Compare the2023 Ford BroncoVS 2023 GMC Terrain

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 GMC Terrain doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 Terrain 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 Terrain.

The Bronco (except Base)’s optional 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 Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Bronco and the Terrain 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Ford Bronco weighs 602 to 2314 pounds more than the GMC Terrain. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Bronco’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 79 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC 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 Terrain 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 has a standard 800-amp battery. The Terrain’s 700-amp battery 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 GMC 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, GMC is rated lower.

The Bronco’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 125 more horsepower (300 vs. 175) and 122 lbs.-ft. more torque (325 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Bronco’s optional 2.7 turbo V6 produces 155 more horsepower (330 vs. 175) and 212 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Bronco Raptor’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 243 more horsepower (418 vs. 175) and 237 lbs.-ft. more torque (440 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Bronco 2-Door’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.9 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Bronco 4-Door’s standard fuel tank has 5.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (20.8 vs. 14.9 gallons). The Bronco Raptor’s standard fuel tank has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (21.2 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Bronco offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Terrain 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 Terrain.

For better stopping power the Bronco’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Terrain:

The Bronco’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Terrain are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Bronco has larger standard tires than the Terrain (255/70R16 vs. 225/65R17). The Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 235/50R19).

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

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 Terrain 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 Terrain’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 Terrain doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 8.8 inches longer than on the Terrain (116.1 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 6.1 inches wider in the front and 6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Terrain.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Terrain w/17” wheels’ (35.5 feet vs. 37.4 feet). The Bronco 4-Door Sasquatch’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the Terrain w/19” wheels’ (39.9 feet vs. 41.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco 4-Door has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (8.3 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Bronco to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Bronco 4-Door has 5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (108.2 vs. 103.2).

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The Terrain doesn’t offer a sliding load floor.

A standard locking glovebox and standard locking center console (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Bronco. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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 Terrain’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain is only 1500 pounds. The Bronco offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Terrain can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The engine in the Bronco is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Terrain. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Bronco’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

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

The Ford Bronco comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the GMC Terrain isn’t available as a soft top.

The Bronco will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco will retain 55.78% to 58.62% of its original price after five years, while the Terrain only retains 48.41% to 52.67%.

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

The Ford Bronco outsold the GMC Terrain by 60% during the 2022 model year.