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The Ford F-150 Tremor Is A New “Off-Road” Trim For America’s Best Selling Pickup Truck

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Photo: Ford

Truck YeahThe trucks are good!

Ford is going all-in on the “Tremor” name after offering the off-road package on the Ford Super Duty and Ford Ranger. Now there’s an F-150 Tremor. Here’s the off-road equipment that it offers over other F-150 models.

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The world is going crazy over off-road culture these days, with Ford offering a new Bronco and Bronco Sport, Jeep building V8 Wranglers, Toyota offering TRD packages on all sorts of vehicles including the RAV4 crossover, and even Honda throwing some cladding on a Pilot and calling it the new Passport.

Even if folks don’t actually take their vehicles to the trails, people sure as hell enjoy looking like they do. So it’s no surprise that Ford is adding another off-road-ish F-150 in addition to the FX4 package and the Raptor. The more off-road trims the better, I guess?

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You’ve already seen the Tremor name, as it’s the off-road package that Ford offers on the Super Duty XLT, Lariat, King Range and Platinum, as well as on the Ford Ranger XLT and Lariat.

In those vehicles, the Tremor Package’s main selling points are special exterior styling bits, increased ground clearance from a tweaked suspension, unique shocks, and big tires—in addition to off-road features like locking differentials and skid plates offered on other trims.

On the F-150, things are a bit different in that Tremor isn’t a package, it’s actually its own trim level.

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Photo: Ford

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The F-150 Tremor trim gets “retuned springs” all the way around to increase ground clearance, plus upper control arms and knuckles have been “revised,” and there are new monotube shocks up front and twin-tube dampers out back. “Tremor has 1.5 inches more total travel in the rear and an additional inch of total travel in front,” Ford’s press release reads.

I reached out to Ford to ask about the control arms and knuckles, because it seems surprising that the team would go through all the effort of manufacturing and tuning these critical new suspension parts just for a new trim level. The Blue Oval hasn’t answered my query about whether these are indeed Tremor-specific knuckles and control arms, though perhaps they are, as the new Ford Ranger Tremor package also includes “a lifted suspension, redesigned front knuckles and 32-inch [all-terrain tires].”

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Photo: Ford

Speaking of tires, those same General Grabbers offered on the Ranger Tremor package come with the F-150 Tremor, though they’re 33s on the full-size truck versus 32s on the Ranger:

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Photo: Ford

The tires wrap around 18-inch wheels, and add to the vehicle’s additional ground clearance, plus they increase the vehicle’s stance width by one inch, Ford says.

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The 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor’s approach angle is a decent 27.6 degrees, departure angle is an acceptable 24.3 degrees, and the breakover angle of 21.2 isn’t too horrible for a pickup, either. All of these figures apply to the SuperCrew with 5.5-foot box, as this is the only truck configuration offered as a Tremor. For reference, Ford lists the standard 4×4 F-150’s approach angle as 24.3 degrees, the departure angle as 25.3 degrees, and the breakover angle as 20 degrees.

The Tremor trim only comes with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost mated to a 10-speed automatic, so if you wanted the V8 (and let’s be honest: you did), you’re out of luck.

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Like F-150s equipped with the FX4 Off-Road package, the Tremor gets skid plates, a locking rear differential, and Hill Descent Control. Plus there’s “Trail Control,” which is an off-road cruise control found on the outgoing Ford Raptor and the Ford Bronco Sport that I recently reviewed, and there’s Trail Turn Assist, which brakes the inside rear tire to help the truck make tight turns off-road.

In addition to the rear locker, Ford says that a Torsen limited slip front differential is coming later, and the company says that “high series customers get a torque-on-demand transfer case similar to the high-performance unit in F-150 Raptor.” This active transfer case offers an automatic mode that activates four-wheel drive when conditions call for it.

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Perhaps more interesting than any of this is “Trail One-Pedal Drive,” mostly because it could solve a problem I’ve faced with a number of off-road vehicles—they don’t have large enough crawl ratios to allow for precise low-speed crawling, and to compensate, I’ve had to drive with two feet. “In harsh trail situations,” Ford writes in its literature, “a driver typically must use both pedals, modulating throttle and brake simultaneously to advance the truck and avoid damage. Trail One-Pedal Drive simplifies all that, combining those operations into activating just the throttle.”

“Press to move forward, release to brake. The truck applies the brakes proportionally as the driver lifts from the accelerator.”

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This sounds like a good idea, and I’m excited to see how well it works over rocks.

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Photo: Ford

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The Tremor isn’t just about hardware or software, though, it’s also about styling. There’s a unique black grille with an “Active Orange” horizontal bar, there are orange tow hooks, plus there’s a redesigned hood and dual exhaust, orange tremor badges everywhere, and a “Raptor-Style” front skid plate.

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Photo: Ford

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Photo: Ford

The interior also has special Tremor styling bits, including stitching in the seats and door panels, plus little orange trim accents in the dash and elsewhere in the cabin.

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Photo: Ford

Oh, and there are some auxiliary switches, too, for light bars, winches, and other accessories.

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Illustration for article titled The Ford F-150 Tremor Is A New Off-Road Trim For Americas Best Selling Pickup Truck

Photo: Ford

Is it a huge step over a standard F-150 with the FX4 package? Probably not. But the 2021 Ford F-150 is an impressive truck, and I have to admit that the Tremor trim looks cool and appears to get the hardware needed to do some decent off-roading. Good truck, good looks, decent hardware? Plus a 10,900 tow rating?

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I don’t know how much the Ford F-150 Tremor will cost, but as long as it’s less than the forthcoming Raptor, people will buy it.

Ford Teases Front End Of The Upcoming 2023 Electric F-150

Illustration for article titled Ford Teases Front End Of The Upcoming 2023 Electric F-150

Photo: Ford

Truck YeahThe trucks are good!

When Ford was excitedly telling everyone about their plans for the electric F-150 and the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center they’re building on Thursday, they showed a teaser image of the new EV F-150’s face, giving us a pretty good general idea of what it’ll look like. And it seems the key element here is a glowing white unibrow.

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The front end is dominated by that cross-section-of-a-Danish-modern-coffeetable full-width DRL, and that does do a lot to give it a dramatically modern, I’m Electric look. These sorts of light bars seem to be becoming an EV signifier across the board, with VW’s I.D.-series of EVs sporting similar light bar designs.

I think this will also be Ford’s first return to full-width front-end lighting since the ‘80s Mercury Sable:

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Photo: Ford

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The large, upright front end, the part normally dominated by a massive grille on combustion-powered F-150s, doesn’t need to be a huge air intake on the EV version, since behind it is not an air-sucking engine, but rather a huge front trunk.

The tessellated, dimensional pattern used on the F-150 EV’s front end is similar to a lot of EV grille-replacements we’ve seen before, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find it will have a blueish cast, a color that is often associated with electric cars.

I think the little rectangular things over the illuminated projector headlamps are the turn indicators, and I think I can make out a hint of the Ford oval at the center.

Using the teaser, I threw together a quick mockup of what the EV F-150 may look like, from the front:

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Illustration: Jason Torchinsky

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I suspect there are actually quad headlamps there, with a high-beam directly below the low beam and indictor, and all three light elements are in a clear housing at each end of the not-grille, inset into the LED-daytime running lamp surround.

I gave the non-grille a bit of a blue tint and stuck the Blue Oval on there.

Overall, I think it looks pretty good? It feels modern and clean, and hopefully will avoid the urge to overdesign it into a monstrous caricature of rage and what dumbasses think looks “tough.”

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The rectilinearity and simplicity almost remind me of this section of Ford’s old Courier grille:

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Photo: Ford

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I’m curious to see the thing when it comes out. And look in that frunk. Plus, it looks like it will have a headgate, which is exactly how it should be.

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2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

Truck YeahThe trucks are good!

A seven-speed manual transmission for the upcoming 2021 Ford Bronco has been reported by a tipster with access to exclusive images of the new truck’s center stack, giving more evidence that Ford really is taking the fight all the way to Jeep’s doorstep. It’s what everybody wanted.

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I can’t share the images here, but you can go take a gander for yourself over at The Fast Lane Car. Their tipster sent in an image of what appears to be an as-of-yet unreleased Ford infotainment center stack. The large screen appears to be approximately 12 inches, and it sits above a familiar F-150 button stack.

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Here’s more from TFLC:

Our source did provide a clear enough image to make out some of the options you’ll get with the 2021 Ford Bronco by way of the buttons on the center stack. Immediately below the infotainment display (showing what is most likely Ford’s SYNC 4 system), there are buttons for a 360-degree camera system, automatic stop/start and a button to disable the parking sensors. Dual-zone climate control also makes an appearance, as does heated seats. However, ventilated seat buttons aren’t here as they were on the F-150. There does appear to be some blank space on either side for a button, so it may just not be an option on this trim level.

More important than the buttons you’ll be pushing is the TFLC source’s claims about the supposed seven-speed manual transmission fitted on the new Bronco. The prospect of a seven-speed in the new Bronco has been rumored since as far back as fall of 2018.

Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

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It may actually be a transmission with six forward gears, and a low gear for crawling, according to the tip. Unfortunately, their tipster didn’t get an image of that somehow, so we have to consider taking their word for it still.

This information does match a PowerPoint slide from the manufacturer of the Bronco’s transmission, Magna, which describes a manual transmission capable of different arrangements, including one with a seventh “crawler” gear. Its standard torque rating is up to 443 lb-ft.

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Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Screenshot: Magna

Autoblog points out it could potentially pair well with the Bronco’s rumored 325 horsepower, 400 lb-ft of torque 2.7-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6 powertrain from the F-150 pickup.

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The new TFLC report also indicates Ford may offer two different tire options, one narrow for street and a larger profile for off-roading, supposedly measuring 255-millimetres and 285-millimetres respectively. The larger width would match the tires on the 17-inch wheels available with the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, TFLC points out.

Ford planned on already revealing its Wrangler-wrangling full-size Bronco, but the current state of the world has kicked that down the road. Ford previously said the reveal would still take place this spring, and to stay tuned for a date announcement.

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Illustration for article titled 2021 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual May Be A 6-Speed With A Low Gear: Report

Photo: Jalopnik (SPIEDBILDE)

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