5 years into the new Bronco’s model run, The Driven Journal explores how Ford’s return to the off-road SUV market has been so successful.

A Legend Reborn

After a 25-year hiatus, the Bronco is back, and it does exactly what Ford needed it to: gain market share.

Sales numbers by year since Bronco launch via AutoGuide.com

Since its resurrection in 2021, the Bronco has met that goal. Steadily gaining on the Wrangler year over year until, in the 2^nd quarter of 2026, the Bronco finally surpassed its primary competitor in sales volume.

With 45,739 Broncos sold to the Wrangler’s 41,793 units, Ford has officially closed the gap. And before the Jeep fanboys start commenting, these numbers DO NOT include Bronco Sport sales.

To find out how the Bronco has been such a massive success, our drivers got behind the wheel of a 2023 Outer Banks edition; with the Sasquatch package of course.

This tastefully optioned spec let our team experience some of the most popular options without being swayed by the extreme capability (and cost) of the top-of-the-line Raptor trim.

Everything a Wrangler isn’t (and that’s a good thing)

The 2010’s saw the rise of the Jeep Wrangler as one of the most popular off-road SUVs in the U.S. market. Wrangler sales more than doubled from 2010 to 2015 as digital commuting and outdoor lifestyle became more popular on social media.

Though the Toyota 4Runner had already gained its own cult following, the Wrangler stood as the only open-air off-road SUV in the segment. So, it printed money for Fiat Chrysler… and whoever makes those miniature rubber ducks.

Jeep’s quacking cash cow was an unmatched success… until a true contender came along.

Enter the new Ford Bronco, with one goal in mind: beat Jeep at their own game.

To reach that goal, Ford spent over $750 million preparing for the new Bronco to achieve several objectives that would ultimately help it outperform the Wrangler.

A nicer place to be 

Simply put, the Bronco is much more comfortable than a comparably optioned Wrangler.

On the highway, in the city, on mountain roads, we’ve spent a week in both a Wrangler Sahara and Bronco Outer Banks over the last year and can confidently say that the Bronco is always a nicer place to be.

Though the Bronco sits on 35” Goodyear all-terrain tires with the equipped Sasquatch package, it’s more stable on pavement than the Wrangler on 32” standard road tires. The Bronco’s ride quality has been described as “truck-ish”, but in this case that’s not a drawback.

The dampening is better tuned to cutting down road noise and imperfections in the pavement than your typical off-roader, making it ride more like an F-150 than a Jeep; mimicking the comfort of a much longer wheelbase. Meanwhile our tests found the Wrangler to transfer more bumps and shakes to the passengers, making it feel “rickety” compared to the Bronco.

Our drivers felt that the interior was much more refined in the Ford as well. Our Bronco sported nicer plastics throughout the well-appointed cabin, and every piece of switch gear felt more durable. Connected to that switchgear is a strong HVAC system, with intuitive and physical controls.

Ford’s Sync4 infotainment system remains the best in the business and works just as well here as it does in the F-series pickups. Wireless Apple CarPlay connects with ease to a massive yet well-integrated center screen, and the B&O system drowns out the road noise with the top up or down. A clear win over the Wrangler.

Power adjustable and heated front seats are wrapped in leather for the Outer Banks edition. Well bolstered and supportive for 3+ hours at a time on a road trip through the Green Mountains of Vermont, our passengers never found ourselves re-adjusting as they did in the Wrangler. Plus, the back seats were spacious enough for real adults to ride for hours with no complaints.

One might ask whether you need so many creature comforts in an open-air off roader. But at an MSRP of around $50,000 in this economy, most buyers are looking for more than a weekend toy. The Bronco undoubtedly delivers a more luxury experience at this trim level and price, without sacrificing capability.

Inspiring Confidence Off-Road

While traveling west through the Rockies in 2025, our drivers camped at a new location every evening. Each more remote and difficult to reach than the last. Though our team never got “stuck” they did face several situations on trails through state and national parks where they felt like the Wrangler we’d given them would absolutely fail to proceed if pushed through the terrain ahead; whether it be rocks, mud, or sand. Alternate routes were found, and less challenging obstacles proved no problem for the Jeep.

One does not have to be quite as careful with the Bronco.

The 4,580 lb. Sasquatch feels indestructible on every terrain. Simply stop the truck for a moment, select the right G.O.A.T. mode, and feel confident that you truly can “Go Over Any Terrain.”

Sloshed out, wet roads are light work in “Slippery” mode; use this in a downpour. Step up to “Mud/Ruts” mode to rip through a soft, muddy farm field. Lock in “Sand” mode to speed down your favorite dirt road; or drive on the beach without embarrassing yourself.

While the Outer Banks trim lacks the “Baja” and “Rock Crawl” modes available in the Badlands and Raptor, it’s still an incredibly capable truck. Our team was unable to find an obstacle that they felt their Bronco couldn’t surmount.

The test vehicle clung to steep gravel grades, wet rocky trails, slick pavement and loose sand. Always perfectly applying torque in the proper place at the proper time, Ford’s traction management system impressed our team across multiple terrains.

At the end of the day, the Bronco just felt tougher all around. Like it could handle anything we threw at it, both on and off the road.

Advantages of a Clean Sheet

Traditional wisdom at Jeep has been that the Wrangler’s design shouldn’t change much if at all year over year. This has given the brand an iconic and unmistakably classic look, courtesy of the 1940s.

And while it hardly makes sense to call a design “stale” when it sells millions of units decade after decade, it’s also prevented Jeep’s design team from taking any chances to deliver a better consumer product.

Ford entered the fray in 2021 with a blank slate and the freedom to build a better off roader from the ground up. Though nostalgia was obviously a design constraint to some extent, the Bronco team wasn’t weighed down by building off an older chassis.

The result is a product that simply feels more robust and well thought out.  Take side-view mirrors for example:

Arguably one of the most unique features that the Bronco and Wrangler share is the ability for owners to remove the doors for “open-air off-roading”; with one big difference.

The Jeep’s side-view mirrors are mounted to the doors, so you lose a significant amount of visibility when you choose the doors-off experience.

Ford fixed this problem by making a simple decision to mount the side view mirrors beneath the Bronco’s A-Pillar. Now you can feel all the wind you want without sacrificing important on-road visibility.

Jeep has had 40 years to fix this problem on the Wrangler (even longer if you count the previous CJ series models) and customers still have to go to Ford if they want to take their doors off but not their mirrors. At best, you could call this extreme caution from the design team at Jeep not wanting to “rock the boat”. At worst, complacency with the fact that they haven’t had any direct competition for their product in years.

Whatever the reason, Jeep continues to rehash the design year after year. While the new Bronco presents a fresh take on a classic form factor, with modern functionality.

Pulling some iconic shapes from the original Bronco like round headlights and the overall 3-box shape, the modern Bronco is properly handsome; this time with excellent road manners. Such good road manners that our drivers agree it could be a daily driver.

And in this economy, daily drivability is a huge factor for the Bronco’s target audience. Buyers don’t have the money or the space to keep a 3^rd vehicle in the driveway as a dedicated off roader.

The Best of Both Worlds

Our Drivers’ final verdict on the Bronco: a resounding victory for the brand.

The Bronco beats Jeep at their own game, delivering superior comfort and technology inside, and greater performance and practicality throughout.

Ford wanted to send a message, and the message is clear: in every environment, for any use case, and in each category, a Bronco is a better choice.