Compare the2023 Ford BroncoVS 2023 Tesla Model X

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 Model X 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 Model X 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Bronco’s standard Hill Descent Control/Trail Control allows you to creep down safely. The Model X doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control/Trail Control.

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 Model X 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.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Bronco (except Base)’s optional Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Bronco has standard 911 Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model X doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Bronco and the Model X 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 and driver alert monitors.

There are almost 20 times as many Ford dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Bronco’s reliability 17 points higher than the Model X.

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 Tesla vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 59 more problems per 100 vehicles, Tesla is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 1 place higher in reliability than Tesla.

For better traction, the Bronco Raptor’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Model X (37 x 12.5R17 vs. 265/35R22).

The Ford Bronco’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Tesla Model X 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 Model X; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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 Model X doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Model X.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco 2-Door’s turning circle is 5.3 feet tighter than the Model X’s (35.5 feet vs. 40.8 feet). The Bronco 4-Door Sasquatch’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Model X’s (39.9 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco 4-Door has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Model X (8.3 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Bronco to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ford Bronco may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 900 pounds less than the Tesla Model X.

The Bronco 4-Door is 9.7 inches shorter than the Model X, making the Bronco easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bronco 4-Door has a much larger cargo volume than the Model X with its rear seat up (38.3 vs. 15 cubic feet).

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

The Bronco’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Model X 6-Passenger doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

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 Model X’s 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 Model X can’t be towed flat on the ground.

An Intelligent Oil Life Monitor is standard on the Bronco to save the owner time and money by calculating maintenance intervals for oil changes, based on actual driving conditions. This takes the guesswork out of keeping your vehicle in top condition and helps it last longer. Tesla doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the Model X.

The Bronco’s entire steering wheel hub sounds the horn, facilitating hitting the horn in an emergency. The Model X has a small, single button on the steering wheel spoke that can be hard to find quickly in an emergency.

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 Model X doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Bronco’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Model X’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bronco has a standard rear wiper. The Model X doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Bronco’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model X doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

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 Model X doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Bronco’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Model X’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

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 Model X doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco will cost $8860 to $11760 less than the Model X over a five-year period.

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 Model X only retains 54.26% to 55.25%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Bronco will be $52190 to $57922 less than for the Tesla Model X.

The Bronco was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 2022. The Model X 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 Model X has never been chosen.

The Ford Bronco outsold the Tesla Model X by almost five to one during 2022.