It comes as no surprise that the Ford Bronco Raptor showcased impressive performance during rigorous testing conducted by Team O’Neill, a renowned car control and racing school situated in New Hampshire. The high-performance off-road SUV was put through its paces, solidifying its reputation as an outstanding companion for rally enthusiasts. Team O’Neill also took charge of a Ford Bronco Sport and subjected it to a series of demanding rally tests, and they were equally impressed with the crossover’s performance in a segment called “Will It Rally?“.
Let’s start with the skid pad. Wyatt Knox, the host of the video, takes the Ford Bronco Sport for a spin—quite literally. He observes that the stock tires offer more grip than anticipated and commends the rugged crossover for its agility, describing it as “quick, perhaps quicker than expected.” Moving on to the slalom course, Wyatt notes that the stability control intervenes and adversely affects the vehicle’s performance.
He explains, “There’s a noticeable delay between pressing the accelerator and any actual response. I must admit, though, in terms of stability control systems, this one really does its job… even though it feels counterintuitive.”
Wyatt expresses his desire to test the vehicle without the active stability control, which can be accomplished by selecting a different drive mode. However, due to the fuses being pulled by Wyatt and his team in an attempt to deactivate stability control and ABS, this particular Ford Bronco Sport no longer allows him to switch drive modes. It seems their actions caused a fault that now prevents the selection of different drive modes.
Nevertheless, Wyatt proceeds to take the Ford Bronco Sport for a spin on the rally course, engaging in a time trial. He mentions that the transmission doesn’t shift as quickly as he would prefer and expresses some dissatisfaction with the understeer and accelerator lag. To compensate, he finds himself getting back on the gas pedal sooner than desired. Despite these minor setbacks, the Bronco Sport completes the course in an impressive time of 1:59.21, making it the fastest among all street-legal cars Wyatt has tested so far in the summer.
“In the end, it performed fantastically,” he exclaims. “I’m extremely pleased. I had a great time.”
It appears that Wyatt is not the only one impressed by the Ford Bronco Sport, as it recently received recognition as one of the most satisfying compact SUVs. This acknowledgment indicates that owners are thoroughly enjoying their rugged crossovers.
