Compare the2024 Toyota TacomaVS 2024 Ford Bronco

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Tacoma 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.

The Toyota Tacoma 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 Tacoma has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests 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 Tacoma offers an optional Parking Support Brake 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 Tacoma’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 Tacoma and Bronco offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Tacoma with Blind Spot Monitor also has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Bronco’s Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Tacoma and the Bronco have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tacoma for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota 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.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota 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 Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 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 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Ford is ranked 22nd.

The Tacoma’s optional 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 25 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 440) than the Bronco Raptor’s optional 3.0 turbo V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Tacoma turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Ford Bronco turbo V6 (automatics tested):

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

The Tacoma has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Bronco 2-Door’s standard fuel tank (18.2 vs. 16.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Toyota Tacoma manual has a downshift rev synchronizer that automatically raises engine speed to make downshifts perfectly smooth. This keeps the pickup from lurching during downshifts, preventing loss of control during cornering. The Bronco doesn’t offer a downshift rev synchronizer.

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

The Tacoma stops much shorter than the Bronco:

The Tacoma’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 70 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Bronco Big Bend’s standard 75 series tires. The Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport/Limited’s tires have a lower 65 series profile than the Bronco’s optional 70 series tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Tacoma 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 Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro/TRD Off-Road/TRD Sport/SR5 Double Cab flat and controlled during cornering. The Bronco’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tacoma XtraCab’s wheelbase is 31.5 inches longer than on the Bronco 2-Door (131.9 inches vs. 100.4 inches). The Tacoma 6-ft. bed Double Cab’s wheelbase is 28.6 inches longer than on the Bronco Raptor (145.1 inches vs. 116.5 inches).

The Tacoma 5-ft. bed TRD Off-Road Double Cab handles at .77 G’s, while the Bronco Badlands 2-Door pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tacoma 6-ft. bed TRD Sport Double Cab executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Bronco Badlands 2-Door (27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tacoma XtraCab has a 2.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Bronco 4-Door (10.7 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Tacoma to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Tacoma XtraCab has .5 inches more front hip room and 1.2 inches more front shoulder room than the Bronco 2-Door.

The Tacoma Double Cab has .9 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Bronco 4-Door.

The Tacoma’s cargo area is larger than the Bronco’s in almost every dimension:

The Toyota Tacoma has a standard easy lower and lift tailgate, which prevents the heavy tailgate from falling with a crash and causing injury. It allows adults and children to easily open and close the tailgate with one hand to better facilitate loading and unloading. The Ford Bronco doesn’t offer a tailgate assist.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Tacoma (except SR/SR5/PreRunner) offers an optional power cargo door, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Bronco doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Bronco is limited to 4500 pounds. The Tacoma offers up to a 6500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Tacoma has a higher standard payload capacity than the Bronco (1230 vs. 1100 lbs.).

The Tacoma has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Bronco (1690 vs. 1452 lbs.).

The Tacoma Limited/Trailhunter/TRD Pro has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction and driver assistance information 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 Tacoma’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 Tacoma’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 Tacoma the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Bronco can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tacoma’s standard Smart Key allow you to unlock the doors from the driver’s outside door handle and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Push Button Start standard on the Bronco only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Tacoma’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.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Tacoma (except SR/SR5/PreRunner) 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 Tacoma is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Bronco doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Toyota Tacoma outsold the Ford Bronco by over two to one during 2023.