2023 Ford Bronco: Everything the 2023 Jeep Wrangler Doesn’t Have
The Jeep Wrangler has been the “Steady Eddie” of the off-road SUV world. That said, the Ford Bronco returned to thunderous applause and massive sighs of relief. Finally, we’ve got a real competitor for the Wrangler. Here’s what the 2023 Ford Bronco offers that the 2023 Jeep Wrangler does not.
The 2023 Ford Bronco has more safety features than the 2023 Jeep Wrangler
Ford ensured the Bronco would return to the market with the most advanced features and systems available. The Ford Co-Pilot 360 safety package is part of the mix from the base model on up. This package gives you:
- Automatic high-beam headlights
- Hill-start assist
- Forward-collision warning
- Automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection
- Hill-descent control ( manual-transmission Broncos only)
Bronco owners have the option to add:
- Blind-spot warning
- Rear cross-traffic alerts
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keeping assistance
Comparatively, the Wrangler lacks some of the most desirable items. Most advanced driver assistance features are bundled into packages for higher trims of the Jeep SUV but are not available for the base Sport trim.
Is the new Bronco bigger than the Jeep Wrangler?
The two-door Wrangler measures 166.8 inches long, 73.8 inches wide, and 73.6 inches tall. The four-door Wrangler is 188.4 inches long, the same width and height as the two-door version.
The two-door Ford Bronco is 173.7 inches long, 75.9 inches wide, and 71.9 inches tall. The four-door Bronco is 189.4 inches long, the same height and width as the two-door version.
Based on these figures, the new 2023 Ford Bronco is bigger than the 2023 Jeep Wrangler, although the Wrangler is taller.
The Ford off-road SUV has an electronic transfer case
The Jeep off-road SUV still does some things in an old-school manner. The Wrangler has a lever attached to a mechanical transfer case to put the SUV in 4-lo or 4-hi when desired. The Ford SUV offers a simple dial and an electronic transfer box to easily set the drive setting without fighting with a mechanical lever.
What type of off-roading are you doing?
When you want to ride fast over the desert sand, the 2023 Ford Bronco has everything you desire. These two off-road SUVs have vastly different suspension systems, which work for different types of off-road adventures. If you prefer rock crawling, go with the 2023 Jeep Wrangler, but the Ford SUV is a much better option if you’re driving over the desert sand.
Ford gives its off-road SUV larger infotainment screens
Ford seems to have gotten the memo that most of your driving is done on paved roads. This is true even when you drive off-road SUVs. The Bronco starts with an 8-inch infotainment screen running the Sync 4 system. You’ll have seven audio speakers in the lower trims and a wonderful 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen system at higher trims. Higher trims include a 12-inch touchscreen, and the Raptor grows the digital instrument cluster from the 8-inch unit on lower trims to a 12-inch screen.
J.D. Power reports the Wrangler starts with a 7-inch touchscreen running the Uconnect 4 system with higher trims adding an 8.4-inch touchscreen. While useful, these screen sizes don’t compare to what the Ford SUV offers.
The 2023 Ford Bronco has more cargo area than the 2023 Jeep Wrangler
The rear cargo area of the Ford off-road SUV measures 22.4 cubic feet with the seats up. This same area in the Jeep off-road SUV only measures 12.9 cubic feet. That’s a huge difference. These measurements are for the two-door versions of each SUV. As you can guess, the same story goes for the four-door models with 38.3 cubic feet for the Bronco and 31.7 cubic feet for the Wrangler.
Ford goes bigger than Jeep for off-road tires
The largest factory-installed tires for the Jeep Wrangler measure 33 inches while the Ford Bronco receives 35-inch tires on some higher trims. Both are impressive numbers, but when you need bigger tires for your off-road adventures, it’s pretty clear which SUV has what you need.
