Since the launch of the 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport, Ford hasn’t been the least bit shy about sharing good news regarding its latest SUVs. That’s not to say these official fuel economy ratings are bad news, but amid a sea of wins for the new compact off-roader, its fuel mileage is merely average at best.
Two engines are offered for the Sport – a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder is the base mill, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder serving as the up-spec choice. The three-pot gets a combined 26 mpg rating, with 25 in the city and 28 on the highway. The larger four-cylinder is a bit worse, getting 23 mpg overall with just 21 in the city and 26 highway. You won’t find these figures at fueleconomy.gov, at least not yet. Autoblog was tipped off to Bronco Sport window stickers being viewable online at Ford’s customer-facing website when you go searching for Bronco Sport inventory at dealerships.
This may sound lackluster for such small engines, but both are boosted and make surprising amounts of power for their size. The 1.5-liter engine doles out 181 horsepower (135 kilowatts) while the 2.0-liter makes 245 hp (183 kW). Additionally, the power goes to the ground through a full-time all-wheel-drive system, which can certainly have a negative effect on efficiency.
We can understand why Ford hasn’t said anything about this yet, as the stats aren’t particularly impressive. The three-cylinder Bronco Sport matches a comparable Jeep Renegade for overall mileage and just beats the 2.0-liter-powered Cherokee, but the four-cylinder Sport trails Jeep in all trims save for the V6 Cherokee. Other competitors like the Chevrolet Trailblazer, Subaru Crosstrek, and new Kia Seltos far exceed the Bronco Sport in all aspects, even the three-cylinder model. Admittedly, those competitors don’t offer the same off-road prowess.
Will fuel mileage matter much to Bronco Sport buyers? With models now in dealerships, only time will tell.