2022+ Ford Bronco HOSS 2.0 ESCV vs Bilstein 5100 - Stage 1 Review

We’ve been itching to get our hands on the new 2022 Bronco for a couple reasons; to see Ford continue their performance-oriented vehicle design, and to start the rundown of all the suspension options that will become available for the platform.

We’re calling it the Bronco Suspension Evolution, we’ll see if it sticks. Here’s the plan:

• Stock HOSS 2.0 Suspension
• Bilstein 5100s
• Bilstein 6100s
• Icon Struts
• Eibach 2.0 Coilovers
• Fox 2.0 Coilovers
• King 2.5
• Fox 2.5
• Bilstein 8112
• Icon CDEV

We will bring real world feedback to you guys on how the shocks feel and perform, devoid of all marketing jargon and talking about what these suspension systems actually do for you.

Bowman’s 2022 Bronco was finally delivered, and we’ve wasted no time getting some impressions of it; on and off-road. Watching Bowman behind the wheel of the Bronco, along with his big smile, you know the HOSS suspension is at least adequate to a sportier driver’s needs. “A bit on the firm side” - not surprising from Bilstein.

Desert Running

We took the 2022 Bronco Sasquatch out to Johnson Valley to see how well it performed in both the high speed stuff and the slower rock crawling in this famous off-road environment.

Bilstein’s digressive tuning gives tremendous handling at low shock speeds, this benefits road manners, like handling - which is really important for a truck like the Bronco that is aiming for off-road performance without sacrificing the daily driver comforts.

Like many performance dampers - the shocks get smoother the faster you go. Good for someone who wants to drive this thing like a UTV... *ahem*

The Bronco performed super well driving at different speeds through some moderately tough terrain. Since this is a 2-door Bronco, the shorter wheelbase gives additional challenges compared to a 4-door when going fast and hitting whoops. A longer wheelbase can stay more level due to distribution of weight, whereas a 2-door is more susceptible to bucking in the front or rear.

Maybe it was Bowman’s driving, but there was no bucking present here at 30, 40, 60mph through this terrain. We didn’t notice any shock fade either after close to an hour running these sections back and forth in 104 degree heat, pretty impressive and probably in large part due to the reservoirs on the Bilstein ESCV shocks. We weren’t running the large whooped out sections, but still if you’ve been to Johnson Valley, you know there’s unpredictability.

While we’re totally impressed by the factory Bilstein ESCV shocks on this Bronco, being able to run around Johnson Valley at these speeds exceeds what most people are going to put these Broncos through, let alone having the no-fear approach needed to run this terrain.

Trail Cruise

On the rocky trails and mountainous terrain of Big Bear, the Bronco felt kind of like a UTV. Being in 4WD and sitting in the lower gear ranges makes this a really fun vehicle to drive around the trails. Visibility on these trails is important, so we kept it tame near blind spots and turns.

You could certainly feel the rocks and small obstacles on trail, but they felt a bit subdued compared to what we usually feel in a 5100 or 4600 series equipped vehicle. It could also be the 35 inch tires that were aired down, which will reduce the small chatter on and off-road.

The only problem we found ourselves in while on the trail was wanting to go too fast; this thing is FUN, and QUICK.

Aftermarket Options

Aftermarket suspension upgrades for the 2021+ Bronco are slowly but surely being released. With Ford’s production woes, it means there’s less vehicles out in the real world to be modified, so some aftermarket manufacturers’ priorities are elsewhere rather than lower volume sales in the 2021+ Bronco category.

What Shocks do you want to see us run next on the Bronco? Let us know!