Ford Bronco Vs. Jeep Wrangler: Main Off-Road Rivals

Let's compare the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco in detail. Ford manufacturer returned to the battlefield of real hardcore SUVs with the revived Bronco, which may become the Jeep Wrangler's most dangerous rival. Both cars are real SUVs, with legendary names and dedicated armies of fans. Jeep is well aware of the challenge the Bronco is and announced a host of updates to the Wrangler. 

 Below we’ll take a closer look at features like removable doors, cabin comfort, visibility, and trunks of these Ford and Jeep SUVs, and see if the Bronco has beaten the Wrangler at its own game.

Externally, both the Wrangler and the Bronco return to the looks of their off-road founding fathers, retaining boxy shapes, wide fenders, and toothy tires. If we are comparing 2-doors vehicles, the Wrangler is six inches shorter than the two-door Bronco, but the difference with the four-door model is only an inch. Like the Wrangler, the Bronco has a removable roof and doors. 

Today, we can say that in terms of style, the more recent Bronco still has some advantages.

Both the new Ford Bronco and the hybrid Jeep Wrangler have removable doors. However, each manufacturer implemented this option differently. Wrangler doors are taller and have side mirrors, making them harder to remove, transport or store. Ford decided to make Bronco doors without a frame around the glass, and side mirrors were placed on the body, making the doors more compact. By the way, owners of four-door Broncos can carry all four doors in the trunk in an upright position, and they don’t have to think about installing side mirrors if they want to ride without doors.

That seems like a good argument for the Bronco, but Jeep Wrangler supporters aren't upset about the mirrors. The fact that the doors come off with the side mirrors, they say, allows the Wrangler to get into tight spaces where the Bronco's huge mirrors would be a hindrance. The Bronco's hidden door hinges are also criticized in the Jeep community. The Wrangler's door hinges are essentially in front of you, making it a no-brainer to put the doors back in, but the Bronco's hidden hinges require you to be precise and careful or risk scratching the bodywork.

This is where the Ford Bronco showcases its strengths. The interior of the SUV has a convenient layout of various elements, especially additional controls. The car saturated with modern technologies, a large 12-inch high-resolution touchscreen display occupies the central place in the cabin. Instead of mechanical control of the all-wheel drive, electronic switches are located in the center console to save some space and increase the capacity of compartments for small items, as well as placing a wireless charging pad for gadgets in the center console. However, the Bronco suffers from a poor fit, an abundance of cheap plastic with gaps and seams, and some parts that feel loose. All this does not improve the impression of the quality and reliability of the car.

Despite the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe having smaller storage compartments and only an 8.4-inch display, everything you need in the cabin is easily accessible and convenient to use. A mechanical shifter and an old-school handbrake allow the Wrangler to do things that are impossible on the Bronco with its electronic parking brake. Important information on the Wrangler dashboard is easier to read. The dashboard in the Bronco looks overly polished and too modern, while in the Wrangler, it feels less cluttered. Its analog tachometer readings are easier to perceive than those of the Bronco's digital counterpart.

Ford and Jeep approached the handrails in the cabin differently. In the Bronco, engineers located them at the edges of the dash, placing the third one next to the passengers' knees. It feels like you can pull them out simply with a jerk. The handrails on the Wrangler's cabin are the exact opposite. Two handles are attached to the A-pillar, and another is securely fixed on the front panel on the passenger side. It looks so solid that you could attach a tow strap to it and pull another car out of the mud.

Good visibility is crucial for any SUV, and Ford and Jeep have done a good job of it. The already good visibility in the Bronco due to its frameless door windows is complemented by an excellent camera. On the wide hood, peculiar marks called Trail Sights are installed. They serve as the front wheel location indicator of the car. At the rear, the waistline and a high-mounted spare tire limit the Bronco's visibility.

The Jeep Wrangler provides excellent visibility with its tapered nose and TrailCam camera. Rear visibility is better on the Wrangler than on the Bronco due to the large rear window.

The Wrangler vehicle has three out of five reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, while the Bronco model has only two out of five. At the same time, the Bronco is considered safer according to the IIHS crash test results. 

In addition to removable doors, Ford and Jeep allow you to get rid of the roof. The Bronco design eliminates the crossbar between the B-pillars, allowing greater open-air overhead enjoyment. If you have roof rails installed, then completely removing the roof will be a little trickier.

Jeep doesn't offer factory roof rails on the Wrangler, and unlike the Bronco, it doesn't have removable panels above the second row of seats. Instead, Jeep provides a simple Sky One-Touch solution that allows you to fold down your roof with just the push of a button. You can remove the rear side windows to open the car even more.

A roomy trunk is essential for any SUV owner who loves to travel. In this regard, Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler are close. A slight advantage on the Jeep side is in its trunk: there are six mounts, instead of four in the Ford, and more various compartments for things. 

The Wrangler's trunk has a separate storage for door and roof bolts, and opening the tailgate of this SUV will require less effort. The trunk seals on the Bronco and the Wrangler SUV let in the same amount of dust.

The Bronco's 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V6 produces 310 hp and 542 Nm of torque. Jeep has nothing to match this power, at least for now. The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel Wrangler Unlimited has an impressive 600Nm of torque, but it's only 260 hp. In the base version, the 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost Bronco produces 270 hp and 420 Nm of torque, surpassing the base V6 Jeep with its 285 hp and 325 Nm of torque. 

Both Bronco bodies can tow nearly 3500 lbs, which only the four-door Wrangler can match. The two-door is only capable of hauling 2000 lbs.

The Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler are superb vehicles with incredible features, and no other car on the market offers such solutions. 

• The new Bronco outperforms Jeep in modern technologies and interior comfort but falls short in materials and fit. 
• In everyday use, the Wrangler feels more polished, better assembled, and thought out in some detail. 

Ford has done a great job with the Bronco, and this SUV is almost as good as the Wrangler.