Compare the2023 Ford BroncoVS 2023 Mercedes G-Class

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 G-Class doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 G-Class 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.

The Bronco (except Base/Big Bend/Black Diamond/Everglades) offers an optional 360-Degree Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The G-Class only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Bronco and the G-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Bronco 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the G-Class. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the G-Class 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’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 G-Class 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’ 2022 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 above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes 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 Mercedes 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, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco 4-Door gets better mileage than the G-Class:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Bronco uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The G-Class requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

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 G-Class doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Bronco higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Mercedes G-Class (3). This means the Bronco produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the G-Class every 15,000 miles.

The Bronco offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The G-Class 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 G-Class.

The Bronco stops shorter than the G-Class:

For better traction, the Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the G-Class (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 295/40R22).

The Ford Bronco’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes G-Class only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

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 G-Class 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 G-Class doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco 4-Door’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the G-Class (116.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 3.6 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Bronco Outer Banks 4-Door handles at .72 G’s, while the G 550 pulls only .61 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Bronco Outer Banks 4-Door executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2 seconds quicker than the G 550 (28.7 seconds @ .57 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 9.1 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (35.5 feet vs. 44.6 feet). The Bronco 4-Door Sasquatch’s turning circle is 4.7 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (39.9 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

The Ford Bronco may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 1250 pounds less than the Mercedes G-Class.

The Bronco 2-Door is 1 foot, 4 inches shorter than the G 550, making the Bronco easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Bronco has standard flush composite headlights. The G-Class has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

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

The Bronco 4-Door has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the G-Class with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 68.6 cubic feet).

The Bronco 4-Door’s optional sliding cargo floor makes loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The G-Class 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 G-Class’ rear cargo window doesn’t open.

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 G-Class can’t be towed flat on the ground.

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

The Ford Bronco comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the Mercedes G-Class isn’t available as a soft top.

The Bronco was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The G-Class has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Bronco as the 2022 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The G-Class has never been chosen.

The Ford Bronco outsold the Mercedes G-Class by almost 17 to one during 2022.