Compare the2024 Ford Bronco SportVS 2024 Toyota 4Runner

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport 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 Toyota 4Runner doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Bronco Sport 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 4Runner 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, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the 4Runner.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Bronco Sport 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 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Bronco Sport and the 4Runner have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Toyota 4Runner:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	267
Neck Injury Risk	26%	47%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	438 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	54 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	123/237 lbs.	488/468 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	153	367
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	57%
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	271 lbs.
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	58 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	385/291 lbs.	453/353 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the 4Runner:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	79	142
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	1 cm	12 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.7/0 kN	3.9/2.4 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Tibia index R/L	.52/.44	.95/.85
Tibia forces R/L	2.3/.1 kN	5/2.9 kN

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Toyota 4Runner:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1.1 inches
Hip Force	205 lbs.	233 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	36 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	20 inches
HIC	255	507
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	895 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Bronco Sport, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 7.2% less likely to roll over than the 4Runner, which received a three-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Bronco Sport its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 4Runner is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

There are over 2 times as many Ford dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

The Bronco Sport 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 4Runner doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota 4Runner:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.3 sec	22 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	16.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	88 MPH
Top Speed	125 MPH	105 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport gets better mileage than the 4Runner:

			MPG
Bronco Sport
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
4Runner
	RWD	4.0 DOHC V6	16 city/19 hwy
	AWD	4.0 DOHC V6	16 city/19 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Bronco Sport’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Bronco Sport 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 4Runner doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Bronco Sport higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Toyota 4Runner (5). This means the Bronco Sport produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 4Runner every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Bronco Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a five-speed automatic is available for the 4Runner.

Brakes and Stopping

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the 4Runner:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	201 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	138 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Bronco Sport’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 4Runner’s standard 70 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Ford Bronco Sport 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 Toyota 4Runner has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks handles at .79 G’s, while the 4Runner TRD Off-Road pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Bronco Sport Badlands executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the 4Runner TRD Off-Road (28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 29.5 seconds @ .55 average G’s).

Chassis

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1100 pounds less than the Toyota 4Runner.

The Bronco Sport is 1 foot, 5.5 inches shorter than the 4Runner, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Bronco Sport’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 4Runner doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Bronco Sport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 4Runner doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Bronco Sport Badlands is quieter than the 4Runner TRD Off-Road:

	Bronco Sport	4Runner
At idle	38 dB	43 dB
Full-Throttle	73 dB	76 dB
70 MPH Cruising	69 dB	69 dB

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 2.2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 3.1 inches more rear headroom and 4 inches more rear legroom than the 4Runner.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume than the 4Runner with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 9 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

An Intelligent Oil Life Monitor is standard on the Bronco Sport 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. Toyota doesn’t offer a maintenance reminder on the 4Runner.

Ergonomics

The Bronco Sport’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The 4Runner’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Bronco Sport and the 4Runner have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Bronco Sport is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The 4Runner prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The 4Runner doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Bronco Sport’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 4Runner’s power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Bronco Sport’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The 4Runner’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Bronco Sport Outer Banks’ standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Bronco Sport has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The 4Runner has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Limited/TRD Pro.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The 4Runner doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Bronco Sport’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The 4Runner’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Bronco Sport offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The 4Runner doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport second among small suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The 4Runner isn’t in the top three in its category.

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