Sport utility vehicles have long come in different shapes and personalities, and that extends to the compact SUV class. Take, for instance, the 2025 Honda CR-V and 2025 Ford Bronco Sport. Both are 2-row, 5-passenger compact SUVs, yes, but with quite different characteristics.
The Honda CR-V is arguably the epitome of what a compact SUV is: practical, efficient, and an excellent companion for life’s ordinary adventures. The Ford Bronco Sport, while also offering similar traits, is built for less-ordinary adventures – like the kind that takes you off the beaten path.
Here’s how these two popular compact SUVs compare.
2025 Honda CR-V
A perennial winner of our Best Buy Award in its class, the Honda CR-V pretty much does everything right. It’s comfortable, easy-mannered, and spacious, yet it offers modern technology and safety features. There are even fuel-saving hybrid variants, which we review separately. The 2025 Honda CR-V starts at $31,450, including the destination fee.
Honda CR-V Highlights
Honda Sensing: Standard on every model, this robust suite of active safety and driver assistance features bundles adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, automatic emergency braking, and more.
Cargo volume: The CR-V might be classified as a compact SUV, but it can hold a lot of gear. With the rear seats up, it boasts 39.3 cubic feet of capacity, which grows to 76.5 with the seats down. That handily beats the figures of the Ford Bronco Sport.
Smartphone connectivity: While this is pretty much the norm, it deserves mentioning that the Honda CR-V comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Once you’ve used these systems in your car, it’s hard to live without them
Read our Honda CR-V Expert Review or see 2025 Honda CR-V models for sale near you.
2025 Ford Bronco Sport
Ford actually builds two SUVs with the Bronco name. The one simply named Bronco is excellent at off-roading but less than excellent for daily commuting. The Bronco Sport is the one we’re comparing here. It’s the smaller of the two and has far more comfortable and quiet road manners, yet it still has the kind of off-road chops that enable it to wear the Bronco name. For 2025, the Bronco Sport leans even more into its off-road nature with the introduction of the Sasquatch package, and all models benefit from a standard 13.2-inch touchscreen display. The 2025 Bronco Sport starts at $31,590, including destination fee.
Ford Bronco Sport Highlights
Cool special editions: In addition to the kind of palette of common colors you would expect, the Bronco Sport can be had in some standout hues and designs. For example, there’s the Free Wheeling edition, with its retro sunset gradient stripes, or the Heritage Edition, with its old-school white grille and red lettering.
Sasquatch package: This name was first used on its Bronco big brother, and for 2025 the Bronco Sport can be had with it. It gets increased ride height, upgraded suspension, steel underbody bash plates, recovery hooks, and a dual-clutch torque-vectoring rear drive unit.
B&O audio: The Honda offers a Bose premium audio system, but our ears prefer the sounds that come from this other premium brand that starts with a B. This 10-speaker/560-watt surround-sound system is a sonic treat.
Read our Ford Bronco Sport Expert Review or see 2025 Ford Bronco Sport models for sale near you.
Similarities
The Honda CR-V and Bronco Sport are both roomy, 2-row, 5-passenger compact SUVs with the latest tech and safety features.
Conclusion
Both of these compact SUVs will serve you well commuting during the workweek, but what about your weekend? If yours entails the normal store runs, youth soccer matches, and trips to the home improvement store, the CR-V will serve you perfectly fine. If you’re more of a weekend warrior type whose idea of fun involves lots of activity beyond the confines of the city, the Bronco Sport is built to take you farther off-road than most rivals, including the CR-V.
New 2025 Ford Bronco Sport Prices
|
Retail Price
|
Fair Purchase Price (06457)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
$31,590 |
$31,318 |
|||
$34,730 |
$34,431 |
|||
$34,990 |
$34,689 |
|||
$36,890 |
$36,388 |
|||
$41,710 |
$41,351 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for New 2025 Honda CR-V vehicles and New 2025 Ford Bronco Sport vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.
| 2025 Honda CR-V | 2025 Ford Bronco Sport | |
| Popular Powertrains | ||
| Engine | Turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder | Turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder |
| Horsepower | 190 hp @ 6,000 rpm | 181 hp @ 6,000 rpm |
| Torque | 179 lb-ft @ 1,700 – 5,000 rpm | 190 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm |
| Transmission | CVT | 8-speed automatic |
| Fuel economy MPG | 28 city/34 highway/30 combined | 25 city/29 highway/26 combined |
| Also Available | AWD | Turbo 2.0-liter 4-cylinder |
| Specs | ||
| Basic Warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles | 3 years/36,000 miles |
| Powertrain Warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| NHTSA Overall Safety | 5-Star | 5-Star |
| Max Seating Capacity | 5 | 5 |
| Wheelbase | 106.3 inches | 105.1 inches |
| Overall Length | 184.8 inches | 172.7 inches |
| Width | 73.5 inches | 74.3 inches |
| Height | 66.2 inches | 70.2 inches |
| Turning Diameter | 37.3 feet | 37.4 feet |
| Headroom, Front | 40.0 inches | 41.5 inches |
| Headroom, Rear | 38.2 inches | 41.7 inches |
| Legroom, Front | 41.3 inches | 42.4 inches |
| Legroom, Rear | 41.0 inches | 36.9 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Front | 57.9 inches | 57.3 inches |
| Shoulder Room, Rear | 55.9 inches | 55.6 inches |
| Cargo Volume rear seats up/down | 39.3/76.5 cubic feet | 32.5/65.2 cubic feet |
