Off-Roading in a Two-Door Ford Bronco Is as Fun as You Think

What SUV Shoppers Need to Know

• Though the two-door Ford Bronco Stroppe Edition has been discontinued, a four-door version is available for the 2026 model year.
• The two-door Bronco is both lighter and more fun to drive than the four-door.
• Two-door 2026 Broncos come with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine; the twin-turbo V-6 is no longer offered with this configuration.

By the time the digi-ink dried on my loan agreement for this 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Edition, the striking special edition was stretched exclusively into a four-door for the 2026 model year. And so went the final available two-door, V-6 Bronco configuration; prospective coupe fans are now restricted to the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder in their choice of either Base or Badlands trim levels.

Related: Ford Makes Mid-Year Changes to 2026 Bronco: Here’s What’s New

Ford wouldn’t have pruned this model branch had it been meaningfully profitable, so I’m not feigning confusion here. The two-door Bronc is, in most cases, purchased as a toy, and given the general state of the affordable convertible and sports-car segments, the non-luxury “third car” is on the outs. Sales indicate most Broncos pack four doors, and most two-door buyers rightfully recognize that the modestly lighter two-door is serviced just fine by the 2.3-liter’s 300 horsepower and 325 pounds-feet of torque.

What Is the Bronco Stroppe Edition?

• Takeaway: The Stroppe Edition honors its namesake’s success at the Baja 1000 with a special color scheme and interior plaque.

Wow — since when was this body-on-frame, boulder-bashing, door-dropping, beach bomber such a clinical purchase? You don’t need the 330 hp and 415 pounds-feet from the twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6, but you also don’t need a two-door Bronco. Furthermore, the Stroppe Edition’s wild quad-color livery is significantly elevated by the two-door’s Baja proportions; it’s been quite a while since I’ve driven something that attracts this much attention.

Duh. Look at it! Less than 1% of 1% of passersby will know who Bill Stroppe was, but they’ll know he was a certified legend based on this namesake edition. Its combination of Code Orange, Oxford White, Atlas Blue and matte black ape the Poppy Red, Wimbledon White and Acapulco Blue on Bill Stroppe’s own Stroppe Baja Edition, which was constructed and sold by him and his team from 1971 through 1975 to commemorate their victory in the titular race in 1969 and then back- to back in 1971 and 1972.

Does the Two-Door Ford Bronco Drive Different Than the Four-Door?

• Takeaway: Yes, with a wheelbase that’s shorter by more than a foot compared to the four-door, the two-door Bronco feels significantly more agile.

You don’t see many two-door Broncos, and far less with such a getup. Stop next time you see one, and take in the intriguing proportions — the two-door’s 100.4-inch wheelbase is down an incredible 15.7 inches versus the four-door. Heck, it’s down a full inch on the Subaru BRZ’s/Toyota GR86’s wheelbase. It’s little wonder, then, that the Stroppe Edition felt not unlike a jacked-up Mazda Miata on city streets; even with the towering 35-inch all-terrain tires, it swung, ducked, dipped and dived like a running back on stilts.

It triggered the same urge for hooliganism and general ‘round-town mischief as the Miata, too. No speed bump, parking block or quiet median was safe from the Stroppe’s near foot of ground clearance, and while it lacks the preternatural dynamic duality of the Bronco Raptor (Braptor!), its Fox internal-bypass shocks admirably managed body roll to where you felt comfy pushing it through sweepers until the tread scrubbed.

How Is the Ford Bronco Stroppe Edition Off-Road?

• Takeaway: Excellent, thanks to the standard Sasquatch Package and Hoss 3.0 suspension.

It’s clearly great fun on pavement, but what a waste it’d be if I didn’t ping a few rocks off its undercarriage. There’s a surprising dearth of off-road parks in the greater Dallas metroplex, so it was off to the Cross Bar Ranch in Davis, Okla., a privately owned off-highway vehicle park some 55 miles north of the state border with 6,500 open acres and 150-plus miles of trails. My car-loving dad tagged along for some of his first four-wheelin’ and would prove both an excellent spotter and average navigator.

I kid — our orienteering issues came entirely down to the mislabeling of trail difficulty on the not-to-be-named 4×4 trail app we downloaded prior to entry. Our intention to start on a nice, easy “green” trail quickly gave way to genuine concern; these so-called beginner trails were disconcertingly rocky and technical. Should we even bother with the intermediate “blues?”

Of course! Like a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, any new Bronco with the Sasquatch Package is close to cheating when it comes to low-speed trails. A good half of the 20 or so miles of conquered trails were done in 4-High, and I estimate we would’ve managed just fine in two-wheel drive for the majority of that. The front and rear locking differentials, meanwhile, remained entirely untoggled. Rocky ledges and cobbled clearings required measured accelerator application and careful wheel placement, but traction and power were never an issue.

A foot of ground clearance seems like you could clear a house, right up until you drag the skid plates on a particularly rutted section. The Stroppe’s excellent approach, breakover and departure angles were similarly challenged, with my repeated refrain of “This is a beginner trail???” echoing dully off the roof shell.

My incredulity was tamped only when we were back in the main gathering area with a physical map in hand, where it was revealed we’d just pushed the Stroppe through an hour’s worth of intermediate trails that branched briefly into expert trails — or “the rough stuff,” as the map key puts it. Well, there you go: The Stroppe can handle moderately challenging trails without engaging lockers or low range.

For the sake of the Stroppe’s striking paint and our anxiety, it was green trails from here on out. These casual dirt trails might as well have been paved, with the Bronco’s breezy who-cares vibe blasting through some mild whoops and a bed of stone chips. I expect this environment to be the limit of a Stroppe owner’s daring given its precious paint and semi-limited production.

How Much Does a 2025 Ford Bronco Stroppe Edition Cost?

• Takeaway: A two-door Bronco Stroppe Edition starts at $77,630, including delivery fee.

If this sounds like the Bronco Stroppe Edition is a blast, you’d be right — but a $77,000 blast? Sure, actually. The short-wheelbase Bronc feels like a genuine novelty in 2026, and I find the combination of twin-turbo V-6 power and that special, special paint to be worth every penny of the $18,000 premium it commands over a 2026 Bronco Badlands two-door equipped with the Stroppe’s standard Sasquatch and Hoss 3.0 packages.

If you’re ok with a few miles on the odo, I highly recommend snapping up a two-door Stroppe if tight quarters suit your lifestyle. If not, there’s always a fresh four-door iteration straight from the factory floor. But where’s the fun in practicality?

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