Photo: Ford / Jeep / Toyota
Ford claims their 2025 model year Bronco compact and mid-size SUV is not only Built Wild but also more stylish, techier, and has better comfort than before. So, let's see what does the competition has to say about all that.
The base Ford Bronco is back in the lineup, by the way, complete with two- and four-door options starting from $37,995. But how did they get there? Well, the Bronco model line history kicks off with the original from 1966, which is also the first-ever SUV model produced by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially developed as a stand-alone compact off-road vehicle based on a unique model chassis, and it was obviously directed at the Jeep CJ-5 or the International Scout, both iconic models from the era.
The first generation was a two-door pickup truck, a three-door compact SUV, and also a no-door roadster model, but consumer tastes soon changed, and the Ford Bronco evolved alongside the trends. As such, in 1978, the Blue Oval company debuted a second iteration, which was now slotted in the full-size SUV class, albeit still offering just the three-door layout – all to better compete with rivaling Detroit carmaker's Chevrolet K5 Blazer, Dodge Ramcharger, and Jeep Cherokee.
As such, its chassis was adapted directly from the Ford F-Series, a situation that lasted with the third generation from 1980, the fourth iteration from 1987, and the fifth installment, which was paired in 1992 with the ninth-generation Ford F-150. They were all three-door SUVs, but ultimately, the age of hunky yet short off-roaders paled, and Ford dismissed the Bronco in 1996. Because trends have a habit of coming back, after a quarter of a century on hiatus, Ford brought back to much fanfare the Bronco nameplate for the 2021 model year.
It was the most hyped American release of 2020 – for both good and bad reasons. Twinned with the Ford Ranger pickup truck on the T6 architecture for mid-size applications, the new truck returned with both two- and four-door body styles to kick the Jeep Wrangler out of its best-selling socket. Well, due to numerous issues with initial production and quality, the Ford Bronco couldn't dethrone the eternal Jeep Wrangler rival. Instead, it's fighting for second place with Toyota's old-school 4Runner – and now it's facing double jeopardy from the Japanese automaker because the company reintroduced the legendary Land Cruiser as a five-door mid-size premium SUV and is also ready to bring to market the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, the sixth by its name. To cope with all that, Ford recently announced the arrival of the 2025 Bronco, including across the build and price section of its online portal.
The novelties for the new model year include the return of the base model after a year-long hiatus due to production constraints, and the good news is that you can have it from an MSRP of $37,995 if you choose the smaller 2-Door version. There's one inaugural surprise here – it's the same price if you select the larger and more practical but slightly less cool 4-Door version! Opposite the 2025 Ford Bronco, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser shows its 326-hp hybrid premium credentials with a starting price of no less than $56,450, and there are just two versions – the Land Cruiser 1958 with round headlights or the Land Cruiser model with rectangular clusters and a starting MSRP of $62,450.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Jeep Wrangler has surged from the 2024MY price of $31,995 to a new starting price of $32,690 for the 2025MY – it's significantly cheaper than the 2025 Ford Bronco, though only if you select the 2-Door Wrangler. Meanwhile, the base 2025 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4-Door starts from a comparable yet slightly cheaper $37,290. You can easily get it into premium territory with the Rubicon X 4-Door costing $62k or the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe starting from $50,695 and surging to $70,940. That makes the Jeep Wrangler 4xe a worthy hybrid opponent to the hybrid-only 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, for sure.
As for the 2025 Ford Bronco, it too can surge quite fast across the MSRP scale – Big Bend, Outer Banks, and Heritage Edition are only available with the 4-Door body style between $40,370 and $49,475, while Badlands is again offered with two and four doors at $50,095 and $51,385, respectively. The fresh Stroppe Edition is only available as a two-door and costs an arm and a leg - $75,365, but offers "uncompromising power with a vintage style." Last but not least, the Blue Oval also enters the high-performance territory with the 2025 Bronco Raptor kicking off at $90,035, but that's two arms and two legs, of course. Obviously, there's one wild card in the equation – and we're not talking about the very cool vintage-style Free Wheeling package for the 2025 Ford Bronco.
That would be the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, which is coming with Tacoma looks plus its powertrains, including the ICE-only option and the hybrid mill. The predecessor was selling pretty darn well, although it was a model born in 2009, so there's a big chance the new one might upset the pre-set balance of power. Obviously, we already know its looks and features and can take a hint from the new Tacoma regarding its on- and off-road prowess, so the only question is about pricing – will it be cheaper or more expensive than the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler?
The first generation was a two-door pickup truck, a three-door compact SUV, and also a no-door roadster model, but consumer tastes soon changed, and the Ford Bronco evolved alongside the trends. As such, in 1978, the Blue Oval company debuted a second iteration, which was now slotted in the full-size SUV class, albeit still offering just the three-door layout – all to better compete with rivaling Detroit carmaker's Chevrolet K5 Blazer, Dodge Ramcharger, and Jeep Cherokee.
As such, its chassis was adapted directly from the Ford F-Series, a situation that lasted with the third generation from 1980, the fourth iteration from 1987, and the fifth installment, which was paired in 1992 with the ninth-generation Ford F-150. They were all three-door SUVs, but ultimately, the age of hunky yet short off-roaders paled, and Ford dismissed the Bronco in 1996. Because trends have a habit of coming back, after a quarter of a century on hiatus, Ford brought back to much fanfare the Bronco nameplate for the 2021 model year.
It was the most hyped American release of 2020 – for both good and bad reasons. Twinned with the Ford Ranger pickup truck on the T6 architecture for mid-size applications, the new truck returned with both two- and four-door body styles to kick the Jeep Wrangler out of its best-selling socket. Well, due to numerous issues with initial production and quality, the Ford Bronco couldn't dethrone the eternal Jeep Wrangler rival. Instead, it's fighting for second place with Toyota's old-school 4Runner – and now it's facing double jeopardy from the Japanese automaker because the company reintroduced the legendary Land Cruiser as a five-door mid-size premium SUV and is also ready to bring to market the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, the sixth by its name. To cope with all that, Ford recently announced the arrival of the 2025 Bronco, including across the build and price section of its online portal.
The novelties for the new model year include the return of the base model after a year-long hiatus due to production constraints, and the good news is that you can have it from an MSRP of $37,995 if you choose the smaller 2-Door version. There's one inaugural surprise here – it's the same price if you select the larger and more practical but slightly less cool 4-Door version! Opposite the 2025 Ford Bronco, the 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser shows its 326-hp hybrid premium credentials with a starting price of no less than $56,450, and there are just two versions – the Land Cruiser 1958 with round headlights or the Land Cruiser model with rectangular clusters and a starting MSRP of $62,450.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Jeep Wrangler has surged from the 2024MY price of $31,995 to a new starting price of $32,690 for the 2025MY – it's significantly cheaper than the 2025 Ford Bronco, though only if you select the 2-Door Wrangler. Meanwhile, the base 2025 Jeep Wrangler Sport 4-Door starts from a comparable yet slightly cheaper $37,290. You can easily get it into premium territory with the Rubicon X 4-Door costing $62k or the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe starting from $50,695 and surging to $70,940. That makes the Jeep Wrangler 4xe a worthy hybrid opponent to the hybrid-only 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser, for sure.
As for the 2025 Ford Bronco, it too can surge quite fast across the MSRP scale – Big Bend, Outer Banks, and Heritage Edition are only available with the 4-Door body style between $40,370 and $49,475, while Badlands is again offered with two and four doors at $50,095 and $51,385, respectively. The fresh Stroppe Edition is only available as a two-door and costs an arm and a leg - $75,365, but offers "uncompromising power with a vintage style." Last but not least, the Blue Oval also enters the high-performance territory with the 2025 Bronco Raptor kicking off at $90,035, but that's two arms and two legs, of course. Obviously, there's one wild card in the equation – and we're not talking about the very cool vintage-style Free Wheeling package for the 2025 Ford Bronco.
That would be the 2025 Toyota 4Runner, which is coming with Tacoma looks plus its powertrains, including the ICE-only option and the hybrid mill. The predecessor was selling pretty darn well, although it was a model born in 2009, so there's a big chance the new one might upset the pre-set balance of power. Obviously, we already know its looks and features and can take a hint from the new Tacoma regarding its on- and off-road prowess, so the only question is about pricing – will it be cheaper or more expensive than the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler?
Google News