Manoli Katakis 
Ford Motor Company continues to bring more offerings in the off-road vehicle space than anybody else. From the highly capable 2021 Bronco Sport, to the behemoth 2021 Super Duty Tremor, the bandwidth is impressively expansive, and caters to a wide range of tastes and budgets. Take the ‘Tremor’ package for example. Originally debuting last year on the F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks, the Tremor package then expanded to the midsize Ranger with an announcement during the summer. And today, we bear witness to the third pickup truck suited to carry the name: the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor.
The 2021 F-150 Tremor will slot about the 2021 F-150 FX4 package, and like the other Tremor variants, is best suited for rough terrain, rocky trails, and otherwise getting to hard-to-reach places. As far as the competition goes, the 2021 Ram 1500 Rebel seems like the immediate rival, which is priced from just over $45,000. Ford hasn’t announced pricing for the new F-150 Tremor just yet, but we expect it to land somewhere around that $45K zone, as well.
For those wondering, the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor will slot above this package. Likely with a unique powertrain, and a commanding price point to go with it.
The 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor package will launch in SuperCrew configuration with a 5.5-foot box, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission with standard four-wheel drive. From there, the Tremor package will be available with standard, mid and high equipment groups.
Like we see with the Ranger Tremor and Super Duty Tremor, the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor follows a familiar recipe. Much of it taking place below the fender lines. There are Tremor-specific tuned springs in all four corners, along with revised front hub knuckles and upper control arms, Tremor-specific monotube shocks at the front, and twin tube shocks at the rear. This setup yields softer damping at low speeds, with additional damping and control for more severe off-road events. In all, the F-150 Tremor has 1.5 inches more total travel in the rear and an additional inch of total travel in front compared to the standard setup. Should things get a little nose-heavy, there’s a Raptor inspired steel bash plate to protect front-end components from objects like rocks, logs, and other unfriendly objects. Should things become stuck, there are recovery hooks located fore and aft of the truck.
Providing grip for the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor package is a set of mighty 33-inch General Grabber all-terrain tires mounted on unique matte-finish 18-inch wheels, providing a 1-inch wider stance for more confidence off-road. Between the larger tires, steel bash plate, and unique suspension, the result is an approach angle of 27.6 degrees, a breakover angle of 21.2 degrees and departure angle of 24.3 degrees.
All of this new hardware would likely be for nothing if not for a standard locking rear differential and front differential, with an optional late-availability upgrade to a Torsen limited-slip front across all equipment levels. For those going for high series content, 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor customers get a torque-on-demand transfer case similar to the high-performance unit in the Raptor. This cutting-edge case merges all-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive capabilities to handle virtually any off-road environment.
The 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor can be the perfect base camp vehicle, thanks to a maximum conventional tow rating of 10,900 pounds. The family camper, or a trailer full of quads and dirt bikes can hitch along for the adventure, while the maximum payload rating is a substantial 1,885 pounds. What’s more, the 2.0 kW ProPower Onboard inverter generator is also available. Overland gang, do you copy?
The 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor package also adds unique design details inside and out. For instance, the hood and front end of the F-150 Tremor have a look all their own, while a unique grille design featuring a blacked-out Ford oval is highlighted by an Active Orange, which the Tremor calls its own. The two front recovery hooks are also painted in this hue. Further borrowing from cues from the Raptor are the set of off-road fixed metal running boards which are mounted close to the body to limit damage. Out back, a cutout rear bumper features a high-flow dual exhaust flanking its two rear recovery hooks. Active Orange-highlighted badging appears on the fenders, bed sides and tailgate.
The interior of the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor is riddled with Active Orange accents, such as the seats, floor mats, doors and center console. A six-position auxiliary power switch pack mounted in the overhead console also comes with the package, so owners can easily access and activate all of their aftermarket add-ons such as winches and air compressors. Ford says that off-road lighting accessories can be dealer-installed on all models.
Since the doors of the 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor aren’t exactly as removable as the 2021 Bronco, off-roading this big beast can be a little tricky without a lack of low angle sight lines or even spotters. As such, the Tremor has an available 360-degree camera package for an in-cabin view of obstacles around the truck and the front-view camera provides a real-time tire track overlay to dynamically show the path of the wheels ahead. 360-degree view and rearview cameras can be called up at higher speeds with a convenient dash-mounted hard button.
Also available in the 2021 F-150 Tremor is the Ford Trail Toolbox, which is a suite of off-road assist features. Putting things on Easy Mode is an available Trail One-Pedal Drive mode, which takes the two-pedal modulating usually necessary for low speed rock crawling, and simplifies it. Give it some gas to move forward, and lift to brake. That’s it. This new feature is different from the similarly named Trail Control, which is also available. This system operates like cruise control for off-road use, in a way. Drivers simply select a set speed and the truck manages throttle and braking to allow them to focus on steering through challenging off-road conditions.
Borrowing a page from the 2021 Ford Bronco is the available Trail Turn Assist feature in the F-150 Tremor. While it’s no Crab Mode found in the GMC Hummer EV, the Ford Trail Turn Assist feature reduces steering radius in tight off-road terrain situations by applying brakes to the inside rear wheel, allowing for tighter turns in low-speed maneuvers.
In addition to the Normal, Sport, Tow/Haul, Eco, Slippery and Deep Snow/Sand, and Mud/Rut modes found in the 2021 F-150 FX4, the Tremor package adds a Rock Crawl mode, which automatically engages the rear locking differential, turns off stability and traction control, reduces throttle response, adjusts shift points and displays the available 360-degree camera view on the center screen. Hill Descent Control is also standard.
The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 Tremor will be available next summer.
