Overview

FORD Australia recently announced details of its limited-edition Ranger Tremor, an off-road oriented take on the popular dual-cab utility now available to order from $69,690 plus on-road costs.

This week, GoAuto was afforded the opportunity of some ‘wheel time in the Ranger Tremor, putting the model through its paces at a disused quarry north of Melbourne.

But before we get into the details of the drive, a recap of the Ranger Tremor offering is in order…

The Ford Ranger Tremor comes equipped with the same suspension upgrades as the Wildtrak X, including specially developed Bilstein position-sensitive dampers with external reservoirs, 26mm higher ground clearance and 30mm wider track.

The Tremor further features full-time four-wheel drive, and a specially designed interior Ford says can be easily cleaned after off-road adventures.

Based upon the Ranger Sport – and with just 1150 units available – the Ranger Tremor further features 17-inch Asphalt Black alloy wheels shod with General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres, bolstered wheel arch mouldings, revised springs, heavy-duty steering rack, and a front steel bash plate.

The limited-edition variant is further characterised by Tremor badging and embossed seats, black Ford oval badges, cast aluminium side steps, a long-legged sports bar, honeycomb grille with auxiliary LED lights and Raptor-style overhead switch bank for fitment of aftermarket accessories.

Further, the Ranger Tremor offers Ford’s Trail Turn Assist function to improve the vehicle’s turning radius off-road, Raptor-sourced Trail Control off-road cruise control, and Rock Crawl Mode for improved throttle control on loose and rocky surfaces.

As per the Ranger Sport, the Tremor is powered by Ford’s 2.0-litre twin-turbocharged four-cylinder diesel developing 150kW and 500Nm. It is paired exclusively with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The Ford Ranger Tremor is available optionally with Ford’s Touring Pack ($1650), flexible rack system ($2800), manual roller shutter ($3000), idle-stop delete (NCO), and prestige paint ($700).

A new colour, Conquer Grey, is exclusive to the Tremor and joins Aluminium, Arctic White, Blue Lightning, Meteor Grey, and Shadow Black.

Driving Impressions

As an out-of-the-box option for recreational four-wheel drivers, the Ford Ranger Tremor is a terrific choice for novice and experienced adventurers alike – and something of a bargain when viewed against its nearest rivals.

Boasting most of the off-road tech offered in the flagship Raptor, but with a price tag closer to that of the Toyota HiLux Rogue (from $71,530 +ORC), the Ranger Tremor’s only considerable downfall is the fact there are only 1150 examples on offer.

As mentioned earlier, the key to the Tremor’s off-road abilities are its improved clearance and track, bolstered by a set of quality Bilstein dampers, upgraded springs and decent off-road rubber. The combination offers exceptional performance off the beaten track, Ford’s clever electronic aids making even challenging off-road antics a walk in the park.

On road, the firmer rear end remains, but the Ranger is hardly alone here. Against its closest rivals it remains the better choice and will settle appreciably with a load in the back or a complement of passengers on board.

While we won’t go into the full details of what makes the Next Gen Ranger the pick of the bunch in the Dual Cab segment – having already done that countless times in these pages – we will say the Tremor package makes a great ute even better. This is a package that offers more of what recreational buyers want without the thirsty V6 engine.

The predictable and smooth four-cylinder unit is a delight to drive if you don’t plan on towing the house and offers accessible torque from early in the piece to make even the most demanding off-road work a doddle.

The 10-speed automatic cooperates brilliantly to keep the mill working in its sweet spot. It is never caught napping, seemingly always in the right ratio for the task at hand – which is a good thing considering how awkward some might find the gearshift mounted toggles that are placed where the locking mechanism usually is (the shift toggles are placed in the side of the shifter while the locking mechanism is set on the shifter’s leading edge – it can take time to adapt to this arrangement).

If we had any complaints from the driveline, it is that fuel economy is a little higher than expected. On test we managed 11.8 litres per 100km mixing highway and off-road work.

Even when factoring in our time off-road, the result is far higher than the official claim (8.7L/100km), placing the model on par with real world results from the Toyota HiLux Rogue and Nissan Navara Warrior Pro4X (from $71,265 +ORC).

That said, you won’t find those competitors offering anything like the off-road ‘smarts’ found in the Ranger Tremor.

Hill Descent, Terrain Control, Rock Crawl and Trail Turn Assist features are wonderfully well calibrated and easy to use. Tap the screen and go. It’s so straightforward that others in the segment could really benefit from a lesson in Ford’s approach to tech done right (GWM we’re looking at you).

Of course, the Ranger underpinnings praised in other reviews continue to shine in the Tremor package. The limited-edition variant offers the same sweet steering and progressive braking that has helped make this ute the best in its class. It points and rides with near-SUV levels of poise, and is impressively quiet on the highway, even with the more aggressive all-terrain tyres fitted.

In fact, we reckon that with a little more colour choice available in the line-up – and a tonneau cover rolled into the deal – the Ranger Tremor would just about be the perfect $70K ute.

If you want an off-road-ready dual-cab capable of getting further from civilisation than any immediate rival our advice is to think quick. At this price – and with just 1150 examples on offer – we reckon this Tremor will be sold out in two shakes… if you’ll pardon the pun.