Ford Bronco Off-Roadeo: TG takes on Ford’s introduction to off-roading

Bought a new Bronco? Ford wants you to know what it can really do. So, with every sixth-generation Bronco sold in the US, it offers the new owner a spot on one of its Bronco Off-Roadeo experience days. Dreadful pun, but we promise it gets better from there…

There are now sites in Moab, Nevada, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Texas, but Ford offered us a go at the latter for a proper play in a Bronco and to see whether the experience was worth the entry fee.

Situated in the aptly titled Horseshoe Bay around an hour from the centre of Austin, the Grey Wolf Ranch is the gateway to over 360 acres of rocky off-road playground. Bronco and even Bronco Sport buyers can book themselves onto a full day experience here at no extra cost (Bronco Raptor buyers will need to head to Nevada for a specific day of dune-bashing), while any old Tom, Dick or Harry can pay for a half day experience.

After meeting bright and early we’re given an introduction by our Trail Guides for the day. The briefing is comprehensive and interactive, touching on everything from the correct handbrake procedure to water fording, off-road hand signals, use of locking diffs, roll bars and approach/departure angles. We’re on a standard experience day with punters who’ve purchased Broncos. Some are yet to take delivery, and all have varying levels of off-road experience.

On the experience guests use cars that belong to the Off-Roadeo. So no need to worry about paint scratches, although all of the full-sized Broncos are completely standard and get the 2.7-litre V6 and automatic gearboxes. Apparently, there were once manuals on offer to drive, but the centres went through too many clutches…

Nowadays it’s just tyres that they go through (in Texas there’s around 50 punctures per year), and the cars are serviced every 150 miles or so to ensure they’re coping with the workload.

Out on the trails and it’s a fairly gentle start as we cross creeks and get acquainted with the Bronco’s G.O.A.T. modes (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain). You’ve got Normal, Eco, Slippery, Sand, Baja, Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl, as well as front and rear diff locks, a front roll bar that can be disconnected using a button on the dash, and of course a low ratio gearbox. 

There are some excellently named trails and obstacles including Grandma’s Forest, Grandpa Hill, Fishbowl, Walnut Creek and Goodyear Hill - christened because it was the first section to slice through a tyre when the Off-Roadeo opened. No such mishaps with our two-door Wildtrak though. Despite barely breaking the 5mph barrier it’s supremely entertaining.

The Bronco’s Trail Control function comes in handy at times. Essentially an off-road cruise control, it works in 0.5mph increments and is only available when in low range. It doesn’t get shut off if you need a slight slow and tap the brakes either, so activate it and it’ll climb smoothly as you focus on the steering. It’s helpful on the way back down too – applying just the right amount of brake pressure at each corner to keep the wheels from locking. Handy when the Bronco Trust Fall comes around with its 27-degree drop.

The hefty Texas Two Step climb is a proper test, particularly as we’re encouraged to give it a go using left-foot braking without the lockers. The diffs can be locked on the move if required, and the Bronco’s pitch and roll display on the dash show a 28 degree climb and 11 degrees of roll.

At the end of our trail there’s a short 1.5-mile dirt track with 13 hairpins for a quick go in the sporting Baja drive mode. After a day of rock crawling, 25mph suddenly feels surprisingly quick. The Bronco Wildtrak’s 2.7-litre V6 and 10-speed auto combo isn’t particularly sporting though, with the gearbox slow to kickdown and the engine not particularly keen on higher revs. We actually snuck a Bronco Raptor around the following day for the full Baja experience. If you want to go quickly off-road, that’s the Bronco for you.

The Off-Roadeo experience itself is well worth the effort if you’ve bought a Bronco, though. The Trail Guides are knowledgeable and extremely supportive – if you’re new to off-roading I’m certain it’d convince you to get out and find some trails. Clearly, from our experience in Texas at least, it’s designed to give you a flavour of all the car’s capabilities, so it may not be the most extreme off-roading you’ve ever done if you’re a seasoned campaigner, but there are still some tricky sections and new techniques taught while also learning the car.

If you’ve got your Bronco already and rarely touch the G.O.A.T. modes, you’ll be astonished at what it can do in standard form.