The 2021 Ford Bronco Isn’t Exactly Fuel Efficient
Let’s take a minute to enjoy the fact that the Ford Bronco is back, baby! It looks great, which is probably why it’s selling out. However, once the excitement and nostalgia wear off, let’s get into the numbers. One area where the 2021 Ford Bronco is lacking is in fuel efficiency.
How fuel-efficient is the new Ford Bronco?
We will start with the baby Bronco, better known as the Ford Bronco Sport. According to The Car Connection, the 2021 Bronco Sport has EPA estimated ratings of 25 mpg in the city, 28 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined.
The baby Bronco manages to get these numbers, which are less than the Ford Escape gets, despite sharing a lot of the same parts, including the frame and 1.5-liter turbo-3 base engine. It pumps out 181 hp and 190 lb-ft of torque.
With the Ford Escape, you can achieve up to 27 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway, and 30 mpg combined if you go with the standard front-wheel drive model. Springing for all-wheel drive sets you back to 26 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined.
The Jeep Renegade is probably the Bronco Sport’s closest rival in terms of shape and off-roading abilities. While the Ford Bronco Sport only comes with AWD, the Renegade offers 4×4. It gets about 24 mpg in the city but can manage up to 32 mpg on the highway.
Plus, the hybrid Jeep Renegade exists. Currently, it’s only available in other countries, but we hope it’s released here. The Jeep Renegade Hybrid gets up to 26 mpg with electric range only. We will see how well the Ford Bronco Sport Hybrid performs once it arrives.
How fuel-efficient is the 2021 Ford Bronco?
Let’s switch gears to the two-door and four-door Ford Bronco models. The official EPA ratings haven’t been released yet. However, the larger 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine that’s in the SPort and comes standard in the Badlands trim gets 21 mpg in the city, 26 mpg on the highway, and 23 mpg combined.
Now, due to the size, shapes, and builds being different, the numbers may change a bit when this engine is in the Badlands trim. The Ford Bronco has a true 4×4 setup instead of just AWD. So, these numbers could change after being officially tested.
The 2021 Jeep Wrangler gets an EPA estimated 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. So, that would be a painful sting for the Bronco to be less fuel-efficient than the Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler fuel economy is one of the first negatives people point out.
What about the Jeep Wrangler 4xe?
Jeep is a little bit ahead of the curve with fuel-efficient SUVs compared to Ford. While Ford focuses on their Electric F-150, Jeep announced the Wrangler 4xe. The Jeep Hybrid can achieve 50 mpg-e.
Currently, there are rumors flying around about the upcoming Ford Bronco Hybrid. So, a more fuel-efficient version of the Bronco is on the way. However, we won’t know how fuel efficient it will be yet. Until then, the 2021 Ford Bronco fuel economy feels weak.
