It was a good six months with our long-term Ford Ranger Tremor.
We covered almost 10,000 kilometres of tar including the various potholed grades that pass as tar, gravel and a 4x4 trail or two that highlighted its offroad prowess.
As a reminder, the Ranger Tremor is based on the XLT version of the popular double cab and adds a host of 4x4 additions that makes it incredibly capable and able to compete with the best out there.
The exterior gets a more bush-ready appeal with black honeycomb grille with LED auxiliary lights, bolder grey exterior details on the lower sections of the bumper, H-bar, fender vents, mirror caps, door handles and rear bumper.
It gets a ‘Tremor’ badge on the tailgate and decals on the sides and like the WIldtrak X and Raptor, a black Ford oval on the front grille and tailgate.
General Grabber 265/70 R17 AT3 tyres on Asphalt Black alloys provide fantastic grip in any situation you find yourself.
With the addition of specially developed Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers that give the Tremor an increase of 24mm ground clearance as well as a 30mm wider track the Tremor truly looks the part of bundu-basher.
Underneath a steel bashplate, steel underbody protection for the engine, transfer case, and fuel tank, two rated front recovery hooks and cast aluminium side steps provide ease of mind for when the going gets really tough.
It uses the tried and tested 2.0-litre bi-turbo diesel engine with 154kW and 500Nm with a full-time four-wheel drive system and Ford’s 10-speed automatic transmission.
By using a dial on the centre console you can easily toggle between 2H, 4H, 4L and 4A (auto).
Additional modes include Mud/Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl, Normal, Eco, Tow/Haul and Slippery.
The interior receives some additional Tremor decals and stitching and a shout-out to the person that decided to replace the carpeting with vinyl flooring.
The standard XLT 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display is replaced by Ford’s 12-inch version with the Off-Road SYNC Screen and a 360-degree camera system that spruces up the interior significantly.
The Tremor replaced our Wildtrak X which is fitted with similar 4x4 goodies but comes with the more luxurious Wildtrak trim and specification.
For an offroading enthusiast the Tremor feels more suited to the task of regular gravel, mud and rocks with an interior that’s easier to keep clean (the seats are trimmed in water-resistant black vinyl) while still being able to take on the toughest challenges.
In Rock Crawl the rear differential lock is activated automatically but it’s easily disconnected by the touch of an icon on the screen.
During a particularly tough 4x4 weekend trail, the Tremor impressed everyone as it kept up with large 35-inch tyre competition modified vehicles so much so that a couple of weeks later one of them bought one.
With a 3.5-ton braked towing capacity it made short work of my significantly lighter offroad trailer during a long weekend trip to KZN and showed its ability to handle tight turns and gravel roads with ease.
It’s then that you also appreciate the comfort that the Bilstein shocks provide.
One thing I did miss over the Wildtrak X though is the lack of an inverter in the cabin as well as the loadbay.
Instead it has 12V sockets for charging accessories so we would plug in our own inverter whenever it was needed.
Despite its size as a daily driver it’s easy to live with.
You have to get used to the bulk when weaving through traffic or parking in shopping centre bays but park distance control and cameras ensure that it’s done without too much fuss..
Its size does have one advantage though as my partner found out while using it for a couple of weeks while her car was in for repairs.
Errant drivers and taxis that try to sneak in from emergency lanes and elsewhere to bully their “victims” into submission think twice about taking on the Tremor.
It also took five adults up part of the Sani Pass with the comment on returning “that it’s hard not to like the car”.
The one thing I didn’t like though and that’s becoming more prevalent on all Fords, is the “keep your hands on the steering wheel” warning.
It seems to come on randomly despite two hands being exactly where they should be and the only way to stop it is to give the steering wheel a light jerk.
During the six months we had the Tremor average consumption stood at 10.3l/100km. That is not bad at all considering its size and shape, lots of 4H driving and a couple of excursions with soft tyres in low range.
If you’re going to be doing a lot of commuting and coax it along gently the Tremor should be giving you around 9.8l/100km.
With auxiliary switches prewired in the roof of the cabin and space for a second battery under the bonnet and you’re looking for a double cab bakkie that’s as comfortable on the road as it is capable off it for long stretches into the great wide yonder, then you can’t do much better than the Ford Ranger Tremor.