section can’t open separately – as with a Ford Territory – so items could be thrown in quickly and conveniently; the tailgate must be opened first.

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What's it like to drive?

In quite a few ways, better than a Wrangler.

That starts with steering that is noticeably more precise than the Jeep’s, not only making the Bronco more enjoyable to guide around corners but also easier to keep it straight on a freeway.

Big, chunky and square side mirrors contribute to good all-round vision, while ride quality is decent if occasionally flawed. Bigger, sharper bumps tend to send mild, temporary tremors through the cabin.

Road noise is better than expected on the 35-inch mud tyres that are part of a Sasquatch off-road pack standard on Heritage Broncos.

Cabin ambience is far from calm at speed, however, as wind and engine noise are both noticeable.

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Our Bronco was an EcoBoost variant, meaning 220kW and 400Nm from a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder rather than the optional 242kW/562Nm V6 petrol.

A 10-speed auto is optional for both engines; our test car featured the standard seven-speed manual. There’s a lightness to both the clutch pedal and gearshift action, the lever nudging into its gates without fuss if not much satisfaction for a keen driver.

The turbo four isn’t bereft of torque down low but the engine’s best performance is found in its mid-range once the turbocharger is on boost.

It’s a thirsty motor based on our US drive experience, with the trip computer indicating average consumption of 17.7 miles per gallon (about 13 litres per 100km).

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A full-time AWD system is operable via a centre console dial similar to that found in V6 versions of the Ranger and Everest – featuring 2WD High, 4WD Low, 4WD High, and Auto 4WD modes.

There are also seven GOAT (Goes Over Any Terrain) modes, though a tight schedule and a need to cycle though other road-trip vehicles including a 2024 Mustang and F-150 meant we didn’t get a chance to go off road.

We’d doubt its mud-plugging credentials, though. Not only is the Bronco related to the Ranger and Everest but the Heritage variant also gains electronic locking front and rear axles, the aforementioned mud-terrain tyres, and higher-clearance suspension and wheel-arches.

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Should Ford bother making the Bronco in RDH?

100 per cent. Australia loves 4WDs, and that includes retro-inspired off-roaders – as the widely loved Prado-based FJ Cruiser proved.

Our US-drive impressions also suggest the Bronco would cause the Jeep Wrangler plenty of bother in a head-to-head comparison.

There’s also a Bronco Sport in the US that is based on the same platform as the Ford Focus small car and Escape SUV – a monocoque alternative that would seem like a great replacement for the Escape that will be discontinued locally.

It’s all about sufficient demand from right-hand-drive markets convincing Ford to change its mind, and executives have previously not ruled the chance out completely.

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