Everyone talks about the top trim levels in Bronco
versus Wrangler. Those are trucks that most of us can't afford so let's look at the ones that
we can; the Bronco base and the Wrangler Sport which one is the miser's choice for the most
affordable and best performing off-road vehicle. The Bronco seems to have all the specs to
be a Wrangler crusher according to Ford. But if we look beyond the max numbers
depicted by the top trim levels is it the most affordable and biggest
bang for the truck SUV for everyone. When we stack up the best in class numbers
of the Bronco against the Wrangler or for that matter any globally produced off-road SUV,
Bronco dominates. But every Bronco doesn't come with the max performance specs and features, not
every Bronco is available with every combination of off-road desired specs and not surprisingly
these competition crushing numbers come at a price. Here's our analysis of what you could buy
based on what you want out of an off-road SUV. This assumes that you don't have a brand
loyalty to Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco. That you're starting from an unbiased
point of view, if that's even possible. Now we currently own a modified 2015 Wrangler
JK Unlimited Sahara and my last Ford Bronco was an 86 Bronco 2. While I love my Jeep I would make
the move back to Bronco without a second thought if it delivered the 4x4 that I need... want..
need.. it doesn't matter, it's the same thing. We're also going to look at the after market
upgrades when they make financial sense to create the rigor after. After all both
Bronco and Wrangler promote their customization as a primary reason to buy them. Let's
compare the two basic standard equipped models like we're scraping together our pennies
to afford a new off-road capable 4x4. A rig whose primary function is great trail performance
without paying for bling or electronics. In this model we're looking for the best crawl
ratio, best approach, breakover, departure angles and the best ground clearance. We want the best
turning radius for tight trails, good high speed driving since it'll also be our daily driver
and of course a fantastic open air experience. Now this means we're going to
narrow things down to a two-door, 4x4, convertible with a manual transmission.
The Bronco delivers the aptly named Base this rig will run you 28,500 US plus another
1500 bucks delivery and destination plus taxes and other charges depending on where you
live and how your dealer does business. In Wrangler the basic trim is called
Sport with a starting msrp of 28,300 US plus the same destination, delivery,
taxes and other charges from Jeep dealers as you can expect from Ford dealers.
So the Bronco starts a comparison at about 200 bucks more and that looks like a win for
Wrangler. However, Bronco does deliver some extras in that Base two-door including one that you may
consider a necessity and that's air conditioning. AC is an option in the two-door Sport, Bronco
base also provides superior LED head and tail lamps versus the Sport halogens, which some folks
consider a necessity for safety on and off road. After you buy LED lamps and air conditioning the
Wrangler Sports 200 lead evaporates. By the way, if you're enjoying this video share it, smash
that like button and if you want to see more please subscribe and ring that bell so you're the
first to be notified when a new video comes out. Now back to the Base versus Sport debate - in this
category both Bronco and Wrangler provide true four-wheel drive, push button start, a full-size
spare hung off the tailgate, front tow hooks, cloth upholstery, removable roof and doors. When
it comes to the open air experience Bronco gets the nod for having lighter frameless doors
that stack in the back leaving the mirrors on the body. But Jeep delivers the truly iconic
fold flat windshield that even the original Bronco had. While we appreciate the more easily
removable and storable Bronco factory doors aftermarket full skin tube doors are
available for Wrangler for about 500 bucks. Easy to purchase and install but you won't be able
to easily make your Bronco windshield fold flat. The Wrangler Sport also comes standard with
a convertible top, the hard top's optional. Right now the Bronco Base appears to be
standard with a hard top so to go open air you have to remove and store the hard top.
Now that's harder to do than storing doors and it's worse if you're on the trail and the weather
turns wet. Unfortunately Bronco Base may not even be available with a soft top. In stock form and
mostly because the fold flat windshield and the standard convertible soft top we give Wrangler
the misers win for best and most affordable open air experience. The Base is standard with a seven
speed manual transmission which is only available with a 2.3 litre inline-four ecoboost engine.
Numbers are only projected but if it performs like the 2.3 litre in the Ranger it'll deliver 270
horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. Standard equipment includes 16-inch wheels that mount
30-inch Bridgestone Dueler all-season tires. The Wrangler two-door Sport comes standard
with a six-speed manual transmission the 3.6 litre v6 Pentastar engine with 285
horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Jeep gives you a no charge choice of either
31.5 inch all season or all-terrain tires. By the numbers Bronco gets the win for a more
powerful engine. Let's look at the other key metrics in our search for the best affordable new
off-roader. The two-door Bronco is 173.7 inches long 75.9 inches wide with a wheelbase of 100.4
inches. The 2-door Wrangler is 166.8 inches long 73.9 wide with a wheelbase of 96.2 inches.
Wrangler is the smaller vehicle and smaller typically makes the better trail vehicle able
to squeeze between tight trees and rocks. It also has the shorter wheelbase which
often provides tighter turning radiuses for tricky switchbacks on mountain roads
and in tight trails through the forest. The Wrangler's curb to curb turning diameter is
34.6 feet but so far Bronco is unspecified. Technology in the upper trims could be the
deciding factor here where Bronco's trail turn assist could make the difference. This uses
braking and torque vectoring to slow the inside rear wheel pivoting the Bronco around a turn
but this is not a standard feature in the Base. Because of the smaller size and the likelihood
of a smaller turning radius in the basic trim we have to give the win to Wrangler Sport.
The Bronco 2-door has an approach angle of 35.5 degrees, breakover of 21.1, a departure angle
of 29.8 and a ground clearance of 8.4 inches with the stock 30-inch tires. With the stock 31.5 inch
tires the Wrangler has an approach angle of 41.4, breakover of 25, departure of 35.9 and a ground
clearance of 9.7 inches. Granted the Wrangler Sport comes stock with roughly one and a half
inch diameter larger tires but the specs are still clearly in favor of Wrangler for trail maneuvering
with standard features in the basic trim level. Another misers win for the Wrangler. Driving
on the highway or high speed off-road running is another matter the lower body height in the
Bronco, the longer wheelbase and the broncos independent front suspension should make it the
superior vehicle here. Again only a test drive will tell for certain. One key feature we can't
compare yet is the suspension travel. The Wrangler Sport 2 door is 8 inches of travel up front and
8 and a half inches in the rear and we don't see any reason why the Bronco Base will be any less
since the FJ Cruiser achieved the same 8 inches in the front with its independent front suspension
and 9 inches in the rear with its solid rear axle. Unfortunately neither model comes standard with
a disconnecting sway bar for now we're calling it a draw and the only note we'll make is that if
upgrading the basic suspension is in your future as an owner - a solid front axle lift, like
the Wranglers is cheaper than an independent front axle lift like the one in the Bronco.
If running trails involves towing an off-road trailer then Bronco Base is the clear choice with
a tow capacity of 3500 pounds over the Wrangler's meager 2000 pounds. The same goes if you need
to carry gear where the Bronco payload capacity tops out at 1170 and the Wrangler is lower at a
1000 pounds. Since we're talking cargo capacity let's talk cargo volume - the Bronco is the larger
vehicle and the cab is full body width providing 52 cubic feet of cargo space behind the front
seats. Far superior to the 32 cubic feet offered by the two-door Wrangler, another clear win for
Bronco. For off-road crawling torque is considered more important than horsepower. By the max numbers
the Bronco 2.3 litre ecoboost is the clear winner. The crawl ratio describes how the engine rpm is
reduced as it moves to the wheels - where a slow wheel turn means better control. The Wrangler's
crawl ratio will reduce 1000 engine rpm to turning the wheels just 21 times per minute, which
is a good number for an off-road vehicle. The Broncos crawl ratio will reduce 1000
engine rpm to turning the wheels just 12.5 times per minute, that is a very very controllable
speed for crawling along a difficult trail. A win for the Bronco. Which base model is best? This
is something you can answer by knowing what type of off-road driving you'll do most - if you plan
to use your 4x4 to camp then Bronco is the clear choice with its superior payload, towing and cargo
volume. For tight trails the smaller Wrangler with its better ground clearance, approach, breakover
and departure angles is a really good fit in its stock form - but you're probably looking for a
straight answer, not the ones we've given so far. Here it goes, if we were going to buy a
new 4x4 in 2021 it would be the Bronco. Even though it goes against the miser rules
by starting off paying an extra 200 bucks in the list price. For $200 we get
features that we would want to upgrade and some that can't be upgraded; including more
torque, cargo, payload and towing capacity. Other standard features thrown in for the 200
bucks also play a part including air conditioning, the 8 inch touchscreen, trail sights on the hood
and keyless entry. When we bought our Wrangler JK we followed a similar misers philosophy, only
pay for what you can't or don't want to upgrade and we were really satisfied with the results. The
2021 Bronco looks like the miser's top choice for new 4x4 compared to the 2020 Wrangler Sport but
Jeep has time to change pricing and options for the 2021 Sport to make it more competitive and
competition is great for wheelers everywhere. Now what options do you consider to be
essential for the misers off-roader, either stock parts and accessories or some from
the aftermarket. Comparing the 2021 Bronco Base with the 2020 Wrangler Sport what would you
choose? If you enjoyed this video share it, smash that like button and if you
want to see more please subscribe and ring that bell so you're the first to
be notified when a new video comes out. Until next time stay safe and
we'll see you on the trail.
