Compare the2024 Ford BroncoVS 2024 BMW X4

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW X4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Bronco 4-Door are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X4 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Bronco and the X4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Bronco 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X4 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 9 times as many Ford dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco’s warranty.

The Bronco has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The X4 doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Bronco has more powerful engines than the X4:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Bronco uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The X4 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Bronco Raptor’s standard fuel tank has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the X4 (21.2 vs. 17.2 gallons).

The Bronco has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The X4 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Bronco offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The X4 doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Ford Bronco, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the X4.

For better traction, the Bronco has larger standard tires than the X4 (255/75R17 vs. 245/50R19). The Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X4 (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 245/45R20).

The Ford Bronco’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The BMW X4 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Bronco has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the X4; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

The Bronco Badlands/Raptor has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The X4 doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Bronco’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The X4 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 3.3 inches longer than on the X4 (116.1 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 4.9 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the X4.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 4.2 feet tighter than the X4’s (35.5 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco 4-Door has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X4 (8.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Bronco to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Bronco 4-Door has 10.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the X4 (108.2 vs. 97.8).

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X4 with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X4 with its rear seat folded (83 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The X4 doesn’t offer a sliding load floor.

The Bronco’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the right swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The X4’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Bronco can be unhitched and driven around locally. The X4 can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X4 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Bronco has a higher standard payload capacity than the X4 (1100 vs. 957 lbs.).

The Bronco has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X4 (1452 vs. 1010 lbs.).

The Bronco’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The X4 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco’s available exterior PIN entry system. The X4 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bronco has a standard rear wiper. The X4 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Bronco offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Ford Bronco comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the BMW X4 isn’t available as a soft top.

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco will cost $935 to $4220 less than the X4 over a five-year period.

The Bronco will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco will retain 60.22% to 71.6% of its original price after five years, while the X4 only retains 50.9% to 52.34%.

The Bronco was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The X4 has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bronco as the 2022 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The X4 has never been chosen.

The Ford Bronco outsold the BMW X4 by almost 12 to one during 2022.