The Ford Bronco Sport is one of the more rugged compact SUVs on the market, particularly the Badlands with its many off-road upgrades including more ground clearance, protection and a trick dual-clutch torque-vectoring rear differential. But there's increasing competition for the little SUV off-road crown with Jeep's Trailhawk trims and Subaru's Wilderness models. Based on these spy photos, it seems Ford isn't going to sit on its laurels and is working on an even more impressive Bronco Sport for tackling trails.

The exterior doesn't look radically changed, though there are probably grille, lighting and bumper changes hiding under the camouflage. Bumper changes in particularly could be useful for improving approach and departure angles, as other automakers have done. But what's really obvious is that this Bronco Sport prototype is a good bit taller than any other version. That added height seems like it's mainly from suspension changes, and should provide a nice boost over the 8.8 inches of ground clearance that the Badlands has.

Besides the taller suspension, this prototype is sitting on a new set of wheels and tires. The wheels are an all-new design that looks chunky and tough. It almost suggests beadlocks, though we're confident actual beadlocks will not be available. The tires themselves have very aggressive treads, even extending onto the sidewalls. These should provide even more traction off road and, if they're larger than Badlands tires, may contribute to some of the lift.

We doubt we'll have long to wait to find out more about this extra-tough Bronco Sport. Since it's a variant of the current SUV, it'll probably show up no later than next year. It'll probably only be available with the larger 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder and the aforementioned all-wheel drive and rear differential. The name is another mystery. Tremor seems likely, as that's been applied to other particularly off-road-capable vehicles in Ford's line, including the F-150 and Maverick.

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