Compare the2022 Ford Bronco SportVS 2021 Mercedes GLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes GLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 Sport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the GLA.

The Bronco Sport’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLA.

Both the Bronco Sport and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Bronco Sport its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 76 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLA has not been tested, yet.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Bronco Sport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLA 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 Sport’s warranty.

The Bronco Sport 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 GLA doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Bronco Sport’s reliability 54 points higher than the GLA.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 14th in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 25th.

The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (250 vs. 221) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mercedes GLA:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Bronco Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Bronco Sport Badlands for maximum performance). The GLA requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Bronco Sport has 3.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (16 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bronco Sport 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 GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Bronco Sport stops shorter than the GLA:

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Bronco Sport has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The GLA’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Bronco Sport’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the GLA’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Bronco Sport more stable handling and braking.

The Bronco Sport has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.6 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLA.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 15.4 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The GLA’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers up to a 2200 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport 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 GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The GLA 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bronco Sport has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLA only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Bronco Sport’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the GLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Bronco Sport has standard extendable sun visors. The GLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Ford Bronco Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLA isn't recommended.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Mercedes GLA by over four to one during the 2021 model year.