It’s not exactly a surprise that the Ford Bronco was designed to compete directly with the Jeep Wrangler, given the fact that those two vehicles have historically been bitter rivals. However, judging by some recent comparison tests, it seems as if FoMoCo built a better vehicle, as the Wrangler was taken down by both the Bronco and even the Ford Bronco Sport on two separate occasions, the latter of which it doesn’t even compete with. With the Bronco attracting Wrangler owners in large quantities, the next battle on our menu pits the critically-acclaimed Ford Bronco Raptor – which is just starting to reach customers – against the Jeep Wrangler 392, a vehicle The Blue Oval benchmarked it against. And, according to MotorTrend at least, the Ford Bronco Raptor is the superior choice.
The most notable difference between these two high-performance off-roaders – on paper, at least – is what powers them. The Ford Bronco Raptor is equipped with the twin-turbocharged Ford 3.0L V6 EcoBoost engine, which makes 418 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque, putting it at a bit of a disadvantage compared to the Wrangler 392’s naturally-aspirated 6.4L V8 and its 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. As such, the V8 Wrangler is a whopping two seconds faster to reach 60 miles-per-hour.
From there, however, things diverge a bit. The Wrangler 392 is more expensive – over $10k more, in fact. MT notes that the Bronco Raptor has a better ride and feels more stable on the road, and that superior feel translates to off-roading as well, where it glides over obstacles that punish Wrangler drivers. It also took the test team places where the Wrangler 392 simply couldn’t go, to boot.
Inside the cabin, the Wrangler is pretty dated compared to the Bronco, and switching between the two “is like swapping an iPhone 10 for a 13 Pro,” according to out testers. Ultimately, this comparison was actually pretty close, but came down to one simple factor – value. “We asked ourselves if the Wrangler 392 is $10,000 better than the Bronco Raptor, which keeps pace with or exceeds the Jeep in nearly every area,” MT said. “The Wrangler 392 is the off-roader that speaks louder, but the Bronco Raptor offers a slightly broader range of capabilities for less. Both are excellent vehicles, but that makes the Braptor our pick of this ridiculous – and ridiculously impressive – litter.”
We’ll have more on the Bronco Raptor soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Bronco news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
Comments
Even as a Bronco owner, we all know the 392 is superior
A Bronco owner. RIGHT. I doubt if you’ve even set in one.
Superior at speed wobbles?
If we are honest about it you can buy a Rubi 392 for $5000 off and a Bronco Raptor if you can find one will probably run you $20k over so the MSRP comparison is not really accurate.
Hilarious. Both vehicles have their pluses and minuses but I’ll always enjoy reading about how “the Bronco is better”, when it’s written by a Ford publication. You guys are too much.
The vehicles were tested and the article written by Motor Trend.
Every single time I see a Bronco in person, I feel validated going with the 392. I swear they tried to make it ugly on purpose. And the b raptor just looks like a bronco in clown shoes.
The MT article said, “The Jeep is faster, sounds better, and is more nimble.” Then says the Bronco was as good as the jeep in every area. Which is it?
Also, I never saw anything in the article about the 392 not making it past an obstacle that the bronco did. Was that just fabricated? And a Rowher OHV? No, sorry, but no.
It’s universally agreed upon that the 392 is a future classic because it is a raw muscle car mixed with the classic solid axle king of off road.
bronco is the bastard child of ford bean counters and the marketing department. bronco just wants to take the throne but they never will because they are not willing to do what it takes. ford is trying to go for the IG hipster environmental crowd who only cares about on road manners and what the truck “could” do.
While Jeep is willing to make a hot pink 9mpg, big bore, solid axle, death trap that damages people’s hearing.
If ford really cared, the bronco would have been here a long time ago, but they don’t. They are just jumping on the 4×4 trend like everyone else because Jeep has been eating their lunch for the last 30 years.
Sounds like your needed to defend the aging 392 Jeep. I drive a Hemi Mopar, but I would purchase the Bronco with zero consideration for the Jeep. The only thing Stellantis is good at is taking nearly every vehicle they build and throw in a Hemi. The jeep looks dated. Has a crappy interior while the Bronco looks fresh with a great new interior and technology the Jeep is lacking.. Who buys a jeep for straight line speed. I purchased my luxury performance 300C that included a Hemi. Not the other way around buying the Hemi to get the 300C. My Chrysler gets bashed all the time by automotive magazines. Get over it that the Bronco is a better vehicle.
With sky one touch roof, half doors, Xtreme Recon package, taxes, and fees, the finance amount will be $100K for a 392 in California. Trying to tell an enthusiast who is willing to spend $100K on a wrangler that one truck is better than another because it’s a little cheaper is stupid, opinion based, and lazy journalism.
Bronco is cheaper because ford marketing and Ford bean counters needed it to be cheaper in order to fight the King of off road—who incidentally, doesn’t give a flying F about price point when it come to making the ultimate enthusiast Offroading suv.
Jeez, Jeep owners are furious in the comment section. MotorTrend is possibly the most FCA biased of any car news organization, and it’s the only one I could find who chose the Wrangler over the regular Bronco. If even they are saying the Bronco Raptor is better, it’s probably a lot better. And to those in the comments saying “oh Bronco markups”, a couple months ago, a study was published showing that the average markup for the Bronco was third amongst new vehicles, behind the Corvette and, guess who, the Wrangler.
Also, other than hp numbers and front suspension articulation, the Bronco Raptor wins in every category. The interior is better and more modern, the styling is unquestionably more muscular and less dated, and the ground clearance, water fording and angles are all above the 392 (with and without the Xtreme Recon Pack). Not to mention that the handling is light years apart thanks to IFS, rack and pinion steering, and Live Valve. The Raptor also has far more underbody protection and no pumpkin sized front diff hanging out. The sole place that the 392 is better is tight-trail forest rock crawling, and only when equipped with the XR pack. And if that’s your off-road, just buy a regular Rubicon XR with the V6. Angles and clearance are similar to the Raptor and it costs way less than the 392. Or buy a Sasquatch Bronco, which costs way less, and slap on the Ford Performance lift kit.
La Ford es un excelente carro, bonito, el wangler es igual un excelente carro, pero el primero cualquiera lo tiene hasta un piel roja o inclusive alguien nacido en Machu Picchu, pero un wangler no cualquiera lo tiene.
We have both! They are each their own and both do something’s better!