2024 Ford Ranger Tremor review

The Ranger Tremor is one of the many variations of Ford’s best selling ute. This version follows on from the likes of the Ranger FX4 Max.

It’s one that builds on the Raptor’s reputation for living large in the rough. But this is not quite as extreme, trading some dune-jumping prowess for extra capability when it comes to hauling and towing. 

That’s the one downside of the Raptor; its coil-sprung, desert-racer rear end sees its towing capacity and payload reduced compared with regular Rangers. And so the Ford Ranger Tremor steps in to fill the gap.

Price wise, it slots in between the Ford Ranger Sport and the Wildtrak at $74,990, while it’s $12k cheaper than the diesel Raptor.  

Unique Tremor features include the 17-inch alloys wrapped in adventurous-looking General Grabber all terrain rubber, measuring 265/70 R17. It also has ‘off-road suspension’ with some special Bilstein dampers in place.

But it retains its leaf-sprung solid axle, which means it’s rated to pull the full 3.5 tonnes. Other than the Raptor, it’s the only bi-turbo Ranger available here with the full-time 4×4 system, meaning you can choose from the usual 2H and 4H, but also the 4A (for auto) setting.

That sees it sending torque to the front wheels when the going gets slippery. It’s also handy for towing apparently. It is more reactive than proactive, the rear treads slipping before it will send drive to the front to help out.

And by that time, you’ve made a right mess of the slippery grass slope you parked on.

Added to the drive modes is a Rock Crawl setting, complete with a corner braking function, nipping a rear wheel to help it turn tighter in tricky situations.

We couldn’t find the rear diff locker switch at first, but it comes up on the screen when you’re in the right terrain mode setting. This also brings up the front camera image, highlighting where your wheels are tracking, useful when cresting a hill. 

A few other Tremor specifics are the wheel arch extensions and the alloy off-road side steps. These are fashioned like the Raptor’s with perforations to let the mud flow out through them when you’re getting dirty.

While handy for the little people, they can get in the way when you’re hopping on board. And the rasp-like finishing is not kind to bare legs.

The sports bar (dubbed ‘long legged’) on the back is part of the deal and, while it looks choice, it also makes it even harder to get stuff out of the tray when accessing it from the side. 

At the business end, there’s a tray liner as standard, a 12 volt power source and six permanent tie-down points. These are complemented above by four manoeuvrable hooks along the top of the wellside.

Along with the ever helpful load box side step, Ranger also has an easy-going tailgate, the helper spring taking the muscle work out of lifting it back in place. The standard-fit tow bar has a download rating of 350 kilos, and Ranger also comes with an integrated brake controller. 

The interior is ready for action, with vinyl-clad seats (easier to clean all that adventuring off we guess) and you get ‘all-weather’ rubber mats up front to keep the muck from infesting the rest of the cab.

You also get some tech gadgets like a charge pad, USB-C ports and Ford’s handy Sync infotainment system with its big screen.

As a drive, the A/T rubber doesn’t make much noise on road, the tread pattern tame enough. And it’s not one that compromises on-road performance. These all terrain tyres sure have improved in that regard.

Ranger is a good truck to drive; its steering is accurate, light yet relatively precise as far as utes go. The rear is not too bumpy either, the Bilsteins dealing with the big hits and gravel road ruts well.

Don’t expect Ford Raptor-like progress but the unladen ride quality is pretty good for a truck with 3.5 tonnes of tow. 

Tremor is only available with the bi-turbo 2.0-litre, this one with four less kay dubs than the others. That’s because it has a Euro 6 tune with AdBlue emissions tech.

Oddly however, the official numbers Ford NZ gave us were 10.5L/100km and 274g/km, higher than the other bi-turbos. Apparently it’s subject to a different test regime.   

This has the same 500Nm torque tally as the rest, made without much in the way of turbo lag. It’s refined enough, revs eagerly and is enabled by the 10-speed auto.

This slips through its ratios quickly and is usually in the right gear for what’s required. There are no sport modes here, and they’re not needed. On a winding or hilly road, you can click the minus button on the gear lever and this will lock out the top gears.

That stops it shifting incessantly as it likes to hook into a tall gear to save gas. And it’s not bad in that regard.

We bettered the claim, averaging 9.4L/100km for a mix of highway and urban travelling over the week, which is better than the Toyota Hilux Hybrid did on test.  

This article first appeared in the December/January 2025 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.