New Ford Ranger Tremor driven in South Africa – The Ranger I would buy

Launched in South Africa this week, the new Ford Ranger Tremor strikes the perfect balance between work, family, and play.

It is pricey, retailing from R977,500 without a service plan (that’s at least R23,959 extra), but in the increasingly populated R1-million bakkie segment it is perhaps one of the best buys you can get.

Through the picturesque hills of the Groenland Mountains surrounding Grabouw, we tested the Tremor’s mettle and walked away believing it might just become one of Ford’s biggest hits yet.

Work hard, play harder

The Tremor is based on the mid-spec Ranger XLT but brings all the off-road-focused goodies of the premium Wildtrak X introduced to our market at the tail end of 2023.

In short order, Ford enhanced the bakkie with position-sensitive Bilstein suspension, a steel bash plate, cast aluminium side steps, an “off-road” grille with auxiliary driving lights, two front recovery hooks, and 17-inch alloy wheels protected by General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres.

The upgrades resulted in a 30mm-wider track at 1,650mm and a 24mm-higher ground clearance at 261mm, with the approach and departure angles also growing to 32 and 24 degrees, respectively, up from 30 and 23 degrees on the standard Ranger.

On the road, the new Bilstein dampers inarguably ensure less body roll and more obedient handling, and on the dirt, they allow more wheel travel and sure-footedness.

Not only do these changes bolster the capability of the double cab but they also serve to give it a brawnier silhouette that makes the normal bakkie seem passive in comparison.

The Tremor is the second 2.0-litre Ranger after the Wildtrak X to be equipped with the brand’s advanced all-wheel-drive system that is a bit more sophisticated than the traditional 4×4 setup we all know and love.

It still provides the hallmark 2H, 4H, and 4L drive ratios, but now, you also have a 4A (A for Automatic) setting that variably sends power to the wheels that need it most to ensure optimal grip in most driving scenarios.

There’s not much of a tangible feeling between 2H, 4H, and 4A from behind the wheel, but apart from the added traction in the dust, there are other benefits to the system that you will enjoy even on the tarmac such as a more confident ride in the rain and improved grip in emergency situations – for example, if you have to swerve out for a taxi and end up with two wheels on the sidewalk.

By now, it’s no longer debatable that Ford’s bi-turbocharged diesel engine with 154kW and 500Nm, combined with a 10-speed auto-box, is a sublime powertrain.

It’s highly responsive and can handle anything you throw at it – be it hard acceleration, heavy towing, or overlanding – and it won’t break the bank when it comes to fuel consumption.

Its mechanical upgrades are already a mouthful but not all that the Tremor has going for it over and above the XLT.

It boasts three key abilities intended to make it much more versatile, namely Crawl Control, Trail Turn Assist, and Rock Crawl.

Crawl Control is best described as off-road cruise control that maintains any speed under 15km/h while you focus on navigating rocks and ruts, greatly assisting in negating the stuttery pedal presses that so often happen when trekking heavily undulating 4×4 tracks.

Trail Turn Assist, meanwhile, is an innovative function that reduces the turning circle by up to 25% by applying brakes to the inside wheels around a bend.

Admittedly, the sensation of Trail Turn Assist in action is not a pleasant one. The brakes make all kinds of noises and it feels like the bakkie is protesting its own actions, but the feature works very well and allowed scores of drivers to scale a steep mountain pass that featured plenty of tight hairpin turns with no issues.

Combined, Trail Turn Assist and Crawl Control may not provide the most purist of 4×4 experiences but they do not detract from the enjoyment you get out on the trails while also enabling 4×4 novices to hone their skills.

We were also given the chance to test out Rock Crawl – a drive mode exclusive to the Tremor, Wildtrak X, and Raptor.

Selecting the setting on a rotary dial in the centre console switches the bakkie into 4L, activates the rear diff lock, and adjusts throttle and steering response to be more forgiving to provide smoother travels over jagged terrains.

Another useful feature that is reserved for select Ranger variants is the Off-Road Sync screen with 360-degree cameras that permanently projects a feed from the front camera onto the central display and shows the pitch and roll of the vehicle.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this was tremendously appreciated when we had to safely cross a section of dilapidated trail that had a drop of a few hundred metres on one side and a steep cliff face on the other, and when we tackled a few rutty descents that regularly saw one or even two wheels up in the air if you weren’t careful.

Open the driver’s door and you’re greeted by something that seems completely out of place in the modern era – a cabin devoid of any carpeting.

The Tremor features washable vinyl flooring that can effortlessly be sprayed down and swept clean after muddy shoes and grimy sneakers dirty it up. I would love to see this practical and admittedly not-bad-looking feature find its way into other bakkies in South Africa; they don’t even have to be Fords.

There are also attractive vinyl seats with a Tremor logo embroidered into the backrests.

Apart from these upgrades, it’s standard Ranger affair inside the new off-roader and you have all your bases covered with a sizeable 12-inch central display, 8-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charger that tops up devices at generous speeds, and six overhead switches for aftermarket accessories.

Rock Crawl setting in the Ranger Tremor’s digital instrument cluster

The Ranger I would buy

Money no object, the first Ranger I’d buy in South Africa would be the Raptor, and after that, no, not the Wildtrak X nor the new and luxurious Platinum, but the Tremor.

I think Ford hit the sweet spot with this new offering, it has next-level versatility thanks to the choice upgrades, a bold stance befitting its intimidating nametag, a powertrain that ticks all the right boxes, and just enough cabin amenities that you feel well looked after but not that you paid for more than you’re using.

The ride is harsher than the rest of the Ranger line-up due to the Bilstein dampers – something my greying media colleagues were quick to complain about – but it wasn’t an issue for me and it probably won’t be for buyers upgrading from older bakkies with less accommodating underpinnings than those of today.

Yes, the Tremor is good, it’s really good, and I won’t be surprised if it becomes one of Ford’s top performers.

Ford Ranger Tremor