My First Time Off-Roading: Having an Absolute Blast at 1 km/h

Two fears typically surface when doing something new: the fear of failing or the fear of doing it so badly that you break something. 

These are the exact apprehensions I had before going off-roading for the first time: I felt as inexperienced as a fast food employee working at a Michelin Star restaurant. I had never taken any vehicle off-road, especially on terrain with obstacles larger than grass.

The idea of having to scale rocks, climb steep slopes, and overcome obstacles with only three wheels on the ground was a terrifying prospect. This would be different from any driving I had ever done. I felt as if none of the on-road driving experience I have prepared me for anything like this. I was once again a student driver, but this time, on new terrain. 

Off-Roadeo 

The Ford Bronco Sport is marketed as a small entry-level off-roader, and while it's likely that Bronco Sport customers aren’t seeking an extreme rock climbing/overlanding beast, they still want a vehicle that’s relatively capable. And for drivers who want capability without going over the top, I experienced the Bronco Sport deliver on that promise at the Ford Off-Roadeo.

As someone who has never tackled an off-road trail, Ford’s Off-Roadeo felt like a much-needed introduction to venturing off the pavement and getting to know the SUV better. 

The Off-Roadeo is an off-road driving school that Ford offers for free to Bronco and Bronco Sport buyers. Ford has five Off-Rodeo locations across the United States: Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and New Hampshire. I visited the Tennessee location, the most recent addition to the Off-Rodeo locations, and one of the only locations that features the Bronco Sport experience, along with Moab, Utah.  

I drove the Bronco Sport Badlands equipped with the Sasquatch package. This package adds a HOSS 3.0 off-road suspension and rear Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, all-terrain tires, additional ground clearance, and protective plates. The Sasquatch package also receives additional drive modes: Rock Crawl and Rally, the former of which was used a lot during the off-road adventure. 

On the Trail 

Before setting out, instructors provide a brief overview of how to navigate off-road and what obstacles to expect. They told me the key to successful off-roading is to protect the SUV; the vehicle needs to be in one piece to get you home. 

When heading out on the trail, you remain in a constant convoy, keeping close while spotters communicate the surface ahead via radio. Initially, driving was relatively easy; the Bronco Sport handled a rough gravel trail without hesitation, but the terrain quickly became more challenging. 

The Tennessee location is a beautiful example of the southern landscape, consisting of old logging trails surrounded by tall pine trees and vines in a dense and humid forest. This meant the path was narrow, rocky, and adorned with old logs and narrow streams, which were the main obstacles we had to contend with. Keeping the vehicle's departure, approach, and breakover angles in mind was key to not getting stuck or damaging the SUV. 

I also had to constantly remind myself to position my hands at eight and four and to keep my thumbs outside of the steering wheel. This is done to avoid breaking your thumbs if the wheel suddenly jolts, which can happen often on harsher terrain. 

The Bronco Sport was a very easy vehicle to off-road; it was clearly designed with that purpose. As a guiding hand, the Bronco Sport’s hood ridges are cleverly placed above each front wheel, giving the driver a greater understanding of the tire’s location. I used these ridges as guidelines throughout the Off-Roadeo, which made navigating a lot easier. I had a slightly difficult time, however, adjusting to the method of driving with one foot on the brake and one on the gas pedal, which is needed to balance power and braking properly to account for the constantly changing terrain. 

On the trail, the instructors taught us how and when to use the differential locks available with the Sasquatch package in combination with the Goes Over Any Terrain or G.O.A.T. modes, cleverly named off-road driving modes available on the Bronco Sport. On the trail, I alternated mostly between off-road mode and rock crawl mode. The former holds gears for longer, sharpens throttle response, and increases steering feedback, which allows for more power on demand and a better understanding of the tire’s orientation, making it a good mode for most of the terrain we encountered.

Rally mode was better suited to open gravel sections of the trail. It optimizes power and traction control for faster off-roading, like desert racing. Rock crawl mode, on the other hand, optimizes traction at low speeds and holds gears longer for minimal shifting while traversing an especially large rock.

Fear of Rocks 

Undoubtedly, the most nerve-wracking part of the experience was having to contend with larger obstacles, notably rocks. It is both frightening and exhilarating when you have to clear a rock that's the size of the SUV’s wheel, with one or more of the Bronco Sport’s wheels in the air. It's something you never experience while driving on a paved road: the SUV feels like it’s teetering like it might tip over and you’re in a truly uncomfortable angle for what feels like a long time, but is actually only a few seconds.

Equally unsettling was when the instructors told us to use the Bronco Sport’s Trail Control one-foot driving mode, which acts like a cruise control hill descent system. With the system engaged, the vehicle constantly applies the brakes while maintaining a low speed of one or two km/h, vectoring braking and torque to the wheel that needs it most.

Using this system is quite terrifying, as it requires not touching the brake pedal and only using the accelerator pedal while going down a very steep, rocky hill. This goes against all your driving instincts and feels like a slow-motion trust fall. Unsurprisingly, the Bronco Sport worked as promised, and it successfully crept to the bottom of the hill without breaking the slightest sweat. Seeing the Bronco Sport achieve feats like this really increases your confidence and reminds you that it was purpose-built for situations much more challenging than a typical daily commute. 

Final Thoughts

At the start of our off-roading day, I was nervous. After seeing the instructors demonstrate how to tackle obstacles and watching the Bronco Sport climb to a 19-degree angle on a rock, tackling the trail as someone who has never off-roaded before seemed daunting. However, after the first hour or so of traversing rocks and streams, the fear subsided and I felt more confident. By the second half of the day, I started to enjoy the experience.

The Bronco Sport and the Ford Off-Roadeo are the perfect introductions to off-roading. I was pushed out of my comfort zone at times, thinking an obstacle would be far too challenging for the crossover to clear, but I was pleasantly proven wrong every single time. After bouncing around for a bit, you get used to the sounds of the tires bumping against rocks and logs scraping against the skid plates, and then you begin to enjoy the surroundings. 

Taking in the scenery of the calm forest as a line of Bronco Sports steadily travels along the path is an experience that shifts between calming and exhilarating. Whether driving over a rocky trail or climbing up an unnerving hill, off-roading is a varied and unpredictable experience that is extremely thrilling. 

All Bronco and Bronco Sport buyers, whether novices or experts, should take advantage of the Off-Roadeo. As someone who has never gone off-roading, I had an excellent time, which comes from the excitement of learning something new and then actually getting to enjoy the experience once you’ve gotten a bit of experience. My favourite part of off-roading was learning how varied an experience it can be; each trail is different from the last and presents a new challenge, so there’s a new experience around every corner. The best way to describe off-roading is hiking in a car; you have to figure out the best path to continue your journey, all while taking in the beautiful surroundings. And the Ford Bronco Sport makes it easy.