'Affordable' XLT-based Tremor adds flagship class
Based on the XLT, this more affordable Tremor brings a little flagship Wildtrak X class and off-road capability to the Ford Ranger range. Well, if you can call a point under a bar affordable, then ja well no fine. Still, the Ford Ranger Tremor Double Cab packs the same 154 kW 500 Nm 2-litre Bi-Turbo diesel, full-time four-wheel drive and even the innovative Trail Turn Assist manoeuvrability of its premium Wildtrak X sibling.
Tremor also steals its position-sensitive Bilstein dampers from Wildtrak X to deliver 24 mm more ground clearance with a 30mm wider track. Add Ranger’s Normal, Eco, Tow & Haul, Slippery, Mud & Rut, Sand and Rock Crawl Drive Modes. A spray-in bedliner invites any load into a bay that swallows a Euro pallet. Ranger’s Cargo Management System controls smaller items. Side steps ease bay access, the tailgate doubles as a work bench and there’s even a 12-volt socket in the bak.
Sexy Spec Sets Ranger Tremor Apart
Set apart by a black Wildtrak X honeycomb grille between those aggro C-headlights with grey detailing dotted around the car, our headline Raptor Conquer Grey Tremor wore General Grabber AT3 265/70 R17 all-terrain boots. On machine-faced black alloys. Add Tremor badges to shake you and black Wildtrak X and Raptor-like Ford Ovals on the grille and tailgate to stir you. Plus a go-anywhere steel bash plate, underbody protection, two front tow hooks, cast aluminium side steps, and a long-tube sports bar.
Step aboard to grey-stitched water-resistant black vinyl clad six-way adjusting front seats with orange Tremor trim. And practical, hose-to-clean vinyl carpeting. The rest is your regular flexible, modern Ranger cabin fare with crisp digital dials and infotainment. Tremor replaces the regular 10-inch XLT screen with a larger 12-inch version. And its Wildtrak X derived off-road SYNC Screen and 360-degree camera. With wireless charging, CarPlay, Auto, Bluetooth and that kitchen sink. In a quite splendid space.
Questionable quality for a million bucks
On paper, that is. Build quality has improved as production ramped up. But some of it remains questionable in a million-buck motor. The cheap and nasty centre console rotary controller, overthought, complex and tricky to use gear lever, and squeeze to open door handles are cheesy, disappointing. But we enjoy Ranger’s extensive driver assist tech. It’s subtle to start with. Kill it with a tap on the steering button if you don’t want it meddling.
The infotainment seems cool if you just sit in your parked Ranger and use it. God forbid you try work it while driving. That’s another challenge altogether! It takes great driver concentration to delve through reams of cyber windows to get anything to happen. Look, Ford is not alone in making its cars impossible to get on with. It’s an industry-wide scourge. Happily Euro NCAP concurs with us on this. All cars with idiot interfaces will soon lose safety stars. About time, too.
Tremor is still a good old XLT
For the rest, this Tremor is still a good old Ranger XLT. Which is a good thing. While not all quite a bed of roses, we’ve always rated the XLT as the pick of the Ranger bunch. Never mind, we’ve road tested bakkies for over a quarter century now. Which is basically since such a contraption was even a thing. In that time, we’ve learned that a double cab’s 0-100 time is a vital statistic. Now, this two-litre biturbo Ford not only beat our four-cylinder diesel double cab road test record. It pulverised it.
It doesn’t end on the drag strip. Ranger certainly looks the part. Even more so in this Tremor get-up. And it drives very well too. Among the best of the bakkies. Even better now with those Bilstein dampers. The cab is in harmony with the chassis. And while it is set up stiff, it’s not that harsh. So ten out of ten to Ford in that department. Ranger Tremor is safe, planted and satisfying to drive.
OK, all that Tremor kit certainly propels its price way up the list. But it also adds sophistication. Pleasing, comfortable and quiet, the Tremor is now even better-damped and positive on, and off the road. It brings SUV-like culture to the bakkie world. Add Ford’s extensive backup, a great warranty and add-on options up to 200,000 km, and this Ranger stacks up to a most compelling option.
Tremor kit certainly is compelling
Sure, there are still quality issues and some silly interface challenges to deal with. But the quickest four-pot turbodiesel double cab we have ever tested now sporting some cool and trick Tremor kit certainly is compelling enough to even overlook all of that. Even if comes at a price that pushes Tremor all the way to the Ranger limit – Michele Lupini
Images & testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Ford Ranger 2.0bt DC Tremor 4x4
Engine: 154 kW 500 Nm 2-litre bi-turbodiesel I4
Drive: 10-speed automatic 4x4
Load Capacity: 946 kg
Max Braked Trailer 3,500 kg
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.05 sec
0-100 km/h: 8.81 sec
0-120 km/h: 12.39 sec
0-160 km/h: 23.82sec
400m: 16.4 sec @ 138 km/h
80-120 km/h: 6.32 sec
120-160 km/h: 11.43 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 190 km/h
Fuel: 7.5 l/100 km
CO2: 195 g/km
Range: 1,050 km
Warranty/Service: 4y 120K/ up to 8y 200K km
LIST PRICE: R978K
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