Visually setting the Tremor aside from run-of-the-mill F-150s, it encompasses a distinctive grille and hood, plus blacked-out Ford logos. Active Orange accents brighten up the outside, including a splash of shade to the grille, fender vents and entrance tow hooks. All that festive bric-a-brac seems to be particularly good subsequent to this instance’s radiant (and free!) Velocity Blue Metallic paint. The rear is embellished by a high-flow twin exhaust system, with the bazooka-sized shops neatly filling semicircular cutouts within the metal bumper. Altogether, this pickup’s design upgrades are tasteful and enticing, making it (arguably) the best-looking mannequin within the sprawling F-150 lineup. But this truck is excess of only for cowboy cosplay; there’s loads of substance behind the model.Setting the Tremor aside from its siblings is a number of off-road-focused upgrades. Front and rear, the springs have been retuned, serving to present a further inch of suspension journey up entrance and an additional 1.5 inches on the rear. The hub knuckles and higher controls arms have been up to date and the truck options particular monotube shocks up entrance and model-specific twin-tube dampers on the rear for a softer journey at low speeds, comparable to when creeping down a rocky path.Amplifying its traction, this F-150 comes with 33-inch all-terrain tires mounted to dark-finished 18-inch wheels. Aside from upping the truck’s model issue significantly, this combo offers extra floor clearance and will increase the monitor width by 1 inch.Underneath the rugged bodywork is an F-150 Raptor-style entrance bash plate defending its delicate powertrain {hardware}. A locking rear differential is normal tools, although a Torsen limited-slip entrance diff can also be out there. For added comfort, higher-end examples may be had with a torque-on-demand switch case, which offers all of the push-button selectable drivetrain modes you may need — from environment friendly two-wheel excessive for weekday commutes, to four-high and four-low for varied off-road conditions to automated all-wheel drive — so the truck does the pondering for you.
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Lights, cameras, motion! Craig Cole/RoadshowBurnishing the Tremor’s mountain goat capabilities, it is also out there with a cornucopia of off-road aids, facilities like a one-pedal drive perform, which makes navigating tough routes simpler as a result of you do not have to function the accelerator and brake on the identical time. As within the new Ford Bronco, you will get Trail Turn Assist. In sure conditions, this function locks the within rear wheel to dramatically scale back the truck’s turning circle. Finally, Trail Control is on the market, which is like cruise management for the dust. It retains the truck moseying alongside at a preset velocity, both uphill or down.The 2021 F-150 is obtainable with a number of powertrains, however you’d higher be a fan of Ford’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 should you’ve received your coronary heart set on a Tremor, ‘trigger that is all on provide. Fortunately, this EcoBoost engine is a delight, delivering torrents of torque in every single place within the rev vary. It does not matter how briskly you are going or what grade you are climbing: Prod the accelerator and this massive truck muscular tissues ahead.With 400 horsepower on faucet and a prodigious 500 pound-feet of peak torque, the efficiency is easy on highway or off. No, this EcoBoost engine does not sound pretty much as good as a Hemi-powered Ram or GM’s 6.2-liter V8, however actually, it performs higher in practically all conditions. Putting that under-hood firepower to good use, this off-road F-150 can conventionally tow as much as 10,900 kilos and its payload tops out at a husky 1,885 kilos, greater than sufficient for work or play.Distributing all that succulent torque to the wheels is an ordinary 10-speed automated transmission that was co-developed with GM. As in different Fords, this acquainted gearbox could be very astute however slightly uncouth. It downshifts readily, intelligently adjustments ratios in hilly terrain so that you’re by no means caught flatfooted and barely ever hunts for the best gear, however it’s a little clunky. Sometimes upshifts are buttery easy, although on different events they are often lumpier than swiftly mashed potatoes. Downshifts are notably uneven whereas rolling to a cease. Ford’s implementation is hardly terrible, however I positively desire the tuning of GM’s 10-speed, which is so easy you virtually do not know it is there.
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With this versatile mattress, the Tremor’ll get ‘er completed. Craig Cole/RoadshowProviding a bit extra enhance than eco, this truck stickers at 16 mpg metropolis and 20 mpg on freeway jaunts. In combined driving, it is anticipated to stretch a gallon of gasoline 18 miles, which is neither excellent nor terrible for the full-size pickup section. In my fingers, this Ford is returning about 17.5 mpg, which is about the place it ought to be.Great for tenting or small job websites, the Tremor may be had with Ford’s Pro Power Onboard generator. This permits the truck to supply as much as 2 kilowatts of electrical energy, which is ideal for working small home equipment or instruments. Conveniently, you may faucet into this juice from a pair of 110-volt family shops proper within the mattress. Since the PowerEnhance hybrid drivetrain will not be provided on this trim, the F-150’s stronger 2.4- and 7.2-kW Pro Power Onboard techniques should not out there.In movement, the Tremor’s journey and dealing with are glorious. There aren’t any coil springs or fancy airbags supporting the reside rear axle, only a pair of old style leaf springs, but the factor glides alongside cratered pavement and displays virtually zero axle-hop on washboard surfaces. Large imperfections are silently smothered earlier than they attain the cabin, making it really feel like virtually nothing phases this truck.
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It’s debatable whether or not this inside is nicer than what Ram provides, nevertheless it’s rattling good nonetheless. Craig Cole/RoadshowDespite its body-on-frame building, that is concerning the stiffest truck I’ve ever pushed. The construction is so inflexible, it looks like a unibody structure quite than one thing with a separate chassis. This structural fortitude is evinced by a scarcity of vibration and harshness. Noise from the all-terrain tires is minimal, a muted hum far off within the distance. Wind and tire sounds are practically absent as nicely.The Tremor handles nicely for what it’s, with little physique roll in corners. The steering is fast sufficient to be agile, nevertheless it nonetheless has sufficient heft that the truck by no means feels jittery. Despite being significantly bulkier, this pickup truly drives smaller and feels nimbler than the midsize Ford Ranger.The Tremor is obtainable in a single configuration: a SuperCrew physique and a 5.5-foot cargo field. Unlike the GMC Sierra or Ram 1500, the F-150’s tailgate is not hinged in a number of methods, however it will possibly nonetheless do a pair parlor tips. As it has for years, this Ford’s cargo-box door is on the market with a pop-out step and deal with, making it far simpler to climb up into that towering mattress. The tailgate may open or shut on the push of a button, one thing that is surprisingly handy, plus it has some intelligent built-in clamping areas, so you may flip your F-150 into the world’s costliest sawhorse.Like the outside, this rig’s cabin options orange accents, a couple of on the console, dashboard, doorways and seats. Just like different 2021 F-150s, high-quality tender plastics abound on this truck and the inside’s design is clear and extremely practical. Some should still desire what Ram is doing with its interiors as of late, however what the Tremor provides is great.
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Don’t count on a complete bunch of ordinary driver aids, this ain’t no Hyundai! Craig Cole/RoadshowOptionally, the console lid flips ahead, revealing a table-like floor. This intelligent productiveness resolution is ideal for filling out paperwork or dashing off a couple of emails in your laptop computer. Enabling this, the gear selector motors down into the middle console at a button push, although it does not sound sturdy, nor does the shifter itself really feel constructed for the lengthy haul.This Tremor options a great deal of tech, together with an simply reconfigurable digital instrument cluster and a good looking 12-inch central show. That touchscreen is scalpel sharp and runs a Sync 4 infotainment system that’s not solely simple to make use of however blazingly fast. Poke by way of some menus and swipe round this multimedia array and it by no means stutters or lags, it feels completely fluid and responsive. The out there 360-degree digital camera system can also be crisp and tremendous useful whereas backing up.As it sits, this truck is fairly loaded, however many frequent driver aids are sadly not normal. An emergency braking system, lane-keeping help, automated excessive beams and extra are bundled in a $655 choices group. If you need adaptive cruise management with lane centering, highway signal recognition and intersection help you need to shell out $6,065 extra for the 401A Mid Package, $765 for the 360-degree digital camera bundle after which one other $750 for the Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 choice — which is an actual disgrace.But hey, not less than the out there driving aids all work phenomenally nicely. The blind-spot monitoring system retains you from sideswiping different automobiles, the adaptive cruise management is instantly confidence inspiring and the lane-centering system virtually makes this truck monitor like a monorail. Even the automated excessive beams are nearly good, promptly clicking on when applicable and dipping once more lengthy earlier than oncoming site visitors will get too shut.
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It seems to be robust however is surprisingly simple to reside with. Craig Cole/RoadshowA step above the Lariat mannequin and one rung down from King Ranch, the Tremor is solidly a midrange F-150 trim. Avoid gorging your self on the choices buffet and its beginning value is an inexpensive $51,200 together with a scowl-inducing $1,695 in vacation spot fees. Naturally, the instance evaluated right here is way ritzier than that. The smorgasbord $13,445 402A high-end choices group pads the underside line, as does the $1,090 Trailer Tow Package, $1,000 Torsen entrance differential, $995 2-kW Pro Power Onboard electrical system, the $695 B&O Unleashed sound system, that nifty $695 energy tailgate, a $595 spray-in bedliner, a $215 partitioned under-seat storage cubby and the $165 middle console work floor, phew! That brings the whole to $70,095, a critical chunk of change.Yes, we’re formally residing in crazytown when shelling out 70 grand for what ought to be a piece car appears extraordinary. But in right this moment’s world you may spend much more than that on a pickup with out attempting. And actually, I’d be outraged by that value if the Tremor weren’t so likable. This truck delivers greater than your typical F-150 with out going overboard, providing further functionality whereas sustaining its composure and refinement. If you are on the lookout for an off-road-ready full-size pickup, put this in your shortlist.