When Ford first announced the Bronco Sport, the general suspicion was that it would just be a little commuter-style SUV of not much consequence and a dilution of the Bronco name for Ford. And we must confess, we weren't expecting much when we rolled up for the first drive event out among the canyons north of Los Angeles in California.But then Ford took us off into the canyons on the dirt tracks, then deeper into the desert trails, and it was quite a revelation. The Bronco is not a big, brutish off-roader that will go absolutely anywhere, but a well engineered, capable and scrappy little off-road-capable SUV that can go places you wouldn't expect.Plus, the Bronco Sport is a great little commuter and family SUV. It'll scrabble up dusty hillsides, pick its way along potholed tracks, surge through muddy ruts, then, the next day, it's just as happy to go and run errands around town or get you to work on time in comfort.When it dropped in 2021, the Bronco Sport Badlands First Edition had an MSRP close to $40,000, but now it has become a bit of a bargain because the Bronco Sport remains underrated in a world of overbuilt trucks and SUVs for what people actually need. A Quick Recap Of The Bronco Sport Ford The Bronco Sport is the smaller sidekick to the full-sized reboot of the Ford Bronco SUV. While it arrived with similar retro and off-road styling, it came with a much smaller footprint and was limited to smaller Ecoboost – meaning turbocharged – engines.FordHowever, rather than making a small, unibody, cheap little stylistic alternative to the Ford Bronco, Ford gave the Bronco Sport teeth. Those teeth include an excellent all-wheel-drive system with G.O.A.T. Modes (Goes Over Any Terrain) and four-wheel independent suspension.The Bronco Sport arrived in four trim levels, although Ford also sold Edition trims based on some of them. Essentially, the four trims were the base model, then the Big Bend model with some added mid-level convenience features, the more premium featured Outer Banks model, then the off-road specialty Badlands trim.Ford The dirty little not-actually-a-secret is that the Bronco Sport is based on the same platform as the Ford Escape, but it's had a thorough re-engineering to earn the Bronco Sport name. Enter The Badlands Ford The First Edition trim was based on the Badlands and only available for the 2021 model year, and pretty much included all the available packages and options, including leather-trimmed seats, heated front bucket seats, and, surprisingly, a Bang & Olufson sound system. Ford only planned to sell a few thousand, but ended up making over 7,000 First Editions with a price tag of $38,160. Surprisingly, here in 2026, the Badlands starts at a lower price – $37,265.Ford We've zeroed in on the Badlands First Edition here because the first edition is fun, it's incredibly well-equipped for the money, and it's the most capable of the first salvo of Bronco Sport trims. Not only was it the trim that came with the more powerful four-cylinder 2.0-liter Ecoboost rather than the three-cylinder 1.5-liter engine, the Badlands features torque vectoring for when things get really slippery and tricky.The Badlands also arrived with a little extra ride height, skid plates, all-terrain tires and extra G.O.A.T modes (Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl). It even has hydraulic rebound stops to take the sting out of high-impact jolts and 7.4 inches of wheel travel – a touch more than the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.Ford It's not a perfect vehicle, the interior does feel a little on the cheap side and some seemingly basic features are missing through the range. However, the Badlands – and the First Edition in particular – includes features like dual-zone climate control, a moonroof, and a power rear liftgate. 2021 Ford Bronco Sport First Edition At 2026 Prices Ford The Bronco Sport Badlands First Edition arrived in 2021 and provided value at its $38,160 MSRP. It was a fearsome little off-roader with a Bang & Olufsen sound system, and now the average used price for one is $25,000.Ford And for that money, it's not a Bronco Sport Badlands First Edition with high mileage. For around $25,000, expect less than 65,000 miles on the clock, and if there has been damage reported, it was minor and fixed properly.Ford If you're happy to stretch closer to $30,000, you can find lower mileage examples, although none of the ones we've looked at show signs of anything but being driven on paved roads. However, a sub-20,000-mile used model is the one that should last the longest, as for the vast majority of its life the new owner has control of its maintenance. The Bronco Sport Now Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet Right now, a Bronco Sport Badlands starts at $37,265, while the entry-level Big Bend trim starts at $31,845. However, the Bronco Sport did get a big update for the 2025 model year. The biggest upgrades to the Badlands are accessory-ready modular bumpers, extra steel underbody protection, Hoss 2.0 Off-Road Suspension, a twin-clutch rear-drive unit to help when things get slippery, and a locking differential.Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet For even more off-road credibility, Ford also added switches inside to control additional accessories and integrated tie-down latches on the front fenders.The upgrade for the current Badlands is a hefty one, before adding the new Sasquatch package, and on that first drive we were blown away by what it could do. However, it's going to be overkill for what the majority of people need – not many Bronco Sport owners are going to be scrabbling up damn-near vertical inclines in a Bronco Sport or rock crawling through tight canyons. We would look at the 2021 Badlands first edition as a light explorer and reaching hiking, camping, fishing, or whatever outdoor pursuits spots in the same vein as a Subaru rather than an outright off-road specialist.It has enough ability in reserve as a lifestyle vehicle to get into harder to reach places than your average all-wheel-drive crossover, and enough in reserve to get out of some tight spots. And, as mentioned earlier, to work and back in comfort.Although, it's worth noting that the Bronco Sport isn't particularly economical when it comes to fuel consumption. The 2021 model has a city/highway combined rating of just 23 MPG with the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. On the plus side, it makes 250 hp with 280 lb-ft of torque, so it's a zippy little commuter.Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet For those that need something more capable, the current iteration of the Bronco Sport Badlands exists, and the Sasquatch package takes things to a new level, adding things like Hoss 3.0 Off-Road Suspension, Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers, High-Clearance Fender Flares, an upgraded cooling fan, D-ring recovery hooks, a new rear bumper with steel plates, and it's just a $2,395 upgrade.The only issue we have with the current Bronco Sport is that it's easy to start bumping the price up with packages and options.