Compare the2023 GMC TerrainVS 2023 Ford Bronco

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The Terrain’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Bronco and is not available with Base.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Terrain uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Bronco uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Terrain and the Bronco have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Terrain	Bronco
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with “good” or “acceptable” geometry. In these ratings, the Terrain is safer than the Bronco:

	Terrain	Bronco
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Seat Design	Pass	Pass
Torso Acceleration	11.9 g’s	13.8 g’s
Neck Force Rating	Low	Medium
Max Neck Shearing Force	26	132
Max Neck Tension	443	770

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Terrain, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 7.1% to 9.2% less likely to roll over than the Bronco, which received a three-star rating.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 233 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Bronco was not even a “Top Safety Pick” for 2016.

Warranty

The Terrain’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Bronco’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Terrain third among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Bronco 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 GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated lower.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Terrain
FWD	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
AWD	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/28 hwy
Bronco 4-Door
AWD	Manual	2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/21 hwy
		Black Diamond 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	16 city/18 hwy
		Sasquatch 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	16 city/18 hwy
		Badlands 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	16 city/17 hwy
AWD	Auto	3.0 turbo V6	15 city/16 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/21 hwy
		2.7 turbo V6	19 city/21 hwy
		Black Diamond 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	18 city/18 hwy
		Sasquatch 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	18 city/17 hwy
		Badlands 2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	17 city/17 hwy
		Badlands/Sasquatch 2.7 turbo V6	17 city/17 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Terrain uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Bronco requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Terrain higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford Bronco (5 to 6). This means the Terrain produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Bronco every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The GMC Terrain comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Bronco.

Tires and Wheels

The Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Bronco Big Bend’s standard 75 series tires. The Terrain’s optional tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Bronco’s 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Terrain SLE/AT4 has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Bronco. The Terrain’s optional 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Bronco Outer Banks.

The Terrain has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Bronco doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the GMC Terrain has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Ford Bronco has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Terrain Denali AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Bronco 4-Door pulls only .63 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Terrain Denali AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.4 seconds quicker than the Bronco 4-Door (27.5 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 30.9 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

Chassis

The GMC Terrain may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 900 to 2050 pounds less than the Ford Bronco.

The Terrain is 7.1 inches shorter than the Bronco 4-Door, making the Terrain easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Terrain is 7.9 inches narrower on average than the Bronco, making the Terrain easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The Terrain is 6.5 inches shorter in height than the Bronco, making the Terrain much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Terrain’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Bronco doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The Terrain uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Bronco doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Terrain’s rear seats recline. The Bronco’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Terrain’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Bronco doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Terrain’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Bronco’s swing out door blocks loading from the passenger’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Terrain offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Bronco doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Bronco doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Bronco doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Bronco doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Terrain’s front and rear power windows all lower 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 Bronco’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The Terrain’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Bronco’s available power window controls are spread out on the center console where they can’t be seen without the driver completely removing his eyes from the road.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Terrain has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Bronco only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Terrain’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Bronco’s power mirror controls are on the center console where they can’t be seen without the driver completely removing his eyes from the road.

When the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Bronco’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Terrain’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Bronco offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Terrain and the Bronco offer available heated front seats. The Terrain Denali also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Bronco.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Terrain Denali keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Bronco doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Terrain has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Bronco doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Terrain’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Bronco Base doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

Both the Terrain and the Bronco offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Terrain has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Bronco doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Terrain Denali’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Bronco doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Terrain is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Bronco doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Terrain owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Terrain will cost $70 to $2945 less than the Bronco over a five-year period.