2025 Ford Ranger Tremor review

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2025 Ford Ranger Tremor

Well on track to be Australia’s most popular model, the Ford Ranger has yet another variant joining its ranks.

And for those who want added off-road ability without the workhorse compromises of the range-topping Raptor, or the big bump in price, then this could be the perfect fit.

It’s called the Ford Ranger Tremor, and it follows on from the Ranger FX4 Max from the previous generation with updated suspension, tyres and hardware, but also with a sprinkling of handy technology.

How much is a Ford Ranger?

It’s a limited-run option for now, but Ford is keeping the door ajar to possibly making the Tremor a permanent addition to the Ranger line-up.

Based on the mid-spec Ranger Sport, which sits below Wildtrak, the Ranger Tremor picks up a lot of enhancements that first debuted on the more expensive and up-specced Ranger Wildtrak X.

For the $3550 of extra asking price, you get General Grabber AT3 light-truck all-terrain tyres on 17-inch dark alloy wheels as a start. These tyres have a slightly larger diameter than what you get on a Ranger XLT (with 17-inch wheels), but they aren’t the same-sized upgrade as what you get on a Navara Pro-4X Warrior.

Behind these wheels are Bilstein position-sensitive dampers, which are an increase in size and durability over the standard dampers, bolstered further by nitrogen-charged piggyback oil reservoirs. These have a 46mm tube and 14mm piston, along with end stop control valves (ESCV) to improve control at big hits when maximum compression and rebound are reached.

Ground clearance is bumped up by 26mm through new springs, coil front and leaf rear, and the wheels allow for a slight bump outward in wheel track. Side steps are updated as well, with a sturdier Raptor-style steel unit being used.

There’s a bash plate and front tow points, which Ford doesn’t go so far as to call ‘recovery points’. Why? Because they need to be thoroughly tested and engineered for outright abuse, which these might not have been.

Tremor picks up Ford’s selectable four-wheel-drive system, which allows for two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive on this road. This is achieved through clutch packs, rather than a mechanical centre differential in a more old-school full-time 4×4 system.

Along with low range and a locking rear differential, you get the added tech of a Rock Crawl driving mode and Trail Turn Assist, which can reduce your turning circle off-road by braking the inside rear wheel.

When you consider the kind of additions you pick up here, the Tremor does feel like good value and goes well beyond the scope of a sticker pack special. Especially considering the use of respected names like Bilstein and General Tire, the Tremor does stack up well in terms of value.

For reference, the Toyota HiLux GR Sport has an asking price of $74,310 plus on-road costs, while the Isuzu D-Max Blade shoots for the moon at $78,900 plus on-roads. The Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior is a closer competitor on price at $68,765 plus on-roads.

MORE: 2025 Ford Ranger Tremor special edition price announced for Australia

How big is a Ford Ranger?

While the Ranger Tremor is mostly a cut-and-paste of the Sport trim level inside, there are some changes. Quality rubber floor mats – which promise to collate dirt and love a hose-down – are in the footwells and there’s Tremor embroidery on the faux leather seats.

You also get some overhead auxiliary rocker switches (normally part of an option pack) as standard fit.

Otherwise, it’s the same excellent interior layout and treatment as you get in other specs of Ranger. It’s modern and practical, with a storage shelf in front of the driver and a nook underneath the infotainment display for storing gear.

There are USB-A and USB-C power outlets, a wireless charging pad and 12V outlet hiding in the centre console. Those who love a dash cam will likely appreciate the extra USB outlet up near the rear-view mirror as well.

The seats are comfortable with six directions of electric of adjustment available for the driver and tilt/reach adjustment through the steering column.

Because the Ranger is one of the larger utes in the segment, it sports some of the best comfort and space levels in the second row relative to its competitors. It’s not as good as most mid-sized SUVs these days, don’t get me wrong. But the seats are comfortable and adults can sit behind adults with a bit of space left for knees and heads, but maybe not hats.

For those who want to fit a rearward-facing baby seat into a Ranger, it can be done without the front passenger ploughing their knees into the dashboard.

There’s handy storage underneath the seat base and the backrest folds down. This is for fixing your top tether point, but can also be handy for loading awkwardly shaped items into the back and not trashing your rear upholstery.

The tub of the Tremor is fitted with a drop-in tub liner, along with a sports bar that precludes reach-in access from the side. I’d be putting that in the bin. More useful additions include six tie-down points, a weather-sealed 12V plug, and smartly designed adjustable load rails on each side.

Does the Ford Ranger have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

While you might get the smaller infotainment display in this trim level Ranger, I reckon it’s plenty big enough for most tastes. It measures in at 10.1 inches, and comes with all of the modern-day mod-cons.

There’s wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and my experience (on the latter side of the fence) was faultless. Although, iOS users have noted some problems with Rangers and connection stability in the past.

Other features include digital radio, native navigation, AM/FM reception, and additional remote functionality through Ford’s FordPass app.

Is the Ford Ranger a safe car?

The Ranger has a five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2022, and the Tremor holds onto this score. Adult occupant protection and child occupant protection go well at 84 per cent and 93 per cent respectively, while vulnerable road users (pedestrians) get a 74 per cent score.

The onboard safety systems of the Ranger get an 83 per cent score as well, rounding out a solid overall performance.

This five-star rating extends to all variants, bar the performance hero Raptor and those fitted with a bullbar.

What safety technology does the Ford Ranger have?

While the Ford Ranger did up the ante for safety technology in the ute segment when it was first released, a really pleasing thing about it all is the fine tuning and unobtrusive nature of the performance.

Perhaps it’s down to the Australian development of the Ranger, but things like lane-keep assistance and traffic sign recognition don’t get on your nerves with constant or incorrect interference.

Some of the technology – like stop-and-go adaptive cruise control with lane centring – can take the sting out of bad traffic jams, but the lane-departure warning system doesn’t drop its bundle on faded and unmarked country roads with soft edges.

How much does the Ford Ranger cost to run?

Four years of servicing for the Ford Ranger comes in at $1516, with a capped price program priced at $379 per year. After that stage, however, you will likely see an uptick in service costs.

Ford also lists the possibility of a prepaid service plan of four years and 60,000km for a cost of $1385.

However, because this Ranger Tremor has a selective catalytic reduction system (AdBlue) that will need periodic refilling, you might incur some additional costs at service time through this.

Insurance for a Ranger Tremor is set at $1995 per year for a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Is the Ford Ranger fuel-efficient?

One clear advantage of the four-cylinder diesel Ranger over the more desirable V6 is fuel efficiency. The larger engine uses a little more than one litre per 100 kilometres extra over the smaller engine, which would add up to a significant amount over a life of ownership.

The modifications that the Tremor has over a BiTurbo Sport, which has a claim of 7.2L/100km, have a similar effect upon efficiency.

Being heavier and taller is one thing, but the light-truck all-terrain tyres would do the heavy lifting in adding another 1.3L/100km into the equation for the Tremor.

In our testing, which included a mix of highway, town, country and off-road driving, the Tremor returned an average of 9.5L/100km.

What is the Ford Ranger like to drive?

As you might expect, the Ford Ranger Tremor is one of the best utes in the segment for refinement, comfort and general driving dynamics. However, there is a bit of added stiffness in the ride quality of the Tremor that doesn’t go unnoticed when driving around unladen.

It’s unsurprising to hear that Ford tuned the spring and damper combination of the Tremor to be at its optimum when carrying around half of its 901kg payload. So by the time you throw a bit of gear into the back of this particular Ranger, the ride quality should smooth out.

Otherwise, decent roadholding abilities (for a ute, of course) haven’t been blighted by the rubber, and the additional flexibility of a selectable four-wheel-drive system with a 4×4 auto setting gives you more sure-footed confidence on wet and slippery surfaces.

Electric-assisted steering has been retuned for the Tremor, but still feels flick-ably light and direct, responding dutifully to driver inputs.

The 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine might be amongst the smallest in the class, but it does respond well to throttle inputs with the sequential turbocharging arrangement. The V6 is no doubt better, and Toyota’s 2.8-litre unit (even though it has similar peak outputs) is more pliable and broad-shouldered.

That being said, this engine is punchy when put to task and is well managed by an improved 10-speed automatic gearbox, which slurs and bucks a bit less these days.

Off-road, there is a more marked improvement in the Tremor’s performance. Increased ground clearance and grippy all-terrain tyres yield a clear improvement in capability, but the tune of the suspension also gives you an extra element of suppleness and stability in rough terrain.

When low-range and the rear differential lock are engaged, the Tremor is able to slowly and confidently crawl up some challenging hills without much wheel slip to encounter. It’s quite good, and clearly better than a regular Ranger, which is pretty tidy in its own regard.

The Raptor takes things to another level again, through bigger and wider tyres, a wider stance and even softer suspension feeling. But considering the better payload and higher towing capacity of this Tremor, it plays both sides of the street quite well.

The addition of Rock Crawl mode, which is aimed at controlling wheel spin at those very low speeds in low range, improves the Ranger from a brains point of view in tough conditions. It’s perhaps a smaller detail, but it goes a long way against something like a Toyota HiLux, which has always had an excellent off-road traction-control system.

Trail Turn Assist could be seen as a neat party trick, but it does actually work. You’ll need to leave your mechanical sympathy for your brakes, tyres and driveline at the door, as well as not worry so much about the inevitable minor track damage, but it actually does work to trim down your turning circle off-road.

How much weight can a Ford Ranger tow?

The Ranger Tremor is well placed as a workhorse, even if some of the payload has been eaten up by the higher kerb mass. For reference’s sake, 2296kg of kerb weight for a regular 2.0-litre diesel Ranger Sport gets bumped up to 2419kg, which makes the payload go from 934kg down to a still respectable 901kg.

And of course, dipping into that payload would help to smooth out the finicky and jiggling ride.

A 3500kg braked towing capacity carries on, and will be an important ingredient for some who want to put this Tremor to work as a tow vehicle. The gross combination mass of 6350kg needs to be accounted for, however, because a 3500kg trailer on the back only leaves 431kg of payload left over for the vehicle. And considering you’ve got (estimated) around 350kg of towball downforce to account for, your payload is almost exhausted.

Should I buy a Ford Ranger?

If you’re adding some weight into the back of a Tremor, and want some improved off-road capability, then the Tremor does feel like good value within the Ranger line-up.

You’ll need to forgo the want of the V6, and be aware of the added complexity of an Adblue exhaust fluid system. But otherwise, the Ranger Tremor does just about everything that a regular Ranger is excellent at. It throws in some quality aftermarket brands for tyres and suspension, throws in some added in-house technology, and no doubt ups the ante for off-road ability.

How do I buy a Ford Ranger? The next steps.

For those who want a Tremor, then the hardest decision will be around which colour you want and any accessories you might want to add along the way. If you’re still undecided, consider saving money on Sport without the Tremor upgrades, or looking at the Wildtrak and getting some more equipment in lieu of the off-road hardware.

But if you want a Tremor, be aware that the initial allocation of vehicles for Australia is set at 1150 units. This number may increase, or the Tremor may become a permanent addition to the range.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Ford website for stock of your preferred Ranger variant. You can also find Ford Rangers for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest Ford dealer here. We'd also recommend test-driving the Toyota HiLux GR Sport and Nissan Navara Pro-4X Warrior, both of which are similar in their positioning.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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