The 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands was the off-roader I couldn’t wait to have for a week. After doing the off road course in Austin, I fell in love with how much fun and capable the Ford Bronco. I started thinking, it’s good off road, but does it suffer in everyday drivability and comfort?

The Ford Bronco’s exterior has a great mix of retro design in a modern package. It definitely stands out even in the dark Antimatter Blue color. My personal choices would be a little louder with the Cyber Orange or Race Red colors. The big 33” tire helped the Bronco make sure that stood high above the rest. I would’ve liked that this loaner had the optional step to make getting in and out of it, a lot more practical for everyday use.

When you open the door, you’re immediately greeted by more retro design. The orange accents in the Bronco help brighten up the black interior. The awesome surprise I had was seeing that this was a manual Bronco. My other favorite part of the Bronco was its massive infotainment screen. The wireless Apple CarPlay along with the wireless charger, kept things clean from cable clutter. The G.O.A.T modes allowed you to change the 4x4 system to adapt to multiple different terrain scenarios.

It’s unfortunate that the manual transmission is only offered with the smaller 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine. Even though the shifter and clutch pedal felt amazing, the gear ratios felt too long to keep the engine in its power range after a redline shift. This caused a significant amount of turbo lag compared to the same engine with the 10-speed that we tested in the Ford Ranger.

I initially questioned if the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands can be an everyday off-roader. The answer is easily yes. I knew what it was capable off road, and the week with it confirmed that it is refined enough to be a comfortable everyday vehicle.