Now is the Time to Bring Back the Ford Tremor!
The 2014 F-150 Tremor was a fun truck to drive. It packed the 3.5L EcoBoost engine, and was relatively light thanks to its regular cab layout. But production didn’t last long because it wasn’t a strong seller.
When Ford announced the 2015 F-150, it basically declared the Tremor dead. But with the 2015 F-150, it might actually be a good time to give the Tremor a second chance!
While the Tremor was quick to drive, it still wasn’t a really sporty truck like the SVT Lightning. It was also pretty expensive for what is basically a single cab FX2 (or FX4) with a big engine.
But 2015, and beyond, brings some good changes to the F-150 that would make sense in the Tremor.
First, the 2.7L EcoBoost engine should be the power plant. The engine is less expensive than the bigger 3.5L EcoBoost unit, and provides nearly the same amount of torque as the bigger engine.
Combine that with the 700 pounds of weight savings in the new aluminum body and you’ll have a more agile, faster machine.
Ford should only offer it in a 2-wheel drive configuration. While it was easy to build that truck with 4-wheel drive as an option, it required the truck to sit high and weigh more. Only offering it in 2-wheel drive will allow Ford to lower the truck over stock, and keep weight down.
Finally, Ford is working on a performance-oriented 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters for the 2017 Raptor. Clearly, that transmission would be perfect in a sport-oriented truck.
During normal driving the truck would get great fuel mileage, but could have some gears tuned specifically for on-road performance.
There really isn’t a sport truck market right now. Ram offers the 1500 R/T with a 5.7L Hemi V8 and rear-wheel drive only. But that’s the closest thing out there to a performance truck. Ford could easily undercut the price of the Ram and offer a more fuel-efficient solution than the big V8, while offering better performance. Plus, tuning companies could get even more power out of that EcoBoost engine.
The 2.7 EcoBoost is also a peach of an engine. It really is the surprise engine option in the 2015 F-150, and will be the engine that powers the Ford Edge Sport.
Ford Performance is back in a big way with vehicles like the 2017 Raptor, the Ford GT, and the Shelby GT350R. Now would be as good of time as any to bring in a spiritual successor to the Ford Lightning.
With all the work Ford has done with engine development and lightweighting, they could offer a truck with a whole lot of giggles for not a whole lot of cash.
What do you think? Should Ford build a new Tremor or should it remain buried in the ground alongside other performance flops? Let us know in the forums!
