Going back in time, the Ford Bronco carries quite the history, but should we talk to any youthful demographic of today, there is only one piece of history that truly stands out, if you know what we mean. The reality is, there is so much history to the Bronco, long before it got its 5-minutes of fame on the television, and it dates to 1966.

1966 was the first year the Ford Bronco was produced; it was Ford’s first attempt at creating a Sport Utility vehicle promoting it as a civilian off-roader. It was the kind of style that fitted within its period of time with pastel paint colors and white accents. Based on today’s standards it would have even been considered a sub-compact SUV, much like the Bronco Sport of today. And in honor of its original roots, Ford has come out with a new Heritage Edition model celebrating where the Bronco came from. The only thing is, does its retro white accents and pastel paint mesh with today’s modern form?

Well, considering our example arrived looking like a banana split in a new Yellowstone paint color, contrived after the 1971 Ford color Prairie Yellow, it took some time to warm up to it. And well, we’re still warming up to it.

The Heritage Edition takes effect on both the Bronco and the Bronco Sport since Ford didn’t want to leave that little one out of the special edition. Since ours is the Bronco Sport, we’ll focus on what the Heritage Edition brings to its table, such as the signature Oxford White accents and unique Race Red ‘BRONCO’ emblem lettering across the front grille. Essentially, the Heritage Edition is to be packaged from two trims, one being the Big Bend model and for a limited time, one based on the top tiered Badlands model. Can you guess which one we have the keys to?

We’ll give you a hint, it’s no longer available to be built on Ford’s builder website.

The Bronco Sport Heritage Edition, based off the Big Bend model starts at $34,245, and will come equipped with Fords 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbocharged engine rated for 181-horsepower – earlier last year, we tested the Big Bend model that proved to be a hearty warrior, but watery creeks were its nemeses. The Heritage Edition at least upgrades the standard suspension with Fords, HOSS suspension (High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension. In addition, they have also included the five-selectable GOAT mode terrain select.

If you happen to be one of the lucky few to find the Heritage Limited Edition, prepare to pay a pretty penny as its starting price is $44,805. With that, it does upgrade the 1.5-liter engine to the much more powerful 250-horsepower 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder with 277 lb-ft of torque and an 8-speed automatic transmission. The power itself is more than plentiful providing supreme driving confidence whether you’re scurrying through the streets or trying to hightail it in the passing lane on the freeway. The transmission was also a delightful fresh of breath air with creamy smooth transition and surprisingly responsive changes when utilizing the steering wheel paddle shifters.

The Heritage Limited Edition not only comes with an upgraded suspension but also comes with larger 29-inch all-terrain off-road tires for improved off-road capabilities. This doesn’t impact the ride quality as the Bronco Sport maintains composure over city streets while ironing out the roughness of an off-road trail. This model also incorporates an advanced 4×4 system with a twin-clutch rear-drive unit, a locking differential that can divert rear axle torque to either wheel, and they’ve added two additional drive modes to the GOAT system include Mud/Ruts & Rock Crawl.

With our example being the Heritage Limited Edition, its interior was far more premium than it needed to be. At least somewhat justifies its supreme price. The Limited version brings in an attractive brown leather with a unique plaid design in its colorization. But this is also where we started to find our example to look rather tacky. It had too many colors that just didn’t mesh well together with the black bumpers & rocker panels, the white wheels & grille with the yellow paint – add in the brown leather interior and it just didn’t work. However, on the non-Limited Edition, it comes standard with a unique blue interior with plaid seats that appear more fitting to the pastel contrast.

Since our version of the Heritage Edition was based on the Badlands model with every option available, it featured a host of comfort suites options like both the driver and passenger seats being power adjustable & heated, a decently sized 6.5-inch digital cluster display, the fantastic Bang & Olufsen 10-speark surround sound system with a subwoofer, and Fords advance Co-Pilot360 advance safety equipped with intelligent adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go, Lane Keep Assist, and voice-activated Navigation.

Here lies the problem, its price. Out the door, our Bronco Sport Heritage Edition was an overwhelming $46,400, which begs the question, when did sub-compact crossovers get so darn expensive? And it’s not just Ford, in the same class as the Bronco Sport, we recently tested the Dodge Hornet at an eye-watering $43,320. Taking the Heritage Edition out of the equation, the Bronco Sport, for its size, is quite an impressive little machine. Due to its boxy design, there is so much space that the cabin feels open and airy. Even for its sub-compact dimensions, you won’t hear any complaints from the back seat either with impressive leg-, head- and shoulder room. Putting the price into the equation, the Bronco Sport is a nicely packaged vehicle and could almost make a claim for its high-priced value. For its over $40k price, we would expect more premium options like a power lift rear tailgate or ventilated front seats. But overall, with an impressive off-road package, premium interior findings, and nearly hot hatch performance, it does make a pretty good case.