If there is one thing I have always done when getting into a new car to drive and share my thoughts on, it has been to keep an open mind for the first couple of days before forming an immediate opinion. It’s served me well over the years but I have to say that my time with the Bronco Sport Freewheeling you see here represents the first time that I can remember a car I initially thought was garish, I ended up really enjoying the look of by the end of my time with it. The initial impact of this thing LANDS and that’s good, bad or otherwise, so people are going to have a distinct reaction to it. Some members of the Lohnes tribe were immediately fond of the throw back look and others were as strongly aghast. But the honest answer is, if we’re only going to talk about the look here, we’re selling this thing short. 
The Freewheeling Bronco Sport and it’s big brother Bronco with the same package are throwback looks to the late 1970s and Ford’s package of the same name. Back the look was available on trucks, Broncos, and vans. Using the same color palate but in a slightly different combo, it was an appearance only package with upgraded exterior looks and an upgraded interior as well. Available with silver, yellow, and black base colors back in the day, as you can see, the modern version is also available with a white base coat today. To be perfectly honest, it was a visual shock treatment the first time I laid eyes on the Freehweeling Bronco Sport. The array of colors up the sides of the body and across the hood were one thing but the wheels were another. But the commitment to the look doesn’t stop there.
Yes, the exterior pattern follows you inside. Not just into the seat backs but also into the stitching and the accent panels in the interior as well. Again, at first this as a visual shock but over time it actually grew on me and frankly if Ford designers had not done this, it would have been bizarre. Carrying the design inside really commits to the look and the interior, comfortable and reasonably spacious is actually a pretty fun spot to be in with the color splashes. I have always been critical of cars with interiors that were endless seas of black plastic. This one clearly isn’t and I’m here for it.
So, how does it drive? With a 181hp turbocharged 1.5-liter three banger, it drives surprisingly well. Hooked to an eight speed automatic transmission, the Bronco Sport has a reasonably legitimate amount of scoot through the first several gears due to the favorable transmission ratios. Sport mode keeps the throttle response really snappy and fun, and the overall dynamic makes the Bronco Sport drive larger than it really is. This is a negative in things like sports cars and sedans but in small SUVs, I’d argue it’s a big win. Dynamically it feels like a larger and more substantial vehicle and in this class, to me anyway, that adds perceived value. A group that deserves some real recognition here are the engineers who designed the exhaust system. Why? The little 1.5L three-cylinder engine sounds kind of awesome. There’s a factory dual outlet muffler at the extreme rear of the Bronco Sport and at full throttle, the small, relatively low-revving engine sounds really good. It does not scream and whine, but kind of grumbles in a low tone that surprised us.
Functionally, the Bronco Sport Freewheeling we tested was how we would have optioned it. The rubber floor mats will last until the end of time and hold up to whatever New England gak is thrown at them, the convenience package which added heated and powered front seats, the 8″ infotainment screen, fog lamps, and the towing package (2,000lbs rated), are all good and worthwhile additions to the base Bronco Sport. The sticker price on this one, as tested was $37,635. If you removed some of the options you’d be looking at a sticker price of $34,000. In terms of looks, dynamics, functionality, and our overall impression after a week of driving in varied condition, the Bronco Sport, Freewheeling or not, should be on your small SUV shopping list if you are in that market. The price falls right in line with the segment and in our experience the overall experience here outshines competitors that are $5-$10,000 more.
Some final thoughts. As I mentioned to start the piece here, I was initially kind of overwhelmed by the whole aesthetic of the Bronco Sport Freewheeling. As time went by and loads of people commented on how much they liked the look, my own opinion began to evolve. The fact that the look has some legacy and roots at Ford makes it cooler to me as well. This was not some slap-dash idea, it was a revival and I think that’s a good sign when a company looks at its own history in a fun way like this.
The engine, the driving dynamics, and the overall functionality of the Bronco Sport Freewheeling left me happily surprised. The power, sound, and overall fun of zipping around was more than I expected from the 1.5L Ecoboost engine. Without the eight speed, it wouldn’t be near as fun an experience and that’s a testament to good engineering and someone at Ford with a wry smile on their face hammering around a proving grounds doing their job.
Count me in an an unexpected fan of the look, the sound, and the entire Bronco Sport Freehweeling package.
