Following on from the success of the best-selling ute in Australia, Ford Australia has added a new fissure in its Ranger line-up with the introduction of the limited-edition Ranger Tremor. This budget-friendly off-road focussed Ranger comes ready-to-go for the adventures that outdoor loving Aussies are keen for.
Limited to 1,150 units this Ranger is designated by Tremor badging and styling, including 3D tailgate badging, front and rear black Ford oval badges, a honeycomb grille with auxiliary grille LED lamps, long-legged black sports bar, cast aluminium side steps covered with a grippy surface finish, and the availability of this Conquer Grey hero colour.
The Tremor has all the features of the Sport Double-Cab 2.0L Bi-Turbo 4×4 model, plus 17” Asphalt Black Alloy Wheels with General Grabber AT3 All-Terrain Tyres, wheel arch mouldings, and a 30mm increased track width. Off-road suspension and steering upgrades include Bilstein position-sensitive dampers with external reservoirs, new springs that, in conjunction with the tyres, deliver 26mm in total additional ground clearance, front steel bash plate, and Heavy Duty EPAS (Electronic Power Assisted Steering) gear with shielding.
Ranger Tremor is powered by a 2.0L Bi-Turbo diesel engine with 150kW of power and 500Nm of torque that’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. Like Wildtrak X, this driveline requires the use of AdBlue diesel exhaust fluid. The official combined fuel consumption is 8.7L/100km and for my week I used 9.6L/100km of diesel driving mostly on-road in Normal drive mode.
Tremor features a full-time four-wheel drive (4WD) system, including 4A mode that I spent all of my week in as I like the security of all-wheel drive especially when driving a ute, and the other options available include 2H, 4H, and 4L. Drive modes available on the Tremor include Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul, Slippery, Mud/Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl. The Rock Crawl drive mode is similar to Raptor and provides optimal slow-speed traction and momentum on loose and rocky surfaces. Also like the Raptor when you switch between the drive modes the graphic changes on the 8-inch colour digital instrument cluster, but it’s not as fancy as the graphics in the Raptor. Ford also offer the removal of the Auto Stop/Start as a No Cost Delete Option.
The Ranger Tremor also benefits from the innovative Trail Turn Assist feature that allows the vehicle to manoeuvre around the tightest off-road turns with ease and can be used in conjunction with the front view camera that shows the direction of the front wheels. When enabled off-road and at low speeds, this feature reduces the vehicle’s turning radius by applying brakes to the inside rear wheel, when navigating tight bends or turning in narrow areas. The Tremor also has Trail Control, another Raptor feature, and it lets the driver focus on steering during off-road and low-speed use by controlling the vehicle’s acceleration and braking to maintain a set speed, a bit like off-road cruise control.
Special Tremor features in the cabin include Tremor-embossed seats and Tremor branded all-weather front and rear floor mats. You also do get keyless entry and keyless start so there’s no need to remove the key fob from your handbag. As the Ranger Tremor has leaf-spring rear suspension the ride is similar to a typical ute on-road, that is jiggly and unrefined and there is some noise from the tyres on certain road surfaces.
The driver’s seat has power adjustment for recline, forward/back, seat height, and 2-way lumbar support but no memory positions, while the passenger seat is manually adjustable, and neither seat is heated. You do get dual zone climate control and this works well especially when you put on the Max A/C option to cool the cabin down quickly and I like that you have physical knobs and buttons to adjust the climate settings.
Above the climate controls is the 10.1-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system that connects wirelessly to your smartphone via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, with the latter working well for me. The voice control also worked well for changing the radio station, making phone calls, and setting a destination on the sat nav. Media sources include AM/FM radio, DAB, and Bluetooth, and your Smartphone.
At the front of the centre console there is a cubby for your phone with wireless charging for compatible devices, one USB-C port and one USB-A port and there’s also one 12V socket under the arm rest. There’s no upper glove box or dash mounted cup holders in the Tremor, but you still get the chip holder at the front of the centre console, two cup holders in the centre console with grippy side, and two drink bottle cubbies in each of the front doors.
As part of the optional Touring Pack ($1,650) fitted to this Tremor it also has Overhead Auxiliary Switch Bank for fitment of aftermarket electrical accessories with six pre-wired switches are labelled AUX 1 through AUX 6 and each circuit is individually fused. The Touring Pack also adds integrated brake controller, 360-degree camera, zone lighting, puddle light projection, and the cargo management system described below.
There was plenty of leg and head room for me in the rear seats and for younger passengers I love that the Ranger has two proper rear tether attachment points behind the rear seats. So, there is less chance of making a mistake when installing car seats either using the ISOfix connection or standard rear tether fitment. It’s also worth noting that the centre hook is not for a car seat, but rather for locking the rear seat in place. The rear seat base can also be hooked up out of the way and there is storage available under them.
The centre seat folds down as an arm rest and it is still hard to pull down like other Rangers that I have driven. The arm rest has two rigid cup holders in it and there is a good-sized drink bottle storage cubby in each of the rear doors. Rear passengers get two central air vents with individual direction and closure controls, but only a 12V socket below them. I like that the rubber floor mat completely covers the rear floor including over the transmission tunnel. If car companies expect that you will be getting your vehicle muddy, then this should be a standard fitment.
The tub is just under 1.2 metres wide between the wheel arches and overall, the tub length is 1.4 metres with a full-size spare tyre is located under the rear of the vehicle. The Tremor has a manual opening/closing tailgate and it is locked when you lock the vehicle. I really like the steps at the rear of the tub that make it easier to reach in and grab something and there are clamping points built into the tailgate, should you need to secure something on it.
It’s lined with a hard plastic coating with one 12V socket in tub and one light on either side of the tub. There are six substantial tie down points in the tub and two more spring-loaded, adjustable cleats on either side that run along an internal rail that allow you to configure their cleats and tie-downs to suit every load that are part of the Touring Pack. One of the downsides of not having a cover over your tub is if it’s raining then your groceries have to go in the cabin. One feature I would also like to see on the Ranger is a partition that allows you to block part of the tub off so items stay within arm’s reach of the tailgate so they are easy to access when you want to take them out.
All models in the Ford Ranger line-up (excluding the Raptor) have a 5-star ANCAP (2022) safety rating with an Adult Occupant Protection score of 84% (32.24 out of 38) and a Child Occupant Protection score of 93% (46.00 out of 49). In a first for Ranger, there are now nine airbags standard including dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, and driver and passenger knee airbags. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
Active safety features on the Ranger Tremor include Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Keeping System with Road Edge Detection and Driver Alert System, Pre-Collision Assist with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Reverse Brake Assist and Blind Spot Monitoring with Cross Traffic Alert and Trailer Coverage. ANCAP tests of the AEB (Car-to-Car) system showed a mix of ADEQUATE and GOOD performance with collisions avoided or mitigated in most test scenarios, including AEB Junction Assist where the test vehicle can autonomously brake to avoid crashes when turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle. ANCAP tests of LSS functionality showed GOOD performance, including in the more critical emergency lane keeping test scenarios. Overall, the ANCAP Safety Assist score for the Next-Gen Ranger is 83%.
You also get tyre pressure monitoring, which came in handy for me when I got a screw in one of the Ranger’s tyres, but thankfully it didn’t fully deflate and I was able to drive to the repairer and have it fixed with no inconvenience. The Tremor also has auto lights, but no auto high beam, auto wipers and standard rear-view camera plus a 360-Degree Camera, with front and rear parking sensors. There are multiple camera views to choose from on the central display including tow ball view, but one of my pet hates on the Ranger/Everest is when you engage Drive after being in the reverse the front camera does not automatically display to show you what is in front of you as well when you are manoeuvring. Under the infotainment trailer menu, you can name, configure and store the details of multiple trailers and Rangers also come with a trailer connection setup checklist and a trailer light check function with the maximum braked towing capacity of the Tremor being 3,500kg.
All new Ford models come with a five Years/Unlimited Kilometres warranty and Ford National Roadside Assistance & Auto Club Lifestyle Membership for up to seven years if an eligible General Service is undertaken at a participating Ford Dealer. The service interval for the Ranger is one year or 15,000kms, whichever occurs first, and a pre-paid service plan for MY25.25 Rangers can be purchased for $1,516 and includes five Services + Brake Fluid (Year 3).
The Ford Ranger Tremor is limited to 1,150 units and is priced from $69,690 excluding on-road costs and as tested with the optional Touring Pack ($1,650) and prestige paint in Conquer Grey ($700) this Ranger was $72,040 plus on-road costs. Visit your preferred Ford dealer for more information about the availability of this limited-edition Ranger.
| Pros | Cons |
| Has 4A 4WD option | Front view camera doesn’t display when manoeuvring |
| Proper rear tether points | Centre rear seat arm rest is hard to pull down |
| The rubber mat that covers the entire rear floor | I would like the tub to have movable dividers |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.