Ford Ranger Tremor 2024 Review

Just 1150 versions of the 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor will be sold in Australia priced at $69,690.

That’s not bad when you compare the price to its precursor, the $75,990 Wildtrak X. The reason for the sharp pricing is simple: it’s based not from the Wildtrak but the more affordable mid-range Ford Ranger Sport ute.

Despite the extra off-road equipment and all-terrain promise, the Tremor adds only about $3500 on top of the donor version.

When you look at other off-road enhanced special edition utes, such as the Mazda BT-50 Thunder which costs $74,000, or the Toyota Hilux Rogue from $71,130, the newest Ranger edition is priced very competitively.

Perhaps the only brand that can offer an alternative off-road focused but affordable mid-range version is Nissan, which has the range topping Navara PRO 4X Warrior from $70,765 (auto) and the cut-price SL Warrior which costs $61,250 (also auto).

The 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor shares identical specification with the popular Ranger Sport variant with highlights including a drop-in tray liner with power point and quick-adjust tie-down points, LED head and tail lights, locking rear diff, alloy side steps, disc brakes all round, and a full-sized spare.

The key difference for now is that there’s no V6 diesel option so the Tremor gets the 2.0-litre four-cylinder bi-turbo diesel coupled to a 10-speed automatic transmission, but it does get the full-time 4x4 driveline that normally only the V6 variants get.

Furthermore, the Tremor treatment adds a good selection of off-road kit and aesthetic touches to match, with heavy-duty Bilstein dampers in all corners with remote reservoirs headlining the list.

This is the same suspension rig fitted to the Wildtrak X and it brings a 26mm lift in ride height while other revisions widen the track by 30mm and necessitate fatter wheel arch extensions.

Also, the wheels have been reduced in diameter from 18-inch Sport to 17-inch Tremor to accommodate tougher General Grabber AT3 tyres, plus there’s a special bumper design at the front with integrated driving lights and an extended tubular sports bar at the rear.

Other Tremor goodies include water-resistant interior upholstery with embossed logos, Tremor floor mats, along with Tremor badging on the outside and cool black Ford badges denoting something more off-road bound.

A 2.3mm steel bash plate has been added in case the extra ground clearance isn’t quite enough, while there are also a couple of technological additions to boost go-anywhere ability, but we’ll look at those in later sections.

A Touring Pack is available which bundles the clever trailer reversing, 360-degree camera, versatile tray loading options and puddle and zoned lighting for an extra $1650.

The new addition to the Ranger line-up shares the safety rating awarded to the rest of its pick-up truck siblings in 2022, with a maximum five star ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program) safety score.

It has nine airbags, adaptive cruise control that works down to stop/start traffic, lane keeping assistance, parking sensors all round with an optional 360-degree camera, traffic sign recognition and tyre pressure monitoring.

Optionally, customers can add the Ford Trailer Pro system as part of the Touring Pack, which allows a trailer to be steered in reverse using the central drive mode control dial.

Once again, the Tremor takes all of the Sport’s technology including an 8.0-inch digital driver’s instrument cluster paired with a central touch-screen in portrait orientation measuring 10.1-inches. It allows access to native navigation, DAB radio, and FordPass Connect applications.

Both Android and Apple smartphones can connect wirelessly as well as charging without cables thanks to a centrally-mounted charging pad, and Ford’s latest Sync4A operating system.

The Tremor builds on the intuitive system with an extra Off-Road Screen for accessing a couple of new all-terrain functions.

Since its introduction, the Ranger’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel has been the most celebrated of the two engine choices for its 600Nm torque and smooth power delivery. However, the smaller four-cylinder 2.0-litre has been denied some of the recognition it deserves as a result.

Its origins are younger than the V6 and with two turbos versus one, it has more sophisticated technology, resulting in 50Nm more per litre than the V6. That’s why we think the pairing of the 2.0-litre with the Tremor brand is a good fit.

You still get 500Nm and a respectable 150kW sent through the same 10-speed automatic transmission that’s common to the range, along with the associated efficiency of a smaller, more advanced engine.

On road, the four-cylinder is relatively smooth and silent and, while it tends to hunt around gears when thrown at off-road stuff, it still works well in practice.

Our test drive with the 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor consisted of some A-road cruising mixed in with very challenging off-roading and any fuel economy figure suggested by the on-board gauges may not be of much use to those wanting to use the vehicle for more pedestrian duties.

Those wanting to throw the Tremor at similar off-road use probably don’t care too much for fuel consumption anyway but for the record, Ford says the Tremor will use as little as 8.7 litres per 100km but you’d have to be giving this 2.4-tonne machine some fairly light duties to achieve that.

It’s worth pointing out that the Tremor’s engine is Euro 6 emissions compliant and requires AdBlue for its full efficiency.

On road, the Tremor has the familiar feel of a Ford Ranger for all the right reasons. It has a commanding position on the road and the four-cylinder diesel has plenty of power for negotiating regular duties.

The 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor’s steering is similarly well balanced and suitably developed for Australian conditions while the same goes for the choice of tyres with the General Grabber hoops producing impressively low levels of noise on tarmac.

However there is a strange disparity when it comes to the unique suspension arrangement.

While the Bilstein dampers are extremely adept at dealing with the big stuff such as speed bumps at speed and significant damage to the road surface – not far off Raptor primary ride – it’s secondary ride is more fussy.

Smaller imperfections reveal a stiffness to the suspension tune which comes through as quite a lot of chatter into the cabin and the ride over fine vibrations is not as refined as the rest of the range.

It’s certainly not a deal-breaker and some may not even notice without a back-to-back comparison with a more regular Ranger. Either way, it’s a price to pay for the Tremor’s off-road ability which, after experiencing, many would be happy to make a small compromise for.

For the Tremor, Ford has dusted off a couple of technological features from previous variants and reintroduced them in a bid to boost all-terrain ability, and it’s worked beautifully.

Firstly, the Trail Turn Assist feature – previously only on Wildtrak X – uses the brake to lock the inside rear wheel when making tight off-road turns. The effect almost feels like a tank track turning in the opposite direction and noticeably shortens the Ranger’s turning circle in circumstances where understeer would likely do the opposite.

One small disadvantage is that it may cause a little more wear and degradation to frequently used trails and it also will not work when the standard rear differential lock is engaged (as braking one wheel would cause the other to brake too).

As such, the driver must constantly switch between diff lock or turn assist to get the most out of the system.

The Tremor also gains the Rock Crawl setting as part of the drive mode suite which has only previously been offered to the Wildtrak X and Raptor. This system allows the Ranger to almost effortlessly negotiate challenging rock and mud slopes by reducing throttle sensitivity and, in many circumstances, not requiring throttle at all.

These two new tech features pair brilliantly with good-old mechanical engineering and the boosted ground clearance, impressive wheel articulation and fast-acting traction control system allow the Tremor to go further off-road but, more importantly, fill the driver with more confidence to have a go.

Those heavy-duty dampers also really come into their own when the terrain turns tricky with fast weight transfer from corner to corner or side to side as the chassis articulates over large mounds and ruts. At speed it’s just as good and the remote reservoirs would likely mean they continue to operate consistently over long periods of hard work.

As for pub bragging rights, the Tremor has the same approach and departure angles as the Ranger Raptor (32 and 27 degrees respectively), while its wading depth is just 50mm shallower than the Raptor at 800mm and maximum ground clearance is 261mm.

With the Tremor treatment, not much has changed in the hauling, lugging and packing department. Maximum payload is rated at up to 979kg, the tray can accommodate loads of up to 1217mm between the wheel arches and 1464mm long.

Go for the Touring Pack and the tray liner has clever slots to accommodate standard timber sizes which allow users to easily fit-out the tray area with custom arrangements that can be easily removed without leaving permanent damage. We also love the quick-change tie-down points and the integrated tray step that makes hopping up a breeze and the bottle opener integrated into the tailgate is just excellent.

Maximum braked towing capacity has been retained at the industry standard of 3500kg thanks in part to the leaf-spring rear axle suspension.

Kerb weight is also about average for the segment at 2419kg and those loading the Tremor to the max or towing a large caravan with all the family on board will appreciate a maximum combination mass of 6350kg.

You guessed it, the 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor’s cabin is a lot like the Sport’s. Aside from the ‘all weather’ easily cleanable and water-resistant vinyl upholstery (complete with Tremor-embroidered branding and mats), you get everything you would find in a Ranger Sport cabin.

There’s not the clever double glove box design that higher-spec Rangers get but there is the small device or nicknack shelf on the passenger side which is probably even more useful than a second closable cubby.

At the pointy end of the Ranger line-up, interiors have some quality touches such as upholstered dash materials and stitching but the Tremor has a more utilitarian cabin, which suits the off-road focused ute’s attitude.

As genuinely capable dual-cab utes gain popularity in the Australian marketplace, there’s great opportunity for factory finished freedom machines to take a significant share of the audience.

Models such as the Nissan Navara Warrior and Mazda BT-50 Thunder prove that customers appreciate the convenience of the off-road upgrade process being taken care of before the point of sale rather than customising after, and the 2024 Ford Ranger Tremor jumps right into this space.

It bundles a compelling range of all-terrain kit and capability into the already competent Ranger Sport but without prohibitively swelling the price.

The Ranger Tremor offers a version of the all-round high-performing ute that owners can either take away on some adventurous excursions straight out of the box, or use it as the basis for a truly impressive custom build tailored for their own unique purposes.

And after the popularity of its more luxurious Wildtrak X cousin, we’re certain this latest special edition’s 1150 examples will sell out too … so get in quick.

2024 Ford Ranger Tremor at a glance:
Price: $69,690 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 150kW/500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.7L/100km
CO2: 230g/km
Safety rating: 5-star (ANCAP 2022)