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2021 FORD BRONCO SPORT WILL HAVE AN RV PROBLEM

Flat Towing Is Not A Feature On The Baby Bronco

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Tow RZR Badlands Concept
Image Via Ford.

The Ford Bronco Sport has a tough job. It needs to live up to its Bronco nameplate, and be the most off-road capable crossover in the segment. If the Sport can do that, it will surely inject some much needed interest into the otherwise boring compact crossover class. But Motor1 have just uncovered a drawback to choosing the Sport over the regular Bronco, and it’s the inability to flat tow the vehicle. RV owners, we are sorry.

For those unfamiliar, flat towing is when you pull a vehicle behind another vehicle with all four wheels on the ground. If you’ve seen an RV pulling a Jeep on the highway, that’s flat towing. Many people love to tow their off road vehicle behind an RV, so they can park the barge on the campsite and use the off-roader to venture further into the wilderness. Motor1 asked Ford if this is possible in the Bronco Sport, and they responded with a “no” in the following statement:

“We did not engineer Bronco Sport for flat towing, as our research shows relatively few customers plan to tow Bronco Sports versus Bronco owners. However, we are always listening to our customers and are open to their feedback on desired future capabilities.”

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands First Drive Review
Photo via Ford.

One may think flat towing is as easy as putting any vehicle in neutral, but even that will put unnecessary wear on the drivetrain components. The transmission can still be damaged, and there are driveline components that require lubrication from engine-driven pumps. Without the engine running, these parts don’t get proper lubrication and can wear out quickly. When you put the Bronco Two or Four Door’s transfer case in neutral, the driveline completely disconnects, making it safe for flat towing.

But while the Bronco Sport doesn’t currently have that capability, there’s a chance it could some day. Ford launched the Bronco’s Sasquatch package as automatic only, but customer demand proved that was a mistake and the combination is now available. If enough Ford Bronco Sport customers want to flat tow their crossover, Ford could engineer a solution. Unfortunately, we don’t see as many people crying out for that as a manual Bronco Sasquatch.

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Holly Oaks ORV Park Review
Photo copyright Manoli Katakis, Muscle Cars & Trucks.

Written by Sam Krahn

Sam graduated with a communications Degree from Wayne State University, where he was also a member of the swim team. He's interested to see how new technology will affect the American performance vehicle landscape.

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