2026 Four-wheel drive standard · Huntley, IL
The 2026 Ford Bronco Sport.Standard 4×4.
Every trim is 4×4. Ford does not build a front-wheel-drive Bronco Sport, and does not build a hybrid one either.
- 180–250 hp
- Two EcoBoost engines
- Up to 27 MPG
- 1.5L combined (EPA-est.)
- 5 or 7
- G.O.A.T. terrain modes
From $31,845 plus $1,995 destination · Ford’s MSRPs, read Aug. 27, 2026
- 4×4 on every trimThere is no front-wheel-drive version
- Up to 7 G.O.A.T. modesBadlands adds Rock Crawl and Rally
- 27 MPG combined1.5L EcoBoost (EPA-est.)
- From $31,845Big Bend, plus $1,995 destination
Four-wheel drive is standard on all four trims — and that is the whole point of the car
The Escape and the Bronco Sport are close cousins at similar money, and Ford has aimed them in opposite directions. Knowing which direction you need is most of the decision.
No front-drive version exists
Every Bronco Sport leaves the factory with four-wheel drive. The EPA lists no two-wheel-drive Bronco Sport for 2026, and Ford states 4×4 as standard on Big Bend, Heritage, Outer Banks, and Badlands alike. You are not choosing whether to pay for it.
There is no hybrid
Two turbocharged gasoline engines, and nothing else. No hybrid, no plug-in, no electric version. If fuel economy is what you are optimizing for, the Escape offers a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid and this car does not.
Terrain modes, not just a badge
Five G.O.A.T. modes on Big Bend, Heritage, and Outer Banks — Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Off-Road. The Badlands gets seven, adding Rock Crawl and Rally, plus a twin-clutch rear drive unit that can send torque across the rear axle.
You pay for it in fuel
The 1.5L returns 27 MPG combined. The Badlands 2.0L returns 23. Reviewers mark the car down for economy and they are right to — this is the cost of the hardware, and it is worth knowing before you sign rather than after.
What Ford changed for 2026
The mechanical package carries over. The changes this year are packages, connectivity, and paint — useful to know if you are cross-shopping a 2025 still on a lot somewhere.
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New packagesBronze, and Bronze + Black Diamond
Two new appearance and off-road packages arrive for 2026 on the Big Bend and Badlands. The Black Diamond Off-Road content brings all-terrain tires and steel skid plates; the Bronze content is appearance.
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ConnectivityA year of Ford Connectivity included
The Ford Connectivity Package is included for one year, with an unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot for up to ten devices. The 13.2-inch center display it runs on is standard from the entry Big Bend upward, alongside an 8-inch cluster.
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PaintOrange Fury and Space White
Ford’s names for them are Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat, which costs extra, and Space White Metallic, which does not. The full palette is below. A Ford Security Package is also newly available. Ford has not announced anything dropped from the lineup for this model year.
Two engines, and a package that changes the answer
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1.5L EcoBoostThe one most people should buy
A three-cylinder turbo in Big Bend, Heritage, and Outer Banks. It is the efficient end of a range that has no hybrid in it, and it still tows 2,200 lb with the tow package installed.
- Power180 hp · 200 lb-ft
- DriveFour-wheel drive
- EPA MPG city/hwy25/30 · 27 combined
- Towing2,200 lb, Class II package
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2.0L EcoBoostThe one in the Badlands
A 250 hp four-cylinder, found only in the Badlands, where it arrives with the twin-clutch rear drive unit and seven terrain modes. It tows 500 lb more and costs four MPG combined.
- Power250 hp · 280 lb-ft
- DriveAdvanced 4×4, twin-clutch rear
- EPA MPG city/hwy21/27 · 23 combined
- Towing2,700 lb, Class II package
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Sasquatch package
What the off-road package costs you
Available on Outer Banks and Badlands. The EPA rates the Outer Banks version as a separate vehicle, which lets us tell you the price in fuel exactly: 24 MPG combined against 27. Ford has not published a figure for the Badlands version.
- Outer BanksAdvanced 4×4, HOSS 2.0
- BadlandsHOSS 3.0, BILSTEIN rear shocks
- EPA MPG, Outer Banks23/26 · 24 combined
- Cost in economy3 MPG combined
EPA-estimated ratings. Actual mileage varies with driving habits, weather, load, and vehicle condition. Towing at the figures shown requires the Class II Trailer Tow Package — ask us to confirm the equipment on any specific vehicle.
The reason standard 4×4 stops being a talking point in January
Huntley gets a real winter, and the Randall Road corridor does not clear itself. Every Bronco Sport has four-wheel drive and a Slippery mode as standard — not on the options list, not on the upper trims only. If you have ever waited at an intersection on packed snow wondering whether you were going to move, that is the specification you are buying.
- 4Trims, every one of them four-wheel drive
- 7G.O.A.T. terrain modes on the Badlands
- 65.2Cu ft of cargo behind the first row
What separates the four trims
Specifications as published by Ford and the EPA, checked Aug. 27, 2026. This table carries measured figures rather than a standard-or-available grid: for the Bronco Sport, Ford publishes headline features per trim rather than full equipment tables, so a tick-box grid would have been mostly guesswork. Ford revises trim content during the model year and a single vehicle may not carry every item shown — ask us to confirm on the one you are looking at.
Every 2026 Bronco Sport trim, lowest price first
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Bronco Sport Big Bend
1.5L EcoBoost · 4×4
- From
- $31,845
Key features
- 5 G.O.A.T. terrain modes
- 13.2-inch center display, 8-inch cluster
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- MOLLE strap system
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Bronco Sport Heritage
1.5L EcoBoost · 4×4
- From
- $33,395
Key features
- All-terrain tires as standard
- Oxford White roof, wheels, and grille
- Heritage Bronco script side decals
- Navy Pier plaid cloth seats
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Bronco Sport Outer Banks
1.5L EcoBoost · 4×4
- From
- $35,145
Key features
- Heated front seats and steering wheel
- 8-way power memory driver seat
- Dual-zone automatic climate control
- Sasquatch package available
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Bronco Sport Badlands
2.0L EcoBoost · Advanced 4×4
- From
- $37,265
Key features
- 250 hp and a twin-clutch rear drive unit
- 7 G.O.A.T. modes with Rock Crawl and Rally
- Steel-plated front bumper and underbody
- 360-degree camera with Trail View
Starting MSRPs are Ford’s own published base prices for the 2026 Bronco Sport, read from ford.com on Aug. 27, 2026, and exclude taxes, title, license, and the dealer documentary fee. Ford’s destination and delivery charge for the 2026 Bronco Sport is $1,995, read from Ford’s published destination and delivery charges on 1 September 2026, which puts a Big Bend at $33,840 before tax. Ford can change it at any time and says its dealers are the best source of current information, so treat it as the published figure rather than a quote. Ford adjusts pricing during the model year — confirm the current figure with us before you commit to anything.
Eight colors, and half of them cost extra
Two of the four no-cost choices are whites, which is worth knowing before you decide the color is free.
| Color | Cost |
|---|---|
| Oxford White | No cost |
| Space White Metallic | No cost |
| Shadow Black | No cost |
| Carbonized Gray Metallic | No cost |
| Velocity Blue Metallic | Extra cost |
| Azure Gray Metallic Tri-Coat | Extra cost |
| Orange Fury Metallic Tri-Coat | Extra cost |
| Ruby Red Tinted Clearcoat | Extra cost |
Exterior colors as published by Ford on its 2026 Bronco Sport pages, read Sept. 4, 2026. Ford does not publish the surcharge for its extra-cost colors, so we have not invented one — ask us for the figure on a specific vehicle. Availability changes during the model year and not every color reaches every trim.
Five stars from the government, and a Marginal and a Poor from the insurers
Both of these are true. The federal rating is excellent. The insurance industry’s institute rates the same vehicle Marginal in one crash test and Poor for whiplash, and gives the 2026 Bronco Sport no award at all. You should see both before you decide.
NHTSA: 5 stars overall, 2024
Five stars overall, five for the frontal crash test, five for side, five for the side pole test, and four for rollover, with a calculated rollover risk of about 17 percent. NHTSA has not rated a 2025 or 2026 Bronco Sport, so this is the most recent rating the agency has issued for this generation — not a 2026 score.
IIHS: no award for 2026
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety lists no Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ for the 2026 Bronco Sport. Ford has two 2026 winners, the Explorer and the Mustang Mach-E, and this is not one of them. Any page telling you this car is an award winner is telling you something that is not in the record.
Marginal for rear-seat protection
IIHS rates the updated moderate overlap front test Marginal. That test measures how well the vehicle protects someone in the back seat, so it matters most if you carry passengers there. Whiplash prevention on the power cloth seat rates Poor.
Where IIHS rates it well
Good for small overlap front on both the driver and passenger sides, Acceptable for the updated side test, Good headlights on every trim, Good pedestrian front crash prevention and Acceptable vehicle-to-vehicle. Blind spot detection, lane departure warning and prevention, and rear automatic braking are all standard.
NHTSA ratings read from the agency’s own public ratings data on Sept. 4, 2026. IIHS ratings as published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on the same date. Ratings apply to the tested configuration and are not a prediction of any individual crash outcome. Huntley Ford claims no safety award for this vehicle.
2026 Ford Bronco Sport · full specifications
| Specification | 2026 Ford Bronco Sport |
|---|---|
| Powertrain | |
| Standard engine | 1.5L EcoBoost turbo three-cylinder, 180 hp / 200 lb-ft |
| Badlands engine | 2.0L EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder, 250 hp / 280 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 8-speed automatic |
| Drive | Four-wheel drive, standard on every trim |
| Economy (EPA-estimated) | |
| 1.5L EcoBoost | 25 city / 30 highway / 27 combined |
| 2.0L EcoBoost | 21 city / 27 highway / 23 combined |
| 1.5L with Sasquatch package | 23 city / 26 highway / 24 combined |
| Fuel | Regular unleaded |
| Capability | |
| Towing, 1.5L | 2,200 lb with the Class II Trailer Tow Package |
| Towing, 2.0L | 2,700 lb with the Class II Trailer Tow Package |
| Ground clearance | 7.8 in · 8.1 in on the Badlands |
| Terrain modes | 5 G.O.A.T. modes · 7 on the Badlands |
| Space | |
| Cargo behind the first row | 65.2 cu ft · 60.6 cu ft on the Badlands |
| Passenger volume | 105.6 cu ft · 102.3 cu ft with the moonroof, on any trim |
| Seating | Five |
Figures are Ford and EPA published data. Specification varies by trim and options — we will confirm the numbers on any individual vehicle before you commit to it.
What this car is actually for in McHenry and Kane County
Be honest about the use case and the choice gets easy. If your week is a commute down I-90 and the Randall Road corridor, the 1.5L Big Bend already has the four-wheel drive and the Slippery mode that make a January morning uneventful, and it returns 27 MPG combined doing it. That is the car most people here should buy. The Badlands is for a narrower brief. Seven terrain modes, a twin-clutch rear axle, steel underbody plating, and 8.1 inches of clearance are worth real money if you are pulling off pavement at the Chain O’Lakes, towing a small trailer, or heading somewhere the plow has not been. If you are not, you are paying four MPG for hardware you will not use. Neither is a substitute for a hybrid. If most of your driving is short, local, and stop-start, the Escape does that job better and this range has no answer to it.
Where the Bronco Sport is not the best choice
Edmunds rates the 2026 Bronco Sport 6.3 out of 10 and ranks it sixteenth of nineteen small SUVs. Their stated cons are “below-average fuel economy” and “less rear legroom than most compact crossovers”, and the review adds that the off-road tires “result in longer stopping distances”, that the suspension gives “a jiggly ride around town”, that the front seats want more side support, and that the boxy shape brings “more wind and road noise”. Its sharpest point is that “a fully equipped Bronco Sport… is almost as expensive as the regular Bronco” — which is true, and worth checking before you tick every box. The EPA agrees on economy: the Badlands returns 23 MPG combined, exactly the figure the review cites. Choose something else if rear legroom decides it, if you want a hybrid, or if most of your driving is highway miles where the tires and the shape both cost you. Choose the Bronco Sport if four-wheel drive on every trim matters, if 65.2 cu ft behind the front seats is the shape of space you need, if the terrain hardware will actually get used, or if you want a small SUV that fits a Huntley garage and still goes down a muddy track. For plenty of people around here that second list is the one that counts — but you should know the first list exists.
What buying here is like
Questions people ask about the 2026 Bronco Sport
Is the Ford Bronco Sport four-wheel drive?
Yes, on every trim. Ford does not build a front-wheel-drive Bronco Sport for 2026 — Big Bend, Heritage, Outer Banks, and Badlands all leave the factory with 4×4, and the EPA lists no two-wheel-drive version. The Badlands goes further with an advanced system and a twin-clutch rear drive unit.
Is there a Bronco Sport hybrid?
No. For 2026 the Bronco Sport is offered with two gasoline engines and nothing else — no hybrid, no plug-in hybrid, and no electric version. If a hybrid compact SUV is what you want, the Ford Escape offers both a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid at similar money.
What is the difference between the Bronco Sport and the Bronco?
They are different vehicles that share a name. The Bronco Sport is a compact crossover built on a car platform, with four doors, a fixed roof, and 4×4 as standard. The Bronco is a larger body-on-frame off-roader with removable doors and roof. Worth knowing: Edmunds points out that a fully equipped Bronco Sport costs close to a base Bronco, so it is worth pricing both.
What MPG does the 2026 Bronco Sport get?
The 1.5L EcoBoost is EPA-rated at 25 city, 30 highway, and 27 combined. The 2.0L EcoBoost in the Badlands is rated 21 city, 27 highway, and 23 combined. Adding the Sasquatch package to an Outer Banks drops it to 23 city, 26 highway, and 24 combined.
How much can a Bronco Sport tow?
Up to 2,200 lb with the 1.5L, or 2,700 lb with the 2.0L in the Badlands. Both figures require the Class II Trailer Tow Package to be installed, so check whether the vehicle you are looking at has it — ask us and we will confirm.
What is the Sasquatch package and is it worth it?
It is an off-road package available on the Outer Banks and the Badlands. On the Outer Banks it brings the advanced 4×4 system and HOSS 2.0 suspension; on the Badlands it adds HOSS 3.0 and BILSTEIN rear shocks. The EPA rates the Outer Banks version separately, so the cost in fuel is known exactly: 24 MPG combined instead of 27. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on whether you will use the hardware.
What are G.O.A.T. modes?
G.O.A.T. stands for Goes Over Any Type of Terrain — Ford’s name for the drive modes that retune the throttle, transmission, and traction control for different surfaces. Big Bend, Heritage, and Outer Banks have five: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery, and Off-Road. The Badlands has seven, adding Rock Crawl and Rally.
How much does a 2026 Bronco Sport cost?
Ford’s published starting prices are $31,845 for the Big Bend, $33,395 for the Heritage, $35,145 for the Outer Banks and $37,265 for the Badlands. Those exclude Ford’s $1,995 destination and delivery charge, plus taxes, title, license, and the documentary fee, and Ford adjusts pricing through the model year — call us for the current figure on a specific vehicle.
Is the 2026 Bronco Sport being discontinued?
No. Ford lists both the 2025 and the 2026 Bronco Sport as current and shows no discontinuation notice. That is worth stating plainly because it is not true of every Ford SUV right now — the Escape is in its final model year.
Does the base Bronco Sport get the big screen?
Yes. The 13.2-inch center display is standard from the entry Big Bend upward, alongside an 8-inch digital cluster, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Ford Connectivity Package is included for the first year.
Ask us something the page did not cover
Call (847) 669-6060 with the questions this page could not settle from Ford’s own documents — what the extra-cost paint adds, and what each option package costs on the trim you want.
Come and drive one on a bad morning
We are on Automall Drive, just off Route 47 at I-90 — an easy run from Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, Elgin, and Woodstock. No appointment needed to look.