F150Online Reviews: The 2014 Ford F-150 FX2 Tremor
My Blue Flame Metallic tester’s get-up, as a whole, came across as properly sporty and eye-catching. The $2,480 FX Appearance Package added some helpful black tubular running boards, 20-inch flat-black aluminum wheels and bodyside graphics. Overall, this pickup was visually bad-ass and looked the part.
Inside, the F-150 was attractive in a blocky, masculine way, although it wasn’t as bold as it was outside. The only flourish among numerous hard, dark plastic pieces was the red piping around the black leather and Alcantara sport seats. I found them well-bolstered and wide enough to fit me comfortably. What a shame that there were only two of them. They made arranging travel with friends a little tricky, but such impracticality did seem, oddly enough, called for in a dedicated sports car…er…truck. (You can see the interior in this video.)
An array of technologies compensated for the lack of passenger space. Ford equipped this rig with features such as navigation, remote start, a rear view camera and a reverse sensing system as part of the $1,995 Tremor Plus Package. That threw me for a loop – in a good way. I was not expecting that kind of luxury gear in such a niche truck. The option also included a bed extender for the 6.5-foot box, a handy tailgate step and grab bar set-up, and an integrated trailer brake controller for those who frequently carry cargo – up to 1,520 pounds in payload and as many as 8,000 in trailer form.
The Tremor had quite the gap between the tops of its tires and its wheel wells. Sitting in the driver’s seat, I had a commanding view of the road ahead, but not once did I forget how high up I was. “Sporty” was not the appropriate term to describe such a ride height. The suspension behaved itself in turns and kept body roll from reaching startling levels. My pal Chris thought differently. After I rounded a curve (at a legal speed) close to St. Edward’s University, he exclaimed, “Whoa! I felt that one.”
Ahead of the passenger compartment sat a 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. A 4.10 ratio ran through the rear axle. Ford’s six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission with Full Manual mode processed 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque and transferred it to the road through the back Pirelli Scorpion STRs.
That engine was something that puzzled me. Why was the Tremor was so civilized, polite and smooth? Why wasn’t this sport truck more aggressive? It was quick, but there was no drama or fury when the pedal was down. I wasn’t pinned back in my seat. I would’ve forgiven some ferocity and rawness. Perhaps another 50 horses would’ve given this vehicle the personality its looks suggested.
I didn’t mind what I heard from the outside world, though. While wind noise did come into the cabin, it didn’t assault my ears. In fact, I found the Tremor to be surprisingly quiet at highway speeds for a full-size truck rolling on 20s. It was also shockingly smooth-riding. My teeth weren’t rattled once when I was going over the lumpy, broken streets in my neighborhood. Booking it at 80 mph down the toll roads leading to and from Decker Lake was a completely calm, comfortable experience. I would have no problem covering hundreds of miles in a day in this truck.
Over the course of more than a week, I did just that. South Austin, North Austin and downtown. Apartments, food truck parks and gas stations. Luckily, I didn’t often find myself at that last sort of location thanks, in part, to the Tremor’s 26-gallon tank. The truck was unshakable in achieving the 16 city, 22 highway and 18 combined mpg ratings on its Monroney. I hit a little over 18 miles per gallon with mixed driving.
If you’ve been behind the wheel of a 2014 Ford F-150 FX2 Tremor and decided you just have to buy one, buy it now. The 2015s are on their way, so this particular model is a one-year-only offering. Also, be prepared to pay at least $34,270. If you want all of the bells and whistles my review vehicle had, you’ll have to lighten your bank account by another $6,745. After destination and delivery charges, the total price comes to $42,210.
Although the Tremor didn’t cause me to quake with excitement, it was easy on my eyes, feature-packed and unbelievably comfortable. If anything, it left me bewildered. I thought its characteristics were sometimes at odds with its market position, while, simultaneously, its styling embodied the words “sport truck” perfectly.
Check out the 2014 Ford F-150 FX2 Tremor in the following galleries.
Discuss it in the forum thread here!
studio photos [Ford]
