2026 Ford Bronco

Name: 2026 Ford Bronco Review
Brand: Ford

Release Date: Late 2025

Estimated Price: Starting around $41,000

The 2026 Ford Bronco is every bit the successor to its legacy, with world-class off-road capability and adventuring potential. A dizzying array of configurations and options means you can also tailor a Bronco to your taste. As you might expect from its boxy shape and big tires, though, poor fuel economy and wind noise come with the territory.Read full review

Contact your local dealers about upcoming availability and pricing details.

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2026 Ford Bronco Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Impressive all-terrain capability
Pleasant on-road steering and comfort
Helpful tech features for off-roading
Offers extraordinary level of customization

Cons

Lots of wind noise at highway speeds
Lackluster fuel economy

What's new

The Bronco could be due for a refresh
Part of the sixth Bronco generation introduced for 2021

Overview

It feels like only yesterday that Ford brought the Bronco back into our lives. In reality, it's been five whole years (they grow up so fast!), and by typical vehicle lifespan standards, the Bronco is overdue for a refresh. That sets up 2026 as (potentially) a big year for the capable off-roader. The Bronco is Ford's boxy Jeep Wrangler competitor, with seating for five and available in a dizzying array of trims ranging from pavement-pounder to a true lord of the trail.

Edmunds spotlight: About as capable as they come

Whether you picture off-roading as driving down a dusty road or crawling over massive boulders, there's a Bronco for you. Ford offers enough options, whether through hardware or accessories, to tackle just about anything you'd hope to do off-road. The base Bronco, known as the Big Bend, will happily take you down fire roads and get you to your rural campsite. But if you crave a more adventurous experience, you can opt for the Sasquatch package, which includes very impressive off-road hardware. There's also the Bronco Raptor, which is perfect for simulating your very own Baja 500 experience.

Competitors to consider

The Jeep Wrangler is the Bronco's most natural competitor. There's also the Jeep Gladiator, which is basically a Wrangler with a pickup bed. There's also the Toyota 4Runner, which was fully redesigned for 2025. And if your budget is a little healthier and you want something with a little more finesse, operators are standing by to take your Land Cruiser order.

What’s it like to live with?

Edmunds bought a 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition to find out what owning a rebooted new-generation Bronco would be like. We drove it for 40,000 miles, loved its personality and capability, but didn't love its rough-edged daily driving. You can read our full experience here. While Ford has made some changes since 2021, most of our observations still apply to the 2025 Bronco.

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict

Good

7.9

out of 10

edmunds TESTED

Rated for you by America's best test team.

Performance

7.5/10

How does the Bronco drive? Whether you stick with the turbo four-cylinder or opt for the turbo V6, the Bronco has sufficient and smooth power for daily driving with a quick-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission. The extra oomph from the V6 makes on-ramps and short merges easier and more fun, and the V6 Bronco reaches 60 mph from a standstill in 7.3 seconds, an average showing considering the big tires and four-door configuration.

Jumping hard on the brakes produces plenty of nosedive — normal for off-road SUVs — though emergency stopping distances were much longer than we'd like. From 60 mph, a panic stop took 146 feet — we typically see that kind of distance with heavy-duty pickup trucks. It should be noted that our test Bronco was equipped with the Sasquatch off-road package and its rugged tires, but other Broncos we've tested with less aggressive rubber stopped a mere 10 feet shorter — that's still longer than we'd like to see.

The real star is the steering. Thanks to an independent front suspension, the Bronco's steering wheel relays confidence and stability to its driver at freeway speeds. While you shouldn't expect excitement on curvy roads, you'll appreciate that the steering on long-distance drives won't leave you fatigued.

Comfort

7.5/10

How comfortable is the Bronco? While far from a luxury vehicle, the Bronco is more comfortable on the road than an equivalent Jeep Wrangler, its most direct competitor. The Bronco's seats feature better support and enough adjustments to reduce fatigue on long freeway drives. A truck-based construction means it has a bit firmer and bouncier ride than other SUVs, but it's not enough to make you want to drive it any less.

The dual-zone climate control allows you to adjust the intensity of the auto setting, and the available heated front seats work extremely fast, which is excellent if you've got the doors off on a cold day. The removable hardtop lets in a significant amount of wind noise at pretty much any speed, dragging down the Bronco's score in this category. There were also several rattles and vibrations during our off-road testing.

Interior

8/10

How’s the interior? Like other off-road vehicles, getting in and out of the Bronco can require a decent step up or down, but there are plenty of grab handles placed throughout the cabin to help. We'd prefer the front grab handles be placed on the windshield pillars instead of the dashboard, but they'll do in a pinch. Inside, the generous adjustment ranges for the driver's seat and steering wheel will ensure that all controls and gauges are within easy view. We appreciate the large and chunky physical controls — their size and placement make them easy to see and use when you're wearing gloves.

Lots of headroom makes the Bronco's interior feel large. This feeling continues in the rear seat, even in two-door models, but accessing those seats in the two-door Bronco can feel like a pinch because the front seats don't slide forward far enough.

Technology

8/10

How’s the tech? The Bronco offers a decent collection of advanced driver aids. The adjustable drive modes also make it pretty easy to optimize the SUV's traction depending on what kind of off-road surface you're driving on. Unfortunately, we found some driver aids, including the adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance, don't operate as smoothly as those on some rival SUVs.

Otherwise, the Bronco benefits from the latest Ford infotainment and connectivity software. The center display boasts clean graphics and easy integration with Android and Apple smartphones whether you want to use a cable or go wireless. The stereo in our test vehicle had trouble covering up road noise at freeway speeds.

Storage

7/10

How’s the storage? The Bronco's bigger size compared to the Wrangler translates into a larger interior with more cargo volume. The Bronco's rear swing gate opens to the passenger side and stays in place thanks to a strut. On hardtop models, the rear glass folds up easily, but the soft top doesn't open as far and needs a prop rod to stay up. Interior storage options are adequate, with an appropriate number of cupholders and nooks and crannies for personal items. Properly equipped, the Bronco can tow up to 3,500 pounds. That's enough for a small trailer but ultimately less than what the Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner can pull. All Broncos can be flat-towed (all four wheels on the ground).

Continue reading Edmunds Expert Rating below

Fuel Economy

6.5/10

How’s the fuel economy? Depending on the configuration and engine, the Ford Bronco gets an EPA-estimated 17 to 20 mpg in combined city/highway driving. Generally these figures are lower than those for comparable Jeep Wrangler models. Our test vehicle, a kitted-out four-door Bronco with the 2.7-liter V6 got an underwhelming 17 mpg in our real-world testing.

Value

7/10

Is the Bronco a good value? Some people might be disappointed with a few cheap-looking interior materials in the Bronco, especially in higher-end models, but others may see the benefit to long-term durability when the interior is exposed to the elements. The Bronco delivers off-road hardware more broadly through its pricing spectrum than the Jeep Wrangler, providing greater access for shoppers at different price points. Warranty and ownership perks are about average.

Wildcard

10/10

The Bronco offers praiseworthy capability and character in equal measure. Its rugged design looks cool without trying too hard. As with the Wrangler, removing the Bronco's roof and doors makes for a highly enjoyable driving experience, but the Bronco has more on-road appeal with its superior ride and handling.

The off-road driver aids are helpful not just for rookies, and tools such as the Trail Turn Assist add genuine fun even for seasoned off-roaders. And if getting a manual transmission wasn't a bragging right already, the Bronco does one better by giving you a super high-ratio crawler gear.

Which Bronco does Edmunds recommend?

Ford hasn't released official information on the 2026 Bronco as of this writing. We'll update our recommendation if anything changes, but based on last year's Bronco, we recommend the Big Bend. It's an entry-level trim, one step up from the base model, but includes features from the Mid package like heated front seats and navigation. The Big Bend also comes with a full-size spare tire — useful if you plan to do any off-roading — and can be upgraded with the more hardcore Sasquatch off-road package.

2026 Ford Bronco video

Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter vs. Ford Bronco vs. Jeep Wrangler | Off-Road Comparison Test

NOTE: This video is about the 2025 Ford Bronco, but since the 2026 Ford Bronco is part of the same generation, our earlier analysis still applies.

As iconic as the Toyota 4Runner is, it’s never quite been able to keep up on the trails with the Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler. Has the redesigned 2025 4Runner finally caught up to its rivals? In this comparison test video, Edmunds’ Brian Wong puts all three to the test off-road to find out.

2026 Ford Bronco

2026 Ford Bronco Review

Pros

Cons

What's new

Overview

Edmunds spotlight: About as capable as they come

Competitors to consider

What’s it like to live with?

Edmunds Expert Rating

Our Verdict

Performance

Comfort

Interior

Technology

Storage

Fuel Economy

Value

Wildcard

Which Bronco does Edmunds recommend?

2026 Ford Bronco video

Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter vs. Ford Bronco vs. Jeep Wrangler | Off-Road Comparison Test

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