UPDATE 12/7/21: This review has been updated with test results.
Not content with just one dedicated off-road F-150 model, Ford has introduced the F-150 Tremor, which bundles a host of Raptor-inspired design cues with some unique trail-ready tech. With a $51,200 starting price, the Tremor is accessible to a broader range of buyers, and it doesn't require as many compromises as the more performance-focused Raptor.
But is it as capable as the Raptor off-road? Yes and no. The Raptor's high-powered, high-flying antics aren't something the Tremor can mimic, but rock crawling, hill climbing, and mud flinging are well within the new truck's wheelhouse. To prove it, Ford set us loose with a 2021 F-150 Tremor at Holly Oaks ORV Park, located about 60 miles north of our Ann Arbor headquarters. The park's 106 acres includes several steep hills, rocky terrain, and rutted two-track trails.
The Tremor is available with some novel features intended to make navigating off-road obstacles much easier, and most of them work quite well. Trail Control, for instance, works as a sort of low-speed cruise control, allowing for even power delivery while heading up an incline or through a rutted pass, for example. Trail Turn Assist provides more maneuverability in tight cornering scenarios by braking an inside wheel, giving the truck a tighter turn radius.
The Tremor's available Trail One-Pedal Drive feature could use more time in the oven, however. Like an electric vehicle, the system negates the use of the brake pedal, allowing the driver to simply push down on the gas to go forward and let off to stop. Unlike an EV, though, which uses drag from the electric motor to slow the vehicle, the Tremor's system uses the truck's friction brakes. The system is difficult to modulate without practice, and abruptly taking your foot off the accelerator pedal at low speeds can actually lock the brakes. In our experience at Holly Oaks, using the feature on a steep downhill slope caused some unwanted skidding. Luckily, the truck also has a more traditional hill-descent control system.
A unique styling kit helps the F-150 Tremor look the part too. While it borrows some themes from the Raptor—the vented hood, powder-coated running boards, and a silver bumper bash plate, for example—it also sports orange trim across the exterior and interior to match the Ranger and Expedition Timberline models. The F-150 Tremor is offered only in the SuperCrew body style with the 5.5-foot bed, but there are three trim levels—base, Mid, and High—with various luxury and convenience items. All are powered by a 400-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 and come with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
On the road, the Tremor drives much like a normal F-150. The ride is compliant for a pickup truck and the retuned suspension improves the ride quality somewhat, particularly on sharper impacts, which are more muted in the Tremor than in the standard F-150. The twin-turbo V-6 pulls strong throughout the rev range and helped the Tremor snap off a 5.3-second run to 60 mph at our test track, only 0.1 second behind the 385-pound heavier Raptor's time. The Tremor also made it through the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 100 mph, 2 mph faster than the Raptor and 1 mph slower than the F150 Hybrid.
Fuel economy is mediocre, even for a pickup truck. During our time with the Tremor, it averaged 15 mpg, although it managed 19 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, 1 mpg shy of the EPA estimate. Four-wheel drive is standard on the Tremor, as expected, and all models come with a locking rear differential and 33-inch General Grabber A/TX off-road tires on 18-inch aluminum wheels. A front-axle Torsen limited-slip differential is $500, and our test vehicle was so equipped. Even with these additional upgrades, though, we doubt that the Tremor could keep up with the Raptor off-road.
Going with the Mid trim—a $6065 jump in price over the base version—adds niceties such as heated front seats, the aforementioned trail-driving assist features, a Bang & Olufsen stereo, and an 8.0-inch instrument cluster display that provides at-a-glance info that's helpful when navigating off-road. The top-end model, like the one tested here, starts at $64,645 and comes with a more premium cabin that boasts a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery, heated rear seats, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, a power-adjustable steering column, and adjustable pedals.
Our test vehicle came with nearly $5000 worth of options—including an on-board generator, the fold-down driver's workspace, and the Torsen limited-slip differential—for an as-tested price of $69,595. That's a savings of $5255 over a similarly equipped Raptor if you can live without that truck's superior off-road capability—and we think most buyers can. Plus, the Tremor offers an additional 445 pounds of payload and 2700 pounds of towing capacity relative to the Raptor, so buyers needing that pickup practicality might find the Tremor the better fit for both their budget and their lifestyle.
Specifications
Specifications
2021 Ford F-150 Tremor
Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear/4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door pickup
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $51,200/$69,595
Options: Equipment Group 402A (360-degree camera, Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0, trailer brake controller, 36-gallon fuel tank, power sliding rear window, Tow Technology package, Bang & Olufsen speakers, leather interior, LED headlights and taillights), $13,445; Trailer Tow package, $1090; Pro Power Onboard, $995; 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen Unleashed, $695; power tailgate, $695; spray-in bed liner, $595; Torsen front differential, $500; lockable interior storage, $215; interior work surface, $165
ENGINE
twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port and direct fuel injection
Displacement: 213 in3, 3497 cm3
Power: 400 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 500 lb-ft @ 3100 rpm
TRANSMISSION
10-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: control arms/live axle
Brakes, F/R: 13.8-in vented disc/13.2-in vented disc
Tires: General Grabber A/TX
275/70R-18 116S M+S TPMSF
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 145.4 in
Length: 231.7 in
Width: 79.9 in
Height: 79.3 in
Passenger Volume: 136 ft3
Curb Weight: 5562 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 5.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 13.9 sec @ 100 mph
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 5.9 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.0 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 3.9 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 108 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 193 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.74 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 19 mpg
Highway Range: 680 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 18/16/20 mpg
Drew Dorian is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also held a wide variety of consumer-focused positions throughout his career, ranging from financial counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of becoming a Car and Driver editor since he was 11 years old—a dream that was realized when he joined the staff in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and learned to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive interests run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports cars and luxury SUVs.
