F-250 Tremor vs. Ranger FX4: Which Is the Better Offroader?

By Braden Carlson - November 21, 2019

Ford Tremor is certainly large and in charge, but is the FX4 a better offroad choice due to its compact size?

Many people think that a good offroad project starts with a big truck or SUV. Is that a misnomer, though? While bigger is always claimed to be better, something smaller can significantly benefit your ability to survive some trails. The 2020 Ford Ranger FX4 is a mid-size pickup packing a hefty 2.3-liter turbocharged punch, and it fits just about anywhere. Though, the 2020 Ford F-250 Tremor is big enough that it could go over the top of anything that may be in your way. That begs the question, is bigger really better for offroad use?

The Fast Lane Truck hosts Roman Mica and Tomas Mica take us through all the ins and outs of what makes each one of these trucks shine. Ultimately, though, they put them head to head to see which would be a better off-road rig.

“The absolute best part about the Ford Ranger is it’s a midsize truck, which means it can fit in everyone’s everyday life. It’s the perfect size,” says Tomas

Indeed, at only 71 inches tall, the Ranger FX4 has no problem fitting in the average garage.

On the other hand, the Tremor comes in at a whopping 83 inches. Keeping in mind that the average garage door sits at seven feet high, the Tremor leaves only one inch of clearance. That’s a bit of a close cut!

Next up is the width. The FX4 measures at 85 inches wide, while the Tremor is a whopping 106 inches wide with the tow mirrors in. Obviously, this is going to allow the FX4 into much tighter trails. More offroad adventures with fewer scratches sounds excellent to us.

Lengthwise, the Tremor is a monster at nearly 21 feet end to end, and the FX4 measures almost a full four feet shorter at 210 inches or 17.5 feet. Though, the extra length of the bed is undoubtedly a win for the Tremor.

It’s All About the Reach

Now here’s a good test for you. While both truck beds measure about 21 inches in depth, to demonstrate the difference in liftover height, the hosts drop a pen into the bed and attempt to retrieve it. While we see where they’re going, Roman makes it look reasonably easy as he is over six feet tall.

“Unless you’re quite tall, you’re going to have a major challenge touching the base of the bed,” says Tomas.

‘”The greatest thing about Super Duty pickup trucks is that they have not only tons of capability, but tons of room.’

Roman then decides to demonstrate how easy Ford makes it to get into the bed of the Tremor with its tailgate step, though it is a bit of an inconvenience to retrieve something so small.

“If this was, you know, bricks or something, this would be perfect,” exclaims Roman.

“The greatest thing about Super Duty pickup trucks is that they have not only tons of capability, but tons of room,” says Roman

He makes a good point; the passenger room in the Tremor is exceptionally advantageous over the FX4.

Furthermore, the FX4 comes stock on 31-inch tires, while the Tremor rides on 35-inch tires. That’s pretty big for stock tires!

The F-250 is the apparent power winner with its 6.7-Liter Powerstroke diesel V8. It’s whopping 1,050 pound feet of torque substantially overshadows the FX4 Ranger’s 310 pound feet.

In terms of towing, the F-250 is the clear winner, as well. The FX4 has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, and while that’s best in class, it doesn’t hold a candle to the Tremor’s 21,000-pound capacity.

It’s Certainly a Tough Choice!

In conclusion, it’s not exactly a level playing field. Those who need the capability of the F-250 Tremor Super Duty aren’t going to have much use for the Ranger FX4. However, in terms of a fun little offroad vehicle, the Ranger is a pretty good choice. No official price of the Tremor has been released, but The Fast Lane Truck hosts estimate it will be in the mid $70,000 range as shown. That’s a big step up from the FX4’s price tag of $44,000. If you’ve got the money to spend, though, you might as well get the big boy toy!