{"id":26847,"date":"2021-02-11T23:12:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T03:12:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26847"},"modified":"2021-02-11T23:12:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T03:12:12","slug":"payne-rugged-ford-ranger-tremor-hits-the-slopes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/02\/payne-rugged-ford-ranger-tremor-hits-the-slopes","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Rugged Ford Ranger Tremor hits the slopes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

So you enjoy off-roading. Done it in the snow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is beautiful, challenging and dangerous. And the perfect habitat for the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor \u2014 my four-wheeled snowmobile for a recent trip to wintry Holly Oaks ORV park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My last foray into Holly Oaks\u2019 twisted canyons was last November in the Ford Bronco Sport, my 2020 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year. Bronco Sport is a superb all-around package of utility, design and fun. Not content to just haul stuff (like two bikes upright under its rear hatch), the unibody-based, $34,000 Bronco Sport Badlands edition features the twin rear clutch pack off a Ford Focus R hot hatch to make for serious off-road capability. I whipped the little stallion around Holly Oaks so hard I popped a tire bead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when the going gets really tough, you\u2019ll want a ladder frame under you like the Ranger Tremor. And even then, you\u2019ll still want bead locks as (ahem) I once again torqued a bead off a rim. I\u2019ll get to that in a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tremor is the most capable Ranger pickup on offer. And the mid-sizer is a worthwhile daily driver even if you don\u2019t plan on tearing up off-road parks. Tows 7,500 pounds with 2,080 payload. My pal John bought a Ranger because he couldn\u2019t fit an F-150 into his Manistee condo\u2019s garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Time><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t fit an F-150 into my two-car garage, either. It\u2019s a technical marvel with six engine options, tablet display with state-of-thee-art SYNC 4 infotainment, zone lighting, self-park-assist, onboard generator, wireless phone apps and a rear seat big enough to fit the Detroit Pistons front court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ranger is a generation behind big brother (waiting for hand-me-downs) when it comes to tech. Its cabin has small screens, SYNC 3, no hybrid option, and adaptive cruise control that doesn\u2019t work under 10 mph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whoa, Nelly!<\/em> It\u2019s been a while since I drove ACC that didn\u2019t come to a full stop behind another vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But throw on the Ranger\u2019s $4,290 Tremor package and the wee pickup comes alive with all-road capability. No, this isn\u2019t a Baby Raptor with Baja suspension and twin-turbo V-6 engine that can leap tall buildings in a single bound. But Ranger still gets upgraded Fox shocks with Ranger\u2019s standard, snarly 2.3-liter engine turbo-4 with class-best 310 pound feet of torque. Heck, it\u2019s shared with the aforementioned Focus RS pocket rocket (oh, I miss that little hellion in North America) and Mustang HiPo. Tremor starts a whopping $30,000 south of Raptor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And size matters off-road. Small size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where F-150 Raptor\u2019s capabilities can only fully be realized by ingesting sand dunes in SoCal\u2019s Borrego Desert at 100 mph, you can satisfy Tremor\u2019s appetite at Holly Oaks (or The Mounds in Flint) just 30 minutes up I-75.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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North Oakland County is pickup country, and I drove in a herd of F-150, F-250, Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 elephants up the interstate. But Holly Oaks\u2019 confines (carved out of an old cement quarry) are more amenable to compact bruisers like the Ranger Tremor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is Jeep Wrangler (and soon-to-arrive) Ford Bronco country, with narrow trails and narrow crevices not unlike what you\u2019ll find on rocky Moab terrain in Utah. Mid-size pickups have piggy-backed on the explosion in SUV interest, bringing pickup bed utility to the game. Tremor is joined by the Jeep Gladiator, Chevy Colorado ZR2 and Toyota Tacoma TRD.Get the COVID-19 Update newsletter in your inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Updates on how the coronavirus is affecting your community and the nationDelivery: VariesYour Email<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tremor goodies are a nice value as they sit on top of the already tough FX-4 off-road package \u2014 and can be coupled with XLT and Lariat trims starting at $41,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ranger\u2019s torquey, 270-horse mill and Fox shocks make it a blast around Holly Oaks high-speed bits just like cousin Bronco Sport. But blanket the 235-acre landscape in 6 inches of snow, and the desire for a ladder-frame chassis suddenly become paramount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Under the powder lurk potholes and ridges and debris that would bend a unibody chassis. The Ranger box-frame absorbed the punishment with steely determination. Add Tremor\u2019s four underbody skid plates, 32-inch tires, 9.7-inch ground clearance and 31-inch approach angle, and my Cyber Orange Ranger was a rhino in tennis shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whump!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I buried the truck\u2019s nose into a ditch hiding under the snow as I slid sideways around a downhill embankment. Tremor\u2019s skid plate and shocks absorbed the impact (sparing my head from the ceiling), but the shock twisted the tire bead off the rim. Good thing Tremor carries a spare under its belly. Better yet, put bead locks on the rims if you want to explore the limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in action, I charged up the park\u2019s \u201cTwin Tetons,\u201d all four wheels churning snow to make it to the top. \u201cMaintaining momentum is key to getting through snow,\u201d Holly Oaks designer Tom Zielinski had advised me earlier in the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top of Teton II, I hesitated. Pondering the steep decline below, I toggled Ranger Tremor\u2019s \u201cTrail Control\u201d feature \u2014 low-speed cruise control that I\u2019d first experienced on the Raptor to navigate rocky western terrain. Pedal-free, I inched down the slope at 5 mph \u2014 too slow as it turned out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The 4,571-pound truck began to slew sideways, a bad sign in slippery conditions that can \u2014 in the worst case \u2014 pitch the truck sideways, flipping it into a barrel roll. When in doubt, throttle out! is the off-roaders\u2019 mantra. I overrode Trail Assist with throttle, and the Tremor straightened out, barreling downhill true as an arrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tremor trim builds on Ranger\u2019s FX4 package (skid plates, 4WD drive modes, tow hooks) by adding signature red grille nostrils, Fox shocks and 32-inch, Continental General Grabber tires. The combination is magic off-road, lifting the truck nearly 10-inches off the ground (four hoop side steps are added to help climb into the cabin) and absorbing sub-snow frozen moguls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Saucy.><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Where regular shocks might shake a tooth loose, the Foxes cushion the blows while the Grabbers, well, grab. As it turned out, the pair have a civilized side, too. Daily commuting is quite smooth, with the Grabber quieter than your average off-road claws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who want to bring a dirt bike along, Ranger\u2019s bed offers good utility, though I can\u2019t say the same for the tight rear seats. If your family has long legs, get an F-150.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I miss Ford\u2019s hot hatch sedans. But Ford still offers a stable of affordable vehicles \u2014 Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, Escape \u2014 with lots of personality. Add Tremor to the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 Ford Ranger Tremor<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Vehicle type: Four-wheel-drive, four-door, midsize pickup<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price: $42,545, including $1,195 destination charge ($47,805 Tremor Lariat as tested)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powerplant: 2.3-liter turbo-4 cylinder<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power: 270 horsepower, 310 pound-feet of torque<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transmission: 10-speed automatic<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing, 7,500 pounds; payload, 1,430 pounds<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weight: 4,565 pounds as tested<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel economy: EPA 19 mpg city\/19 highway\/19 combined<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report card<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highs: Off-road brute; 32-inch tires<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lows: Dated interior tech; tight back seat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall: 3 stars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So you enjoy off-roading. Done it in the snow? It is beautiful, challenging and dangerous. And the perfect habitat for the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor \u2014 my four-wheeled snowmobile for a recent trip to wintry Holly Oaks ORV park. My last foray into Holly Oaks\u2019 twisted canyons was last November in the Ford Bronco Sport, my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26847"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26848,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26847\/revisions\/26848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}