Compared: 2024 Toyota 4Runner vs. 2024 Ford Bronco
Reputation and familiarity battles modernity and technology when it comes to these two rugged off-road SUVs.
Toyota | Ford
QuickTakes:
With crossovers having taken over the new car market in recent years, there are few rugged body-on-frame SUVs remaining on the market. Two options that have bucked the trend are the venerable Toyota 4Runner, which has been largely unchanged since 2010, and the more modern Ford Bronco, which was reintroduced for 2021.
Toyota
In Its Upper Trims, the Bronco Gets Significantly More Expensive Than the 4Runner
The 2024 Toyota 4Runner comes in seven trims. The entry-level SR5 starts at about $43,000. The value-oriented off-road trim, the TRD Off-Road, starts at a little under $47,000, though adding the optional Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) package raises the price, depending on the options. The most expensive 4Runner, the TRD Pro, costs around $57,000. On trims where it isn't standard, adding four-wheel drive (4WD) is an additional $2,000.
Ford
The 2024 Ford Bronco boasts nine trims, all with standard 4WD. Buyers get a choice between two- and four-door body styles. Depending on trim level, going to four doors adds between about $750 and $1,300.
For 2024, the Bronco's base trim is the Big Bend, which starts at just over $41,000 for a two-door. A four-door Black Diamond, which has off-road features similar to a 4Runner TRD Off-Road, starts at around $47,000 after you add a $1,900 hard top. Those with slightly more ambitious off-road aspirations should expect to pay around $53,000 for a four-door Badlands model fitted with a basic soft top.
The high-performance Bronco Raptor sits at the pinnacle of the Bronco lineup and starts at a little over $92,000.
Toyota
The Bronco Offers More Configurations, but the 4Runner Has More Space
The Ford Bronco offers significantly more configurations and tech than the Toyota 4Runner. In addition to offering two- and four-door configurations, every Ford Bronco comes with a removable roof and removable doors. For 2024, the Bronco also comes standard with a large, 12.0-inch infotainment screen. The 4Runner uses an 8.0-inch screen exclusively.
The 4Runner is significantly bigger inside than the four-door Bronco, and behind the Toyota's second row you'll find more than 47 cubic-feet of cargo room, while most four-door hardtop Broncos offer 35.6 cu-ft. Select 4Runner trims can also be optioned with a kid-sized third-row seat. The 4Runner is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds. Most Bronco models are limited to 3,500 pounds.
Ford
In terms of off-road features, only the Bronco can be optioned with oversized tires, a locking front differential, off-road turn assist, steel bumpers, rubberized flooring, and integrated auxiliary switches. The Bronco also has a significant edge over the 4Runner when it comes to off-road geometry and 4WD crawl ratios.
While the Bronco offers a driver-selectable electronic sway bar disconnect, the 4Runner's TRD Off-Road models can be optioned with Toyota's clever KDSS, which is totally mechanical, operates without driver intervention, and adds stability both on-road and off.
Toyota
Neither the 4Runner nor the Bronco Is Fuel Efficient
Every 2024 Toyota 4Runner uses a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V6 making 270 horsepower paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. Both part-time and full-time 4WD systems are available. Regardless of driven wheels, the 2024 Toyota 4Runner returns an EPA fuel economy estimate of 16/19/17 mpg city/highway/combined.
Ford
The 2024 Ford Bronco's base engine is an EcoBoost 300-hp turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder mated to either a 10-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmission. Optional is an EcoBoost 330-hp twin-turbo 2.7-liter V6, which comes exclusively with the automatic. The Bronco Raptor packs an EcoBoost 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6, again paired with the automatic.
As of publication, fuel-economy figures for the 2024 Bronco have yet to be published, but they're unlikely to deviate from the 2023 model. With the discontinuation of the Base trim for 2024, expect all Bronco models to return in the neighborhood of 18/18/18 mpg at best, with the Raptor estimated at just 15/16/15 mpg.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
