Ford officially introduces the new 2021 F-150 Tremor. It’s a truck with added off-road equipment to rival the Ram Rebel or the Chevy Silverado Trail Boss. Here is everything that the new off-road/overland truck offers. Could this new F-150 Tremor be the next best thing before the next Raptor comes? You might be surprised to know what’s powering and not powering this truck.
Don’t confuse this new 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor with the street performance truck that came before it. This new off-road truck slots into the lineup above the FX4 package and below the Raptor in capability. The F-150 Tremor will be offered only as a crew cab with a short 5.5-foot bed.
2021 Ford F-150 Tremor
First, let’s take a close look at the suspension and tires. Ford says the F-150 rides on retuned front and rear springs for added ground clearance and wheel travel. Ford does not list the added ground clearance over a standard F-150 4×4. However, they say Tremor’s suspension travel is improved by +1 inch in the front and +1.5 inches in the rear. The truck rides on Ford’s specially tuned Tremor branded shocks. The tires are 33-inch General Grabbers. The wheel offset makes this F-150 one inch wider than a standard truck.
Take a look at the table below to see how the new F-150 Tremor compares to the current 2020 Raptor.
| 2021 F-150 Tremor | Ford Raptor (2nd-gen) | |
| Engine | 3.5L TT V6 | 3.5L TT V6 |
| 400 hp / 500 lb-ft | 450 hp / 510 lb-ft | |
| Transmission | 10-speed auto | 10-speed auto |
| T-case | Torque-on-demand (opt.) | Torque-on-demand |
| Shocks | Ford/Tremor | FOX 3.0 Live Valve |
| Tires | 33-inch General Grabber | 35-inch BFGoodrich KO2 |
| Approach Ang. | 27.6 deg | 30.2 deg |
| Breakover Ang. | 21.2 deg | 21.8 deg |
| Departure Ang. | 24.3 deg | 23 deg |
| Rear locker | Yes | Yes |
| Front locker | Torsen LSD (opt.) | Torsen LSD |
We currently cannot compare the ground clearance and total suspension travel measurements as the Tremor numbers are not listed yet. The 2021 Tremor borrows the front skid plate design, the transfer case, and the front limited-slip Torsen differential from the current Raptor. It’s noteworthy that the F-150 nearly the same breakover angle and a better departure angle than the 2020 Raptor.
Powertrain
We initially expected Ford to offer a wide selection of engines with the Tremor package. However, the truck will be offered with just one engine option. It is the latest 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 with 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. It’s not immediately clear why Ford chose not to offer this package with the new 3.5-liter PowerBoost V6 gas/electric hybrid, a 5.0-liter Coyote V8, or other more affordable engine options.
Payload and Towing
While the Tremor has a focus on off-road capability, Ford didn’t want to forget about this truck’s capability. In its most basic trim, the new Tremor is rated to tow up to 10,900 lbs and carry up to 1,885 lbs of payload. Here is how this capability compares against the Ram Rebel and the Chevy Trail Boss.
| F-150 Tremor | Chevy Trail Boss | Ram Rebel | |
| Max power | 400 hp | 420 hp | 395 hp |
| Max torque | 500 lb-ft | 460 lb-ft | 410 lb-ft |
| Max Towing | 10,900 lbs | 9,500 lbs | 11,540 lbs |
| Max Payload | 1,885 lbs | 1,810 lbs | 1,804 lbs |
| Tires | 33-in General Grabber | 32-in Goodyear Duratrac | 33-in Goodyear Duratrac |
| Approach Ang. | 27.6 deg | 28.7 deg | 23.3 deg |
| Breakover Ang. | 21.2 deg | ? | 23.0 deg |
| Departure Ang. | 24.3 deg | 27.2 deg | 27.2 deg |
The new F-150 Tremor stacks up favorably on paper against its main competitors, the Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss and the Ram 1500 Rebel. The F-150 offers the most torque and the most payload. The tires and the off-road angles are competitive as well.
The F-150 Tremor will be offered in three distinct grades. Ford calls it “standard, mid and high equipment groups”. Although, there is not much detail about what makes up each group in terms of optional equipment. Ford also has not provided any pricing information at this time. Ford says the 2021 F-150 Tremor will go on sale in the summer of 2021.
Exhaust, Design, and More
The new Tremor offers a unique rear bumper with dual exhaust outlets. On the sides are Raptor-like side steps. The 18-inch wheels are unique to this trim level. On the exterior, there is an orange theme. Ford calls it “Active Orange”. The front grille, front tow hooks, and badging all feature a distinct orange color. The orange theme continues on the inside with special seat stitching and orange trim elements. Not to be forgotten are six available auxiliary switches for any additional electrical accessories. The Tremor 3.5L V6 offers an optional 2.0 kW inverter / power-export feature.
More Off-Road Technology
Ford is adding lots of high-tech off-road features to the truck. Naturally, a 360-degree camera view is available. The new front view offers a real-time tire track overlay. It shows the driver the intended path of the front tires. A very similar feature has been available on Jeep Gladiator, Ram Power Wagon, and the new Ram TRX.
Next up is a suite of technologies Ford calls the “Trail Toolbox”.
Trail One-Pedal Drive is an all-new feature for the F-150 Tremor. It does for slow-speed off-road driving what electric vehicles have been doing for some time. The Tremor is not an electric vehicle, but it will allow the driver to modulate slow off-road speed with the press of just the accelerator pedal. If braking is required, the truck will proportionally apply the brakes automatically. Ford says this can eliminate the need for two-pedal driving in those tough off-road situations. Will this feature also come to the next-generation Ford Raptor? We will have to wait and see.
Trail Turn Assist is another new feature for the truck. This is very similar to the feature on the 2021 Ford Bronco. The F-150 Tremor will be able to brake just the rear inside tire to help and make a slow-speed off-road turn in a tighter radius.
Driving modes are all still available, including a Tremor-specific “Rock Crawl” mode. The truck is also equipped with Hill Descent control and Ford’s Trail Control (slow speed off-road cruise control).
What’s the Cost?
Ford has not yet stated the F-150 Tremor price yet.
For reference, the 2021 Ford Super Duty Tremor model adds $3,975 to the price of an F-250 4×4 crew cab. The 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor model is adding $4,290 to the total price. The F-150 Tremor package pricing could be in this neighborhood as well, but we will have to wait for the official word.
The new F-150 Tremor joins the current Ford Super Duty Tremor that’s on sale now.
It also join the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor that goes on sale in early 2021.
