2025 Ford Bronco Heritage 4-Door 4X4
Price: $73,350 CAD
Colour: Ruby Red Metallic w/tinted clearcoat
Life is a funny thing. It will take you places you never intended to go and teach you things you didn’t know you needed to learn. My recent experience with the Ford Bronco Heritage was just such a lesson. The lesson concerned complacency, assumption, expectation and surprise. At 45 it’s comforting to know I can still be educated from time to time.
When the opportunity came up to test the Ford Bronco Heritage I immediately jumped at the chance. I’ve been keen to give the nostalgia exercise a proper shakedown and as fall approached, I figured it was as good a time as any to get out to the bush. I got approval from Ford and plotted a course to the great outdoors.
One of the big benefits of living in Metro Vancouver is access to the nature. You’re never far from a dirt road to somewhere. One of the more famous of these roads is one called the Hurley Forest Service Road (www.isurvivedthehurley.com). It’s just north of a little town called Pemberton and it will take you to any number of destinations while you take in the wilds of British Columbia. It’s an incredibly scenic route that is only open to vehicular traffic during the summer months. The Hurley is quite famous as, for a forest service road, it can be travelled in almost any car. As a result, people looking for a little taste of the outdoors often adventure out there for a little fun. You’ll often see any selection of urban run about SUV’s as well as an eclectic mix of Toyota Corolla’s, Mazda3’s and similar. I make a point of travelling the Hurley once a year. It’s an easy drive and is a lot of fun as long as you don’t mind a long day behind the wheel. It seemed the perfect venue to give the Bronco a shakedown.
My oldest son elected to join me on this trip as he is now of the age (15) where he likes the occasional lengthy journey. We set out early from our home in Surrey, BC and took the Sea To Sky Highway all the way to Pemberton, our first stop. We topped off the tank, drained our internal tanks and set off for the fun stuff. It was a sunny, dry and warm Saturday as we trundled through Pemberton Meadows on our way to the start of the Hurley. The Hurley stretch is about 80 kms of logging road and the only part of the journey that is remotely “off-roadish”. A couple hours of trundling up a mountain along the Hurley will bring you to Gold Bridge. Gold Bridge is a tiny little mountain community and is a popular stop as it marks the end of the Hurley and the mid point if you’re carrying through to Lillooet.
It was in Gold Bridge that the Bronco told me I had a problem. The tire pressure monitoring system showed I was losing pressure in one of the rear tires. You could almost hear me mutter “shit” inside my head. I felt my blood pressure spike and my anxiety start to climb. I’ve been venturing out to the bush for nearly 20 years and, incredibly, have never had a puncture. I’ve clearly been working on borrowed time and something like this was to be expected. I know how to change tires, I’ve done it plenty of times, but it has been several decades since I’ve been called upon to do the duty. Add to that the idea that we were in the middle of nowhere with no cell reception and I can be forgiven for fearing a rough afternoon was ahead.
I informed my son of the puncture, and his response surprised me. He looked at me and said “That’s no problem. I’ll change it.” I gave him a look that must have spoken volumes as he asked “What? You don’t think I know how to change a tire?” He proceeded to inform me that he had learned the process recently in his mechanic’s class. His confidence gave me a strange reassurance. It was nice to have someone around who had swapped a tire more recently than the heyday of the Backstreet Boys. We proceeded to put together a plan. I had brought an inflator with us, and we decided to add air and see how long it lasted. If we could limp through until we reached Lillooet, I would feel much better about swapping the tire with other people around. If the tire wouldn’t hold the air, we’d have to tackle it here. We pumped the tire up to full pressure and put the pedal to the metal. Five mins later the TPMS reared its ugly head again to inform me the tire wasn’t going to cooperate. We’d be changing this thing in the bush. I told my son to keep his eyes peeled for a flat area with some shade and we’d begin.
Before long, my son spotted an area to pull over where an information board provided a spot of shade in a flat area. It was a good choice of place to pull over. My son and I set about unpacking the jack and sorting out the bits and pieces. To my astonishment, my son wasn’t kidding. He knew exactly what to do. He proceeded to slide the jack under the Bronco and start lifting the vehicle. Under my skilled supervision he proceeded to pop the punctured tire off, pull the spare off the back and mount it. Less than 30 mins later we were back on the road. I know it’s no great achievement to be able to change a tire, it’s a skill we should all have and be experienced with. In a world that is ever increasingly focused on the digital, insular experience, it was incredible to watch a young person be so connected to the physical world. As his father, I couldn’t have been more proud. Parents often worry about the job they’ve done raising their children and to watch my son so casually fix a real-world problem, I was astonished. Maybe he will be okay when I’m not there anymore. That’s a comforting thought.
The rest of the journey proceeded without incident. We saw some bears and deer, grabbed a late lunch at Subway in Lillooet and took the Fraser Canyon back home. I know what you’re thinking. Tracey, how was the Bronco? Well, it was fine. It was kind of exactly what I expected. As a direct competitor to the Wrangler, it offers the same basic driving experience with rattles and noise approaching intolerable on gravel. The rear window doesn’t seem to lock and really flops around on rough roads. It’s a curious thing. That being said, it’s a fun beast to lumber around in. Like the Wrangler its big, silly and stupid but it also makes a statement and there’s nothing wrong with that.
I won’t forget the 2025 Hurley tour anytime soon. I was in the perfect vehicle and travelling with my son. At 15 (now 16 since we took the journey) he’s increasingly leaving his parents behind to forge his own path in the world. All children do it and I’m happy for him. Nevertheless, it makes me a little sad to know he won’t always be there like he has been since the day he was born. As a result, a shared experience like our little adventure on the Hurley was special. I hope he remembers it too. He impressed and surprised me in the best ways possible. Life is full of challenges both large and small and it seems he’s as ready as anyone can be to meet them when they come.
