It is incredibly obvious which SUV will most frequently compare to the Ford Bronco 2021: the Jeep Wrangler. The two-door and four-door body styles, the removable roof and doors, the comparable dimensions … hell, even the marketing strategy. We have already compared its specifications.
However, there is another ghost out there. A wise old soul that has been around since the Pleistocene: the Toyota 4Runner, which has been priced and updated for 2021. Compared to the Bronco’s choice HomeTown Buffet of choice, the 4Runner basically offers different ingredients in the same delicious sandwich: four doors, an engine, a transmission and the roof is going nowhere. Those different “coverages” provide capacity levels in the form of TRD Off-Road and TRD Pro trim levels, in addition to the new 2021 4Runner Trail.
However, despite their vast differences and ages, the Bronco and 4Runner will surely be considered by anyone looking to venture off the beaten path and bring a considerable amount of gear with them. Also, you know, people who want a really attractive off-road SUV.
This is how they are stacked on paper.
I won’t bore you by reiterating what you’ve already digested on the chart, but here are a few things that stand out.
The 4Runner is as long as the four-door Bronco, but its wheelbase is half a foot shorter. That certainly contributes to its considerable break angle advantage. It can also mean that the Bronco will provide a better road trip.
The Bronco has better approach and departure angles, but consider the ground clearance. The highest number in the Bronco is achieved with your choice of 35-inch tire. Without those, the 4Runner improves it.
Now, there are some key figures that we don’t know yet for the new Bronco. One is curb weight, so while the 4Runner and Bronco have 270 standard horsepower, it’s hard to tell what difference Ford’s turbocharged torque advantage will make. Because, for what it’s worth, the 4Runner feels terribly slow with its old V6 and weighs in at 4,750 pounds for TRD models. The old five-speed automatic transmission doesn’t help either.
