2024 Ford Bronco 4-Door Review and Test Drive
The 2024 Ford Bronco is an excellent off-road-ready rig — but it could be even better.
Christian Wardlaw
Few vehicles are as all-around capable as the 2024 Ford Bronco. Able to head deep into the wilderness, battle a blizzard, or take an open-air beach cruise at a moment's notice, the Bronco is fun to drive in most situations.
Is it luxurious? No. Can it rip down a canyon road? Not really. Is it a quiet and efficient long-distance road tripper? Not even close. But I think it's fun to drive nearly all the time — and its retro styling makes it fun to look at.
Previously, I've reviewed the two-door Bronco in both Outer Banks and Wildtrak trim. I've also taken the in the performance-oriented Bronco Raptor off-roading. However, since Ford revived the Bronco as a direct rival to the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner in 2021, I haven't assessed the family-friendly four-door Bronco. Until now.
The Big Bend trim is the new entry-level model since Ford has canceled the previous Base version of the Bronco. That means prices across the nine trim levels now stretch from the low $40,000s to the low $90,000s, including the destination charge to ship the SUV from the Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant to your local dealership.
That's quite a spread, but the Jeep Wrangler is both more affordable at the low end and more expensive at the high end of its lineup. On the Toyota side, most 4Runner and Land Cruiser trims overlap with the Bronco's. However, there's nothing comparable to the Bronco Raptor or Rubicon 392, and neither offers an open-top configuration.
Even as a longtime Wrangler fan, I'd buy a Bronco over the Jeep. There's just one problem.
Christian Wardlaw
The Ford Bronco Gets Only Minor Changes for 2024
I'm married, have two teenagers and a dog in the house, live in suburban Los Angeles, and like to drive vehicles with personality. The immersive, open-air driving experience of convertibles has always appealed to me, and I own a 20-year-old Mazda MX-5 Miata. It's a relic of my single days, and basically useless for anything save canyon carving and hitting the Pacific Coast Highway.
As a practical matter, the 2024 Ford Bronco is my kind of vehicle.
While I was surprised to find the four-seat, two-door Bronco adept at carrying my family — much more so than a two-door Wrangler — I've wondered if the four-door model's added passenger capacity, rear-seat room, and cargo space is worth the increased cost. Then I discovered the four-door Big Bend is only about $250 more than the two-door. That's a significantly smaller price difference than between Wrangler configurations, as the extra doors on the Jeep run a whopping $4,600.
Christian Wardlaw
Since I'm quite familiar with the four-door Wrangler, I also wanted to assess how the four-door Bronco compares to its chief competitor.
The changes to the 2024 Bronco are minor. In addition to the departed base trim, the SUV adds a 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard equipment for all trim levels. The Bronco Badlands gets a heavy-duty modular front bumper design, and the Bronco Raptor is available in two fresh colors and with a new Code Orange appearance package.
Since Ford sent me a four-door Big Bend to review, the only update I could assess was the 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Sync 4 technology. It's the same as what was in the Wildtrak two-door I reviewed last year, but I did not have the same success with the voice recognition system this time. Also, Sync 4 intermittently dropped the Apple CarPlay connection. Otherwise, everything I wrote about the infotainment setup in last year's Bronco stands.
Christian Wardlaw
Well-Equipped Broncos Command a High Price
The Bronco Big Bend is the most affordable version of this SUV, but I don't think it looks or feels that way when compared to other rugged off-roaders.
That's particularly true when it has the optional hard top (standard on two-door models), the Sasquatch package (lifted suspension, big tires), and the Mid Package. Those options, plus the extra-cost 10-speed automatic transmission, Hot Pepper Red paint, LED signature lighting, and rubber floor liners, brought the manufacturer's suggested retail price of the test vehicle to $55,415, including the $1,895 destination charge.
However, that price is well over $48,644, the current average transaction price for a new car in the United States. Unless you're willing to skip the Sasquatch upgrade and stick to the standard fabric soft top, a four-door Bronco Big Bend doesn't come close to average in price. But I think those oversized 35-inch mud-terrain tires and beadlock-capable wheels are critical to the Bronco's appeal. Whenever I see a Bronco without them, it looks off to me.
Christian Wardlaw
A new Ford Bronco is a luxury, even if it isn't luxurious. And the added costs don't stop with the purchase price. The Sasquatch package degrades fuel economy, and a Bronco so equipped gets worse fuel economy on the highway than it does in the city. My test vehicle carried an EPA gas mileage rating of 18/17/18 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. Compare that to a Sasquatch-less Big Bend at 20/21/20 mpg.
For the record, my test vehicle averaged 16.9 mpg on the evaluation drive, which included off-roading in 4-Hi at an off-highway vehicle park. My Bronco had just over 2,000 miles on its odometer, and the Trip B computer hadn't been reset since the SUV rolled off the assembly line. It read 17.6 mpg.
Beyond fuel, the other significant ownership expense will be tires. Replacements for the test vehicle's Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT tires are upwards of $300 each. So before tax, mounting, and balancing, you're looking at nearly $1,300 to replace them.
Christian Wardlaw
The Ford Bronco Is a Family Friendly Off-Roader
As I mentioned, a two-door Bronco can easily carry my family. There's also 22.4 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the back seat, which isn't much compared to many midsize SUVs but is enough for a long weekend away.
However, a four-door Bronco feels more appropriate for family duty. For starters, rear passengers get their own set of relatively wide doors for entering and exiting the SUV, plus the back seat can hold three people instead of two, and it provides more legroom. Also, the cargo area is larger, measuring 38.3 cu-ft behind the back seat (35.6 cu-ft with the optional hard top).
There are other creature comforts too, including USB charging ports, front-seatback storage nets, and a fold-down center armrest with two cupholders.
My Bronco did not have rear air-conditioning vents, but since owners are likely to drive with the windows down and the roof open, I feel that's less critical in this SUV than in some others.
Christian Wardlaw
Shorter members of your family may complain about how hard it is to get into and out of a Bronco — ask me how I know. Ford offers a solution for that. Simply install the optional running boards, tube steps, or removable hoop steps. The latter are unavailable with the Sasquatch package.
Safety is also essential in a family vehicle. The 2024 Bronco offers Ford Co-Pilot360, a collection of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that you've come to expect on a modern vehicle. Depending on the trim level, it is standard or an option. In addition, some Broncos offer adaptive cruise control and a surround-view camera.
Positive ratings in crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are a more accurate measure of the Bronco's safety. The four-door earns Good ratings in three evaluations and Advanced ratings for its ADAS performance. A Marginal rating for the SUV's standard headlights prevents the Bronco from earning a Top Safety Pick rating.
Christian Wardlaw
How the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler Stack Up
Two weeks before getting the Bronco, my family rented a 2024 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4xe plug-in hybrid while on vacation. It had less than 500 miles on it when we drove it out of the Alamo lot, and according to the window sticker in its glove compartment, its price was more than $62,000.
We thoroughly enjoyed driving it while exploring Maui, Hawaii. We never plugged it in, but it averaged 23.8 mpg during the rental period and about a quarter of the miles traveled were on electricity added by the regenerative brakes.
That said, the Jeep's powertrain, fuel economy, and cloth seats were the only superior features to the Ford. In every other significant way, the Bronco is a more comfortable, practical, and appealing SUV. In addition, while the IIHS has not fully tested the updated 2024 Wrangler, the Bronco scored better in 2023.
Which brings me back to my choice between the Bronco and the Wrangler. If Ford offered a more efficient hybrid or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Bronco, I could see one — with a Sasquatch package — parked in my driveway. But the inefficiency relative to the Jeep makes me hesitant. Fortunately, there are rumblings about a PHEV Bronco coming in 2025, so perhaps my patience will pay off.
Ford provided the vehicle for this 2024 Bronco review.
Written by humans.
Edited by humans.
Christian WardlawMy first word was “car.” That’s what I’m told, anyway. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. I’m a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but I’m also most interested in the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. Anybody can tell you that a sports car is fast. What you need to know is whether or not you should buy that new SUV, and why. My life purpose is to help you make that decision.
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