Compare the2023 Ford Bronco SportVS 2023 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport 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 Acura RDX 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 Sport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RDX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Bronco Sport 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 RDX 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, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the RDX.

The Bronco Sport’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The RDX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Bronco Sport and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	300
Neck Injury Risk	26%	26%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	262 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	123/237 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	353
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	84 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	385/291 lbs.	362/441 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	205 lbs.	217 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	255	486
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	704 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 11 times as many Ford dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

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 RDX 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 rated the Bronco Sport third among small SUVs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The RDX isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is rated below average.

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 Acura 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, Acura is rated below average.

Engine

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

	Bronco Sport	RDX
Zero to 30 MPH	2.1 sec	2.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.1 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.5 sec	3.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport gets better mileage than the RDX:

			MPG
Bronco Sport
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
RDX
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 RDX; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Bronco Sport’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the RDX’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RDX (8.8 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Acura RDX.

The Bronco Sport is 1 foot, 2.7 inches shorter than the RDX, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more rear headroom and 3.5 inches more rear hip room than the RDX.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume than the RDX with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 31.1 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 RDX’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Acura RDX is limited to 1500 pounds. The Bronco Sport offers up to a 2200 lbs. 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 RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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 RDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The RDX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands/First Edition has a 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 RDX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

The Bronco Sport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco Sport will retain 59.2% to 61.37% of its original price after five years, while the RDX only retains 47.35% to 49.21%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Bronco Sport will be $13253 to $19085 less than for the Acura RDX.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport first among small SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The RDX isn’t in the top three.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Acura RDX by over four to one during 2022.