Compare the2026 Ford Bronco SportVS 2026 Acura RDX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Acura RDX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Bronco Sport achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Acura RDX has not been tested.

The Bronco Sport has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RDX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the Bronco Sport and RDX have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Bronco Sport has rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The RDX’s Rear Cross Traffic Monitor doesn’t automatically brake.

The Bronco Sport’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The RDX doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Bronco Sport and the RDX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	300
Neck Injury Risk	26%	26%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	262 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	123/237 lbs.	328/464 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	353
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	84 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	385/291 lbs.	362/441 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Acura RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	205 lbs.	217 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	52 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	255	486
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	704 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are over 10 times as many Ford dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The RDX doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. With 5 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than Acura.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Acura With 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Ford higher than Acura.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Acura RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
Zero to 30 MPH	2.1 sec	2.6 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.1 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.5 sec	3.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.5 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport gets better mileage than the RDX:

			MPG
Bronco Sport
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
		Sasquatch 1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	23 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
RDX
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		A-Spec 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the RDX:

	Bronco Sport	RDX
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the RDX; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Bronco Sport’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the RDX’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RDX (8.8 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 550 pounds less than the Acura RDX.

The Bronco Sport is 1 foot, 2.3 inches shorter than the RDX, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Bronco Sport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more rear headroom and 3.5 inches more rear hip room than the RDX.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume than the RDX with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 31.1 cubic feet).

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The RDX’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The Bronco Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RDX’s (2200 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Acura RDX is only 1500 pounds. The Bronco Sport offers up to a 2700 lbs. towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The RDX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The RDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The RDX doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Bronco Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The RDX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Bronco Sport and the Acura RDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Acura RDX by over four to one during 2025.

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