Tested: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Is Ready to Get Wet

11/22/22 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results.

Facing a stretch of muddy water about the length of a football field, we felt fearless behind the wheel of the 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades. Not only because it comes factory equipped with an air-intake snorkel and a heavy-duty Warn winch—in addition to the formidable Sasquatch off-road package—but also because Ford brought us in to test the limits of the new special-edition Bronco, and we took that as a challenge to get it stuck or sunk or both.

We were unable to sink the Bronco Everglades during our drive on Drummond Island, located off the easternmost tip of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (maybe if we had driven it directly into Lake Huron . . .). Our handsome Eruption Green example forded the aforementioned waterway with nary a snag or a leak, only the harmless sound of water splashing beneath its washout vinyl flooring. To make the Everglades the most seaworthy Bronco, Ford raised the vent tubes for both axles, the transmission, and the transfer case. Combined with the custom-designed snorkel, this allows the vehicle to drive through up to 36.4 inches of water. That's 2.9 inches more than the Bronco Sasquatch (0.6-inch less than the towering Bronco Raptor) and 2.8 inches more than a Jeep Wrangler.

Although an island in the UP sounds like a strange place to launch a new Bronco named after the Everglades National Park in Florida, the area has some advantages over the Southern wetlands. We didn't have to worry about losing a leg to a crocodile or being suffocated by a Burmese python, and we got to enjoy the island's robust trail system and rugged terrain. In this Northwoods version of a water park, the Bronco Everglades wrestled with a lot of mud and ruts. Coincidentally, Mud and Ruts—one of seven selectable G.O.A.T. drive modes—automatically activates the rear locker and puts the four-wheel-drive system into 4Hi. Paired with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory mud-terrain tires (aired down to about 35 psi for optimal traction here), this setting helped the Bronco easily churn through rutted sludge.

Our speed on the muddiest, wettest trails stayed mostly in the single digits. Perhaps that type of slow and steady pace influenced Ford's decision to fit the Bronco Everglades exclusively with the 300-hp turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder—the 330-hp twin-turbo 2.7-liter four-pot is not available here. Likewise, we're surprised that the 10-speed automatic transmission is also mandatory since Ford recently made '22 Sasquatch models with the 2.3-liter engine available with the seven-speed manual in response to popular demand.

Weighing 579 pounds more than the four-door 2.3-liter Outer Banks model we tested, our 5296-pound Everglades’ extra mass is a byproduct of its myriad add-ons, including the hefty Warn winch mounted on its snout. The added weight contributed to acceleration times that are the slowest of any Bronco we’ve tested to date. It hit 60 mph in 7.1 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 15.7 ticks and 85 mph. For comparison, the Outer Banks sped to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and the four-door 330-hp Bronco Wildtrak managed 6.2 seconds. The Everglades also took 5.5 seconds to go from 50 to 70 mph, which is almost a full second or more than the other two models. It also required a long 196 feet to stop from 70 mph, and we noted a soft brake pedal that went to the floor during stops, too.

Not only is the 2022 Bronco Everglades saddled with the smaller engine, but its EPA ratings are barely better than more powerful variants. It’s estimated to earn 18 mpg city and 17 mpg highway, with a combined rating of 18 mpg. At least it lived up to expectations on our 75-mph fuel-economy route, matching its government highway figure. Still, the 300-hp Outer Banks is much more efficient, with a combined EPA rating of 21 mpg. It also matched its EPA-rated 22 mpg highway on our real-world route. Of course, the Outer Banks won’t make it nearly as far into the wilderness as the Everglades or other Sasquatch-equipped Broncos that are penalized at the gas pump.

Regardless of its acceleration times, the Everglades' powertrain deployed its 325 pound-feet of torque well, especially when we were clawing up and down a particularly rocky section with front and rear lockers and 4Lo engaged. We did have the benefit of a spotter to guide us—good thing, given that the Everglades is missing the front-mounted camera available on other Broncos. Unfortunately, due to the location of its winch, the Everglades doesn't get that useful view.