Compare the2024 Kia SportageVS 2024 Ford Bronco

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sportage 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 Ford Bronco doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse 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 Sportage’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.

Both the Sportage and Bronco offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Bronco’s Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Sportage 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 Sportage and the Bronco have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and around view monitors.

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 Sportage with standard seats is safer than the Bronco:

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

The Kia Sportage achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Bronco is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

The Sportage comes with a full 5-year/60,000-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 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Ford covers the Bronco. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Bronco ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Sportage’s reliability 23 points higher than the Bronco.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 16th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 12 places higher in reliability than Ford.

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

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

The Sportage has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. 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.

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

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

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

The Sportage stops much shorter than the Bronco:

The Sportage LX/X-Pro’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 Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s tires have a lower 55 series profile than the Bronco’s optional 70 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line has standard 19-inch wheels. The Bronco’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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

The Sportage X-Pro Prestige handles at .84 G’s, while the Bronco Raptor pulls only .68 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Sportage X-Pro executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3 seconds quicker than the Bronco 4-Door (27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 30.9 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

The Kia Sportage may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1900 pounds less than the Ford Bronco.

The Sportage is 5.9 inches shorter than the Bronco 4-Door, making the Sportage easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sportage is 6.9 inches narrower on average than the Bronco, making the Sportage easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

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

Unibody construction lowers the Sportage’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.

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

The Sportage has a much larger cargo volume than the Bronco 4-Door with its rear seat up (39.6 vs. 38.3 cubic feet).

The Sportage’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 when your hands are full, the Sportage’s power cargo door can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Sportage’s power cargo door can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Bronco doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

When two different drivers share the Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro, 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 Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro’s standard Easy Access Function 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 Sportage’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.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Sportage X-Pro to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Bronco doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sportage 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Sportage’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Bronco’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

The Sportage’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 Sportage SX/Prestige/X-Pro 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.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sportage Prestige 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.

Both the Sportage and the Bronco offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Sportage 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 Sportage is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Bronco doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Sportage owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Sportage will cost $695 less than the Bronco over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sportage will be $4032 to $29071 less than for the Ford Bronco.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Ford Bronco isn't recommended.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Ford Bronco by 33% during 2023.