MARYVILLE, Tenn – At first glance, adding a Sasquatch package to the 2025 Ford Bronco Sport might seem overkill. If you’re jonesing for hardcore off-road action, wouldn’t the full-sized Bronco be your go-to? Well, yeah, that’s still a solid choice. But here’s the thing: the Bronco Sport has evolved, especially for those who love a bit of off-roading without the total commitment of a body-on-frame SUV.
You can read all about the new updates for 2025, but let’s get to what matters today: Ford gave us the keys to a prototype Sasquatch, and we hit their Tennessee Off-Roadeo course with it. The drive was short, only some 20 minutes, but that was enough to get a flavour of what this little brute was capable of.
Building on the Badlands
The Sasquatch Package is an add-on to the Badlands trim, but let’s hold on to that for just a minute. First, Ford loaded this package to the brim. The Sasquatch boasts Bilstein rear shocks with position-sensitive damping and piggyback reservoirs.
These things can take the rough stuff in, like those high-speed bumps, and suck it up like a champ. Ground clearance gets a boost, too, courtesy of new front and rear springs that raise the Badlands’ clearance by 0.6 inches to a respectable 8.7 inches-think Subaru, but beefier.
The tyres are worth a mention, too. It sends the Sasquatch with 29-inch Goodyear Territory all-terrain tyres custom-designed with a far more aggressive tread pattern that screams “off-road ready.” With this package, protection doesn’t disappoint a front brush guard, modular front and rear bumpers with steel bash plates, and extra underbody skid plates to keep everything safe as you tackle rougher terrain. Also, Ford added more robust recovery points if you need a little extra tug to get you out of a hairy situation.
Enter the Outer Banks
Now, on to the other Sasquatch-ready trim- the Outer Banks. While it doesn’t get the Badlands’ upgraded 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, it does get most of the other off-road goodies, including the torque-vectoring rear drive unit and locking rear differential. For 2025, though, Ford has beefed up that rear differential, giving it more thermal capacity, an excellent trait for those planning to push their Bronco Sport to its limits.
The Outer Banks version also gets an inch more ground clearance than the standard model, coming in at 8.8 inches. That’s hair that is more than the Badleys! It also boasts better approach, departure, and breakover angles, making it a real contester in the off-road world.
Off-Roading in the Rain
Ford set us up for our test with a Badlands trim decked out in the Sasquatch package. We took it on southern Tennessee’s muddy trails, fresh from a rain shower. Those 29-inch all-terrain tyres were put to the test-sliding and gripping through mild and moderate off-road challenges.
The 8.7 in. of ground clearance proved enough to tackle obstacles you wouldn’t think a small crossover could handle. And the new rear dampers got to strut their stuff, too, demonstrating an improved capability to keep things civilized when the going gets lumpy.
Ford only partially threw us into the deep end for our brief test. Obstacles were set up so that they specifically highlighted what the Bronco Sport is capable of and didn’t push it to its limits. We never saw how the Sasquatch acts on pavement, which is arguably the most critical interest for anyone planning to use this as a daily driver.
The On-Road Question
Those chunkier off-road tyres could make for a noisier ride on the highway and may affect braking distances. The Bilstein rear dampers, impressive as off-road, remain an unknown on-road. Ford engineers assured us they aimed to maintain good on-road manners despite the off-road enhancements, but we’ll need more time behind the wheel to confirm that.
High-Tech Upgrades
Inside, the 2025 Bronco Sport does not hang its hat entirely on ruggedness- it’s gotten a tech upgrade. The new 13.2-inch Sync 4 infotainment system is nicely complemented with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel- a huge step over the previous version.
This is an effortless, responsive system that changes with your driving mode, cooling down when you hit the trails. The trail cameras have also been improved, now with guidelines for your front tyres and high-resolution video that works at any speed.
Ford has also added a new one-pedal drive mode designed to simplify off-roading, particularly for novices. By flipping the mode, you will be in greater control of the throttle pedal over the vehicle speed so that you can focus more on the trail ahead and less on the constant back and forth between the gas and the brake pedal.
What’s Next?
While our first drive of the Sasquatch was brief, it’s clear that Ford has put a lot of thought into making this package a severe contender in the off-road segment. Pricing is still under wraps, which will significantly affect how strongly we recommend it.
How it performs on the road is another critical factor, given that most Bronco Sports will spend most of their time on pavement. But for those folks torn between the big Bronco and the Bronco Sport, the Sasquatch package might tip the scales toward said smaller sibling.
One thing’s for sure: the Sasquatch package makes the Bronco Sport instant cool, even if you never take it off-road. The upgrade makes you feel like you’ve got something special, whether cruisin’ through the city or explorin’ the backwoods.
The 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Sasquatch will be a game-changer for those looking for a capable yet manageable off-road vehicle. While still awaiting final pricing and some more extensive on-road testing, early impressions are highly encouraging.
If you’re not convinced whether the Bronco Sport is good enough to get you through whatever trails you’ll be riding, this new trim might be the answer you’ve been looking for. But even if you’re in it purely for aesthetics, Sasquatch delivers in spades, making it the no-brainer choice for the “power user” in the Bronco Sport lineup.
Watch for further updates as its launch date nears, with the Sasquatch bound for dealerships in early 2025. Whether you’re a grizzled off-road veteran or an urbanite with adventure, the Bronco Sport Sasquatch is at least worth a look.
