Compare the2024 Ford BroncoVS 2023 Mercedes GLC

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 GLC doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Bronco has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The GLC doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco. But it costs extra on the GLC.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Bronco’s standard Hill Descent Control/Trail Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control/Trail Control.

Both the Bronco and the GLC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Mercedes covers the GLC. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLC ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mercedes 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 GLC doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Bronco has a standard 240-amp alternator. The GLC’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Bronco’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 45 more horsepower (300 vs. 255) and 30 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 295) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Bronco’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 75 more horsepower (330 vs. 255) and 120 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 295) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Bronco Raptor’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 163 more horsepower (418 vs. 255) and 145 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 295) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Bronco Raptor 3.0 turbo V6 is faster than the Mercedes GLC (automatics tested):

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

The Bronco Raptor’s standard fuel tank has 3.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (21.2 vs. 17.4 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 GLC doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Bronco offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The GLC 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 a nine-speed automatic is available for the GLC.

For better traction, the Bronco has larger standard tires than the GLC (255/75R17 vs. 235/60R18). The Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLC (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 255/45R20).

The Ford Bronco’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes GLC 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 GLC; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

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 GLC doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Bronco offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The GLC’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

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 GLC doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the GLC (116.1 inches vs. 113.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 4.5 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GLC.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the GLC’s (35.5 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The front grille of the Bronco uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GLC doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 21.9 cubic feet). The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC with its rear seat folded (83 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The GLC 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 GLC’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 GLC can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Bronco (except Manual) offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The GLC doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 GLC 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 GLC doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Bronco was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The GLC 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 GLC has never been chosen.

The Ford Bronco outsold the Mercedes GLC by 79% during 2022.