Compare the2025 Ford Bronco SportVS 2025 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 around view monitors.

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 over 8 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 first among small suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The X1 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated below average.

The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (250 vs. 241) than the X1 xDrive28i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Bronco Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Bronco Sport Badlands for maximum performance). The X1 M35i xDrive requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

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 has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco Sport is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .5 inches wider in the rear than the average track 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 xDrive28i, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The X1 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

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’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The X1’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

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.

The Bronco Sport’s standard Intelligent Access allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Comfort Go standard on the X1 only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Bronco Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X1.

The Bronco Sport offers an optional 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%.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the BMW X1 by over six to one during 2023.