Used 2022 Ford Bronco

The 2022 Ford Bronco is a serious off-roading machine. That may or may not matter to some buyers who just want the special Bronco look. But talent is baked into this 2-row body-on-frame midsize SUV from Ford.

Available as a 2-door or 4-door model, the Bronco debuted only last year. It’s therefore the new kid on the block and on the rocks, competing with the venerable Jeep Wrangler for the title of Mayor of Moab or Ruler of the Rubicon. By being a prince on the pavement, the Bronco could be more appealing overall than a Wrangler.

It’s an easy mistake to make, but the Ford Bronco is not the same as the Bronco Sport. The latter is available solely as a 4-door model, is more tarmac-friendly, has smaller engines, and is reviewed separately.

The big news for 2022 is the arrival of the new Bronco Raptor, an all-new model that’s at home blasting its way across the desert or picking its way up a tight and technical trail strewn with big rocks and boulders.

To that end, the new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor SUV has a strengthened frame and suspension with excellent wheel travel, plus stronger front and rear axles and an updated 4WD system with a beefier clutch. The Bronco Raptor is powered by an EcoBoost twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 with more than 400 horsepower. Its 17-inch wheels alloy wheels are fitted with aggressive 37-inch BFGoodrich K02 all-terrain tires that help create 13.1 inches of ground clearance.

With most vehicles that are supposed to be SUVs, we would talk mostly about on-road manners and mention off-road abilities in the final sentence or two. But the 2022 Bronco is so geared toward off-road work that this aspect deserves a closer look.

The centerpiece is the Goes Over Any Terrain, or GOAT, terrain management system, with presets for conditions such as Slippery and Sand — all accessed by a rotary dial near the gear lever. Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl settings are added to the higher trims.

In the new Bronco Raptor, there are seven driver-selectable modes including a uniquely tuned Baja Mode that minimizes turbo lag to maximize engine performance over high-speed desert runs. There’s also a new tow/haul mode that enables a tow rating of 4,500 pounds, a 1,000-pound improvement over the base Bronco model.

Ground clearance in the base SUV is a still-useful 8.3 inches. The raised suspension and bigger all-terrain tires of the Badlands model result in 11.6 inches of ground clearance. The Bronco Raptor tops them all with 13.1-inches of ground clearance.

While a Badlands version with the Sasquatch package would compete pretty well with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon off-road, the new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor on 37-inch all-terrain tires is a natural rival for the Jeep Rubicon 392.

An advanced 4-wheel drive system with automatic on-demand engagement is optional in most Bronco models. The Wildtrak has it as standard.

For the purists, several 2022 Bronco versions come standard with a manual transmission. That means staying with the 4-cylinder engine, but it’s turbocharged and power is more than adequate. The automatic transmission is offered with a Trail Mode, which is a kind of off-road cruise control.

Some owners may never encounter anything more demanding than a wet field being used as a parking lot. But all this hardware gives the Bronco a certain aura.

Big all-terrain tires are definitely going to create some road noise, but the Bronco is generally more bearable on highways than the Wrangler. It can be a daily driver as long as owners don’t mind a truck-like demeanor.

Simple, functional, and washable, the cabin isn’t the best part of the 2022 Bronco, but it’s fine. Yes, washable. Some versions have rubberized flooring with drain plugs, so muddy spots can be hosed clean.

On top of the dashboard is a place to mount GoPro cameras and smartphones. Further down is a row of rubberized buttons for things like traction control and a differential lock.

The 2-door model has seating for four, with 35.7 inches of rear legroom (pretty good, and exactly the same as the Jeep Wrangler) plus 22.4 or 52.3 cubic feet of cargo space — depending on whether the back seats are folded down or not.

The longer 4-door Bronco SUV adds a small middle back seat, extends rear legroom to 36.3 inches, and expands cargo space to 38.3/83 cubic feet. That’s big enough to store all the removable doors.

In the Ford Bronco Raptor, you’ll find a 12-inch digital instrument cluster that offers a Raptor-exclusive Performance View that highlights the tachometer and gear readings while allowing the presentation of gauges to be customized.

Base Bronco Raptors have seats covered in black marine-grade vinyl, and rubberized floor coverings allow easy washing. Multiple accents in Ford Performance Code Orange dot the Raptor interior, and touchpoints such as the grab handles and gear shifter have low-gloss carbon-fiber accents.

Raptor owners can choose a perforated pseudo-suede on the seats, a vinyl-wrapped instrument panel topper, leather-covered outer seat bolsters, and carpeted flooring. Other Ford Performance details include a thick-rim steering wheel with magnesium paddle shifters and available Code Orange seatbelts.

Also notable: All 2022 Ford Bronco Raptors come standard with a High Package that includes Sync4 infotainment with a 12-inch touchscreen offering swipe capability, enhanced voice recognition, and an exterior camera with 360-degree viewing capability.

The new Bronco has only been out for a year and is already winning awards. Like the iF Design Gold Award. Which is pretty impressive. Because away from the stylized grille and headlights, the Bronco is markedly simple.

Those iF judges liked the overall lack of detail and avoidance of superfluous styling touches. The remaining details — like the fenders, wheels, and removable doors and roof — help define the new Bronco.

The grille is where the original Bronco of the 1960s is honored. But instead of saying Ford, “Bronco” is emblazoned across it in uppercase letters.

The removable doors, by the way, are made of aluminum, making them quite light and easy to wield. The side mirrors are mounted to the frame, so they’re still usable when the doors aren’t in place. The 4-door version also offers a slide-out tailgate.

As a Raptor model, the Bronco is distinguished by Ford lettering across the 2-piece rectangular grille, model-specific LED headlights, and amber daytime running lights that provide a signature Raptor look. This look gets enhanced by integrated amber marker lamps and a heavy-duty steel front bumper with tow hooks and removable end caps for improved off-road clearance.

Note: The hood of the new Bronco Raptor consists of a sheet-molded compound, which allowed the designers to create such a sculpted and muscular shape. The hood vent is molded in black, while the fender vents are painted body color.

Unique body parts for the widened Bronco Raptor include the front and rear quarter-panels, the fenders, and the fender flares. All told, the new Bronco Raptor is 9.8 inches wider than a standard Bronco, and it has reinforced rock rails with removable running boards (for better rock-crawling ability).

Bronco Raptor colors: Hot Pepper Red Metallic, Velocity Blue Metallic, Eruption Green Metallic, Shadow Black, Iconic Silver Metallic, Area 51, Cactus Gray, Cyber Orange Metallic Tri-Coat, Oxford White, plus Ford Performance-exclusive Code Orange paint.

TECH FOR THE WILD
Things like Trail Turn Assist for greater maneuvering ability, Trail One-Pedal Drive for easier off-roading, and a 360-degree camera system showing any rocks that might be close to the tires make the 2022 Bronco a real 21st-century off-road SUV.

SASQUATCH PACKAGE
This includes 17-inch beadlock-capable alloy wheels wearing 35-inch all-terrain tires, locking front/rear differentials, high-clearance fender flares making space for a special high-clearance suspension employing position-sensitive Bilstein shock absorbers, and a Trail Control mode for the automatic transmission. For 2022, this package is also available in combination with the manual transmission.

The base 2022 Bronco is a good starting point if the intention is to get muddy, dusty, or rocky for the lowest expenditure and/or customize the vehicle with a specific task in mind.

It comes with 16-inch steel wheels (plus a full-size spare), LED headlights, keyless entry/ignition, remote start/lock/unlock, cloth upholstery, power windows, tow hooks (two front, one rear), and single-zone air conditioning.

The SUV’s infotainment system includes an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto smartphone integration, Wi-Fi, satellite radio, two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports, and six speakers.

Safety makes a reasonable showing thanks to forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, hill-start assist, and automatic high beams.

Big Bend (nice to see Ford avoiding common trim level names like SE or LX) comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED fog lights, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a Mud/Ruts setting for the terrain management system.

Black Diamond starts getting harder-core with heavy-duty powder-coated bumpers, underbody bash plates, 17-inch steel wheels wearing 32-inch all-terrain tires, vinyl seating, rubberized flooring, drain plugs, auxiliary switches, and an extra Rock Crawl mode for the terrain management system.

Outer Banks takes a more comfortable route with the 10-speed automatic transmission as standard, plus heated/cloth-covered front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, self-dimming rearview mirror, blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, 110-volt outlet, rear parking sensors, navigation, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Badlands moves swiftly back to the Black Diamond approach of bash plates, vinyl seating, rubberized flooring and drain plugs. It also has its own heavier-duty suspension setup with a disconnecting front anti-roll bar, while adding a Baja mode to the terrain management.

Wildtrak is the desert racer, packing the turbocharged V6 as standard. It retains that Baja terrain management mode while adding the civilized features of the Outer Banks model, plus the contents of the Sasquatch package.

This summer, look for a new trim level called the Everglades. In addition to an intake snorkel and a Warn winch, this new Bronco Everglades will be fitted with large 35-inch Goodyear Territory MT tires mounted on alloy wheels.

The new Ford Bronco Raptor SUV boasts a fully boxed frame made of high-strength steel, and new shock towers (along with beefy new control arms) that allow for 13 inches of front travel and 14 inches of rear travel. The beefy shock absorbers from Fox feature internal bypass units with remote reservoirs.

The Bronco Raptor’s engine is an iron-block twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 that sends more than 400 horsepower to all four wheels via a 4WD system with three modes and a stronger clutch. Strengthened axles are employed front and rear, as are heavy-duty skidplates and a chassis-strengthening B-pillar crossbar.

On the inside, the new Bronco Raptor boasts 12-inch digital gauges and high-bolstered seats as standard equipment, along with Sync4 infotainment that profits from a 12-inch touchscreen and enhanced voice recognition.

Standard driving aids on the new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor include Trail Control (an off-road cruise control) and Trail Turn Assist (which tightens the cornering line by applying the brakes to the inside rear wheel). Also standard: One-Pedal Driving, which lets you control the Bronco Raptor via just one foot on the gas pedal for more precise vehicle control at rock-crawling speeds.

Along with a better all-wheel-drive system, a bigger engine, and an automatic transmission, all 2022 Bronco variants are also eligible for the Sasquatch package — the cost of which differs according to trim levels, but the highest price is $6,590.

A few other bundles are also offered. The Mid package is extra in the Big Bend and Black Diamond models, but brings those aforementioned civilized amenities to the Outer Banks as standard.

Outer Banks, Badlands and Wildtrak SUVs qualify for leather seating surfaces, plus the High and Lux packages. Badlands also has the Mid package on its options list.

High includes a 360-degree camera system, front parking sensors, more sound insulation, and a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen. Lux adds adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assistance, heated steering wheel, garage door opener, voice-activated navigation, wireless charging, two more USB ports up front (one A, one C), and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.

On the new Bronco Raptor — which you can order with vinyl seats and rubberized flooring or pseudo-suede seats and carpet — buyers can get a Lux Package that includes a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system and adaptive cruise control.

The base engine in a 2022 Ford Bronco is a turbocharged 2.3-liter 4-cylinder unit developing between 275 and 300 horsepower, along with 315 or 325 lb-ft of torque. These higher figures are achieved with premium gasoline.

This engine links to a standard 7-speed (six gears, plus a crawl ratio) manual transmission. A 10-speed automatic is optional. Four-wheel drive is standard across the 2022 Bronco lineup.

The upgrade engine is a twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V6 generating 310 or 330 horsepower and 410 or 415 lb-ft of torque, depending on octane. The 10-speed automatic is the only transmission with this engine, which is standard in the Wildtrak, optional elsewhere.

Maximum towing ability of these 2022 Ford Broncos is 3,500 pounds.

An iron-block twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 powers the new 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor, giving it a stated goal of more than 400 horsepower. No torque figures have been released, but Ford did say the new Bronco Raptor will use the 10-speed automatic transmission and have a higher max tow rating: 4,500 pounds.

Of note, the Raptor V6 has a true dual-exhaust system with active-valve technology that allows the driver to choose among four selectable exhaust notes: Normal, Sport, Quiet, and Baja.

2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4
275 (or 300) horsepower @ 5,700 rpm
315 (or 325) lb-ft of torque @ 3,400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/21 mpg (manual, auto), 16/17 mpg (Badlands manual), 17/17 mpg (Badlands auto), 18/17 mpg (Sasquatch auto), 18/18 mpg (Black Diamond auto), 17/19 mpg (Black Diamond manual)

2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6
315 horsepower @ 5,500 rpm
330 horsepower @ 5,250 (premium fuel)
410 lb-ft of torque @ 3,250 rpm
415 lb-ft of torque @ 3,100 rpm (premium fuel)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/20 mpg, 17/17 mpg (Badlands), 17/17 mpg (Sasquatch)

3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (Bronco Raptor)
400 horsepower (estimated)
450 lb-of torque (estimated)
EPA city/highway fuel economy (estimated): 15/16 mpg