The Touchscreen in the 2025 Bronco Sport: Is Bigger, Better?

The 2025 Bronco Sport Touchscreen

The 2025 Bronco Sport reveal has shown some upgrades to the earlier models, and among many of the changes we see in this mid cycle refresh is a standard 13.2-inch center screen, that now requires more touch instead of tactile buttons to control many functions like climate control. 

This is not an unexpected change as we’ve seen this move with many manufacturers, as technology advances and becomes more affordable. The question is though: is a bigger touchscreen easier to negotiate or could this lead to more distraction among drivers? 

This seemed like an intriguing argument that required some investigation on my part, since we have used Car Play® and been distracted by infotainment systems for some years now. Is the larger screen really an issue for Sport owners?

 Let’s break down the discussion further with what experts are saying and of course, let’s hear your comments on larger touchscreens and whether you think they’re right for you or if you’re a fan of the good old tactile push buttons.

Larger Touchscreen Pros

When sitting in the 2025 Bronco Sport, one of the first things noticed in general IS the larger screen, positioned higher in the vehicle and more in the line of the driver’s view as compared to the 2021-2024 models. 

Easy-to-See Climate Controls

In the earlier model years, the buttons controlling the volume and audio are below the screen, while the climate adjustments are even lower, requiring the driver to lose sight of the road while setting the A/C or heat.

A closer look at the 2025 powered screen shows that Ford considered some of these concerns. The touch buttons controlling the climate are organized at the bottom of the screen in a logical spot and order that can be seen in the periphery while the driver is looking at the road. 

To find something like Max A/C requires a deeper dive and is not very intuitive, in my opinion. It is located by touching the icon for the vent control and finding the Max A/C button on the left side of the pop-up screen. My first tendency was to press the A/C, thinking a pop up would allow for a Max A/C option.

Light-Up Screen

When touched, there is an orange light, showing that the function is active, just like on the tactile buttons. All the basic functions of climate can be handled with a single touch. 

Some of the functions open an additional touch screen showing temperature, fan speed, etc. but the same happens on the screen of the previous model Sports when the dial is turned or fan speed pressed.

Audio Controls

The audio functions are a bit more complex, requiring a touchscreen press on the source and a touch to search for radio stations or XM with an option to save favorites towards the bottom of the screen. 

It’s nice to see that the AM radio is still there too. And of course, Car Play® or Android Auto ™ is included and can be connected wirelessly. This function seems more reliable in my driving the 2025 than in the earlier models which seem to ignore my Car Play® connection at times.

Large Touchscreen Cons

There are many arguments against the touchscreen, some of which can be applied to all touchscreens while others are some that I discovered while checking out the 2025 Bronco.

Safety Issues

Screens bring up a larger safety issue, what if the screen goes black and you don’t have critical controls available? 

Controls critical to the vehicle's operation: turn signals, windshield wipers, hazard lights, and the horn should all be activated with a button or switch, not buried in touchscreens. 

In fact, the Euro NCAP plans to implement these changes in order for vehicles in Europe to receive a full five-star safety rating. The U.S. currently does not have a standard on this.

Limited Tactile Buttons

When looking at all the controls for the 2025 Bronco Sport, one notices a row of tactile buttons and a dial in the spot where the climate controls used to be. Here we find the critical controls such as the hazard lights and maximum defrost buttons, as well as the volume control and on/off of the audio. Controls that used to be available at a single button push are now part of the screen or even in a pop-up screen such as air temperature or Max A/C.

A positive could be, if the screen goes black, safety can be maintained until you get your Sport to a Ford dealership but you would have limited controls available while getting there.

Poor Feedback

One can argue that a tactile button gives feedback when pressed as compared to a touchscreen which does not; however, I am always looking for the light to give visual feedback as well, not blindly pressing. 

There may be some extra time a driver needs to become accustomed to the change to the screen and where the various controls are in the vehicle. 

Conclusion

My experience with the screen is that it does take additional time to get comfortable with where the controls are, and I found myself pressing incorrect icons trying to get a response.

Some icons give you a pop up for additional controls while others do not. I like the larger screen, even though it takes some extra getting used to. I’m struggling more with where the ignition button is on the 2025, than anything else but that’s a discussion for a future article.