Compare the2023 Ford Bronco SportVS 2023 Audi Q5 Sportback

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

Safety

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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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Ford Bronco Sport has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Q5 Sportback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Audi Q5 Sportback:

	Bronco Sport	Q5 Sportback
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	140	284
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	215 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	44 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	153	187
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches

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 Audi Q5 Sportback:

	Bronco Sport	Q5 Sportback
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	205 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	144	185
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	53 G’s
Hip Force	689 lbs.	817 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	600 lbs.

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

Warranty

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Bronco Sport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5 Sportback. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 Sportback ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 10 times as many Ford dealers as there are Audi 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 Q5 Sportback 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 start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Bronco Sport has a standard 760-amp battery. The Q5 Sportback’s 420-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport third among small SUVs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Q5 Sportback 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 Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 72 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi 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 Audi 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, Audi is rated below average.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder gets better fuel mileage than the Q5 Sportback (25 city/28 hwy vs. 22 city/29 hwy).

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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Bronco Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Q5 Sportback.

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 Q5 Sportback; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Bronco Sport’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Q5 Sportback’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

Chassis

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 600 pounds less than the Audi Q5 Sportback.

The Bronco Sport is 11.2 inches shorter than the Q5 Sportback, 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom and 4 inches more rear headroom than the Q5 Sportback.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 24.7 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 Sportback with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 51.9 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 Q5 Sportback’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Bronco Sport (except Base/Big Bend) 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 climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE 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 Q5 Sportback only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q5 Sportback 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 Q5 Sportback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco Sport will cost $1370 to $3330 less than the Q5 Sportback over a five-year period.

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 Q5 Sportback only retains 48.81% to 48.82%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Bronco Sport will be $23742 to $25113 less than for the Audi Q5 Sportback.

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 Q5 Sportback isn’t in the top three.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Audi Q5 by 58% during 2022.

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