Ford’s Bronco recently scored well in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests, but not quite well enough to score a coveted safety award. You might be less disappointed in the Ford, however, after seeing how its Jeep Wrangler rival fares.
While the Bronco did earn “good” ratings in five out of six crashworthiness tests, it only received an “acceptable” rating in the IIHS’s head restraint test because the neck of the test dummy was subjected to moderate force in a simulated rear-end smash.
The Bronco was also penalised for its headlights, whose low beams do not illuminated far enough down the road on curves, according to the IIHS. But if those findings were putting you off buying a Bronco, this video provides an eye-opening reminder of how much safer the Bronco is than its Wrangler arch rival.
The YouCar YouTube channel’s split-screen video allows us to watch footage of the Bronco undergoing the small overlap front impact crash test from multiple angles, while also watching footage of the 2019 Jeep Wrangler getting the same treatment a couple of years ago.
Related: The Jeep Wrangler Easily Outsold The Ford Bronco And Bronco Sport Combined In 2021
Crash testing is a messy business and both cars are comprehensively ruined by the impact on the driver’s side. But while the Bronco absorbs all of the impact in its front left quarter, the wheel pushing back into the arch, but the windshield remaining intact and the passenger cell and its occupants safe and very definitely level, the dummy in the Wrangler gets a much tougher ride.
The Jeep hits the impact block at the same 40 mph as the Bronco, and in the same position, but instead of absorbing the hit and deflecting around the obstacle, the Wrangler seemingly uses its own smashed front wheel as a ramp, flips over onto its side and skids off into the corner of the test warehouse.
As with the Bronco, the windshield and passenger cell is intact, but the IIHS understandably rated the Jeep’s performance as “marginal” in the small overlap test, while the Ford was given a “good” rating.
Would the IIIHS’s safety test findings help influence your Bronco or Jeep buying decisions, or are you more swayed by other factors? Leave a comment and let us know.