(By Tom Lohnes) – Do you want the awesome Ford Ranger Raptor in the USA? Well, you can’t have it but you can have the new Ranger Tremor.
With Tremor being Ford’s more subtle off-road pack overall, it does beef up the Ranger. We kind of see the Ranger as Ford’s hybrid of a new and older global platform truck. This said it was the only major player in the segment without some sort of serious off-road package.
Well for 2021 you can have a Ranger Tremor which is an upgraded version of the Ranger FX-4 fight the Chevy Colorado ZR2 and Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro. Although the Ranger Tremor is facing stiff competition, it has the guts (on paper, at least) to go up against them. It’s a nice combination of both trucks, with the Colorado’s torque and suspension, and the Tacoma’s tough styling and meaty tires.
If we look at its direct competition, the Ranger doesn’t have two things that they offer. A diesel option from the Colorado, and the immense reliability of the Toyota. That second comparison may not be as fair to make as it will be a while before we see just what the Ranger is made of as the Tacoma has long been science out over time.
On the plus side, the Ranger has 350 horsepower out of its 2.3-liter Turbo four, beating the Chevy’s 189/305, and the Tacoma’s 279. The Ranger also has a lot more comfort than any Tacoma, such as seats that aren’t on the floor and a usable backseat.
Pricing starts a $42,500 for the Ranger Tremor, which is steeper than the Chevrolet and Toyota. Hopefully for Ford it can make up for that price in performance.
The crack about the having a useable rear seat compared to the Tacoma is ridiculous. The Tacoma’s rear seat has more shoulder and hip room while sharing an equal amount of head room. The Tacoma rear seat also is split and flat folding with storage under and behind while the Ranger basically just flops down.