Ford's Missed Opportunity - Tremor Edition

"Garrett Davis" (GarrettDavis) 03/11/2014 at 10:14 • Filed to: None

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You may remember the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the "little" sport truck that was slated to be the SVT Lightning's feisty and inexpensive little brother. Our own Jalopnik last reported on it in June of last year when it was speculated to cost between $23,000 and $27,000 which, as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , was a pretty conservative estimate. But, even if it was priced in that ballpark, Ford was sure to have a home run on their hands. Pun fiercely intended.

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The idea was !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Take relatively a stripped out F-150, add some off the shelf parts that are available across the platform, and make a lightweight sport truck that hadn't lost all semblance of practicality — and could even be had with 4WD(!). With the short bed from an extended-cab, the 4.10 gears and locking rear differential from a Raptor, and the intoxicating torque from a sweet 3.5L EcoBoost, this truck was ready to dominate the dwindling sport truck market.

So, you may be thinking to yourself:

"Well hey, what the hell? Why have we not heard about this since then? What's the haps, bro?"

I'll tell you what happened, guy who uses terrible slang. What if I told you that the Tremor is already out there, revving meanly at stoplights, soaking your sister's panties, and decimating OEM spec rubber? Surely you would have noticed this, right? You don't have that backwards No Fear hat pulled down that far over your eyes, do you?

No, the Tremor was quietly released with little fanfare late last year. Besides its initial announcement, Ford has hardly mentioned it at all. If you go into the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! configurator, it isn't even listed as an available model. The only way to actually build it is to select the FX2 model, and manually switch the cab style to single cab. Then, magically, a Tremor appears in the picture even though it's still listed as an FX2. The only other mentioning of it is a tiny thumbnail on the F-150 page that lists some specs and not much else when you open it.

So what was the problem? Well the more observative of you will have noticed the whopping $38,545 starting price in the picture above. Yeah. The affordable little sport truck ended up costing over 40 grand out the door once you've factored in taxes and fees. So where was the disconnect here? How did this truck go from a speculated sub-$30k steal of a deal to being just a few kilobucks short of a freaking SVT Raptor?

Well, I have a theory on that.

It's pretty much standard practice these days that new models and special editions are announced long before pricing. There are plenty of reasons for this, so we pretty much just keep our mouths shut and accept it. Usually it's not too difficult to figure out about how much a company plans to charge, so there are rarely any big surprises.

The Tremor is a big example of where that seems to have backfired.

After a fair amount of research, I couldn't find any official announcement of pricing, and the few initial press releases from Ford made no mention of cost, only raw specs and marketing jargon (new drinking game, take a shot every time you see the word "Eco" in a Ford press release).

So my theory is that the auto-journo world saw a rather insubstantial press release and speculated that it should be relatively affordable given how bare bones the truck seemed to be. It's easy to see where they drew that conclusion, too. It's a single cab, short bed truck with less body material than a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , it doesn't really have much that you can't get individually from other models, and it's not wearing an SVT badge. In fact, historically, Ford trucks wearing the Tremor name have been just a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and really nothing special. And why not believe it when reputable sites have sources !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Officially, Ford is not giving pricing, but those familiar with the plans say the Tremor is likely to have a sticker price between $23,000 and $27,000.

Once again, even $27k sounded like a pretty low estimate, but around $30,000 or a bit higher still seemed plausible, and that is still what most people would call an affordable sport truck. Especially when said sport truck should be good for near Lightning performance when the SVT originally sold for more than !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (adjusted for inflation) when new.

Now, somehow even more quietly than when they released it, Ford is set to take the Tremor out back and put a slug in it's sporty little head. That's right. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

This is really a shame since the new F-150 would have been a perfect candidate for all this sportiness, given the weight it has shed for the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . A ~700-lbs drop would have done wonders for embarrassing over confident teens at stoplights, and displaying it's tire slaying skills for your Bud Light touting buddies.

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Hopefully Ford will take this lesson on the chin and come back with a worthy successor, but I'm not holding my breath that we'll see that any time soon. On the bright side, we'll hopefully see these drop way down in price in a few years after everyone's forgotten what was special about them.

Either way, I think it's safe to file this one under Future Classics.

Garrett Davis > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:14

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Repost for the morning crowd. Got buried last week in like 5 minutes.

quarterlifecrisis > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:18

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I'm a "GM Truck guy," although, my brand loyalty doesn't really go too far. Had these been around $30k, I might've actually considered getting rid of my Corvette for one. I love the concept. But I don't love the concept at $40k.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:24

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I saw a tremor on the lot when I went to test a fiesta ST. 45k on the sticker. That truck can stay there.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:24

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Great article and perhaps its currently high price is good for the people that are willing to pony it up. This could become a valuable limited-run truck in the future. I bet some color combo's will sell under 100 units, maybe even under 25...

jvirgs drives a Subaru > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:24

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SWEET MOTHER OF GOD! Totes not worth aanything close to that price

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:25

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Great right up and it's a 100% accurate depiction of how they screwed it up in my opinion.

When they first talked about this thing I thought right away there was no way they hit a sub 30k price, it's impossible.

I thought they said the rear end was out of the also getting a slug in it Harley Davidson Edition and that it would only be RWD.

If they want a fun sport truck though, they just need to take the giant motor out of the Raptor and stuff it in an STX RWD and be done. Keep it subtle!

Garrett Davis > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/11/2014 at 10:26

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That's the thing, the Tremor should have been a steal of a sport model just like the Fiesta ST is. Ford totally could have made that their "thing," like they already have going with the ST twins.

92LX302 > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:36

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Should've been built as a hopped-up STX.

MikeR > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:40

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Tremor truck, eh?

BeaterGT > quarterlifecrisis 03/11/2014 at 10:44

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You're a GM truck guy with a Corvette that would be dropped for a Tremor? The name does fit well.

Vincent Davidson > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:46

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$38k? Um, ok.

That's just plain stupid for a truck like that.

Jim > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:47

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Truck prices have gotten stupid across the board. There's no way a half ton truck, regardless of options, should be able to max out close to $60K (I'm looking at you, F150 Platnium).

Count me as one of those that would have been interested in this truck if the prices were more reasonable. Granted, I'd have gone for the FX4 Tremor, but, still.

Sky Blue > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:49

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http://www.cars.com/go/search/deta…

33k for this one. The ONLY one on cars.com too BTW.

Ash78, voting early and often > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:52

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Considering Ford's revolving door of spokesmen in the past few years, this was ripe for a Kevin Bacon pitch.

Missing that opportunity is like calling your truck Evil Dead Edition and not calling Bruce Campbell. Or calling your car "Highlander" and missing Sean Connery. Who would screw that up?

Garrett Davis > Sky Blue 03/11/2014 at 10:53

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Is that used?

KyleNormandin > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:53

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The sport truck market is dwindling because the price is crap, the mileage is crap, the turning radius is crap, and the handling is worse than crap for a "sport" vehicle. People realized they can get a Japanese/German/Euro car for the same price if not much cheaper with the same HP, 500lbs less, and 8-10 more MPG. Oh, and the handling will be beautiful. Let the sport trucks die already.

Howie > Jim 03/11/2014 at 10:53

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Same with the pony cars. I find it disturbing that a Mustang GT coupe can approach the mid 40's in price.

Garrett Davis > Ash78, voting early and often 03/11/2014 at 10:54

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I could see Ted Nugent pompous-ing up an ad for one of these. He's pretty good at that, and they probably would have sold one more unit... to the Nuge of course.

WilRams > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:55

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We had a discussion about this over on the lightning forum. The truck had potential but what it comes down to is....dat price. Look at what you could get for that kind of money. Muuuuch better options out there.

cazzyodo > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:56

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I asked my local dealer for inf o back in November. Really, anyone could have just gone in and asked for a ballpark estimate on what a regular cab, short bed, eco-boost, rwd F-150 would cost as a base price.

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Someone tossed $27k out there and everyone ran off with that number as being almost official. Would everyone be as butt-hurt if that $27k number wasn't thrown out there so early? No. Would they be disappointed it wasn't affordable? Yes, but that $35k potential dampers the impact of destroyed expectations.

Beldrueger > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 10:59

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I think this speaks to why we need smaller truck options. The F150 and Silverado have gotten too massive and expensive to effectively pull off the sport truck formula. You certainly can't build a GMC Syclone successor on a modern full size chassis. Even a 1st Gen Lightning seems dainty compared to a new F150. Let's have a GMC Canyon with an LT1 or a Ranger with an EcoBoost.

keviiinn! > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:00

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thanks, but no thanks. I'll take a Ram Express.

ScreenShot > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:01

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I thought the Tremor was interesting - then I got an eye full of Raptor.

Ford 999 > Ash78, voting early and often 03/11/2014 at 11:01

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Revolving door? They've had Toby Keith and Mike Rowe as the two truck guys for something like 7 years! Rowe is done now but that's hardly been a revolving door.

Sky Blue > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:02

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I'm gonna guess no, mainly because the factory window sticker looks like it's never been peeled, but that still can happen from time-to-time.

AspenRS > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:04

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My friend told me his dad had bought one and I didn't even believe him till I saw it with my own eyes. (he doesn't know anything about cars so I doubted him) Well sure enough there it was sitting in his driveway. I didn't even know the things were available for purchase till yesterday.

Mike Levine > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:05

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Hi Garrett,

I work for Ford.

Tremor is very well equipped from the factory. In addition to our 3.5-liter EcoBoost with 420 lbs-ft. of torque, Tremor also includes: HID headlamps, MyFord Touch with an 8-inch high definition screen in the center stack, 4.2 inch productivity screen in the instrument cluster, power bucket leather seats with alcantara suede inserts and a flow through console with floor shifter. Outside, it has 20-inch matte black wheels with Pirelli tires. Also includes the trailer towing package and can tow up to 8,000 lbs. in the 4x2 model, and the 4x4 can tow up to 7,700 lbs. Finally, we also have our 4.10 e-locking rear diff.

In short, Tremor is loaded with great features and performance!

- Mike

MiddleAgedAngryGuy > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:05

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At invoice less rebates less dealer cash a $39740 MSRP Tremor can be had for $34,102. You won't get to sniff the seat of a Raptor for that money and this number is very close to what most paid for last gen lightnings... 11 years ago.

EgoBOOOOOST > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:06

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Here's to hoping that a regular cab short bed 2wd or 4wd can be had with the Ecoboost option on 2015, just without the Tremor name. it would make sense to me for the following reason. The EPA doesn't (at least today) make you test every combination of vehicle layout and drivetrain config when doing offical mileage numbers. That is why every truck, has the same mileage on the sticker (2wd vs 4wd being an obvious exception). What the Manufacturers do is test with a lighter and more stripped out model and use that across the entire line.

If the EPA still allows this, it would give a nice little marketing advantage to send in an F150 reg cap short bed to be tested in 2wd and 4wd configs and use that to put the best mileage numbers forward. Sure it isn't the honest thing to do, but if it lets me have a chance at a sub 5,000lb 4x4 with the Ecoboost 3.5 motor I'm all for it!!!

ItsDeke > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:08

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"Soaking your sister's panties"

I was wonder why my work internet filter was blocking the site...

Matt Hardigree > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 11:10

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Thanks for stopping in Mike!

Blind Willy > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:10

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Here's where they really screwed up: They stopped producing Rangers.
I'm sorry, I don't need (Want maybe, but not NEED) a full sized truck. I loved my 94 and then my 06 Ranger.
Because of them only building overpriced trucks that I don't need, I finally realized my dream of owning a serious offroad vehicle.

swansong, rockin' the wagons > Sky Blue 03/11/2014 at 11:11

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There's a 4x4 one at a local-ish dealer to me. I've seen it in person, at it is indeed very bad ass and sinister.

http://www.vhautos.com/new/Ford/2014-…

Also, I'm not shocked by the price. It's a very well equipped truck with an expensive twin turbo motor, available 4 wheel drive, electronic locking rear diff, and tons of options like HID headlights, SYNC, power everything, and bespoke trim and finish pieces. Yes, it's a regular cab short box, but that doesn't save it much in manufacturing since 95% of trucks on the assembly line are super or crew cab.

For comparison, and XL-trim 3.5L 4x4 starts at $31k, albeit with a long box and a 3.31 non-slip rear end, and nowhere near the level of features and finish.

M54B30 > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:14

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I got blasted by tons of people when I said it'd be $40k or so. They all ripped me apart saying "b-b-but the article says $27k! You're an idiot!" Look who got the last laugh. I also said the short bed/reg cab configuration will stop a lot of people from being interested - and I stand by that.

472CID > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:15

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I had a truck spec-ed like this ('90 Sierra 350/5speed 2wd reg cab short box) super satisfying to drive. A major factor in it's fun was the manual, something we probably wont see in fullsize trucks anymore.

Garrett Davis > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 11:16

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Hey Mike!

I have no doubt that these aren't loaded to the hilt, in fact, I sat in one a few days ago at my local dealer. I tried not to leave too much drool on the nice seats and steering wheel, but I won't say there wasn't any.

I'll just say that I wrote this as a huge fan of your guys' products. Great to see you guys so active in the community!

TheCraigy > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:16

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Theoretically it looks like a cheap truck, but all those little extras, grille, mirrors, tinted lights, blacked out wheels, graphics package, painted bumper & fog lights, etc. are things that Ford makes a lot of money off of. Let alone the ecoboost engine which would automatically make it a few grand more than their cheapest truck. Finally, the interior would likely match the outside and all those little features (fancy seats, sync, sound system, etc) add thousands to the tab.

For mid 20's the "tremor" would have looked like this:

That starts at about $25k, so $23k was never a possibility (unless speculators were already factoring in discounts). Add ecoboost and you're around $27k, still in a base stripper truck. Add the Tremor graphics package and some wheels and you're easily over $30k before you start adding in every single little thing else. $23k-$27k was a pipedream.

JStaton > Howie 03/11/2014 at 11:18

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One of my friends was surprised when he learned I paid 44k for my Boss and that he got screwed over on his 42k GT premium

TheCraigy > cazzyodo 03/11/2014 at 11:20

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I think the excitement was the idea of a cheap nice truck. If it was touted as mid 30's (or 40k like it is now) nobody would have cared, that's what the FX2 and FX4 are already.

Garrett Davis > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 11:21

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Agreed. I miss the Ranger. I had a '94 as well. ;)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > keviiinn! 03/11/2014 at 11:22

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yup. and the 5.7 sounds so much better. plus that 40,000 dollar Ford can't be optioned with a heated steering wheel like the Ram.

TheCraigy > quarterlifecrisis 03/11/2014 at 11:22

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You could probably get one for $30k if you shopped hard enough and waited for the right factory incentives. They're always discounting the $40k trucks by about 25%, ~8k factory rebates plus dealer discounts is easily foreseeable.

Garrett Davis > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 11:23

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Well said.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 11:23

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that thing is a base stripper with and ecoboost is what we all hoped for, not a luxury regular cab.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 11:25

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the worst thing is even the only small truck left is kinda big. a new Tacoma looks as big as a 90's F-150 to me.

Wilburx3 > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 11:25

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The point was to make a cheap striped out fast truck. Not adding a bunch of cupcakes and doilies that puts it in the purgatory zone of a land with no buyers. At 27-30 you would have been able to have a larger market to sell to that could then option up their toy truck.

TheCraigy > Jim 03/11/2014 at 11:26

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Is it bad to want luxury options on your Mustang or your F-150?

Have you been in a platinum F150? They're nicer than a Cadillac.

They make about fifteen other trim levels, you know ;)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > MiddleAgedAngryGuy 03/11/2014 at 11:27

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but it's not a Raptor it's a regular cab FX2/4 an FX4 will run you between 36-42k depending on options and location.

TheCraigy > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/11/2014 at 11:29

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If you hoped for it, you can go buy it for $27k! Probably a lot less with discounts, so realistically 23-24k ;)

Nobody really wants a stripped out F150 unless you're a fleet purchaser.

Jim is one of KFCs secret ingredients > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:29

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A friend of mine suggested I wait for one of these early last year when I was looking for a new vehicle. Sounds like had I, I couldnt have afforded it anyway.

TheCarGuy4All > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:32

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Garrett, I was at the initial press thingy for this truck at MIS last summer, and then drove it a few weeks back . I'm the guy driving the truck in the photos, I didn't do a review.

Ford was clear at the outset that the Tremor wasn't meant to be an SVT or a Lightning replacement. It was a chance for them to put the ecoboost 3.5 in a regular cab regular bed with some goodies purely for the decadence of it.

Basically what they built was a F-150 Gran Sport if you will. A last year model special edition to celebrate the ____ achievements of the 12th generation F-150. It was always going to be expensive as you can't easily get that option package otherwise even on an extended cab, and it was probably never really expected to make money for Ford. The cool part? Ford still built it.

That being said, what should've been a gas to drive for me (snow+overpowered sport truck=Yeehaw!), ended up being a fight with the traction control system as it used the brakes to try and claw through the snow.

Still, the thing makes great noises with the windows down as you hear the turbos spool and belch as you get out of the throttle, and the 3.5 definitely punches way above the 5.0 in terms of seat of the pants feel.

But back to your initial point, this truck is as much a missed opportunity for Ford as the C6 Gran Sport was a missed opportunity for GM because it was more expensive than a C6 Z51 package.

Blind Willy > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/11/2014 at 11:32

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Yup, you are right. My 06 Ranger was pretty close in size to the F-150. I had the sport model that had off road everything except 4 wheel drive.

It was still considered a small truck at the time. My 94 WAS a small truck, but that sucker was peppy and perfect for my needs.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 11:33

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Ford will not let you order a reg cab ecoboost unless it's an XLT long box.

Blind Willy > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:33

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I do too. It had the 3 litre V6 with manual tranny. It was Peppy.
In fact, I named it Pepe, lol.

Ultrakill > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 11:36

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I don't see $40k in all those things you specified. Also, bring us the Ranger, F-150 is too big for some people. Look at how many Tacomas are on the road. If you brought us the Ranger, people would buy it, including me.

Garrett Davis > TheCarGuy4All 03/11/2014 at 11:39

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Thanks for weighing in!

I was pretty much basing my article on the speculation surrounding this truck after it's initial press releases. I think that is where the let down came from. Ford was pretty sparse on the details of where they wanted this to sit in the market, leaving the auto world to sort of guess, in my opinion.

Great points all around, and I have to say that I'm more than a little jealous of your job.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 11:42

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Mike, I am personally considering buying a new short bed single cab pickup and the tremor certainly piqued my interest. I had been looking very seriously at the Ram 1500 express but when I found it it was made in Meixco it was a no go.

I am also unimpressed with the Ford and Chevy offerings because they do not offer their large displacement V8's. Please put the 6.2 in a short bed single cab and don't load it up with fancy gizmos - bench seat and vinyl floors will do. Lets keep it cheap and fast please.

DMCVegas > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:43

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What if - and believe me this is a hypothetical - but what if Ford offered some kind of base Tremor an STX-level trim with rubber flooring, cloth seats, an AM/FM radio with CD player, less sound deadening to hear that engine, and a column shifter with console delete? Something that could get buyers in on the ground floor price wise, and allow them for unlimited aftermarket customization instead of being stuck with high-payments on leather they don't need, and an infotainment system they don't want and will probably never figure out. Just leave that luxury for the FX4 and cut corners on what customers don't need. Would that do anything for you?

Captain_Spadaro > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:47

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I always looked at the Tremor as a 'keep the public interested while the new model is readied' package, honestly. Also, if I'm being honest, the Raptor overshadows it.

I also wouldn't compare it to the Lightning. The straight line numbers might be comparable, but people seem to be forgetting that the Lightning also had a lowered suspension compared with non-SVT regular cab/flareside bed trucks. The only special tuning for the Tremor suspension is what was required for the 20-inch wheel and tire package.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 11:47

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wait it had a off road everything, but it was a 4x2? That's like having strong legs and no toes(awkward simile I know but it gets the point across) . I remember looking on CL in North Carolina and seeing a lifted Chevy with 35" tires, on 20" chrome wheels that was a 4x2. Doesn't get much more Bro Truck than that.

Carwood > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:47

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Is it possible ford never applied the wholesale prices to this build? For example back in the day I had a request to Jeep that my would-be ordered GC WK2 come with the darker finish headlight from the trailhawk and they said they'd ship them with the car but i would be paying for the part and installation. I know its a stretch but did ford do the same but does the work in house?

Blind Willy > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 03/11/2014 at 11:50

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I know, sad huh?

I lived in Houston at the time and I couldn't find the 4x4 sport model in the 4 litre V6 with manual transmission anywhere.

Had to go with the auto 3 litre auto trans.
If it hadn't pretty much been an emergency to get new wheels, I would have taken more time to find what I wanted.

Garrett Davis > DMCVegas 03/11/2014 at 11:50

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I don't know, I guess. Listen, I'm gonna go. It's been really nice talking to both you guys. Good luck with your high prices, all right? I hope your sales go really, really well.

maximum_sarge > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:50

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Sorry, I'm a fan of the Ecoboost V6 in the regular F150, but anything named Tremor:

(a) shouldn't have turbos on it (they muffle any 'tremors' the little V6 can muster)

(b) should have their largest V8 in it with a low restriction exhaust with a bypass switch. Because "Tremor".

Again, not trolling - it's a great motor, but totally the wrong choice for this application. Everyone will be pointing and saying "oooooh, 'tremor'" sarcastically.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > keviiinn! 03/11/2014 at 11:52

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Came so close to pulling the trigger on one of these, then I saw that they no longer built them in the USA.

Garrett Davis > Captain_Spadaro 03/11/2014 at 11:52

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It kind of got the reputation as a "mini-Lightning" while we had nothing else to replace the original.

TheCarGuy4All > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 11:55

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It has it's bright spots and doing launches in the Tremor in deep snow qualifies. Just keep working at it, and keep writing.

As for Ford and pricing speculation, they said it was going to be north of a similarly equipped FX2/FX4, so I was figuring 37-ish+ from the outset.

For Ford to do that 27-30k, it would have had to be a 3.7 not the 3.5, or MAYBE the 5.0. The eco-boost 4x4 starts North of 30k. So I'm guessing that was just bad speculation.

Old-Busted-Hotness > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 11:55

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The problem with the Ranger is that by the time you get them all stability-controlled, 10-airbagged, touch-screened, 4-doored up, they'll be 40 grand, too.

The last of the 2011's were close to 30K and they didn't have half that stuff.

quarterlifecrisis > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 11:57

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This is true. Hmmm. Maybe. But then again, maybe not.

tr6rtiger > MikeR 03/11/2014 at 11:57

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Nothing like a Jeep Gladiator!

Blind Willy > Old-Busted-Hotness 03/11/2014 at 11:58

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I actually liked my ranger kind of basic. I splurged on the electric windows and A/C (Houston, TX.)

Blind Willy > DMCVegas 03/11/2014 at 11:59

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I would have stuck with Ford, had they thought of that, yes.

TheCraigy > quarterlifecrisis 03/11/2014 at 12:00

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Haha yeah.

Here's one in the low 30's. But I'd wait to see if you could do better.

Autotrader Tremor

quarterlifecrisis > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 12:02

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My list of wants has me so indecisive anymore. Most of the wants involve 8 cylinders, 4 doors, and a car shape. Hmm.

Garrett Davis > TheCarGuy4All 03/11/2014 at 12:03

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"So I'm guessing that was just bad speculation."

Yep, that's definitely what lead us astray here. I think Ford could have been a little more open with the pricing to the public. We saw what was (to us) a slightly more stripped down FX2, but I see now that this isn't where Ford was placing it at all.

Thanks again!

Garrett Davis > maximum_sarge 03/11/2014 at 12:06

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Ford disagrees, apparently.

Garrett Davis > Carwood 03/11/2014 at 12:07

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I'm pretty sure this leaves the factory as a Tremor, along side the FX2's and FX4's.

Bakkster, touring car driver > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:07

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Rebrand the truck the Stranglehold edition, the commercial need only be Deadly Tedly Nugent doing smoky donuts in the truck while firing crossbow bolts up into the air through the open driver's side window.

+

You're welcome, Ford.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > DMCVegas 03/11/2014 at 12:07

1

If they offered it with a 6.2 instead of the eco-boost i'd be there so fast.

TheCraigy > quarterlifecrisis 03/11/2014 at 12:08

0

;)

I know how you feel though. There's too many choices, and at the same time not enough. If you're driving a vette you don't want a pickup. But at the same time I drive a sportscar and would love a Ford Raptor as a daily driver.

David muscleguy > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 03/11/2014 at 12:08

1

good guy i love man!!

quarterlifecrisis > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 12:10

0

Catch is, my winter beater is a full size chevy truck I've had for 10 years.

Jim > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 12:11

0

I wouldn't stay it is bad to want options, but, the pricing for those options quickly causes the prices to sky rocket.

Carwood > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:18

0

Got it. Worth a guess. Maybe they hid it in the back because they didn't want to embrace how much they weren't on the mark when it comes to pricing?

fmafra > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:18

1

Tremor + Pickup =

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 12:20

1

being in a rush to find a new car is never a good thing.

TheCraigy > Jim 03/11/2014 at 12:21

0

Yeah it gets ridiculous.

Unfortunately the US truck market is based on the price high, discount high model.

They should just set the MSRP at what they're worth and call it a day.

Xander, Proud of BOXER > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:29

0

Who said it was going to be 27-30k? Seems like someone who doesn't work at Ford decided this is what the price should be.

2007mcs > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 12:31

0

Thats the problem...its got too much stuff.

Brosenkranz > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:31

1

I think the days of an asphalt-oriented sport truck are over for the time being. Raptor sells like hotcakes. It ain't slow or a completely miserable handler, either.

Garrett Davis > Xander, Proud of BOXER 03/11/2014 at 12:31

0

There are several links at the top of the page of exactly who thought that.

I'd say mid-30's would have been reasonable.

Loping Camshaft > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:34

2

Maybe they should call the next on the F-150 Ass Blaster.

Jim > TheCraigy 03/11/2014 at 12:37

0

No kidding. I got over $20K off my last new truck.

Xander, Proud of BOXER > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 12:40

0

Right, someone said that someone inside said it would be a certain price.

It doesn't really make any sense given the cheapest Ecoboost truck is still 27k to start.

Dominocracy > Mike Levine 03/11/2014 at 12:45

0

First: Thanks for the input. I always figured the Tremor was going to end up far too loaded for the pricing thrown around by the blogs. Not a great value proposition, but a damn sweet truck all the same. Shame it won't be around more than one model year.

Second: Happy to see things are working out for you at Ford, but PickupTrucks.com really hasn't been the same without you.

Garrett Davis > Xander, Proud of BOXER 03/11/2014 at 12:50

0

It is, but you can't configure it with a single cab as well as a short bed, which in theory should have driven the cost down. The Ford press releases weren't exactly clear on this being more of an upmarket purchase, so I think everyone just saw it at face value and guess from there.

Of course, it didn't help that CNBC claimed to have sources "familiar with the plans," that claimed this truck to be in the sub-$30k range.

aGo > Blind Willy 03/11/2014 at 12:58

1

I had a 99 Ranger. Now I have a 2010 FJ. I know where you're coming from.

Xander, Proud of BOXER > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 13:06

0

Basically, anyone reputable can say this and everyone will believe it.

Garrett Davis > Xander, Proud of BOXER 03/11/2014 at 13:08

0

Pretty much.

Frank Grimes > Garrett Davis 03/11/2014 at 13:23

1

syclone dont care.