Mount Potosi, Nevada – My heart was racing just a little as I led the convoy of Broncos through a rock garden in the Nevada desert foothills an hour from Las Vegas. Even at speeds of a couple kilometres an hour, the stakes seemed higher than at the gaming tables.
But it’s skill at play here, not luck, and the consequences of an error would be a stain on my reputation as a driver. Not to mention the chance I might get the vehicle stuck between and rock and a hard place.
The venue was Ford’s Bronco Off-Roadeo facility at Mount Potosi, Nevada. This 1,200-acre playground is a former Boy Scout camp riddled with tough trails that are now dedicated to teaching Bronco owners how to drive their vehicle off the pavement.
As a guest of Ford Canada, I had the chance to experience the Bronco Off-Roadeo, the manufacturer’s one-day free training program that it offers to buyers of new Broncos. Guests and non-Bronco owners can also take part for a fee. Owners have a year to take up the offer and must provide their own transport to get there, but Ford provides the school’s Broncos, in a wide variety of trims.
Operating since 2021, there are now five schools scattered across the United States – in New Hampshire, Nevada, Utah, Texas and Tennessee – and they’ve trained more than 20,000 Bronco drivers. In 2023, with the launch of the Bronco Raptor, the schools added a special program just for them, and also opened up to Bronco Sport owners in 2022, so the entire extended Bronco family may attend.
For a one-day event, the school is comprehensive, covering the technology that lets you go off-roading, was well as teaching the skills you need to get out and back safely. Our day began with a briefing that explained critical concepts like approach, breakover and departure angles, how locking differentials work and the importance of situational awareness.
After that was done we headed out on the trail, and lady luck was on my side. By happenstance I had the privilege of driving the lead vehicle in our six-Bronco class. That meant having our instructor, Trevor Newman, riding right seat as we moved from exercise to exercise through the back country. As we drove, he would be on the radio, explaining to the group what our next move would be and how to set up the Broncos controls to manage it.
Being the lead driver definitely had perks. In between the radio communications, Newman shared heaps of extra lore and tips with me on the best ways to handle the terrain. So, here’s a tip – if you have the chance, get in with the instructor.
The flip side to being the lead vehicle was having to go first through each exercise, alone in the Bronco, with the whole group watching. Our initial challenge was what Newman called “the ultimate trust fall”.
Enabling the Bronco’s Hill Descent Control (though a somewhat convoluted procedure as several of the vehicles were not equipped with easy access button) the at the top of an impossibly steep and potholed slope, I carefully lined up the Everglades edition (equipped with the 2.3-litre engine, 10-speed automatic, HOSS 2.0 Bilstein dampers and seven drive modes) according to Newman’s instructions. As the vehicle was about to tip down the hill, it lurched – the right rear wheel lifted a good 30 centimetres off the ground. To emphasize the lift, Newman jumped on the tire to make the Bronco buck.
Laughing, Newman prompted: “a little more throttle, straighten the wheel, then both feet off the pedals.” I’m holding my breath as the Bronco’s computers took over and controlled the SUV’s descent at about four km/h. As the suspension sucked up the massive holes, all four wheels locked up and it skidded a few feet, but I managed to keep my feet up, and breathed again as I made it back to level ground.
The rest of the day followed this pattern. Next, Newman had us try a faster paced drive over a twisting, washboard road. This one was fun, and more up my alley as in my Bronco, which was not equipped with Trail Control, it required left-foot braking to help keep the vehicle settled and compliant. Leading the group out, they quickly receded into the rearview, and Newman prompted me to drive much faster than I would have alone. The Bronco’s suspension just makes the ruts disappear when you find the speed sweet spot, in this case about 24- to 32 km per hour (15 to 20 mph).
Over the full day the Broncos climbed and descended steeps a normal vehicle wouldn’t even consider, crawled over and through narrow rock gardens strewn with massive boulders, and showed over and over how technically advanced they are. The school is short but sweet, jam-packed with practical advice on how to drive off-road and how to get the most out of your Bronco.
You don’t have to have lady luck on your side – like I did – to get the most out of it. Whether you own a Bronco and want to learn how to make the most of it, or you just want to experience the thrill of off-roading with expert instruction, the Bronco Off-Roadeo is ready to show you how.
Website: Bronco Off-Roadeo