The Ford Ranger Tremor went off-road against the Tacoma and Gladiator – and blew us away!
The 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor is the more off-road-capable midsize pickup truck Ford sells in North America. In terms of capability, it bridges the gap between the FX4 package and the Ranger Raptor package that we may never get. Ford offers the Tremor package on their F-Series Heavy Duty trucks, and soon – their half-ton trucks.
As we finally got our greedy little mitts on a 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor, we simply had to compare it to some of the best in the industry. Sure, we wanted to get a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 – Bison, but we couldn’t make the timing work out. Fortunately, we were able to get a Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro and a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon to compare.
This comparison was especially compelling against the Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro as both the Ford and Toyota are similar in many ways. Sure, their powertrains are completely different, but they have a similar 4×4 suspension setup, they are fairly close in weight, and they both have independent front suspensions. With front and rear lockers, a disconnecting front sway-bar, and a solid front axle, the Jeep Gladiator is a much different animal. We’re using it as a benchmark for the other two to follow in this video.
Roman and Andre brought all three trucks up to the Rocky Mountains to see how the Ford compares to the best seller in the business (the Tacoma) and one of the most capable in the business (the Gladiator). Keep in mind: we did this comparison in the snow, at high elevation (between nine and 10-thousand feet) in freezing temperatures. This is an incredibly challenging environment, but all three trucks did quite well.
Here is how the specs compare:
| Ford Ranger Tremor | Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro | Jeep Gladiator Rubicon | |
| Engine | 2.3L I4 Turbo | 3.5L V6 | 3.6L V6 |
| Power | 270 hp | 278 hp | 285 hp |
| Torque | 310 lb-ft | 265 lb-ft | 260 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 10-sp Auto | 6-sp Auto | 8-sp Auto (6-sp Man) |
| Approach Ang. | 30.9 deg | 35 deg | 43.4 deg |
| Breakover Ang. | 24.2 deg | 28.5 deg | 20.3 deg |
| Departure Ang. | 25.5 deg | 23.9 deg | 26 deg |
| Ground Clear. | 9.7 in | 9.4 in | 11.1 in |
| Tires | 31.6 in x 10.4 in | 30.6 in x 10.4 in | 32.7 in x 11.2 in |
| Crawl Ratio | 47.6-to-1 | 44-to-1 | 77.2-to-1 |
| Package Price | $4,290 (Tremor) | ~ $9,500 (Trd Pro) | ~ $6,000 (Rubicon) |
There were a few issues and several surprises – as you’ll see in this video!
