5 Affordable Alternatives To The Ford Bronco

There are many highly-capable off-road SUVs being produced these days, several of which compete directly with the Ford Bronco. The Toyota 4Runner, for instance, is fully redesigned and one of our favorites in the class for the rough stuff, but all its modern gear makes the 4Runner expensive. We've driven the latest Honda Passport, too, and while it's another strong mid-size SUV offering, it can be pricier than the Bronco and falls behind in terms of off-road capability. However, there are several SUVs that aren't direct rivals to the Bronco that have competitive prices and are equally capable off-road. There are also some alternatives worth noting that are far more practical than the Bronco, especially if you're willing to give up some of the off-road prowess. 

Depending on the trim level you select, the Bronco has a pretty wide pricing range. The Bronco is available in two- and four-door configurations, and you can have it with a soft- or hard-top. There are even a few stylized options and packages that up the nostalgia factor. The top-trim Bronco Raptor has an MSRP of $82,685 (including $1,995 destination fee and $695 acquisition fee), so a lot of competitors can make it under that bar. The base Bronco (in two-door configuration) has a much more affordable price tag of $41,685, though, and that's the low-end price that these alternatives will have to undercut.

The Ford Bronco and the Jeep Wrangler have a strong rivalry. Both have similar on- and off-road capability, and their configurations widely mirror one another. The Jeep does have a slight advantage in some categories, though, as several trim levels of the Wrangler undercut the Bronco, especially if you don't mind roughing it a little bit. The base Wrangler trim, for example, is called the Sport. It's available in both two- and four-door configurations, just like the Bronco. In the two-door configuration, it has a starting price of $34,090 (including $1,995 destination fee). Be forewarned, though, it is a little bit lacking when it comes to equipment. 

The Sport is powered by Jeep's tried-and-true 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar engine. It makes 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. The base V6 is only available with a six-speed manual transmission, but there are several different engines to choose from if you want to upgrade your Wrangler. There's the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a 6.4-liter V8, and even a plug-in hybrid model with 21 miles of all-electric range. Each of these powertrains is more expensive than the Pentastar, and some are far more expensive than certain versions of the Bronco — the Wrangler 392 with the big V8 is priced at over $100,000 before you add any options, for example. But with a wide variety of trim choices and configurations, the right Wrangler can undercut the Bronco if you choose wisely. 

Believe it or not, the Ford Ranger covers a lot of the same ground as the Bronco, especially if you get it in the right trim. Yes, the Ranger is a pickup truck and the Bronco isn't, but that doesn't mean you should count it out. Compared to the top-end Ford Bronco Raptor, for example, the Ranger Raptor is significantly more affordable while retaining most of the same charm. The Bronco Raptor, with its specialized off-road suspension and knobby tires, has that big $82,000-plus price tag we mentioned earlier. The Ranger Raptor, which has most of the same capabilities, has a starting price of $57,965 (including $1,895 destination). The Ranger Raptor has a turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that puts out 405 hp and 430 lb-ft, almost the same as the Bronco Raptor's 418 hp. Not a big power difference for the nearly-$25,000 price gap. 

The Ranger offers a lot of capability in its base versions, too, with the added convenience of a bed, all for less than the Bronco. The entry-level Ranger XL starts at just $35,245 (including $1,895 destination fee). That's, of course, the most basic model, which doesn't include four-wheel drive, but it's still a relatively well-equipped pickup. The Ranger XL comes standard with a 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine that produces 270 hp and 310 lb-ft, plenty for everyday tasks.

The Ford Bronco Sport, while not a body-on-frame SUV or a tow-and-haul pickup truck, is still a seriously capable rig. I recently tested the newest Bronco Sport model in the California desert, and I was impressed with its off-road capability in the sand and over rocks. For the majority of weekend off-road enthusiasts, it's got more than enough ground clearance and hardware to go exploring on the trails. It's also considerably less expensive to purchase and own than the standard Bronco. 

The base Bronco Sport has a starting price of $34,385 (including $1,995 destination and $695 acquisition fee). It gets its power from a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder that makes 180 hp and 200 lb-ft of torque. Like most engines in the cheaper-than-a-Bronco category, this three-cylinder powertrain isn't particularly exciting, but Ford also offers a significantly rowdier four-cylinder. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder produces 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, more than enough to toss the Bronco Sport around on the desert and put a smile on your face.

Even the most expensive versions of the Bronco Sport are still relatively inexpensive when you put them up against the big Bronco. The Bronco Sport's top Badlands trim, for example, has a starting price of $42,805 (including $1,995 destination and $695 acquisition), only slightly more than a base Bronco. The Bronco Sport can also be optioned with off-road equipment, like the Sasquatch package. This adds specialized off-road suspension, improved engine cooling, and protective bumpers, amongst others.

The RAV4 is one of America's most popular SUVs. It's practical, fuel-efficient, and reasonably priced — the starting price MSRP for a 2025 RAV4 LE, for instance, is just $31,000 ($1,450 destination included). A new 2026 model has been revealed, and while we're excited to drive it as soon as possible, the 2025 model still has a lot to offer in the meantime. For off-road fans, the RAV4 Woodland Edition adds a Trail Mode for slippery situations, upgraded suspension, and all-terrain tires. No, it doesn't quite have the off-road capabilities of a Bronco, but it makes up for that deficit with serious practicality. 

Nose to tail, the four-door Bronco is 8.5 inches longer than the RAV4, but they're almost an exact match for cargo capacity, with the Bronco offering 38.3 cubic feet of cargo space and the RAV4 offering 37.6 cubic feet. Under the hood, the standard RAV4 uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine capable of 203 hp and 184 lb-ft. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants offer 219 and 302 hp, respectively. That's not the kind of power that will knock your socks off, but it's enough for most of your daily driving needs. There's no denying the Bronco's capabilities, but with its boxy design and knobby off-road tires, fuel economy suffers. According to the EPA, the Bronco ranges between 15 and 20 mpg combined, depending on the trim level. The RAV4 nearly doubles that, with an EPA-estimated fuel economy between 28 and 39 mpg combined.

It's certainly not the first SUV that comes to mind when you think of "rugged" or off-road friendliness, but the Honda CR-V could be a strong alternative to the Bronco for some shoppers, depending on what they're looking for. Much like the RAV4, the CR-V is a solid SUV at a fair price. And if you'd like to do a bit of adventuring in the dirt, there's an all-new TrailSport model that comes with a hybrid powertrain, combining outdoor capabilities with efficiency. We've tested the new CR-V TrailSport, and much like the RAV4 Woodland Edition, the CR-V TrailSport isn't as good as the Bronco off-road, but makes up for it by being practical and sensible.

The new 2026 CR-V TrailSport is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired with a two-motor hybrid system that puts out 204 hp and 247 lb-ft. Those aren't huge numbers, but Honda claims that the TrailSport trim can return as high as 38 mpg combined. The CR-V also has a competitive 36.3 cubic feet of cargo space. The base 2026 CR-V has an MSRP of $32,370, which definitely undercuts the Bronco. The TrailSport Hybrid is more expensive at $40,250 (both prices including $1,450 destination), bumping up against the two-door Bronco's base price, but most buyers will likely find a happy medium somewhere between the two trims.