Freshened-up 2025 Ford Bronco Sport spotted in Detroit (2024)

Ford has done well with the little Bronco Sport, a boxy small crossover riding on bones very similar to the Escape, a nameplate which has been part of the Blue Oval lexicon for nearly twenty-five model years. Meanwhile, the Bronco Sport appeared just a short spell ago, offering something to customers turned off by the Escape’s lozenge-like styling. With the Escape recently receiving a freshening, it’s now time for the Bronco Sport to gain a new look as well.

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Spied on the streets of Dearborn, Michigan, near the Ford Glass House headquarters, this test mule is clearly a Bronco Sport, with its C-pillar being a dead giveaway as to its roots. Camouflage covers the front and rear fascias, a good clue that stylists have been busy making subtle but meaningful changes to those areas.

Ford plays the nostalgia game well with the Bronco Sport, offering a phalanx of so-called Heritage editions; and a Freewheeling trim festooned in the type of sunset-themed striping found as an option on certain Ford trucks back in the day. There’s every chance in the world those trends will continue after the refreshed model shows up on dealer lots as a way to maintain consumer interest after the initial novelty of fresh styling wears off.

Those in the know suggest the next Bronco Sport will have a slightly more aggressive appearance — but whether that entails new lighting or simply different styles remains to be seen. An eggcrate-ish grille seems to remain behind that front camo, while the taillights appear to be the same shape as today’s model, but may have new LED signatures.

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Bank on some interior tweaks centred around the model’s infotainment system, likely to feature a larger touchscreen and an updated layout for ventilation controls.

A hybrid powertrain is expected to drop at some point for the Bronco Sport, though the twin exhaust pipes on this test car suggest the presence of a 2.0L EcoBoost engine. An electrified option would put the model in the hunt with similarly sized competitors which offer such a feature. Right now, the base mill is a 1.5L EcoBoost with 181 horses; while the 2.0L cranks out a healthy 250 ponies.

Expect the freshened Bronco Sport to be a 2025 model, unveiled sometime later this year.