It can indeed rally.

Ford has a long history of rally cars. Ford’s international rallying legacy is solidified by cars like the Escort and Sierra Cosworth. The company’s winning streak continues with the new Puma, which won a victory at its debut competition.

Ford’s rally successes are not limited to Europe. The first-generation Bronco won desert racing races from the mid-’60s through the early-’70s. With some success, the Bronco was back in competition a few years back. Does this mean that the production model is capable of taking on a rally stage? That question was answered recently by Team O’Neil Rally School.

Will It Drift is Team O’Neil’s series. It has seen many cars race on the school’s rally course. Team O’Neil has seen many cars take on the rally course, including minivans, Corollas and even an Charger patrol vehicle. This time, the Bronco Badlands will be put to the test.

Although the initial impressions are positive, the lack of a mechanical brake makes it difficult. When the settings are not changed, the Bronco defaults to understeer. The difficulty of finding the tachometer within the vehicle’s submenus was also noted by the Bronco owners.

The stability control and the traction control were turned off to help. To “take the edge off” the contact area, they also reduced the tire pressure. However, activating the rear locking differential can make it worse.

After making some adjustments to the vehicle’s settings, the Bronco Badlands was run. Despite its size and weight, the Bronco seems to be able to drive high-speed snow at high speeds. The truck also did well in trail braking. The Bronco completed the course in 2:21.12, three seconds less than a Subaru WRX. It’s impressive considering its weight and disadvantage over the rally-bred Subaru.

The Bronco Badlands will indeed rally. Team O’Neil notes that the SUV is safe and fun to drive on amateur rally courses. Although it won’t set speed records, the SUV is capable enough to handle the task.