The Bronco has medium-weighted steering that feels positive, with that pleasing, natural take-up of weight and response that Ford always does so well. In fact, the Bronco handles on-road stuff with more sophistication than you might imagine. Sure, there’s some heavy body lean and suspension heave, but it’s a usefully better on-road car than a Wrangler even if the Land Rover Defender is easily the most civilised of these ‘heavy duty’ lifestyle off-roaders.
As with most proper modern 4x4s, there are driving modes, here called GOAT – for ‘goes over any terrain’ but also with the ‘greatest of all time’ and mountain goat vibes. Clever.
Refinement is just about fine, even with the soft hood on. It does feel a bit tenty, and a brief drive in the Bronco Outer Banks with the removable hard top in place proves that it is the better option if you plan on doing any sort of routine mileage; usefully quieter and more civilised (if you can call any Bronco that).
Ride comfort is predictably lumpy but there’s not as much damper rebound as you’d imagine, and while you can feel the Bronco’s suspension working constantly it’s not an intrusive, tiresome experience. Let’s face it – a vehicle with this amount of spring travel is never going to be an excellent road car but the Ford makes a good fist of keeping things reasonably tidy.
If you do want a go-anywhere, adventure SUV that’s also good for the school run and weekly grocery shop, it’s the Land Rover Defender that you want.
Yet the Land Rover is also so good on road that it feels almost like most other super-polished premiums SUVs. The Ford is a very different character of vehicle that deliberately shuns hi-tech finishes and polished dynamics. This is about embracing the outdoor experience in all its muddy, wobbly, messy, noisy glory. The scrappy, rough edges of its dynamics are precisely what make it so addictively fun.