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Tremor time: Rugged Ford Explorer Tremor expands off-road sub-brand
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
The Ford Explorer is getting the Tremor treatment.
The Blue Oval’s best-selling SUV gets more rugged for the 2026 model year with an all-new, off-road capable model. Following in the footsteps of the F-150, Ranger, Bronco and Maverick lines, the three-row SUV becomes the latest Ford to wear the Tremor sub-brand badge.
You’ll know it by its orange-accented wheel pockets (to better locate the tire valve stem), tow hooks and grille mustache. But the Tremor badge is hardly cosmetics alone.
Replacing the Timberline model that was discontinued after the 2024 model year, Tremor expands the Explorer’s off-road capabilities with standard all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, one-inch suspension lift, underbelly bash plates and unique suspension shocks and springs. The Tremor is even offered with the choice of Ford’s twin-turbo, 400-horse V-6 engine.
Thus equipped, the Tremor stands atop the Explorer lineup alongside the road-focused Explorer ST with the same powerful V-6.
“The Explorer expands the Tremor family and satisfies our customers’ thirst for adventurous SUVs,” said Ford SUV Marketing Manager Craig Patterson at the Explorer Tremor’s media introduction in Louisville, Kentucky,
Key to Explorer Tremor’s rugged chops are 18″ wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires with stiff, broad sidewalls to withstand rocks and other off-road obstacle — not to mention Detroit potholes. The two, front/rear skid plates and one-inch increased ride height further improve off-road capability with better clearance and departure/approach angles.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor gets unique interior stitching and seat badging. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Complementing the tires is a Torsen limited slip rear differential to aid with traction.
The Tremor badge was introduced on Ford’s iconic F-150 pickup in 2014 as a less-extreme sibling to the truck’s legendary Baja-racing Raptor model. The F-150 Tremor offered off-road ruggedness without the super-price tag of the Raptor super-truck. Tremor models throughout the Ford lineup (including Explorer) have followed suit with similar off-road tools for their segments.
Under the hood, the Explorer Tremor comes standard with a 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder mill.
True to Ford’s high-tech tradition, the Explorer Tremor will be equipped with the latest, big Ford Digital Experience that includes WiFi hot spot, Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation and Google Play apps. Explorer Tremor comes standard with Copilot 360 Assist 2.0 (including a 360-degree camera for added visibility on trails or in parking lots). The tech is housed in Explorer’s standard, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 13.2-inch touchscreen.
Even BlueCruise hands-free highway driving comes standard to get you to the trailhead comfortably on divided highways.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor comes standard with off-road goodies like AWD, bash plates, one-inch lift, and all-terrain tires. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Explorer Tremor and ST performance models sit atop a lineup that includes the base Active, sporty ST-Line and luxurious Platinum models.
Ordering for the first-ever Ford Explorer Tremor opens on June 24 with deliveries in late 2025. Pricing is likely to start around $52,000 and will be announced closer to the Tremor’s appearance in showrooms.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.