Ford celebrates the 1970s with groovy Bronco Sport

Ford has revealed a special Bronco Sport that harkens back to some of its most lurid special editions from the 1970s.

The Ford Bronco Sport Free Wheeling edition features colourful exterior graphics, much like those found on Broncos and F-Series trucks from the late 1970s with the Free Wheeling Package, as well as other flashy special editions like the Econoline Cruising Van and Pinto Cruising Wagon.

While it lacks features like portholes and shag carpeting that were seen on some of these classic Fords, it gets something just as visually loud: bright red inserts on the 17-inch alloy wheels to tie in with the four-colour reflective exterior graphics.

The red, orange, yellow and silver graphics run down the sides of the vehicle and along the bonnet, while there’s also a contrasting Shadow Black roof, a silver-painted grille with two-tone badging, and a modified lower front end insert.

The colourful accents continue inside, with red and orange ‘sunset’ pinstriping on the seats and red accents on the dash and doors. Ombre stitching is also found on the seats and door trims.

The Free Wheeling edition was first previewed with a project vehicle in 2021, and the production version is based on the Big Bend.

This means it uses a turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with 135kW of power and 260Nm of torque, mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

It features all-wheel drive with five G.O.A.T. (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) modes. This powertrain is offered across most of the Bronco Sport range.

A turbocharged 2.0-litre four is reserved for the top-spec Badlands, which also brings with it upgraded suspension, metal bash plates, additional terrain modes, and a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system.

Ford has also revealed a considerably less daring Black Appearance Package for the 2024 Bronco Sport, much like myriad other automakers.

The Free Wheeling edition is the latest special edition for the mid-sized crossover.

Last year, it revealed Heritage Edition versions of both the Bronco Sport and rugged Bronco SUVs, with white exterior accents and plaid cloth seats.

As with the Free Wheeling edition, the Heritage is based on the Big Bend.

The lack of right-hand drive production means the Bronco Sport continues to be off the table for Australia, along with the more rugged Bronco.

Ford Australia will be left without a combustion-powered mid-sized SUV entirely as the Escape departs our market this year.

While Ford is introducing its Mustang Mach-E locally, this electric crossover is considerably more expensive.