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The Ford Ranger, well-known for its vast variety of options and models, so many that one may be left slightly dazed when looking for a new Ranger, some may like it, some don’t, choices can become overwhelming. The Ford Ranger Tremor on the other hand, proves to be a good middle-ground for those looking at getting into the latest Ranger. It takes bits and bobs from its siblings higher up in the price bracket and rids itself of the not-so-necessities. Is this a good thing? I believe it is.
Let me dive further into this, to put it in short, take the Wildtrak X, minus some of the fancy materials and features, not all, just some, and you’ve got the Tremor. Don’t get me wrong, the Tremor still feels quite premium for a bakkie, but more rugged, and this is a good thing, because as you can tell from the images, it means business.
The key features that are carried down from its relatively pricier sibling, is the off-road Bilstein suspension, 17-inch alloy wheels with General Grabber AT3 All-Terrain Tyres, and steel underbody protection, to name a few. This provides for the same capabilities and confidence as the Wildtrak X, just at a more attractive price point. Yes, you do lose the ‘make-shift’ spoiler and Matrix LED Headlamps, but out of all honesty, I didn’t feel any need for it.
On the interior front, it’s nothing new really, it is a Ranger afterall. You still get the iPad-like 12-inch centre infotainment screen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto connectivity, which worked flawlessly during my time with the Tremor. Below that is the usual nice array of physical buttons for the climate control unit, big fan of this, and then centre yourself in the driver seat and you’ve got a 8-inch digital instrument cluster in front of you, which I don’t particularly like. It’s not a bad cluster, it displays all the information you would need and more, just the layout seems dated to me and it is a little laggy. What I mean by that is, when you switch your drive modes and the animation pops up to indicate so, it is a bit jittery, which is strange because the entry animation that displays the Ranger is smooth and looks really cool.
Moving past the tech side of things, the cabin layout is identical to the rest, just expect a couple more interior panels to utilise scratchy plastics. When it comes to the feel of things, you’ll find that the steering wheel is wrapped in vinyl as well as the seats adopting a vinyl trim. Yes, it’s not leather, but it doesn’t remove the fact that it’s still comfortable and pleasing to the touch, but for longevity, it could raise a couple of eyebrows.
So, what is it like to drive? Well, let me start by saying, really good. The Ford Ranger Tremor only receives one powertrain option, being the 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo Diesel motor, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The gear shifts are smooth and crisp, while power delivery is strong and feels more than its claimed output of 154kW and 500Nm. Though, on the fuel consumption front, it may leave some questioning. Ford ambitiously claims that the Ranger Tremor has an average consumption of just 7.5l/100km, on the contrary I got 10.1l/100km during my time with the Tremor. Yes, my driving was a mix of highway, city, and some kind-of-heavy off-roading through 4x4 trails, but my colleague, Deon, who didn’t do any off-roading in his test unit, the SuperCab Wildtrak, didn’t see much better returns at 9.2l/100km. Could it be just us? Probably not.
When it comes to the drive quality, this is where the Tremor truly shines in my opinion. It boasts a dedicated off-road suspension setup with Bilstein shocks, as mentioned earlier, which gives the Tremor a further 24mm raised ground-clearance, and a 30mm wider track. You would imagine that, being more focused on off-road capabilities that the on-road driving experience would be hindered. Far from it. The drive is comfortable to the point where I can confidently say that it is one of the more comfortable bakkies that I’ve driven, bear in mind that I said “one of the more”, not the most, and this left me in awe.
So far so good, right? It got better. After spending a couple of days on the road enjoying the Tremor, the weekend came and it was time to put it to the test on Hennops 4x4 trail. Going into this I had the thought that, something must be compromised, the Tremor can’t be so nice to drive on the road, what’s it going to be like off-road? Squishy?. To my surprise it was just as comfortable and confident, with a little extra swaying of course, but I didn’t leave the trail with a concussion. It handled every obstacle with ease, at no point was there concern for clearance, and the Tremor at the end of the day, made the trail feel like childsplay. So yes, it’s great both on-road and off-road.
From an experience point of view, the Ranger Tremor makes for a great one car garage. There are other options to consider such as the Volkswagen Amarok, Nissan Navara, Toyota Hilux and so on, it all comes down to preference. The Amarok equivalent would be slightly more in cost, but would provide for a more SUV-like feel, whereas the latter of the options would be more cost effective, but may feel less ‘premium’ and dated.
A deciding factor, though, could be the lack of a standard service plan. The Ford Ranger Tremor’s price is inclusive of Ford Protect which will provide for a 4-year/120,000km warranty, 4-year/unlimited distance roadside assistance, and a 5-year/unlimited distance corrosion warranty, though a service or maintenance plan is optional and will come at a cost. This is a let down considering that the additional purchase of a service plan could put the overall cost of the Tremor to over R1,000,000.
All in all, the Ford Ranger Tremor makes for a good middle-ground offering. Its price tag, while still on the more pricey side, makes for a compelling argument, but what bakkie isn’t expensive these days. It rids itself of some ‘luxury’ features and tech, and maintains the equipment you would want to have if you are an adventurous type of person.
As for me, the Ranger Tremor speaks to what I would look for in a bakkie, if I were to opt for one. It has a commanding stance, rugged looks, comfortable for daily driving, and is a capable weekender for adventurous travel through our great South African land. In short, it’s a bakkie you can live with and have fun with.
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