2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid Review, Engine, Release Date And Pricing – It would be easy to be a bit cynical about the Bronco Sport. Based on Ford’s competent but tepid Escape SUV, the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid doesn’t have anywhere near the off-road chops of its bigger, more capable brother, The Bronco.
And adding to the naming confusion, the lesser Bronco Sport was released before the rebirth of the legendary Bronco. But not so fast! The Bronco Sport has plenty of positive and rugged attributes that are hard to come by in a compact SUV.
Utilitarian style turns heads and helps to visually establish the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid’s off-road capability in the class. Standard all-wheel drive and a host of trick off-road technology help get this little SUV more places than you might expect, while two available engines help you decide between fuel economy and easy passing power.
Ford’s suite of advanced driver assists, Co-Pilot360 Assist+, is available on most every trim level and plenty of other modern conveniences are offered, even if you’re not planning on covering half the continent off road.
We don’t have any official information about the 2023 model year, but because the Bronco Sport is based on the aforementioned Escape, we think Ford might be working on a way to install the Escape’s hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain (or both) into the Bronco Sport.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid
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2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid Engine
Word on the street is that Ford is expecting to release a hybrid version of both the Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sport. The 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid is assumed to share the electrical components of the Ford F-150 and Ford Explorer hybrid models that are currently on the market.
This tech includes a 10-speed modular hybrid transmission combined with a 3.0-liter EcoBoost engine. It will also likely include a 47-horsepower (35-kW) unit. Given that most of the vehicles using the EcoBoost engine get around 400 horsepower, reports say the Ford Hybrid Bronco could get around 450 horsepower.
This powertrain will be used to increase efficiency and smoothness to help with things like off-roading and meeting the Ford Bronco towing capacity. As for the Ford Bronco Hybrid mpg, we still don’t have answers on that either. But we expect it to be far more efficient than the regular variants.
Now, let’s talk about the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid. The Bronco Sport is loosely based on the Ford Escape SUV, so it is expected that it will borrow from the Escape Hybrid’s layout. The Escape Hybrid currently has an iVCT Atkinson cycle gas engine working with an electric powered motor.
The transmission is an eCVT. The Escape Hybrid gets an impressive EPA-estimated 41 mpg (combined) but does have a smaller towing capacity.1 We will be very curious to see how the two vehicles are both similar and different when the Ford Bronco Hybrid release date rolls around.
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid Release Date
2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid Release Date And Pricing
There’s no official on-sale date for the 2023 Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid, but we anticipate a fall 2023 release. Pricing is also unknown. However, with it being a carryover model, we expect no big changes from its current MSRP range of $28,910-$35,585 (destination fees included). This compact SUV will battle the Ford Escape, Jeep Cherokee, and Subaru Crosstrek.
