Four-wheel drive, a turbocharged engine, and long-travel suspension mean Ford’s off-roader has no trouble conquering a rally course.
The Ford Bronco is a true off-roader. With an advanced all-wheel-drive system, plenty of ground clearance, and meaty all-terrain tires, it can conquer almost any trail you throw at it. But how does it perform in a fast-paced stage rally environment? Tim O’Neil, the founder of the Team O’Neil Rally School, got his hands on one to find out.
Pretty much everything on the Bronco’s spec sheet suggests it should perform well on a rally stage. Its 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost inline-four makes 270 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, plenty to get the truck moving, especially in a low-grip environment such as the snow-covered property at Team O’Neil. Paired here with the lovely seven-speed manual transmission, Tim has no trouble placing the truck where he wants to. And thanks to that heavy-duty suspension, big bumps and even jumps are handled with ease.
O’Neil does have a few complaints, though, and they mostly focus on the brakes. Standard anti-lock brakes, which can’t be switched off, mean you don’t have as much threshold braking performance in low-grip scenarios, such as snow. That means you need to have some finesse with the middle pedal to get corner entry right. There’s also the parking brake. It’s electronic, meaning you can’t pull it just to perform sharp turns.
Despite those drawbacks, the Bronco is able to set a respectable time around the school’s makeshift rally stage course with O’Neil at the wheel. A 2:17.12 lap puts it second overall in winter testing, just behind the Subaru WRX.
Keyword: Yes, You Can Go Rallying in Your Ford Bronco