We explain and demonstrate how Ford's various all-wheel drive systems work on the popular Bronco SUV, Bronco Sport Crossover and Maverick FX4 pickup. Is one system better than the others? What are the advantages and disadvantages to each set-up? We include examples and charts!
#offroad #ford #4wd
CONTENTS
00:00 - Introduction
00:32 - Difference between Bronco and Bronco Sport
02:20 - Ford Bronco 4WD Systems Explained
05:42 - Ford Bronco Sport and Maverick AWD Explained
09:32 - G.O.A.T. and Drive Modes
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My question is, how does this guy have such a Professional set up, and only have 250K Subs? Dude clearly deserves more.
It’s not the quantity of the subscribers… it’s the quality. 😂
@@drivingsports absolutely! My first go to for any new vehicle is driving sports tv, simply the best objective reviewer in the game.
Agreed! I know the algorithm brought me here when I moved into the Sound area from Florida but I feel like your content should have so many more viewers. It didn't introduce me to the Maverick for instance, but was a big driver in my buying confidence. Even seeing the other offerings to give comparison and contrast is excellent.
@@drivingsports Love your channel Ryan and the rest of your crew! Into 4runners now. Bought a 2007 V8 Limited❤.....😁
He’s a bit goofy…
This is a great video. I love my Bronco Sport Badlands. I chose it for fuel economy and capability over the big Bronco.
I am not an extreme off-roadie, by any means. I do have to say, however, that this video "explainer" broadened my knowledge of these systems, tremendously. Thanks, Ryan. Again!
Mirroring everything everyone has positively said, Ryan.. Thank you for comparing the 4WD features, on all of these FORD Products.. Definitely gives a fresh perspective while ONLY having to watch one video, rather than juggling multiple videos out there, to find all the info you spent countless hours researching..
Bronco Sport is so underrated. If you can get over the name and accept that it is a more off-road capable Escape, then it shines. It's a nice alternative to something like a Subaru and you will get way better gas mileage and feels much more powerful. Much better looks and function than other crossovers
Pretty much what I was thinking. I have a family member with a 2010 Ford Escape that is looking to upgrade. I want to get them into a Subaru Forester, but they want a new Ford Escape. I feel like the Ford Bronco Sport might be the in-between vehicle. It's capabilities are similar to the Forester, but it has it's roots in Ford like the Escape does. Hoping to have them test drive all 3, probably 2019 year or newer.
Yeah, I just bought a new Bronco Sport Badlands. The eco boosted 2 liter is legit.
How is it a nice alternative to Subaru?
Great details on how these systems work, nice job on the video!
Yet another A+ video. I learned more and faster from this video than the trade press and other articles over the past few years. This channel is simply excellent.
Awesome stuff! I hope a lot of people watch this. While some of us understand it already, there are so many that could benefit from this information. You continue to impress me Ryan. Although, by now, you would think I would be used to your terrific content! lol Keep up the great work. 🙂
This is such an excellent video to introduce the concepts to people that have never heard of them before. Super cleanly explained in an awesome format. Thanks Ryan!
That was a lot to take in....BUT..it was one of the best overall descriptions I have listened to, and the diagrams really helped the commentary.. That is why I watch your videos. Good information without all the other junk that many end up adding to create more revenue for their channels. Keep it up..
This is absolutely the best show, I learned so much about the drive systems
This is the best description of how this stuff works I have found so far. Thanks!
Nice video, Ryan. Really liked the format!
This was excellent. Thanks for putting it together!
Great job. Enjoyed learning even more about their systems.
I’ve wanted a maverick ever since you pulled the timber( exploder) out of the snow great reviews as always.
Thank you for all the education and wonderful work you do!
Having only pushed my maverick a couple of times due to snow depth over the winter, I was very surprised at how little time it took to "think" about anything in mud/ruts before climbing itself up and over pretty uneven and steep surfaces. I expected a lot more clawing and spinning. A twin clutch rear would be nice for bragging, but considering what my nerve is willing to do, the truck goes as far as I need it to. I just need better tires and a bit more clearance to avoid grinding on hard snow.
Also something I tried with my maverick was putting it in sand mode when driving through snow. In this mode it will rev higher and make the wheels spin much more easily. If you’re trying to drift in the snow this works really well. If you’re trying to drive normally on ice and snow then don’t use sand mode.
With Maveick Tremor coming out next year it has twin clutch set up.
Great job as always.
Great explanation and easy to understand graphics 👍👍👍
Great info, thanks for making this video!
Great video Ryan... Well done..
Thanks Ryan, Very informative
Great information...thanks for the comprehensive research.
Very very nice. Well done with the explanations
I got a Bronco Sport Big Bend with all the upgrades (except sunroof) a year ago and I had no idea they were this smart and capable.. Excellent video. Thanks!
Ryan, Thanks for delivering the details. For absolute clarity you may have wished to say - the Bronco has independent FRONT suspension at 1:16 .
Yes, we do SHOW the front suspension at least. ;)
Great explanation and useful information! Thanks !
I really like your channel. Thank you. Can't wait to watch the Sienna Woodland edition review soon.
Thank you so much as always for an amazing video!!
amazing videos! keep it up
Awesome, thank you! I learned a ton!
Thank you for explaining this! I was looking for the explanation of my “intelligent 4wd” on my Explorer. This was exactly what I needed.
Super, a lot of useful information.
This was a nice deep-dive.
Appreciate this video! Thanks!
Very informative video
Just a small nitpick at 10:12 you said the maverick fx4 package replaces sport and eco mode with slippery mud/ruts. It's sand and mud/ruts slippery is a default mode.
It would be interesting to see a breakdown of Mitsubishi's S-AWC for Evos.
Alex On Auto and DSTV are my go to sources for my car information!
Well done: a picture tells a thousand words.
Wow…so comprehensive and in a relatively short video. No surprises on the Bronco, but very impressed with the AWD systems and options for the Sport and Maverick which likely give them more capability than most people will ever use. Not sure of the durability if pushed hard often though, but time will tell and again for most likely fine. Curious how the AWD system compares to Subarus for effectiveness. Will check out the other videos. Well done!
yes! I am also curious how the AWD on the Sport compares to the one on the Forester... I even heard the 6 speed manual Crosstrek has a different setup that mimmics rally cars, how would that one differ from these?
Awesome video
Super informational! I have the maverick. Thank you for putting this together #maverick
Great Work ! I learned a lot about different Drive units. Unlike my JEEP Rubicon !
Really enjoyed this. KZhead, go do your algorithm thing and start recomending!
Ryan, I would love to see a video of your maverick going up against someone's similarly modified bronco sport!
Great testing. Maverick for me
Can you make a video of the differences ford maverick awd vs ford maverick awd fx4
This is so geeky I love it! Being a european I would love to see the same comparision between Xdrive,Quattro and 4Matic in the bigger cars of the german brands. Thanks for the video!
there are many videos out there doing exactly that
@@ScreaminKiki Not all three in such a detailed version as these guys are doing it.
I think it would be awesome to do a video with 2wd with a rear locker and how capable it is vs 4WD. Obviously we know which is better but it would be awesome to do a comparison because there are a lot of models out there at are 2wd with a rear locker. Please!
You can add Sport/Eco to FX4 models with ForScan. 😎
This is a fantastic video I like the Bronco sports car looks great I never going to off-road if you have a situation then you have to go off-road if you need otherwise it doesn't need that kind of stuff However I liked a Bronco logo this is a beautiful sports car I've never seen before I watched a lot of cars but this model super awosome
Maverick looks good dirty. Not partial at all :) Love the rear rack thing. How much does that weigh and what's the impact on mileage etc?
That's a pretty cool rack on the Mav, Ryan. Is this the first video it's been featured? Please tell me we're going to see you with a tent setup!
excellent
When did you install the bed rack on the Maverick? Need a video on that 😯
We're still waiting on some parts. It's not done yet. Everything is on back order.
what is your spread on your Yakima rack HD bars. I was only able to get 37 inches center to center on mine. I also had to purchase 1/8" rubber sheet from McMaster Car due to the uneven bed rails.
Are you going to be testing the new 2023 Kia Sportage offroad soon?
Thanks for sharing, lots of great information. Can you tell me what truck rack the Maverick had. Looking for another option other than the elevate truck rack.
It’s a Yakima Overhaul HD
@@drivingsports looked at their website couldn't find the bed rails for the Maverick. Is it a T-slot track?
@@mmabeerandfirearms they bolt onto the upper lip of the bed (not the rails.) you will also need to cut something (we used rubber sheets) to “shim” the gap since the Maverick bed-side top parts aren’t flat.
Hey can you do some more videos on your 4runner?
Please review Dodge Durango! It's system seems similar to the Bronco Sport described here.
Great video and explanations.. wow the Maverick has terrible rear wheel droop. The bigger Bronco is a beast. Smaller one seems decent in the badlands for a daily driver although the chassis is still i think from the Focus ?
Your review are So much better than TFLtrucks!!
What are some good tips around knowing if your vehicle is capable of handling a particular route? What would you look for that might make you say "the Bronco could probably handle this, but the Bronco Sport would be biting off more than it could chew" or "this is just out of the Maverick's league, even with the FX4 package"? I ask as someone who's probably going to get he Maverick at some and plan on doing some off-roading and camping with it. I currently drive a Forester but haven't really ever pushed that to it's limits, just the occasional dirt road to a campground or trail head.
Excellent video. Kinda like Jeep with their systems.
Should have included the explorer in this video! Does it have the same system as the other cross overs? Obviously not exactly because it’s rwd but it’s also not the same as the bronco!
9:20 my Mav. Tremor Has is so yes It's in The Maverick Tremor package
This was really interesting!! Any chance of doing this type of breakdown with Toyota's??
We already have one on their AWD systems. We just filmed another for their 4WD system.
I hope they add the twin clutch setup from the badlands to the maverick for a future model. Did Ford hint at a Maverick Tremor or Badlands?
Not gonna happen anytime soon. Maverick's whole point of being is to be cheap.
@@wilmarbarrick3194 maybe in tremor editon
@@wilmarbarrick3194 take a look at their website now! 🍻
Thats interesting that they say they aren't using GKN hardware. I was never able to get in touch with Ford engineers when I was researching mine and the best I could conclude was it was the GKN. The main problem with Ford is that they have had a history of bad PTO's. They can't take shock loads and they overheat too easily. It's a big problem, and you can look it up. I know the twin clutch system has a PTO cooler, but I know that the single clutch version doesn't and it has a tiny amount of oil capacity. If it were me, I would be worried about it off-road.
The 2023 Maverick Tremor package add the locking rear from the Bronco sport. FYI it’s too late to order one.
I’d say the maverick is best in class for AWD, but that’s a little bit too easy since it’s really the only vehicle in its class lol. It’s still really impressive for an open-diff AWD system though!
Ryan, you and I have the same Maverick (engine, trim and options). I'm curious: after you turn the truck off with the button inside, 3 seconds later, do you hear a metallic mechanical sound like a flap closing or solenoid activating? Should be easy to hear in a garage or quiet space.
No
Great review. Makes me want a full size Bronco! What about these Toyota hybrids that have a separate, independent motor on the back axle? Seems as though there is no connection between the front and back axles. Reply
Maverick 2.0T 4WD was on the plate until gas prices and inflation. Gotta keep my Acura wagon which sadly get about the same MPG as a small truck or small crossover
Sorry to hear that. Inflation sucks.
Long story short, the advanced version has central diff, while the regular does not. Funny you did not mention the Escape, which was the progenitor for both Bronco Sport and Maverick.
As much as I’d love to buy a new pickup, I’ll keep driving our 2011 Ford Ranger XLT super cab. It only has 34K miles on it. I’ve had a few mods done on it. I had a K&N intake and a Flowmaster exhaust installed. We bought it in 19 & it only had 21K miles on it then. I HATE silver, grey and black. Ours is silver, so I had it 2 toned in Torredor Red metallic. The interior was gloomy grey and boring black, so I had it reupholstered in tan and red. We live in north central WA state and had to take it to MT last summer to pick up a full load of antiques from my wife’s family farm. Going to MT we got 22-26 mpg on I-90. I aired up the rear shocks to 50#, as well as the A/T tires. We were bucking a strong head wind on the first tank and only got 14mpg. On the rest of the tanks we got 19-25 mpg. I was impressed by how much gas mileage we actually got. Ford says our Ranger will only get 19 mpg on the freeway, so all I can say is that I guess the extra mpg is due to the intake and exhaust systems that we had installed. While in MT and parts of ID, the speed limit is 80, so I set the cruise on 85. In WA the speed limit is 70, so my cruise was set on 75. I wish my Ranger had the selection of 4WD that allows the system to switch from 4WD to 2WD as needed, like on the Bronco. We average 4-5 feet of snow every winter and our country roads always have snow and ice on them, but when I go down to Wenatchee the highway and city roads are well kept. Oh well, no more than we drive our Ranger, my wife will be using it after I’m dead and gone.
I love my 4x4 2011 Ford Ranger XLT, but I regret purchasing it a couple months ago. It's a great, reliable vehicle, but it's just a bummer that I'll rarely ever "need" to use the 4WD functionality here in Cleveland, Ohio. I really should have purchased something with 4WD Auto or AWD. Oh well. I'll give it 2 years before considering making a change. Who knows, I might look back 2 years from now and be really glad I bought it. Just depends on what life is like over the next couple years.
@@iannelli2448 I understand, but when you need the 4WD then you are definitely glad you have it. We get a LOT of snow in our area. The last 2 winters we’ve had 7 feet. We live 5 miles from town up in the mountains on a private road that we have to plow and maintain ourselves. Because our snow pack has been so heavy this winter especially, I’ve kept my Ranger in 4WD since a week before Christmas. When we turn off of the county road and onto our private road, we even have to put our Subaru’s into Xmode just to get up our road and into our garage.
instead of lockers they should let you select brake lockouts. like you as the drive know your wheel is a foot in the air, select that wheel it just clamps down like an electronic e brake but only one side to get you out sooner than later, a lot of the computer controlled brake vectoring does not instil confidence almost feels like a roll of the dice if it’ll get you over that hump
I was hopping for more information which hasn't been said before, like how is the Bronco's Auto mode done, I'm guessing probably bypassing transfer case completely with another clutch box, or is it made into their transfer case? Also I hope in the future we can get direct comparison of breaks traction as I find some of them really responsive and some of them less But great all around information dump anyways, thank you
In my Silverado it's a clutch pack in the transfer case that varies the torque to the front differential. Auto only works in 4-high. In 4-low the clutch is locked solid and the torque is split 50-50 front to rear axles. Clutch actuation is controlled by the traction CPU.
@@rik999 thank you, ik GM was doing this way ahead everyone else I believe in 90s already
Is the AWD in escape is same as the Maverick. I have the Escape ST
Goes over any terrain more like greatest of all time
At 9:03 the diagram shows three clutches. Im pretty sure its just 2 - the side clutches - which act as both center and rear differential. Does Ford say there is a 3rd?
Yes. The only issue according to Fprd was in that diagram the clutch should attach to the side of the rear diff. But they didn’t have any other concerns.
Where was this testing done? I see it's in Washington state.
I thought you said this was factually correct? . 4:39 locking differentials do NOT split power/torque evenly only RPM. A wheel on ice cannot generate much torque so how is it possible to get even power/torque from the opposite wheel with grip? Answer: you can’t. . Open diffs split torque evenly. When one wheel is on ice the opposite wheel can only generate as much torque as the wheel on ice which is why you get no drive from either wheel because they are equal. Notice I said torque not power since RPM difference allows for difference in power at either wheel. . Lockers bias torque to the wheels with the most grip, which is what makes them so good.
For most of us, AWD is the best possible drive system. Not just better for our purposes than 4wd but it’s also the safest in varying conditions on the road itself. It’s the most versatile drive available. My old Silverado had both, I never needed 4wd , even when working in the oil fields of west Texas. My current Tundra is just 4wd. The 4wd is great but can’t really be used well in any on road situations. I thank Subaru for putting so much effort into on demand AWD
Yep, I wish I had realized this before overpaying for a 4x4 2011 Ford Ranger a couple months ago. Don't get me wrong, I like the truck a lot, but as someone who lives in Cleveland, Ohio, I will rarely ever actually "need" to use the 4x4 functionality. It's a bummer. I really should have purchased something with a 4WD Auto or AWD system. I'm going to give it a couple years before considering selling it. Who knows, maybe in a couple years, I'll look back and be glad I bought it... but for now, I am feeling a lot of buyer's remorse.
Quality video! I’m not a fan of how many manufactures now refer to their AWD systems as 4WD, and their crossovers as SUVs. These words should have meaning, and it’s just dishonest. It confuses the average customer that’s not a “car guy”.
The funny thing is, the full size Bronco has a terrible brake lock differential system as you’ve shown in your 4Runner comparison. It appears the maverick and sport might actually do better here. Not every full size Bronco owner will opt for a locker, which really hurts their capabilities compared to a Jeep Wrangler sport, which has an amazing BLD system. I’m disappointed that Ford didn’t do better here. Hopefully they’ll improve this moving forward. Not fishing for views, but I compiled some full size Bronco BLD examples on my channel, Incase anyone was interested.
I agree. Ford's Brake Diff system is excellent in the Bronco Sport. It's one of the best I've experienced, as good as 4Runners ATRAC. The one in the Bronco (particularly the snow mode and the one for rocks, where free spinning wheels needs to be braked) is crap. 1) The automatic on demand takes too long to transfer power to front 2) The free spinning wheels on the side take a long time to lock and doesnt lock aggressively. Fortunately, the second one is fixed in software when Ford updates it. The Bronco is extremely capable, but relies on more traditional stuff like lockers, clearance etc to do it. The base models will suffer for sure. I'm going to get a Sasquatch
Just one word for you "Pro"
The Bronco Sport Badlands is also quicker than any of the full size bronco, Bronco sport Badlands is quicker from 0-60 than any other non luxury crossover, at under 6sec! I have a Bronco Sport Badlands and I love it, I can not wait for winter to truly test how much better it is in the snow than my old car. You can definitely feel the feel the turbo kicking in their still a bit of lag, it drives nice and big I feel like I’m in a much bigger SUV the interior of the badlands trim is as nice as any suv in the same price range, their is two normal outlets to plug laptops, and tool in because the one outlets in the back, the floor all rubber too unlike many other suvs in it’s class, and the 4Wheel lock can be activated all the time in bad weather conditions too, but the intelligent 4wd in the sport will also increase the vehicles torque of the line when you put your foot down to the floor it will kick the 4wd in you can view the activity with 4wd on the driver-side dash display, theirs also a spot under the one back seat to hide your contraband lol. But I have no regrets even thought if I sold it the week after I got it I would of made a 5 grand profit because of the value of the badlands sub model being so rare more then but it’s market price was 10 over the MSRP I did have to pay 5 grand over, but if I ordered I probably would of waited almost 1-1/2 and would not of gotten as good of a trade in value on my old car
Why did you get rid of the falcons on the Maverick?
Referring to the tires? I don’t think it ever had Falkens on it.
@@ALMX5DP We did for a short bit, for some comparison videos where we wanted the Maverick to be equipped like you can spec it from Ford, with the Falken Wildpeaks.
@@drivingsports oh gotcha, must have missed or forgotten about that episode.
I want a suv that has the Bronco’s off-road capability and Toyota’s quality. Is that too much to ask? Hopefully the next-gen 4runner delivers
Toyota quality lol no they are good only when they are as basic as tractor , look at the new tundra and Tacoma won't even touch a toyota with 10ft pole
we need bronco sport vs forester
I'd like to see a fully locked Bronco tackle your course on the other side of the mountains.
Is advanced 4x4 actually just AWD?
Curious if bronco sport badlands > forester wilderness
In some conditions, yes. The BSBs rear drive unit is excellent.
@@drivingsports thanks for the reply! My fiancée is looking for a small SUV, and with our four seasons I wanted to get something with AWD or 4WD, aside from myself wanting to drive on logging roads in the Cascades, which aren't serious crawling roads usually. These two are on the top or my list for her to check out. Might come down to cargo size and creature comforts for her, whereas I care more about angles and ground clearance....
Both will be good choices. The Subaru has a lot of practical advantages. Specifically cargo space.
I appreciate the in-depth descriptions and tests of various 4WD systems, but the description of how brake traction control shifts power around in open differentials is not completely accurate. I feel it's important to point this out because I've heard Ryan state several time that open differentials allow the power to "bleed out" through the wheel with limited traction. The implication being that applying the brake at the spinning wheel prevents that power from being wasted and redirects it to the other wheel. While it can appear that this is visually what is going on, the true physics are quite different. An open differential always splits torque 50:50. What this means is if that a wheel has no traction, it limits the torque on the other side to the same, minimal amount that is required to spin the slipping wheel. This is often not enough torque to even turn the wheel with traction. Applying the brakes to the spinning wheel *increases* the amount of torque that is being delivered to that wheel as the brakes fight the engine, thereby also increasing the amount of torque available at the other side of the open differential, since torque is equal on both sides.
As another reviewer wrote, the Bronco's auto modes are terrible (Vs the Bronco Sports which is class leading). The brake based GOAT diffs are not aggressive enough in locking free spinning wheels, and the auto on demand AWD takes too long to transfer power to front - Ford needs to update the software. If you get the Bronco (which is insane offroad and in all conditions), you need the rear locker. In the Jeep and 4Runner the brake systems are excellent.
We have found the same in our testing.
There's a 2 door Badlands Bronco Sasquatch package at my work. I have the Bronco Sport Badlands with K02s. I know my vehicle is "less capable" depending on the trail, but I have more interior room, 90%-100% the offroad capability depending on the trail, way better fuel economy, way better interior nvh, way better on-road handling, way better sound system, power seats, power sunroof, etc for at least $30-50,000 less depending on dealer markup. I do think the Bronco looks better. And I wish the a Sport had more aftermarket support. And I wish it was easier to go with tires larger than 245 65 17. Sometimes I look at the Bronco Sasquatch packages and the Wrangler Rubicon and their required aftermarket rims and huge tires and think they've lost their way by being so over the top being on 35s. You'll almost never need that and you'll suffer for most of your ownership time. But it does look really cool. I do wish the Sport was easier to modify and more modular. And I wish it was called the Bronco Scout.
VW is relaunching Scout as an off-road EV sub-brand so that wouldn’t have worked.
For a fair/accurate comparison every vehicle should have the same tires.