Looking at buying a Tremor. Advice/opinions/suggestions?

[V8 Voodoo]

Hello everyone, just joined this forum and have been doing lots of reading. Currently I own a 2018 Canyon All Terrain (this was before the AT4). I didn't think I would be selling it this soon but the used car prices are insane right now and the dealer offer is way higher than I ever expected. So it got me looking. I've been looking at the Canyon AT4, Colorado ZR2, and the Ranger Tremor. From all of my reading, which is quite a bit in the past few days (I become obsessed and read anything and everything) it looks like the Tremor is a very solid mid-sized truck. Every time I see a ZR2 on the road, it makes me head turn. I love the look. However, the interior seems very cheap and I see there may be reliability on the shocks. The payload and towing numbers are also not very impressive. The AT4 with the new front end looks good, but its basically what I have now, which isn't very exciting. The Tremor looks to have the better interior of the three. Performance wise, on paper it has less HP, but more torque. The 2.3 matted with the 10 speed seems to be superb. The ground clearance, suspension and tires seem to offer a nice off road and on road driving experience.

I am just looking for any and all opinions/suggestions from owners. What do you like? What don't you like? What would you do differently?

Also, I would only be getting a Lariat Tremor in black.

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[Scooter]

This gives some opinions.

Tremor vs. FX4 build | 2019+ Ford Ranger and Raptor Forum (5th Generation) - Ranger5G.com

 

[fortywater12]

What are the price points you can get the vehicles at? I think that would be a huge deciding factor to me. I would obviously pay more for a better truck, but all the prices I have seen on the ZR2s and Tremors in particular are crazy right now. I know its different by area, but out here in CA, every single Tremor flys off the lot with a markup.

As for the vehicles themselves, I drove the ZR2 when deciding to buy my Ranger. The interior was far less comfortable than the seats in my FX4 XLT Ranger. The leather felt hard and wasn't too supple. Visibility out of the ZR2 was about the same as the Ranger, maybe a bit less. The rear shock location scared me on the ZR2 - I know you can armor them, but that would be yet another mod I would need to do right after purchase for piece of mind. Try and go drive all of the vehicles you are thinking about and get a feel for them.

At the time when I was shopping, I preferred the ZR2 looks over the Ranger, this has changed now though since I own a Ranger lol.

Lastly, take these opinions with a grain of salt....you are posting on a Ranger forum after all.....

Good luck!

 

[awd.nv]

I happen to own a Black XLT Tremor and have zero complaints really. Towing my Geo Pro 19BH is effortless. The two little things would be that I wish the front was closer to level to the rear but since I tow I am not sure I will touch it anymore. I dunno, might still do a 1" level kit. The other is that I wish the XLT got the LED headlights as well but that won't be your problem.

The power plant is amazing actually. I was so skeptical but this turbo 4 banger with the 10spd is impressive. I want to put the Ford 91 octane tune which I would imagine completely transforms the tuck. That is one of the pros I would say, how easy it is to add HP/Tq with bolt ons and a flash compared to NA v6 trucks.

The fox shocks feel so nice off road, but I had a low bar to compare against since I was off roading a lifted '16 Honda Pilot.

Interior looks good despite the reviewers love to complain about it being dated, compared to a loaded RAM 1500 maybe but it looks right in the Ranger. I do not expect my truck to look like a Mercedes interior either. It is going to be a place that gets dirty from camping and trails.

I actually ended up liking the tires a lot off road and on road but this reminds me, Ford SHOULD HAVE included mud flaps. I have a few good paint chips from rocks flinging into the body. I picked up some mud flaps to help save the paint. Cheaper than switching tires.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

Drive them all and then compare.

I will say that the Ranger specs on paper feel nothing like actually driving it.

On paper the Tacoma has more HP, but the Ranger will suck the headlights out of a Tacoma as it blows past.

The 2.3/10 speed combo is impressive. And really wakes up if you install a tune.

 

[TBR17]

Can't go wrong. I enjoy mine very much. Nice on the road and very quick in the bone stock form. Tows my boat well. Best of luck.

 

[bentroia]

After about 1500 miles...The Lariat Tremor
Is very comfortable, quiet, and handles great on and off road. Fast rough sandy trails are super fun and the suspension does a grest job keeping the truck stable and under control. Ive owned 5 various vehicles set up with basic offroad features like sispension tires ect and this Ford is SOLID in stock form.

Pros
Light footed with 87 gas easily get 21.5+ mpg with mixed city-hgwy driving.

Really fun and controlled on rough dirt-sand trails.

B&O sound is great.

Climate control works great in hot dusty conditions.

Stock tire and wheels roll fast and quiet on pavement , perform great in the dirt.

Lariat Tremor seats are suppottive and comfy - driver and passenger.

Cons
Headlights anf fogs are not sufficient on trails.

Not set up for rock crawling - not enough clearance.

Body panel alignment is 1/4 inch off in many locations.

 

[CarbonTremor]

I had a canyon Denali and currently have a tremor. No contest imo I like the tremor more. I know they are two totally different trims with different objectives, but still I think the tremor is better. I much prefer the infotainment system in the tremor & the overall interior. The seats are way more comfortable, the tremor also gives a pretty nice ride on road due to the fox shocks . . . Lastly and most objectively I much prefer the looks and the drive train of the tremor .

 

[JACKSMYDOG]

Functionally the trucks are not different enough IMO to make a difference, so it's really price, comfort, cosmetics and brand preference.

Personally over 35 years, and hundreds of work trucks trucks, I have had better luck with Ford than anything else, and the least luck with GM products. Not a huge variance, but a few problems with GM over the years push me to favour Ford trucks.

 

[Samsquanch]

One thing I mentioned in the other thread is taking into account what you can actually get either truck for and see what works best for you at the time. When I bought my truck a few months ago I was about to get a SCrew XLT fx4 for 33,500. A few weeks later i noticed they had a tremor lariat on the lot and while it was nice it was over 10k more. It’s not apples to apples since the trim packages are different but you see where I’m going.

To take a FX4 and add Fox 2.0 and 32s you’ll probably be in a little cheaper than the tremor but there’s a few other odds and ends that make the tremor cool. It’s kind of a toss up really. Ford probably could have made the tremor a little more special and we wouldn’t be having this debate. As it stands you almost can’t go wrong either way. They are both great trucks.

 

[Turbo Tim]

New to the forum, currently looking for a Lariat or Lariat Tremor, live in Toronto. I have been reading all the forums and some great info on here. I am coming from a 19 F150 Lariat and I have drove an XLT Tremor and a Lariat Tremor. I think I would be giving up too many creature comforts with the XLT, so leaning towards the Lariat. The ride was good on the Tremor, really good in fact. One of the coin flips is whether to get a Lariat and level it, put on KO2's with a FX4 pkg, or go with the Tremor, I am leaning towards the Tremor. There were a few things I noticed that I would like some real world feedback on....

1. On both trucks, either normal or sport mode the initial launch sounded like there was something wrong with the truck. I have read there is a TSB regarding a shuttering situation on acceleration. If this is normal I think this would drive me insane driving around everyday. One truck was much more pronounced than the other in my test drives
2.The side steps are not designed very well. First, you really don't need them to get in or out of the truck, when you get out they are just in the way....dumb design. I have seen some people have removed the steps and the bars completely. Any recommendations on aftermarket products, any pics?
3. The doors feel and sound very flimsy when you close them, and there was a bit more wind noise at highways speeds that seemed a little more than normal.
4. Tailgate damper...again what were they thinking, will buy an aftermarket one
5. Took the truck on a bit of gravel, came back to the dealer and there were many rocks in the treads, I have KO2's on my F150, never seen anything like that, have read some on here have complained about rocks being thrown up on the body.
6. The center gauge cluster seems a bit limited in its design, not ideal but not a deal breaker.
7. I will be towing about 3000lb loaded snowmobile trailer, it is an inline 17x6 , I assume trailering should be fine, how much of a hit goes the fuel mileage take?
8. B&O sounded fine, but didn't seem as good as in my F150, maybe cabin size has something with it.
9. I drive a lot for work, probably 4-5000km/mo, any high mileage users out there that could give me any feedback?
10. Seats felt pretty decent, probably a bit better than my F150
11. Interior storage space was a bit underwhelming, while the Aux switches look cool, I will likely never use them for anything and I would rather have the tray that is normally there

Overall I was impressed with the Ranger, now I have to see if I can actually find one....lol. I am A Plan through Ford so I get a decent price, even with the inventory issues currently at all the dealers. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[Bludrok]

As an owner of the Lariat Tremor, I can say you won't regret it. I get compliments all the time and love my truck.

Although, you might regret the black color. Rapid red is the way to go ?

 

[Turbo Tim]

Yeah I used to have a 2017 black F150, I swore never again....but you never know, I do like RR my buddy has a F250 Tremor in RR and it is one sharp truck. This is also part of me that likes the cyber orange, I just don't know if it is the right color for a truck, used to have a Focus ST in tangerine scream, I loved that color.

 

[Bludrok]

Yeah I used to have a 2017 black F150, I swore never again....but you never know, I do like RR my buddy has a F250 Tremor in RR and it is one sharp truck. This is also part of me that likes the cyber orange, I just don't know if it is the right color for a truck, used to have a Focus ST in tangerine scream, I loved that color.

Cyber orange was a close 2nd for me. It's a great color for the Ranger.

 

[Scooter]

If your looking to get noticed put the Tremor stickers on the FX4 save yourself 10K. Of course you get noticed with the big ass stickers. I would actually remove all the badging.

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