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The 2021 Ford F250 Super Duty 4X4 Tremor looks good next to the Columbia River Bridge.
The 2021 Ford F250 Super Duty
The late summer is an exciting time for purchasers looking for a deal on new trucks. This is when next years models will be on dealers’ lots soon. It could be time to take advantage of clearance sales too. For now, we have been drooling over the 2021 Ford F250 Super Duty Crew Cab 4X4. Off Road Xtreme had our Pacific Northwest associate drive a Platinum model with the Tremor package for a week and report on his impressions.
A few things you can count on seeing in the Pacific Northwest are rivers, windmills, and tough trucks.
What makes the Platinum package so appealing?
Platinum means it comes with all the best of Ford’s safety features. Adaptive cruise control, 180 and 360 degree cameras, and collision warning with brake support. Other features include premium leather upholstery and a power tailgate.
What does the Tremor designation mean?
The Tremor package is designed to appeal to the serious off-roader. Ford added a two inch front body lift to accommodate beefy 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires. With the added height Ford then outfitted cab length running boards tucked up close to the rocker panels. This minimizes rocker panel off-road damage. The Tremor also comes with extra skid plates to protect crucial underside components.
With the Tremor package you can enjoy extra skid plates, beefy 35" Goodyear Wrangler tires for off-roading.
Ford did not stop there to protect the body from extreme off-road use damage. They shortened the front air dam to increase approach angles. This increased the water fording capability to nearly three feet. Particular attention was paid to the suspension upgrades to increase on and off-road performance and passenger comfort.
What’s under the hood?
This 2021 Ford F250 came with Ford’s new 7.3 liter gasoline engine. That is 445 cubic inches for those of you who dislike the metric system. It features best in class 430 horsepower, and 475 ft-lbs. of terrain churning torque. It really moves the 6,865 lbs. of steel and aluminum in an impressive way. No wonder Ford refers to it as the Godzilla V8.
The appropriately named Godzilla V8.
The engine features a steel block and aluminum heads. Valve train is conventional push rod, single cam, two valves per cylinder design. Even at 10.5:1 compression it only requires 87 octane gasoline.
Driving impressions.
The truck was driven on all types of roads. From neighborhoods to two lane highways and interstates. It traversed sandy roads, gravel roads, rocky paths, and grassland.
The one big standout was being a Super Duty you might expect a rough ride. It was pleasant to see that the Tremor suspension upgrades handled everything from speed bumps to fast gravel roads. At no time did it feel like it was rattling teeth. The F250 handled well in every situation.
The Interior.
There is a lot going on here in the cab of the 2021 Ford 250. Most of it is adjustable to some degree.
(Top left) From the drivers arm rest you control all functions of the windows and mirrors. (Top right) Sharing the truck with others? There are three seat, steering wheel and pedal assembly memory slots open. (Bottom left) Two of the nifty buttons that control the power tailgate and the position of the foot pedals. (Bottom right) No more wiring for different trailers, you have access to 7 pin RV style plugs and four flat connectors seperately.
The interior features are some of the most impressive parts of this truck. Among the more surprising options are the massaging front seats. Furthermore, the front seats are both heated and air conditioned. There are many power ports throughout the cab, including two 400 watt inverter plugs. Same goes for cup holders.
(Left) The power ports available to the driver and passenger. Not pictured is a wireless charging matt and one USB port, and one USB-C port. (Center and Right) In the back seat under the covers lies all the power you need.
No longer banished to the back seat.
No worries if you forget to call shotgun and are relegated to the back seat. Here there is plenty of leg room. Three power ports take care of all your electronic needs. There are air vents for heat and air conditioning. And are you ready for this? The rear seats have heaters.
The rear seats can be folded back for more interior storage or forward for passengers.
Overall, the interior was one of the best truck environments I have ever occupied. On long drives the seat adjustments at a touch provided comfort over long stretches. The air conditioning was heavenly during this recent heat wave we have been enduring here.
Here is your command center, Captain Kirk.
Ford’s audio system featured an AM/FM radio with MP3 player and seven speakers. For the tech minded it has a FordPass Connect™ embedded 4G LTE modem with Wi-Fi access for up to 10 devices. Wireless charging pads are embedded in the dash.
Wrapping up.
I had the truck for a week, and I am sure that I did not discover all of the little features and extras.
Plenty of room in the bed for anything you can imagine hauling. The power tailgate also comes with Ford's step system. In the bed is plenty of stout tie downs and lighting.
It is big, it is a Super Duty after all, but it handles so well you don’t notice. It is tall too, but the running boards and grab handles help. There are a lot of switches and buttons to learn. But, by the end of the week I was clicking and toggling stuff like an experienced pilot in a 747.
If you use your truck to this extreme, then a price tag that is just north of $70,000 should not surprise anyone. It is a lot of money, but you are getting a whole lot of truck. And with year end model close-outs there could be some substantial savings.
