2026 Ford Bronco Sport

Ford has two small SUVs on sale for 2026. There's the Escape, which is sensible but decidedly unadventurous — think of it as going to a Starbucks and ordering a tall black coffee — and this guy here, the 2026 Bronco Sport. The two SUVs have a lot of mechanical similarities, so it's not wrong to say the Bronco Sport is basically a flannel-wearing Escape that went on a spending spree at REI. Its upright stance mimics that of its bigger cousin, the Bronco — the real Bronco, some would say — and it has some special upgrades that imbue it with enough off-road capability to handle dirt roads and mild trails without difficulty. As such, the 2026 Bronco Sport could be appealing if camping trips and outdoorsy activities are your thing. But make sure to read our test team's Expert Rating to get our full report.

The Bronco Sport isn't the only small SUV for 2026 that owns some flannel shirts. We recommend checking out the Subaru Forester first. It's equally capable off-road as the Bronco Sport, though its styling isn't nearly as distinctive. Many other small SUVs these days offer special outdoorsy versions — the Honda CR-V TrailSport, Hyundai Tucson XRT and GMC Terrain AT4, for example — though you're often getting more style than substance with them. You should also be aware that the Bronco Sport is pretty far down our list of recommended small SUVs if you're only going to use it for daily transportation on pavement.