Tremor is a name that evokes some level of sheer awesomeness, isn’t it? You don’t just have a Super Duty — you have a Super Duty TREMOR. After Ford’s updated heavyweight offering hit dealer lots, the company announced a similar treatment for the Ranger is coming in early 2021. Now that just leaves the F-150 Tremor to fill out the nameplate throughout Ford’s current truck lineup, and these spy photos show it may in fact be on the way.
Reviving the F-150 Tremor name
While the Super Duty grabbed headlines in this generation, the Ford F-150 Tremor has actually existed before. Last time around, though, it was a low-volume sub-model for the 2014 model year. It was unique in that it married a 3.5-liter EcoBoost in a single cab configuration, along with a 4.10 rear axle. It wasn’t an off-road-minded rig, to be fair, with Pirelli Scorpion tires mounted on 20-inch wheels. The “tremor” Ford aimed for there was more on the streets than on the trails.
A direct rival to the Ram Rebel and the Chevy Silverado Trail Boss
As Andre pointed out back in August, two compelling arguments standard for Ford to build an F-150 Tremor: Ram and Chevy. Both trucks have two distinct off-road packages in their lineup. The Chevy Silverado 1500 has the Z71 off-road package, as well as the more purposeful Trail Boss. Ram, for its part, has an Off-Road Group for the standard 1500 models, as well as the bespoke Rebel trim. Now, Ford has a wild card in that they’ve long produced the Raptor. To date, that’s been the halo when it comes to off-road trucks. With the Ram TRX jumping into the fray and GM (supposedly) not too far behind with either a hardcore Silverado or the Hummer EV, it’s time for Ford to fill the growing void between its FX4 off-road package and the full-on Raptor.
Here’s a better visual representation of what we’re talking about:
| Truck Model | Standard off-road pkg | Mid-tier | Flagship (“Raptor fighter”) |
| Chevy Silverado 1500 | Z71 | Trail Boss | (None at the moment) |
| Ford F-150 | FX4 | ??? (Tremor?) | Raptor |
| Ram 1500 | Off-Road Group | Rebel | TRX |
Based on what we’ve seen so far, an F-150 Tremor could be the best way to draw more people toward the fourteenth-generation model.
What does Tremor give you?
As part of the Tremor package, Ford builds on the existing FX4 options with more off-road goods. The Ranger, for example, gets a suspension lift with unique springs and Fox 2.0 shocks. You also get larger tires than standard, as well as more upfitter switches for off-road kit. More or less, it’s a beefier FX4 package, but doesn’t go quite as berserk as the full-fat F-150 Raptor. Hopefully, if this is indeed a Tremor and Ford brings it to production, it will cost way less than a Raptor will as well.
From the outside, this may just look like your standard fare F-150. However, this model does sit higher than the standard truck, and its tires could be a solid giveaway. In fact, these are the same General Grabber A/TX tires we’ll see on the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor. They aren’t the Goodyear Wrangler DuraTracs the Super Duty Tremor gets (as does the Ram Rebel and the Chevy Trail Boss), but they are more aggressive than what the FX4 offers.
With a suspension lift, a 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor should manage better approach, departure and breakover angles than an FX4, as well. We’ll have more official information on ground clearance and other capability metrics if and when Ford officially confirms its best-selling half-ton will actually get a Tremor package after all. As with the other trucks, Ford may also limit the package to its mid-range trims, from XLT to Lariat or King Ranch, as its higher-end trims tend to focus more on luxury than off-roading. What’s more, that would leave a clear upgrade path to the F-150 Raptor — that’s the direction you would go if you had more money to spend and cared about off-roading over luxury.
The Ford F-150 enjoys a wider variety of engine choices than any of its siblings. Since the Tremor package doesn’t touch the powertrain, you should be able to get this in nearly any configuration, from at least the 2.7-liter EcoBoost to the 5.0-liter V8. What is unclear at this time is whether Ford would offer a hybrid F-150 Tremor, or if they’ll let you spec it on a base 3.3-liter V6 model, so you could build the cheapest version possible.
