2023 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport Heritage Editions: Celebrating Pony History

After taking nearly a quarter-century break, the new Ford Bronco gets a lot of its styling inspiration from the original 1966 version. Park a new Bronco next to an original, and it’s like the thing never went out of production and skipped the years of being basically an F-150-based two-door Expedition. There’s a lot of original Bronco mojo in the new model, and for the 2023 model year, Ford’s decided to build on that with two new Heritage models for both the big Bronco and baby Bronco Sport.

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Bronco Heritage and Heritage Limited Editions

The Bronco Heritage and Heritage Limited Editions will be new for the 2023 model year, bringing a host of visual design changes meant to harken back to the original model. The cheaper Heritage Edition starts with the Bronco’s Big Bend trim, which means a standard 300-horsepower, turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine mated to either a seven-speed manual or optional 10-speed automatic transmission. Ford has also thrown in the Sasquatch Package, which means you get the High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension (HOSS 2.0) with Bilstein dampers, a higher ride height, Dana front and rear axles with electronic lockers, and 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrain tires. The track is 2 inches wider than a standard Bronco, which is why Ford has added squared-off Sasquatch-style fender flares.

Visually, the Heritage Edition comes with a two-tone paint job, adding a classic Oxford White roof and grille. The grille features prominent “Ford” lettering in contrasting Race Red, and a powder-coated steel bumper is present with integrated foglights and built-in recovery hooks. A body-side stripe jazzes things up along the doors, while white-painted 17-inch aluminum wheels are present under the aforementioned fender flares. On the inside, the Heritage Edition continues the retro look with what Ford calls “plaid” cloth seats (that’s no tartan I’ve ever seen, however), an Oxford White instrument panel, badging on the center console and unique floor liners.

If you opt for the Heritage Limited Edition, of which there will only be 1,966 made of each the two-door and four-door variants, you’re essentially getting a Bronco Badlands spec model with the standard 330-hp, turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 and 10-speed automatic transmission. You’ll also get some visual differences, like black-painted wheels with dog-dish hubcaps and white rims, real metal Bronco script badges on the fenders, leather-trimmed seats with vinyl plaidlike inserts, and unique Heritage Limited console badging.

Exterior colors will also have a throwback look to them: The Heritage Edition will come in five colors, but the Limited Edition will launch exclusively in Robin’s Egg Blue, similar to the original 1966 Arcadian Blue. Yellowstone Metallic is expected to be available late 2023, while Peak Blue is planned for the 2024 model year.

Bronco Sport Heritage and Heritage Limited Editions

While the smaller, Escape-based Bronco Sport SUV certainly wasn’t around in 1966, that isn’t stopping the automaker from adding similar retro cues seen on the bigger Bronco. The Bronco Sport Heritage and Heritage Limited Edition models will also feature the two-tone paint scheme with the Oxford White roof, the white grille with red lettering, and the white 17-inch aluminum wheels and body-side stripes. The Heritage Limited Edition gets metal Bronco script fender badges and more aggressive-patterned 29-inch all-terrain tires.

Both versions will also have plaid cloth seats, an instrument panel in Navy Pier, and a microsuede center console and armrests — all of which feature red and blue accent stitching. A Molle strap system on the front seatbacks is present and includes Navy Pier straps with Race Red zipper grips. The Heritage Limited Edition gets leather-trimmed plaidlike seats, Oxford White door inserts and unique console badging.

Just like its bigger brother, the Bronco Sport Heritage Edition starts with the Big Bend trim level of equipment. For the Sport, that means a 181-hp, turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and the HOSS system featuring new 46-mm monotube rear shocks; anti-roll bars and special springs are also included for improved off-road comfort. For the Heritage Limited Edition, you’re starting from the Badlands trim level with the more powerful 250-hp, turbocharged 2.0-liter engine; a more advanced 4×4 system with a twin-clutch rear-drive unit with differential lock; and two additional drive modes — Mud/Ruts and Rock Crawl.

The Heritage Edition will be available in seven different paint options including Robin’s Egg Blue, while the Limited Edition comes only in Robin’s Egg Blue, Yellowstone Metallic or Peak Blue.

What Price, Retro Style?

Ordering has opened up now for the new 2023 Bronco and Bronco Sport Heritage and Heritage Limited Editions, and we even know some pricing. The Bronco Sport Heritage Edition starts at $35,840 (all prices include destination), while the Bronco Sport Heritage Limited Edition lists for $46,250. If you prefer the bigger Bronco, that’ll start at $45,900 for the Bronco Heritage and $68,490 for the Heritage Limited. And as we said, in a nod to the Bronco’s birth year, Ford will only be making 1,966 examples of the Heritage Limited Edition, with the option going first to current Bronco reservation holders .

The new Bronco has absolutely delighted off-road enthusiasts as a real one-to-one competitor to the Jeep Wrangler. Jeep makes a lot of noise about its own heritage, and Ford has decided to do the same, and why not? The Bronco may not have that whole military pedigree that Jeep likes to fall back on, but it still has plenty of stories to tell from its long history. It’s great to see the Ford folks having as much fun with special editions, wild colors and fun equipment packages as the Jeep folks have been having for decades. Given all the new options and trims available to customers, Ford’s push to make the Bronco a true competitor for the Wrangler seems to be well underway.

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