The arrival of the Ford Ranger Tremor marks the ninth grade to join the local current lineup, meaning that Australia’s favourite vehicle now has as many trim options available as America’s best-seller, the F-150.
That’s an astonishing amount of choice for a market not even one-tenth of the size of the Blue Oval’s heartland, so how can the brand justify yet another Ranger?
The Tremor nameplate is historically a North American option, usually found as a pack or grade on the likes of the F-150, Maverick and even the Super Duty and is centred on adding Raptor-lite levels of off-road ability with a few choice upgrades for a reasonable price.
This isn’t the first Ranger Tremor but it’s the first one sold here in Australia. And its intention is to be an all-rounder that’s more accessible than the growing list of high-tier Rangers.
Ford obviously sees promise in this nameplate because it announced at the launch of the Ranger Tremor that an Everest Tremor would follow later this year – with V6 power no less – and unlike its ute sibling, it will be a permanent addition to the range.
That’s right, only 1150 units of the Ranger Tremor are due to arrive on Aussie shores. So if you like what you see at the end of this review, it would probably be wise to contact your local dealer sooner rather than later.
What are the Ranger Tremor’s features and options for the price?
Based on the mid-spec Sport grade, the Ranger Tremor doesn’t get all the frills, but the list of equipment is still fairly respectable for $69,690 before on-road costs or roughly $3500 more than the Sport.
This includes the following shared with the Sport:
- 150kW/500Nm 2.0TT diesel engine
- 10-speed automatic
- Eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat
- Six-way manual adjustment for front-passenger
- Six-speaker stereo
- 8.0-inch digital driver’s display
- 10.1-inch touchscreen
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Some key upgrades to the Tremor include the same off-road suspension fitted to the now-discontinued Wildtrak X.
- 17-inch alloys
- General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres
- Full-time four-wheel-drive (instead of part-time)
- Bilstein position-sensitive dampers with external reservoirs
- Honeycomb grille with auxiliary grille LED lamps
- 2.3mm front steel bash plate
- Cast aluminium side steps
- Heavy duty electronic power steering gear with shielding
- Long-legged sports bar
- Weather-proof synthetic leather seats
- Tremor branded all-weather front & rear floor mats
- Standard auxiliary switch bank
- Tremor decals on the tray
Ford also offers its flexible rack system ($2800), a manual roller shutter ($3000), prestige paint ($700) and the touring pack ($1650) as options. Meanwhile, automatic stop/start can be removed as a no-cost option.
In terms of direct rivals, the Ranger Tremor competes with the Toyota Hilux GR Sport and the Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior. It’s also worth checking out Volkswagen’s recently released lift-kit for the Amarok, which can be applied to some of the more affordable yet still V6-equipped grades.
How does the Ranger Tremor drive?
With the Ranger now Australia’s best-selling vehicle, there’s a pretty good chance you know how the Tremor drives already because this latest version is generally quite similar to the broader range.
The tyre, wheel and suspension package fitted has effectively widened the track by 30mm and increased the ground clearance by an extra 26mm, and the Ranger Tremor drives accordingly.
On road, the Ranger Tremor is a bit more lumbering around corners but it’s commendable that Ford has been able to retain as much drivability as they have. It still tolerates a mid-corner bump without stepping out of line and that’s quite comforting on rural highways.
Of course, you could just go out a spec up a Ranger of your choosing at one of Australia’s many reputable aftermarket outlets but there is something to be said for the depth of engineering and testing applied by OEMs, complete with factory support and full warranty.
Ford’s engineers told us that the Bilstein suspension package is actually dialled in to operate at its most optimal with a half-payload (the full payload being 901kg). So by the time you’ve got a few accessories like a bullbar, loaded the family aboard together with all of its kit, the Ranger should be handling even better.
All that being said, the Ranger Tremor is a bit on the firm side unladen when compared to others in the Ford lineup. For their part, the Navara Warrior and the lift-kit-equipped Amarok are both softer riding and could be worth considering if you want a more comfortable 4×4 kitted out from the factory.
Unlike other Ranger’s equipped with the 2.0-litre ‘bi-turbo’ diesel engine, this 150kW and 500Nm donk is paired with a full-time rather than a part-time four-wheel-drive system.
Much like the now-defunct Wildtrak X, this provides the ability to set and forget, similar to the V6 models or Mitsubishi’s Triton in the higher grades. This comes as a welcome upgrade over the standard Sport and makes transitioning on and off the dirt easy.
Because the Tremor was destined to be a global market ute, and will be sold in areas with tight emissions restrictions, the decision was made to make the Tremor a four-cylinder-only model. For the same reason, it also features an AdBlue system.
Many will be saddened by the lack of a V6 option but Ford argued the four-pot was more inline with the Tremor’s purpose as a tourer, with the better fuel economy extracting more range from the 80-litre fuel tank. It also made it a lot cheaper, which means it’s more accessible to more buyers.
Notably, it also retains a 3500kg towing capacity, unlike the Raptor which is limited to 2500kg.
It’s off-road where the Tremor certainly comes into its own.
The suspension takes the punishment at higher speeds and those external reservoirs mean the shocks are less likely to overheat on prolonged corrugations.
The enhanced 261mm ground clearance gives real confidence to the driver and Ford’s Trail Turn Assist – which functions by locking a rear wheel to tighten your turning circle off-road – is a nifty feature.
Notably, it struggled to engage unless the surface was very loose and you’ll need to turn off the rear locking diff beforehand but in the right environment, it helped the Ranger traverse tight switchbacks that would normally be the domain of a short-wheelbase Jeep Wrangler, not a circa-5.4-metre long ute.
Ford has also equipped the Ranger Tremor with a dedicated ‘Rock Crawl’ mode from the Raptor ($90,440), which is effectively a more enhanced version of traction control which proved to be quite impressive but doesn’t quite challenge the Hilux for ultimate tidy wheel control.
What is the Ranger Tremor’s interior and tech like?
The Tremor deviates little from the Ranger Sport on which it’s based, nor does it come dressed in the best kit the model has to offer. But little of that matters as this is still a great interior for the price.
It might not have the big 12-inch+ touchscreen, but the 10.1-inch unit fitted is still big for this segment, it’s a similar story with the 8.0-inch digital driver’s display and the six-speaker stereo; both do a decent job for the price the Tremor asks for.
The Tremor swaps out the Sport’s genuine leather upholstery for a weather-resistant synthetic leather material better equipped to deal with the outdoors. My only complaint is that there is no heating in these seats which are available on much cheaper utes than this.
A litany of ‘Tremor’ badging is found around the interior and embossed into the seats and even the floor mats front and rear, which are a welcome addition to this model but the rubber in the front is a bit short on coverage and you’ll likely still wipe your muddy boots on the carpeted transmission tunnel when off-road.
The back seat is fairly feature-laden with rear air vents and USB ports to keep the kids comfortable and their devices topped up. Like any midsize dual cab, the space is nothing to write home about but it will serve well enough as a family vehicle.
Just be aware that if your kiddos are super young, child seat fitment is more difficult in the Ranger than some rivals such as the Triton.
The rear tray is famously big enough to fit a standard Euro pallet. It does not feature a damped tailgate like an Isuzu D-Max but there are six fixed tie-down points to help strap your load. Ford’s sublime cargo management system or flexible rack system can be optioned.
Is the Ranger Tremor a safe car?
Like the rest of the Ranger, erm, range, the Tremor is covered by a five-star safety rating that was awarded back in February 2022 and won’t expire until December 2028.
It features the following safety features:
- Nine airbags inclining a front-centre airbag
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Forwards and reversing AEB
- Blind spot monitoring with trailer coverage
- Lane keep assist
- Post impact braking
- Adaptive cruise control
Our extensive previous testing has found the safety systems in the Ranger perform well and there are no obvious fails when it comes to over-nannying driver assistance technology.
What are the Ranger Tremor’s ownership costs?
The Ranger Tremor is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km and while pricing has increased this year, Ford’s four-year, 60,000km service plan still presents good value at $1385.
The upgrades made to the Tremor have seen the average fuel consumption claim increase from 7.2L/100km to 8.7L/100km which is to be expected with widder knobbly tyres and a higher ride height.
The honest verdict on the Ranger Tremor
Too often when we see car manufacturers churn out another ‘ultimate rugged grade’ the hard-core off-road upgrades are applied at the same time as a whole host of unnecessary luxuries.
These luxuries can often drive up the price beyond the reach of regular consumers and often make the 4×4 in question more fragile – take the Hilux GR Sport for example: who on earth wants suede on the seats when they’re going mudding?
For this reason, it’s good to see a subtle back pedal on the trend of rising ute prices and makes the Tremor a uniquely different offering in the range. Like the Nissan Navara SL Warrior, it focuses on what matters and is built on solid underpinnings that make it a versatile vehicle to own and run.
For an extra circa-$3500 over the price of the Sport it’s based on, the Tremor is a welcome addition to the Ranger line-up, what a shame that it’s not sticking around for very long.
