2021 Ford Ranger Tremor Review
2021 Ford Ranger Tremor
Price as tested: $48,110
Specs: 2.3 Liter Turbo’d 4 Cylinder
269 HP / 369 TQ
MPG: 17 as observed
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Guy who did stuff: Yousef Alvi
Looking at this Ford Ranger Tremor….you think one thing
“o0o0o baby Raptor!”
Well your close! It does feel a bit Raptor-y with it’s toggle switches, knobby tires and graphics but the Tremor is missing that added bit of flair that makes a Raptor a Raptor.
Shoving that aside though, the Ford Ranger Tremor is a great midsize pickup with that added dose of personality that transforms it from just being a ‘truck’ to being something bit more special to its owner.
Let’s go ahead and break it down:
The Great
The 2.3 EcoBoost engine (when it feels like it) is an absolute torque monster! Decimating it’s rear tires from the get-go and delivering a horsepower crescendo as the tach sweeps up…it’s an absolute riot!
The Ranger happens to be that goldilocks size where it’s big enough to carry anything and everything but yet small enough to be parked in a garage with the added benefit of being able to zip into and out of traffic and parking spaces like a bee! As I said above…it’s just plain fun!
The Good
I have sampled every iteration of infotainment systems since their inception and SYNC 3 still is one of the easiest to use, look at it and understand. Just a lovely underrated and yet excellent system.
The Bad
There is a sinister shadow to all of that ‘greatness’ of the drivetrain…it happens to be schizophrenic. Either you get all of that torquey goodness or all of the lag. There is no rhyme or reason to its power delivery…just random occurrences of ‘wheeee!!’ or ‘WTF’
The Ugly
While the interior is indeed comfortable and relatively quiet…it is also full of cheap materials from the headliner down to the carpets. You are just inundated in hollow, brittle feeling plastics with the door cards and the center stack being the worst offenders of the lot.
Add that to a gauge cluster lifted from an old Ford Fusion…leaves one feeling aghast rather than pleased.
The Overall
After a week with the Ranger Tremor a revelation was dawned upon my being…this Ranger Tremor is the exact reflection of the Tacoma TRD Pro Everything that one may not like is solved on the other…it’s an automotive rolling dichotomy!
So in other words…my perfect midsize pickup would do the following: Take the drivetrain out of the Ranger, add it to the Tacoma (with better tuning) and there you have the perfect midsize truck!
