Compare the2024 Ford Bronco SportVS 2023 BMW X1

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 BMW X1 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Sport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Bronco Sport and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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.

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 X1 has not been tested, yet.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Bronco Sport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 9 times as many Ford dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

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 X1 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 rated the Bronco Sport third among small suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The X1 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (250 vs. 241) than the X1’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Bronco Sport has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the X1 (16 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 X1 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Bronco Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the X1.

The Bronco Sport stops shorter than the X1:

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the X1; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco Sport is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than on the X1.

For better maneuverability, the Bronco Sport’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the X1’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X1 (8.8 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 300 pounds less than the BMW X1.

The Bronco Sport is 4.5 inches shorter than the X1, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bronco Sport has 2 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear headroom and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the X1.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the X1 with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 25.7 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the X1 with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 57.2 cubic feet).

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands’ 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 X1’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 X1 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Bronco Sport has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Bronco Sport’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The X1 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

On extremely cold winter days, the Bronco Sport’s optional (except Big Bend/Heritage/Free Wheeling) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The X1 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands has a 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 X1 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Bronco Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Bronco Sport will cost $215 to $945 less than the X1 over a five-year period.

The Bronco Sport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Bronco Sport will retain 58.63% to 60.38% of its original price after five years, while the X1 only retains 53.35%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Bronco Sport will be $9653 to $15312 less than for the BMW X1.

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 X1 was rated third in its category.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the BMW X1 by over 14 to one during 2022.