Compare the2024 BMW X4VS 2023 Ford Bronco

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The X4’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Bronco doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X4 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Bronco doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The X4 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Bronco doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The X4 offers an optional Active Park Distance Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Bronco doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The X4’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Bronco and is not available with Base.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the X4 has standard Cross Traffic Warning, helping the driver avoid collisions. Ford charges extra for Cross Traffic Alert on the Bronco and its not available on the Base.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the X4 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 X4 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

Warranty

The X4 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Bronco’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The X4’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Bronco’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X4 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Bronco.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X4 second among compact premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Bronco isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Ford.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Ford is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 18th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the X4 gets better mileage than the Bronco 4-Door:

			MPG
X4
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 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 2.7 turbo V6	17 city/17 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the X4’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Bronco doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X4 has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Bronco. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The BMW X4 comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Bronco.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the X4’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the Bronco:

	X4	Bronco
Front Rotors	13 inches	12.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.1 inches

The X4 stops much shorter than the Bronco:

	X4	Bronco
60 to 0 MPH	109 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The X4’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Bronco Big Bend’s standard 75 series tires. The X4’s optional 245/40R21 front and 275/35R21 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Bronco’s 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X4 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Bronco. The X4’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Bronco Outer Banks.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the X4 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Bronco doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the BMW X4 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 X4 has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the X4 flat and controlled during cornering. The Bronco’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The X4’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.2% to 50.8%) than the Bronco’s (54.3% to 45.7%). This gives the X4 more stable handling and braking.

The X4 M40i handles at .89 G’s, while the Bronco 4-Door pulls only .63 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X4 M40i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 5.3 seconds quicker than the Bronco 4-Door (25.6 seconds @ .73 average G’s vs. 30.9 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

Chassis

The X4 is 8.1 inches shorter in height than the Bronco, making the X4 much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the X4’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.

Passenger Space

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the X4’s rear seats recline. The Bronco’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the X4’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Bronco doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The X4’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 X4 has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Bronco doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Servicing Ease

The X4 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Bronco uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Ford. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 28% lower rating, Ford is ranked 22nd.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the X4, the memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The Bronco doesn’t offer a memory system.

The X4 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 X4’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Bronco’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The X4’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.

If the windows are left open on the X4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote or with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Bronco can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The X4’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Bronco’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the X4 has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Bronco doesn’t offer cornering lights. The X4 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The X4’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 X4 is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Bronco’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The X4’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 X4 and the Bronco offer available heated front seats. The X4 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 X4 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 X4 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 X4 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Bronco and isn’t available on the Bronco Base.

The X4’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 X4 and the Bronco offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the X4 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 X4’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Bronco doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the X4 first among compact premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Bronco isn’t in the top three.

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