How to build the perfect 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

The 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport microsites went live on Ford's homepage Monday night, but so far, the only "Build and Price" tool that is fully functional is that for the Bronco Sport. Now that the "stampede" of traffic to Ford's build site has subsided, we decided to peruse the configurator and spec out a Bronco Sport the way we'd want it — you know, for science. It may not be the star of the new Ford sub-brand, but the Bronco Sport is nonetheless interesting. Besides, we were curious to see if its price increases as sharply with options as its platform sibling, the Ford Escape. As it turns out, Autoblog staffers really like orange. If you can't access Ford's microsites and you'd like to play along at home (or wherever you're sheltering in place these days), you can use out our 2021 Ford Bronco Sport trim breakdown as a reference.

Video Transcript

CHRISTOPHER MCGRAW: Hey, everybody. I'm sure, as you all know, the Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sport were unveiled this week. I'm super excited. I've got all these ideas in my mind of all the off-roading that I want to do. Personally, I would get a four-door Ford Bronco, probably that orange color with some of the off-road bits.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself. Ford has not yet unveiled the build configurator for the two-door and the four-door Ford Bronco. However, they have unveiled the build configurator live on their site for the Bronco Sport. So a few of us here at Autoblog decided to build out the Bronco Sport that we would love to have if we were in the market for that vehicle. Check it out.

So I am on Ford's Build Your Bronco website. If you just Google "Ford Build Your Bronco," this will come up. The normal Bronco configurator, like I said in the intro, isn't live yet, so we're going to do the Bronco Sport. So as you see here, there are quite a few different additions here-- five, to be exact. The base starts at 26,660. That's without destination. So it's going to be closer to 28 once delivered.

And what I want out of a Bronco Sport is similar to probably what I do in my current vehicle, which is a Crosstrek. This would be nice, 'cause it can hold more. So you have the base, which is obviously the cheapest. That would just get me out there. Big Bend [INAUDIBLE] some stuff. Outer Banks is, like, the more refined.

That's probably the one that I'm least interested in-- either that or the first edition, 'cause that's, like, luxury plus the off-road. I really don't need a ton of luxury when it comes to my vehicle. But it would be kind of good to have something that can handle off-roading. 32,660's what it starts at. So right now, I'm trying to figure out between Big Bend and Badlands. It looks like $4,500 for Big Bend it-- I would save over getting the Badlands. So let's start with the Big Bend.

First thing, one of the more-- oh, wait a minute. So you can't get the Big Bend in that orange. So let's go back and see if we can get the Badlands in that orange. OK, yeah. So it was-- it was the color that made me choose what I wanted here, specifically. I was kind of going in between the Badlands and the Big Bend. So the cyber orange is another $595. So what the heck? Let's do that.

The wheels are a bit showy for me. Like, why don't we just get the low-gloss aluminum wheel? Wow, it actually costs more to get kind of the more basic steely-lookin' wheels. 7-- they're both 17-inchers. You know, I'm going to go-- I don't need to spend-- I'm already spending quite a bit on the paint, so let's just stick with the base wheels there.

What are our tire options? So you can get a little bit bigger of tires for an extra $500. I know that's what I want. And rather than buying them, you know, after I get the car and spending way more than that, might as well get them now. So you get the splash guards front and rear for 220. Let's throw those on there. The roof's already gray. Got the roof rail cross bars for off-roading and the reverse sensing system.

So we will-- what's-- so if you want to do the reverse sensing system, that'll come with the Badlands package, which is quite a bit of money. You got a power driver and passenger seat, auto-dimming rearview mirror, a better sound system, door handles [INAUDIBLE] body color, power moonroof, remote start, [INAUDIBLE] blah, blah, blah, wireless charging pad. Heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel. Let's hold off on that for now. So let's uncheck that.

OK, let's move into the interior. So you get a couple of options. You got this active orange. It kind of reminds me-- they keep wanting me to do the Badlands package. I don't want to spend that kind of money. So the ebony and active orange interior kind of reminds me of the Ford Ranger we drove in New Zealand. I like that a lot. I like the orange accents a lot. We got the unique cloth seats included. I'm good with that. Cargo mat, 130.

So right now, I have all this stuff in my current car. I have a cargo mat. It's so easy to just take out and hose down. I'd rather get that, you know, right now. Front and rear floor liners-- same deal. Cargo management system. What's this? Let's look. Well, they don't have any pictures of it or anything. We'll hold off on that. Speaker system is fine. Already comes with SYNC 3.

All right. Let's go to the engine. So we got the 2-liter EcoBoost, which, as you've heard me say in a bunch of different videos, I like turbos 'cause I live in the mountains. So I'm happy that that's included. Got the automatic transmission included and advanced 4-by-4. All right. So I'm going to add the Class II Trailer Tow Package, not because I'm planning on towing something with my Bronco Sport, but because I am planning on throwing a bike rack on the back. So one less thing for me to have to install.

All right. Accessories. You got a tent that'll fit over the back of your vehicle. I love camping. I don't think I need this. It'd be kind of cool to have it connected. There is some benefits to having your tent connected to your car, but there's also some issues with it.

The campground that I camped at this weekend-- you park your car, and you walk, like, 100 yards to the campsite, which is on a gorgeous lake in the mountains. So it-- you wouldn't be able to get your car there. So now you have a tent with a big, gaping hole. Or you'd have to use another tent. I already have a tent that I like. I'm going to not check this one.

Let's see. What's the other-- [INAUDIBLE] bike frame adapter. I'm going to go with my own bike rack, so I'm not super down with that. [INAUDIBLE] hitch mounted bike rack. Like I said, all this stuff is stuff that I can get on my own or already have on my own. So I'm going to skip all these racks and carriers. Now, if you don't have them, it's probably nice to just get it all up front instead of waiting for it all.

So looks like I'm good with my 2021 Bronco Sport Badlands edition. Here we are. Got that orange color with the black roof. I really, really, really like how this looks. So we have a 32,660 base MSRP. Got about $2,000 in options and accessories, which actually isn't too bad. Thought I might do a little bit more than that.

Destination charge, which would be on all these to begin with, is just under $1,500. So my total MSRP is $36,190, which, if I put down 10% and had an 84-month long loan, which is really long-- I remember when 60 was an arm, and now 84-- it just keeps jumping and jumping up. With 5.9% APR, that means my monthly payment will be roughly $475 on this Bronco Sport.

BYRON HURD: Going to build a 2021 Ford Bronco Sport to my liking here. And I think this is going to be kind of interesting. These are based on the Escape, so they're a little expensive, if you ask me. But we're going to see if we can do this-- my target is to keep this to about 35,000 or less.

And that sounds like it shouldn't be too much of a challenge when you consider that the Escape can get to be more than 40 grand if you build it out with the premium package. It's going to be pretty easy to eclipse that number if I'm not careful. And looking at these, I think the Badlands is going to be my pick here, which is putting me in dangerous territory. We're starting at about 33 grand. So this could get expensive really fast.

With a design this subtle, I think I need some color. I do really like the Kodiak brown. It's the-- one of the two unique colors offered on the Sport. But I think it's a bit too subtle for this design. So I'm going to go with cyber orange-- get kind of a-- it's really more of a mustard yellow metallic, if you ask me, which-- I kind of dig it.

And I really dig these steel-look aluminum wheels. So there's no way I'm not choosing those. The included all terrains will do nicely. You can get a little bit of that mustard color on the interior. It's active orange here, not cyber orange, for a little variety, I suppose. And these are unique cloth seats. So we're up to about, what, 30-- we're still at about $33,000, and we're not getting leather. That's an interesting thing to note here.

Looks like some of the stuff I won't get without a package. SYNC 3, AM/FM, all that good stuff. This is already based on the 2-liter, which is good news. I don't need to make any more selections there. Got the Badlands equipment group, which is getting me all sorts of good stuff, including the off-road suspension baked right in. That's a winner.

Let's see. So even without adding anything besides those aluminum wheels, we're $50 over my $35,000 budget. So just like the Escape, this thing is not cheap. Unlike the Escape, it's interesting to look at and might actually have some pretty fun off-road shops. So there you have it, my 2021 Ford Bronco Sport build in cyber orange with fake steelies. Love it.

EDDIE SABATINI: All right. Bronco Sport build time. Let's see. Base starting at 26,660, Big Ben starting at 28,160, Outer Banks starting at 32,160, and Badlands 32,660, and a first edition 38,500. Right off the bat, I'm eliminating the first edition. What would I use this thing for? I would use-- well, first of all, I would rather have the two-door Bronco. But that's not what this video is. This video is building the ultimate Bronco Sport. I think I would use this for daily driving. I don't think I would go camping in this.

I'm going to go with the refinement. [INAUDIBLE] probably going to like the comfort features and the bigger infotainment screen, if that's available in this one. So let's take a look. I don't like this Area 51 color. I'm going to go with red. Yeah, I like that-- with the black roof. Yeah, sure. This looks good.

Splash guards and then block heater-- skipping those. Roof rail cross bars-- I'm going to skip that for now, but I think you're going to need that if ever you want to put a rooftop tent. So we might come back to that. Reverse sensing system comes standard.

Let's see what this interior looks like. I like the brown-- the ebony and brown. That looks good. [INAUDIBLE] cargo mat. I like the cargo mat. For-- yeah. For 130, though? I don't know. [INAUDIBLE] it's imaginary dollars, so I'm going with it. I like it. It's functional. OK, all this stuff is included. Cargo mat system, shelf divider table. Let's see. Cargo management system [INAUDIBLE]. We don't have a picture of it, so think I'm going to skip it for now. Center console [INAUDIBLE]? Nah.

OK, it doesn't look like there any screen options. So we just got the choice of this [INAUDIBLE] sound system. No power train options to choose from. 4-by-4 is included on all trims. That's nice. OK, here we go. Equipment groups. Outer Banks. It's included, so-- oh, the Outer Banks package. OK. What does that come with? All right, so that's the [INAUDIBLE] sound system. I like the wireless charging pad, but is it really worth it for $1,500?

Towing? Would I tow with this thing? Probably not. Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0? No, I don't need it. A wireless charging pad though, I'm skipping it. I'm not spending another $1,500 on this thing. All right. Here these accessories is where it gets interesting. [INAUDIBLE] cargo [INAUDIBLE] exterior. Lot of interesting exterior accessories. I'm going to skip it, 'cause I'm probably not going to go camping in this thing. I'm going to be honest with you guys.

Let's take a look at my summary. [INAUDIBLE] 180. Oh my gosh. Pains me to think of what my Bronco build is going to price out to be now if the Sport is already over 30,000. Outer Banks, rapid red. The only thing that I added was the cargo mat. But there's my Bronco Sport. I'm not that excited about it. But if I had to choose this one, this is the one I would go with.

ZAC PALMER: Bronco Sport build. Starts with the Badlands, because I want the awesome [INAUDIBLE] drive system, the [INAUDIBLE] differential, torque vectoring, a 2-liter turbo, more power. Yes. Badlands, here we go. [INAUDIBLE] colors. I think the Area 51 looks cool. I think the brown looks good. Not a huge fan of that red. But I am an orange guy. Any car can get an orange. I will probably choose that. And yes, I will absolutely choose the Bronco Sport in orange.

Wheels? Yes, the steel-look wheels are awesome. They are aluminum, but they look like steelies. I am completely there for it. Plus, you get the better all-terrain tires. So no problem there at all. Now, splash guards-- yeah, totally. I will take the splash guards. Why not? The gray roof. Eh, I don't really like that. I actually prefer the black roof. Don't need the roof rail cross bars. Don't need the reverse sensing system.

But the interior-- yep, going to have to go with the orange-accented interior to match the exterior. It's definitely a little better than the Area 51, I think. Although, that is tempting to have the orange and the bluish in there. But I'm going to keep the orange theme going. Cloth seats-- yes, I'll take cloth seats. Floor liners-- yes, definitely. I will be probably getting in and out around dirt and mud. So we want that.

Cargo management [INAUDIBLE]. Yeah, I don't think I need whatever cargo management is. Shelf divider-- nah. Don't need power seats. But heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel-- that's a yes. I love heated steering wheels. Looks like it's forcing me to go for the Bronco Badlands Premium Package, I guess-- $2,595. We'll say yes to that right now and see what else we get [INAUDIBLE] sound system. Nothing new here.

Advanced 4-by-4-- yes, we want [INAUDIBLE] the Badlands trim. And OK, let's see [INAUDIBLE] with the package. All right. Power seats, passenger power, auto-dimming rear-- want that [INAUDIBLE] yes [INAUDIBLE] climate control, yes. I think most of those things, I do want. I don't want the leather seats, but it looks like Ford doesn't let you do it any other way. Deal with the leather seats, honestly, if I can get all the other features. And it's worth the $2,500.

Now, I don't tow anything. Don't need the trailer tow package. But this being a Bronco Sport, it'd be a daily. I think I'd want the Ford Co-Pilot with the adaptive cruise control, lane centering. Those are nice things. Yeah, that's worth $800. I wish that was standard. It definitely should be standard on the Bronco Sport. But making you pay for it. Accessories. The tent. I don't need a tent. I have my own tent. Any of these things? I-- no, I don't need any bike racks. I just ride my bike around where I live. I don't take it anywhere.

That looks like it. OK, right there. So $38,860. Here is my Bronco Sport. That is a good-looking little crossover.

ALEXANDER MALBURG: All right, my turn. I'm going to build my Ford Bronco Sport. I don't mind this Bronco version, but it's growing on me. But I'm not sure if I would actually buy one, personally. But you know what? We're going to have some fun. Let's build one. So we've got-- you know what? I'm going to pick my venture. Bike, water, snow, camping. Yup. OK. If you're going to give me all that, I'll be happy. Camping. Yada, yada, yada, [INAUDIBLE]. Start my build. Cool.

All right. So it gives me the Badlands option already. Color. Red's OK. I already have a white vehicle, but I want to see what it looks like. I kind of like it. But you know what? I gotta go with the-- this Kodiak brown. I'm going to black it out-- shadow black.

All right. So wheels. 17-inch or-- what have we got here? We got low-gloss aluminum wheel, $300, or stock ones. Yeah, we're going to go-- going to go with those. Off-road tire-- ooh, no, no. Yeah, I want to keep the off-road tire. Splash guards, roof gray. Does that matter? Do I want that? You know what? Sure. Yeah. Let's do it. Don't need an engine block here. Off-road cross bars, off-road. Yep, sure. Reverse sensing system-- I don't know why that's not standard, but I guess I have to add it? No.

All right. So [INAUDIBLE] interior. Active orange. That's kind of cool [INAUDIBLE] color inside. Nah. Yeah, let's do-- let's do active orange inside. That's cool. Cloth seats. I don't like leather because I'm weird. Going to need those liners. Got to keep it clean. Yeah, heated seat-- or, heated steering wheel. [SIGHS] Come on. I don't want the brown. No. Sorry. SYNC 3's included. Excellent.

Do I get the tent? I don't see an accessory option. Badlands Package. What is that? Lots of cool things. Let's do it. Fine. What does it look like inside, then? All right, fine. I'll go with the brown. And do I get-- yeah, there is a tent. OK. So my total is-- ooh, $37,629. If I was going to buy one of these, I would definitely take it for camping.

All right, guys. Thanks for watching. Let us know in the comments below [INAUDIBLE] how you would build your Bronco Sport. If you liked this video, stay tuned. We're going to be building the Bronco two-door and four-door in the future once Ford releases the build options on their website. Until then, check us out at autoblog.com for all the latest Bronco news.