The Ford Ranger Tremor is an all-round impressive bakkie, but could it be the best one in South Africa? Despite the near-R1 million asking price?
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First things first: R1 million for a bakkie used to be something everyone scoffed at. We never really bought into the idea (although it was inevitable) and the thought thereof sent shivers down our spines. Yet, here we are and several of South Africa’s leading bakkies have crossed that one-bar threshold. Including a few Ford Rangers. However, while it has become a norm to speak about bakkies costing north of a bar, Ford managed to bring one of its bakkies, the Ranger Tremor, in at a price below the ‘magical’ six zeroes. And though this bakkie, with its R978 600 price tag, is talked about as a R1 million vehicle, it does have impeccable traits to justify its position and relevance.
More importantly, it makes a claim for the title of South Africa’s best bakkie. Here’s why.
Uprated suspension
Any honest bakkie owner/driver will lament the poor ride quality. Truthfully speaking, the often jittery, filling-rattling ride exhibited by bakkies are accompanied by horror stories, yet the desire to get behind the steering wheel overrides any form of annoyance. In Ford’s case, several bakkies in its portfolio are equipped with an improved suspension setup that has been gleaned from the previous generation Ranger Raptor.
Like the Wildtrak X (and the delightful turbo-petrol 3.0-litre V6 Ranger Raptor), the Ranger Tremor features an uprated suspension setup. Not only does it give the Tremor an improved ride quality on tar, but it also turns the bakkie into a proper off-road machine. The Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers give the bakkie a 261 mm ground clearance (+24 mm over the Ranger XLT on which it is based) and 30 mm wider track.
Related: Ford’s new Dune Decimator! Ranger Raptor launch review
It turns the bakkie into a competent all-round vehicle, without the shakes we’ve come to expect from this category. Further enhancing the improved ride quality is the 265/70 R17 all-terrain General Grabber AT3 tyres. During our 2024 SUV Shootout through the Tankwa Karoo, the Ranger Tremor acted as the support vehicle, garnering widespread approval from the team. We noted:
“The standard fitment of General Grabber AT3 to the Ranger Tremor furthered its already-impressive all-road capability. Coming in at 265/70 R17, the tyres absorbed road imperfections with aplomb, contributing to a sense of composure you’d never usually associate with negotiating Tankwa’s demanding roads.”
Further enhancing the Ranger Tremor’s appeal is an 800 mm wading depth, approach and departure angles of 32- and 24-degrees, respectively, and a braked towing capacity of 3 500 kg.
Familiar Ford engine
Ford opted to deploy its familiar 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine in the Ranger Tremor. While it is the same unit as used in the previous-generation Ranger, power is slightly down (-3 kW) on 154 kW, but the torque is unchanged on 500 N.m. Still, it does not detract from the bakkie running impeccably well, soaking up the open road and any challenge put in front of it.
But that is only part of the story. The Ranger Tremor and Ranger Wildtrak X are the only models to come fitted with Ford’s full-time four-wheel-drive (4A) system. Using the drive mode selector, drivers can toggle between 4 High for improved traction on low-grip surfaces, and 4 Low for when tackling an off-road track. 2 High sends power to just the rear wheels.
The engine is mated to Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission, which is found in various Ford products, including the V8-powered Mustang.
Pricing and rivals
The Ford Ranger Tremor is priced at R978 600, with service- and maintenance plans optionally available. A four-year/120 000 km warranty does come standard. But where does this leave the Ranger Tremor against its direct rivals?
The bi-turbo Ranger XLT 4×4 automatic, on which the Tremor is based, comes in at R854 500, while the newly launched Toyota Hilux GR-S III 2.8 GD-6 is pegged at R999 000. The Hilux GR-S III comes standard with a nine-service/90 000 km service plan and a three-year/100 000 km warranty. In terms of power, the 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine walks around with 165 kW/550 N.m.
In terms of Isuzu and its offerings, we can look at either the D-Max 3.0 TD V-Cross 4×4 (R916 400) or the D-Max 3.0 TD AT35 4×4 (R1 170 339). Both bakkies are powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine offering 140 kW/450 N.m, and ship standard with a five-year/90 000 km service plan and five-year/120 000 km warranty. However, the AT35 is fitted with Bilstein performance dampers and Bilstein off-road suspension.
So, why Tremor?
The Ford Ranger Tremor is not perfect. For starters, power adjustment for the front seats would have been a welcome addition to the package, along with a tonneau cover. The Hilux GR-S III, the bakkie’s main rival, has both, albeit power adjustment for only the driver’s seat. But these are small gripes in an otherwise solid package.
The Ranger Tremor builds on the recipe that won the bakkie the title of 2023 South African Car of the Year. And the suspension setup it shares with the Wildtrak X endows it with a ride quality few (if any!) bakkies can match. Road holding and ride quality are shockingly good, making the Ranger Tremor hard to ignore in this very competitive segment.
As for the bakkie being the best-kept secret in South Africa? Well, that’s a conversation for the braai.
