Driving the Bronco Sport Sasquatch

Last month, I had the opportunity to compete in the Rebelle Rally with one of the very first built 2025 Bronco Sport Badlands Sasquatch vehicles. This car, given the name “Rocky” by my co-driver and navigator Kathryn, had just over 900 miles on the odometer when we received it in September.  

Now the odometer sits at 3,722 miles. That’s a pretty nice 2800-mile test drive we put it through, especially considering that at least 1,000 miles were off-pavement, in terrains ranging from huge sand dunes, deep silt beds, open OHV areas, bouldery climbs and descents, and even a couple of water crossings and mud. 

We pushed it to its limits; the Sport ran for at least 10 hours per day in weather ranging from 30-100 degrees for eight straight days.

Certainly, Ford was interested in hearing our thoughts on the Sport but objective findings are best done in controlled test situations. This article is about driving a pre-production vehicle and sharing subjective information about how the vehicle feels on different terrains and how it reacted in specific situations. 

Typically, these types of articles occur with media drivers who borrow the car, use it on the pavement, or with in controlled off-road drive like what occurred at the Bronco Off-Roadeo in Tennessee. Very few individuals get handed pre-productions with no guardrails, and I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity. 

This was not my first exposure to driving the Bronco Sport or my first Rebelle Rally driving one. Since finishing the Rebelle first in class in 2021, I became a huge fan of the Bronco Sport. 

I had competed the last 5 Rallies in a Jeep prior to having the Sport and I was concerned that I might not get the car to the finish line. When it started doing hard things, I became delighted and at the finish line, determined that I would own the car if possible, which did happen months later.  

I’ve now put thousands of off-roading miles on Sports both driving and guiding, along with my husband Brian, teaching owners about their Sports. We are also Bronco owners and guides, so I’m frequently moving from the Bronco to the Sport in offroad situations as we’ve driven it all over Colorado, Utah, California, and even halfway down Baja. 

All this to say, I’ve got seat time and the experience to do some comparisons and speak to the differences of the Bronco Sport Sasquatch. So, let’s talk about the car.

Previous Experience

One of the key elements in driving off-road is to have spatial awareness of your vehicle and using your judgement to determine if the car is going to clear obstacles or keep traction. Prior experience in a different vehicle is helpful but doesn’t tick all the boxes like just just getting out and driving it does. 

Before the Rally, I had a few off-roading miles with the Sasquatch but there’s nothing like trying to get to a checkpoint before it closes to learn about the car’s performance. I started the Rally using my previous knowledge and experience with Sport and found myself surprised again and again when the car surpassed my expectations when compared to a Bronco Sport Badlands. 

There were several instances in the first couple of days where I thought we would bottom out or strike the skid plates, but we didn’t. So, I gained spatial awareness to the ground clearance and suspension, all of which I’ll explain.

Tires & Traction

The tires on the Sasquatch are new to the market, Goodyear Territory A/T, size 235/65R17, the largest in class. Previously the A/T/ option was either the Falken Wildpeak or Pirelli Scorpions. These Territory tires are really impressive when visually compared side to side with the Wildpeak, not only the tread depth but the sidewall as well. They just look more aggressive, and they are.

I aired the tires down on the first day to about 25 lbs and did most of my on and offroad driving in this range, with the exception of the sand dune days, where I went down to about  20lbs. in order to create the needed flotation through the soft sand. I did air back up to 25 lbs after leaving the dunes. 

This is the same way I handled my previous Sports so I went with what was familiar and had worked before.

The first thing I noted in driving was increased traction across all terrain types regardless of the tire pressure. At times, it almost felt like the tire barked when I was on a high traction surface. There is also a bit of road noise but that comes with the territory so to speak. It’s nothing compared to being in a Bronco but if you’ve had a Sport previously, you might hear it. 

One thing we did discover is that the spare tire provided with the Sasquatch is not quite full-sized, it is a smaller tire.

Suspension

The suspension on the Sasquatch turned out to be just as awesome as advertised. There were several times when I expected a wheel lift that didn’t happen. In fact, the suspension was so good in handling washboard roads, that I could keep up with our teammates in the Raptors and comfortably passed 4x4s with solid front axles.

Skid Plates

Having more armor underneath is rarely a bad thing and for the random strikes, it worked out. One specific checkpoint required driving to the end of the trail, which turned out to be a steep climb with several ledges. I wasn’t sure the Sport would climb it but it did, we got compliments and amazement from the 4x4 team behind us. We used the skid plates going up and really slid and banged on them going down. In spite of the rough handling, the plates themselves held up great over the whole rally with only minor bends and scrapes.

Recovery Points

The rear recovery point on the earlier models of the Bronco Sport is functional but it sure is small. It didn’t even look feasible that a vehicle could be recovered by that tiny, screw in pin. By comparison, the front and rear recovery points on the Sasquatch look much like the Bronco, easy to use and access. I did require two pulls during the Rally, both times out of the sand, and connecting the soft shackle to the kinetic rope was a piece of cake. It was nice having closed front points as compared to the hooks on earlier Badlands years.

Is the Bronco Sport Sasquatch Right for You?

The Sasquatch is an incredible upgrade to the Badlands but as with Broncos, Sports are capable vehicles and depending on how you plan to use your Sport, may or may not be the right fit for you. I have been asked, why wouldn’t you just buy a Bronco instead of the Sasquatch. 

The Bronco Sport Sasquatch is a vehicle that can walk in two worlds, on and off pavement. On pavement, the Sport is nimble and has good fuel economy. Off pavement, the vehicle is capable and allows the adventurer more confidence to get to their destination. This Sport fills a niche and it might just be right for you.