The days of being limited to the Jeep Wrangler as your only choice for an off-road SUV are long over. After an absence of 25 years, Ford decided to bring back one of the most beloved models in its lineup: the Bronco. To no surprise, the Ford Bronco became an instant success with more than 200,000 units sold in 2022 – up 51-percent when compared to the year before. So, other than being a very cool alternative to the Wrangler, what other cool features does the Bronco have to offer? Here are five reasons why it's a fantastic off-roader, followed by five reasons why it's not worth it.

Related: 10 Reasons Why The Ford Bronco Is Better Than The Jeep Wrangler

10 The Bronco Has Awesome Off-Road Features

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Ford
Ford Bronco is perfect for off-roading

When Ford revived the Bronco name it had one thing in mind: to offer a proper, if not better, competitor for the Jeep Wrangler. And, to do so, the new Bronco had to be off-road capable and then some. The Bronco has a ground clearance of 11.6 inches, an approach angle of 35.5 degrees, a breakover angle of 21.2 degrees and a departure angle of 29.8 degrees. The 35-inch off-road tires come standard, there are two 4x4 systems to choose from, a semi-active, disconnecting front sway bar, and a strong bash plate placed underneath the SUV. The best feature of the Bronco is of course the brand-exclusive Terrain Management System with G.O.A.T. Modes (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain). There are seven modes to choose from, including: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Sand, Baja, Mud/Ruts, and Rock Crawl for off-road driving.

9 It’s Hard To Beat The Bronco Raptor

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Ford
Ford Bronco Raptor in its perfect environment 

One of the coolest things about the new generation Bronco is the fact that Ford offers the extreme Raptor trim. It is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6 that produces 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque on premium gas. All this power is sent to the wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission that features a heavy-duty clutch. The Ford Bronco Raptor needs 5.7 seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph and can hit a top speed of 111 mph. The Bronco does not only look a lot more aggressive than the base Bronco, but it comes with a few updates inspired by the Bronco 4600 that make it a lot more off-road capable. It is about 9.8 inches wider than a regular Bronco, has wider wheels and tires, updated suspension, a tougher chassis, and brakes straight from the Ford F-150 Raptor.

Related: Ford Bronco vs Bronco Raptor - Does The ‘Raptor’ Factor Add Value?

8 The Bronco Is Offered With A Choice Of Two Very Capable Engines

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Ford
Ford Bronco comes with two engines

As standard, the 2023 Ford Bronco comes with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four that delivers a total of 275 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque on regular gas, or 300 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque when running on premium gasoline. According to Ford, this is the four-cylinder gasoline engine with the most torque in its class. There is also an optional 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 engine that produces 315 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque on regular gas and 330 horsepower and 415 pound-feet on premium gasoline. As standard, each model features a seven-speed manual transmission, with a 10-speed automatic transmission offered as an option.

7 The Bronco Comes With High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension

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Ford
Ford Bronco comes with HOSS system

Starting with the 2022 model year, each Bronco comes with High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS) system. There are four different levels of HOSS to choose from, depending on the Bronco trim, and its main purpose it to deliver optimum stability and control for thrilling off-roading at speed. The HOSS 1.0 is Ford's "base" suspension system, and it is offered on Base, Big Bend, Outer Banks, and Black Diamond Bronco models. HOSS 2.0 comes with the Badlands, Everglades, Wildtrak, and all the Bronco models equipped with the Sasquatch package. HOSS 3.0 is for the Wildtrak Bronco and the HOSS 4.0 is for the Ford Bronco Raptor. Depending on the version, the HOSS system includes twin alloy A-arms and long-travel coil-over springs up front and a rugged solid axle design at the rear featuring variable-rate long-travel coil springs with five locating links.

Related: 10 Ways The Jeep Wrangler Is Better Than The Ford Bronco

6 The Optional Sasquatch Package On The Bronco Takes It Up A Notch

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Ford
Ford Bronco equipped with the Sasquatch package

For 2022, Ford also made the Sasquatch package available for every Bronco model, including the ones equipped with the manual transmission. This is kind of a big deal as, before 2022, the Sasquatch package could only be had with the automatic models. The seven-speed manual transmission has been specially developed for off-roading, as the seventh gear is known as the crawler gear. The Sasquatch package will increase the crawl ratio to 94.75:1, making it highly efficient and fun to use when driving over rocks. The Sasquatch package also adds 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrain tires mounted to 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, Dana front and rear electronic locking axles with 4.7:1 final drive ratio, high-clearance suspension with a two-inch wider track, and wider fender flares. The HOSS system is also updated with long-travel Bilstein position-sensitive dampers with end-stop control valves. The price for the package varies from $4,095 to $6,590 depending on the Bronco trim.

5 The Bronco Can Get Expensive Very Fast

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Ford
Ford Bronco going off-roading

For the 2023 model year, the Ford Bronco can be had in ten different trims: Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outer Back, Heritage, Badlands, Wildtrak, Everglades, Heritage Limited, and Raptor. The 2023 Ford Bronco prices start from $32,295 when going for the 2-door version and $36,445 when you opt for the 4-door model. Prices increase very fast, so the 2023 Bronco Heritage Limited is priced at $66,895 in the two-door configuration and $69,185 in the four-door configuration. Things are even worse if you opt for the Bronco Raptor: with a starting price of $73,780, it costs more than double the base Bronco.

Related: 10 Forgotten Traits Of The Ford Baja Bronco

4 The Bronco Comes With A Basic Cabin

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Ford
Interior of the Ford Bronco

When you pay way above $40,000 for a compact SUV, you would expect to have a better-equipped cabin, but the interior of the Bronco is a little bit of a letdown. There is a lot of plastic in there – especially on the dashboard and the center console. The seats are not made from the best materials, and the buttons can be a little wobbly after a few uses. Owners have also complained that the doors are not as easy to remove as Ford claims, and after you put them back they make a very annoying groaning noise. The seats are heated, but they miss the cooling options – so needed during hot summer days, and why not also during off-roading.

3 The Bronco Sport Is Not A Real Off-Roader

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Ford
Ford Bronco Sport is more suitalbe for city driving

We don’t want to say that the Bronco Sport ruined the name for Ford, but it also has no place in the lineup. The base model is missing all the off-road packages, and it also comes with a not-so-powerful engine: a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 181 horsepower. If you want to experience some sort of off-roading and a more powerful engine in the Bronco Sport, you need to go at least with the Badlands trim, which can get expensive for what it is, plus lots of people complained about its cabin. Still, even in the higher trims, the Bronco Sport is missing its sibling off-road capabilities, and it should mostly be used for city driving.

Related: Jeep Wrangler vs Ford Bronco: Picking the Right Off-Roader For You

2 The Bronco Two-Door Has Very Limited Cargo Space And The Rear Seats Don’t Fold Flat

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Ford
Rear seats in the Ford Bronco

The Ford Bronco 2-door model has 22.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seats, giving you very limited options for what to carry around when you take the car for an off-roading experience. To make things worse, the rear seats do not fold flat. They leave a small incline that forms a four-inch step to the cargo area. With the seats down, the cargo area is increased to 52.3 cubic feet. If you want more cargo room and seats that fold completely flat then you have to opt for the four-door model.

1 The Bronco Doesn't Offer The Greatest Fuel Economy

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Ford
Ford Bronco looking wild in the forest

We know that when people buy an off-road model, the last thing they care about is fuel economy. But the Ford Bronco can also be used for on-road driving, and it ‘s far from being the most fuel efficient car on the block. Broncos equipped with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission deliver 20 mpg during city driving, 22 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. The model equipped with the V-6 engine has a fuel economy of 18 mpg city, 20 mpg highway, and 19 mpg combined. If you really want a thirsty Bronco, then you need to go for a model equipped with the V-6 engine and the optional Sasquatch package. In this case, fuel economy drops to 17 mpg. Just to compare things, in the Wrangler, if you pick the right engine, you will have a fuel economy of 22 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.