Compare the2022 Ford BroncoVS 2022 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.

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 BMW vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than BMW.

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 20 to 55 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 (255/70R16 vs. 245/50R19). The Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the X4 (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 245/44R20).

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 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 4.3 feet tighter than the X4’s (35.5 feet vs. 39.8 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 Raptor’s minimum ground clearance is 5.1 inches higher than on the X4 (13.1 vs. 8 inches).

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. 23.7 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 (77.6 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.

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. 937 lbs.).

The Bronco has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X4 (1452 vs. 937 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Bronco Outer Banks/Badlands/Wildtrak/Raptor offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The X4 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Bronco (except Base) 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.

The Bronco was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” in 2022. The X4 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Ford Bronco outsold the BMW X4 by 437 units during the 2021 model year.