Los Angeles is surrounded by beautiful large parks that
provide great locations for camping. One of my favorite is Big Horn Campground
near the base of Mount San Antonio. It
provides a cool spot among the pine forest in
summer and a snow experience in winter.
To get there first you need to get to Lytle Creek, a few
miles west of the 15 Fwy near Glen Helen. And then you go all the way to end of
the asphalt, where your adventure
starts. Today you no longer need a full
fledge 4x4 to enjoy camping. I recently tested the new Ford Bronco Sport and
was surprised on how capable this family vehicle is on the rocky trails. Ford
has embarked on capturing the souls of those that like the outdoors and this
compact SUV has been built as the car that you use during the week to commute
to work and then take it to the trails to get you to your favorite campground
on the week end.
At first, when I was just looking at the Bronco Sport and
it's well done interior, I had my doubts about going off road. Several manufacturers
claim their SUV's are ready to take on a bit of a beating, but my experience
has been quite disappointing since they lack the mechanical grip, sturdy build,
and/or ground clearance. The engineers of the
Bronco Sport knew what they wanted to achieve and this Bronco Sport is one of the most capable small
SUV I have driven. There are two versions , in terms of power, and a total of
four models that are differentiated by their off road capabilities. The base model has a 1.5 L Turbo motor that
we also find in the Ford Escape and Ford Focus. Good for city commuting. But the
2.O L Ecoboost motor has 245 HP and 275 ft/lbs of torque. That is as much power
as a decade old full size pick up truck. The automatic transmission has 8 gears
and with the bigger motor you get a dual clutch rear drive system that includes
a differential lock. Off roaders will know the importance of this. But for you
and me the switch in the center console allows to select the correct traction
mode by just rotating it without having to guess. Ford has preselected the best
combination for Sand, Mud and Ruts, and even a selection for when you need to crawl
to climb or descend rougher terrain. A system named GOAT gives you seven
settings to chose from. So you can go from saving fuel to tackling a 23 inch deep
creek crossing. There is a trail control system
and a front camera to let you see the road ahead. This is very handy
when you encounter a steep uphill or a tight corner. The suspension
incorporates one of the largest shock absorbers (46 mm) to help minimizing
rebound and roughness off- road.
In addition to the capable power train package, the interior
offers lots of space and practical accessories that facilitate the outdoor experience.
The back of the seats incorporate MOLLE straps to be able to hang things from
them. The roof is higher in the back to allow for more cargo (you can actually
put a couple of bicycles in the trunk) and there is a roof rack built in. The
floor in the trunk is lower than most competitors so makes loading easier too.
There is a cargo management system, along with other 100 factory accessories,
that has a sliding table. The designers thought of every situation they
encountered themselves when camping and provide smarts solutions built into the
this car.
The base model, which is an AWD SUV, starts around $26,000.
The Big Bend , Outer Banks, and Badlands models can get to the $32,000 range.
These latter models offer the best packages in terms of taking the Bronco Sport
on the trails. If you are planning on doing that I suggest you choose the steel
wheels that are much stronger going over rocks than the standard mag wheels.
There is a lot more to talk about in terms of the technology
and accessories as well as how you can customize it. But my first
impression after driving it in the sand,
rocks, and on the highway is that this is a strong contender in a growing
segment. A vehicle that can really take
your family to enjoy our national parks without much trouble.
