Even though Ford will do everything in its power to deny the Everest SUV’s close platform relationship with the Ranger ute (for some strange reason), the Ford Everest is arguably the quintessential ute-based large SUV.
Rugged, tough and capable off the tarmac, it is also refined, comfortable and effortlessly capable on the road as well.
But what if you were to take a more Raptor-ish approach to the Everest? Well, Ford has done that now too.
But don’ t get too excited; they haven’t made an Everest Raptor (which would be absolutely awesome and they really should), but they have done essentially the next best thing with the Everest Tremor.
The Everest Tremor takes everything that was good about the Ranger Tremor - the awesome 17-inch wheels shod with chunky General Grabber all-terrain tyres, the raised (by 24mm) and upgraded suspension with trick Bilstein Position-Sensitive Dampers, the 30mm wider track, the unique Rock Crawl drive mode - and essentially makes it all even better by adding in the excellent 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 (the Ranger Tremor is only available with the 2.0-litre biturbo diesel four).
What this means is that the Everest Tremor is not only significantly more off-road ready straight from the dealership, it is also the cheapest way to get into V6-powered Everest.
That’s not to say the Tremor is “cheap”, as the only other V6 in Ford’s Everest line up is the $91,490 range-topping Platinum model. However, at $87,990 the Tremor is genuinely good value for money, largely because it doubles down on that whole “quintessential ute-based large SUV” thing.
The Everest Tremor is essentially a jack of all trades, being as ready to head off road as it is to head off on a comfortable family road trip.
There is no denying the Everest Tremor looks fantastic, in a big, traditional tough-truck sort of way.
A lot of this improvement in both departments comes courtesy of the Bilstein shocks that are specific to the Tremor models in Ford’s line up. While not as extreme as the Raptor’s Fox Racing set up, the position-sensitive dampers with external reservoirs are designed to optimise damping force based on the suspension's position in order to provide “a balance between comfort and off-road performance”, and they do that rather nicely.
Ride quality is impressive for a big ladder chassis SUV, with a hint of the supreme on road abilities of the Raptor’s Fox Racing set up, by which I mean you can pound over speed bumps without bothering about all that slowing down nonsense.
There is a trade off from the suspension and those brilliantly chunky all-terrain tyres, however, with a slightly more brittle edge to the ride and an equally slight increase in road noise. Neither are particularly intrusive though, and are certainly not deal-breakers.
Then, of course, there is the look that all these beefy off-road additions bring - there is no denying the Everest Tremor looks fantastic, in a big, traditional tough-truck sort of way. It has considerably more presence than other Everest models, yet - thankfully - doesn’t scream of excessive aftermarket customisation.
Add the purposeful looks to the muscular and refined performance from the V6 engine and you have a tough-looking SUV that can deliver the power and performance those looks suggest, on or off the road.
It retains the Everest's superb all-rounder abilities with an added layer of capability and attitude.
Speaking of off the road, the Tremor’s 29mm increase in ride height also endows it with the best approach and departure angles in the Everest range - 32 and 26 degrees respectively - with total ground clearance of 254mm and a wading depth of 800mm, and like its Ranger and Everest siblings, the Tremor can tow 3500kg on a braked trailer.
When it comes to refined yet remarkably capable SUVs, the Everest Tremor is easily the best in class. While the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado has the looks and, arguably, a better interior (it’s close though), in terms of sheer value for money it can’t come close to the Ford.
And when you throw in that brilliant diesel V6 it actually gets a bit embarrassing for the big Toyota…
How much is the Ford Everest Tremor?
At $87,990 the Tremor sits between the top-spec $91,490 Platinum and the $81,490 Sport and is, as mentioned, currently the cheapest way to get an Everest with the excellent 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel V6 engine.
What are the key statistics for the Ford Everest Tremor?
The above-mentioned V6 produces 184kW of power and 600Nm of torque and drives the wheels via Ford's 10-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4WD system.
Is the Ford Everest Tremor efficient?
As far as big, hefty ladder chassis 4X4s go, yes it is. Ford claims the Tremor has a combined fuel consumption of 9.5l/100km, with real world use creeping up into double figures, but not excessively so. Start taking advantage of its off road abilities though and it will skyrocket, however, if you do plenty of open road running, then the big diesel's muscular and relaxed nature will see it drop closer to the 7s.
Is the Ford Everest Tremor good to drive?
While the chunky tyres and tough suspension do bring a firmer, slightly brittle edge to the urban ride, it is actually very much in keeping with the Tremor's tough looks and actually adds to its endearing tough-truck nature. The standard Everest has always been one of the better handling ladder chassis SUVs, and the Tremor is no departure from that.
Is the Ford Everest Tremor practical?
The Everest Tremor is a full seven-seater with a massive boot (side-eye at the Toyota Prado...) and plenty of room for the whole family. And that includes the dog. Also it can tow a boat, climb a mountain and handle the school run with equal aplomb.
What do we like about the Ford Everest Tremor?
The looks, the engine, the suspension... but mainly the fact it retains the Everest's superb all-rounder abilities with an added layer of capability and attitude.
What don’t we like about the Ford Everest Tremor?
The interior is pretty much standard Everest, which is fine, but starting to show its age a bit now, while Android Auto connectivity is still quite flaky. Also, it's not a full-blown Everest Raptor...
What kind of person would the Ford Everest Tremor suit?
Anyone who wants a big, comfortable and capable SUV with refined on-road manners and impressive off-road chops that looks great.
