2026 Ford Explorer Tremor Review

[00:09] >> I have some bad news for you. The Timberline Edition Ford Explorer is gone. But, if you're like me, you're shaking or trembling with excitement because there's now the Tremor Edition Ford Explorer. This is the off-road bad

[00:23] boy. You get an extra inch of ground clearance versus the regular Explorer. You get some all-terrain Bridgestone tires. They are the Ascent. And of and a Torsen limited slip differential in the back. What you need to know is

[00:37] how much does this bad boy cost? Well, it starts at just under $50,000 with a four-cylinder. However, if you go into any Ford dealer, you can probably get this thing for thousands of dollars off. So, the pricing is a bit misleading.

[00:49] This is a vehicle we've talked about a lot. It is technically a hometown hero Chicagoland area. So, we should be prideful of this thing. Though, honestly, till the refresh, we did not recommend this vehicle due to

[01:02] been a recall for gearbox-related issues. We're going to talk about that a truly usable three-row SUV. With all feet of cargo capacity. With the third row down, you get 45 feet of cubic cargo

[01:18] capacity. And then, you get captain's chairs for the second row. If you need three-row SUV that isn't going to cost you $100,000. That's one of the reasons interior side of things, when you get the fully loaded Tremor that I have, you

[01:33] massaging seats, heated and cooled seats. You get Alcantara and mood their best to tart this up. Though, all the plastics and a lot of the touchpoints still feel like a $40,000 Ford product. Now, the software and the

[01:49] 2025, which we talked about this in our last Ford Explorer video, their mid-cycle refresh. It mostly works well. It's fast acting. The blue cruise does not seem to work with my caliber of eyeball, and I've heard from other

[02:04] people it doesn't work for them either. That's something to note, depending on to head quickly into the shop and walk you through some of the mechanical you through some of the mechanical details.

[02:19] know? Well, first off, this is built on the CD6 platform. A vehicle architecture platform we've discussed at length at this point. It is built in either Chicago or in China, and it is shared with the Lincoln Aviator.

[02:32] Essentially, that's a tarted-up version of this. It is strut front, multi-link architecture. On other trim levels other than the Tremor, you can get this as package comes as all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive only. There's not a

[02:46] low-range gearbox, and it gets a Torsen limited slip differential in the rear of this vehicle. And it's on passive dampers. Being the Tremor package, they one does not cover the gas tank. They have recovery points on the front of

[02:58] this vehicle. It gets 31-in Dueler all-terrain tires from Bridgestone. They are not as extreme as some of their Firestone offerings, but they find a off-road. They are a true all-terrain, which means if you air them down, you do

[03:11] get plenty of off-road grip. When it comes to the mechanical tidbits of this vehicle as well, what I want to bring up is despite having the skid plate in the ground clearance going from in the mid-7s to just under 9

[03:26] versus a regular Explorer, the lower control arms, a lot of suspension hard you're going to take this rock crawling, be very, very careful. And you do not get a full-size spare. Again, something to bring up if you plan on off-roading

[03:39] this thing. Drivetrain, two options. The base Tremor gets the base 2.3 L four-cylinder that you can find in other trim levels. It makes 300 horsepower. and it's still is paired to a a automatic gearbox. And then, if you

[03:52] decide to go with the ultimate tremor package, which is like 11 or 12,000 dollars, you get the 3-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V6, which you also find on the ST. Makes 400 horsepower. Total towing capacity is over 5,000 pounds. So, that

[04:05] Mark and I are going to take you for a quick drive.

[04:18] >> This is having me shaking cuz this is the Tremor model, dude. V6 twin-turbo optional drivetrain over 60,000 dollars over 400 horsepower. I'm having I feel the tremors in the drivetrain.

[04:33] is a sign that maybe you and I have been doing this too long. For over 60,000 these things discounted right off the bat. I I don't know what my expectation should be for a big family SUV, but I feel like for over 60 grand,

[04:48] I I'm expecting maybe more luxury than I'm probably actually experiencing this car because while there's a lot pretty good with it, there's a lot that again, for that price point, it seems lacking. This V6 gets

[05:01] gallon, so right in line with like an MDX Type S, something equivalently large. It has many gears being a Ford 10-speed. The ratios seem reasonably well spaced. It has good in-gear acceleration. It's

[05:15] just not a very refined drivetrain, and I don't think it it it it doesn't sound particularly good, and the 10-speed, as bad as the like the MDX Type S 10-speed gearbox is, this still to this day does weird herky-jerky like

[05:32] very unsmooth downshift There you go. Downshifts that are uh fairly unacceptable for this price point. It's not meant to be manually >> Yeah, but even when you're just regularly driving, though.

[05:46] >> Yeah, I know. It is jerky. I I think, you know, it came out we absolutely I think both on you and I agreed how did this get made, right? And then when we drove kind of the updated one things

[05:59] better experience. You know, this is a big vehicle. It's rare in this class to be a rear-wheel drive architecture, right? So, they have something unique about driving it and it some of it is in its lack of refinement

[06:13] >> Tell your right. >> and you know, the Palisade stuff. Like those feel like a class above this on the interior space. They feel far more this is about. Maybe that's why people like it. I like the fact that they've

[06:27] improved the tech. There's so many things good with this that needs a second generation. This is a perfect example where this needs a definite do-over in terms of generational like improvements, in terms of refinement,

[06:39] price point. >> Yes. >> If you get one of these like under 50, my argument largely against a lot of >> Well, you're not fighting So, this is not a So, let's put this in perspective.

[06:53] This is not a Toyota product where you have to buy one 6 months before it's >> You show up and you buy one and you're going to be able to finesse and finagle a lower price. So, the MSRP is very misleading on this and if you're able to

[07:07] get a really good deal then this becomes less of an issue because it is big, it is going to haul, it is going to tow to a certain extent. It has a powerful V6. >> Mhm. >> You know, it just it doesn't do the

[07:20] of refinement. And again, that's a generational fix thing. They have to put they have to make that a priority internally. Controls, money to do it and I think this will be way better for it, but that's that's all

[07:34] >> Like the input side of things really, steering, brakes, trans, cal, throttle tip in. It's all fine. None of it's bad. None of it's class-leading. Blue Cruise, if you have less squinty eyes than mine,

[07:47] >> my understanding works pretty well. They It straight-up does not work with my eyes half the time, which is funny seeing that they also built this car in to need. >> Well, perfect. As I

[08:00] >> Cyclist. >> Um Chris. He also has the same persuasion of eyeballs that I have is that Ford Blue Cruise doesn't seem to work with us. But

[08:13] honestly, I think at a more reasonable price point, I thing. Um I think if you're going to do some point of the Tremor package is for it to have a little bit more ground clearance.

[08:27] campsite, you're going to go, you know, overlanding and to take your dogs or great for. Obviously, this is not going to be doing true off-roading with a >> Yeah. >> being exposed. I guess in this class

[08:42] big, right? We just drove a Kia Telluride X edition or whatever the the off-road version of it is. We've driven the the Honda versions of this, the the Pilot TrailSport. Which would you take and

[08:56] why? >> Uh I I can't really make that that things I like about all of them. I love the Palisade Telluride like interior that. I love the drivability of the

[09:09] It's probably one of the best driving ones and that's not really off-road either, you know. >> Um I like the fact that this feels more unique. It feels more utilitarian, you know, it has like that fleet car thing

[09:22] >> this or a Durango? I know they're not both off-roady, but if you you say have to buy American. >> I would buy a Durango. I know it's like, you know, it's so like tried and it's just it's tried and true, but it's so

[09:35] forever, but if I had to have this and that, at least I'm not driving around people thinking it's a police car either. Like it's got it as much as it's million of these things on the road in terms of like fleet vehicles, so it

[09:48] It's almost like it's got that rental car vibe going. So for me, Durango, and also the Durango straight up V8, you know, like I like that part of it, and that this doesn't. >> Which is surprising cuz I think it's

[10:03] >> Yeah. No, I mean, but I mean, it's like the the the the the back, dude. The the structure born the air born noise, this thing just it again, it needs to get horse. >> This thing cuz we just had the mid-cycle

[10:17] further refreshed at '26 with this package. Give it another I think probably another within 3 years the next generation of this will probably come out, and I'm hoping it still keeps the rear-wheel drive platform. It still

[10:30] keeps a lot of the good the goodness of having this balance. I do think the drive trains are very potent. I just You're right. I will be a very refined near luxury sort

[10:42] >> I don't think it needs to be luxury, but it's it's definitely not taking enough You know, as much as we bag on the CX-90, like the CX-90 has drivetrain drivetrain issues, that's like way worse, but at least the CX-90 has some

[10:57] of the refinement that this doesn't. Um they figured out how to, you know, reduce like decibel input in the back seats by like 20 dB. This thing is >> You step into it how much noise is in the third row and it's just an echo

[11:10] positive It's not like the Durango where you hear V8. It's just like whooshing. in the back. It just it's a it's a constant reverberation in the back. They they have not been able to kill any type of ambient noise in the back. So it's

[11:24] it's a noisy car, you know. You don't notice it as much in the there. >> Though I am surprised, and I know we're another Bridgestone plug, these are scents on this car. I figured like an

[11:38] all-terrain regardless who makes it would be a lot noisier in this thing. primarily just wind noise. >> Yeah, the tire noise isn't really the like any all-terrain, but that's not the that's not the overall NVH that we're

[11:51] picking up on. It's it's cabin NVH and all the airborne noise and ambience that's echoing in here. They just it's crazy. >> Well, Mark, with that let's head into the final thoughts.

[12:09] Explorer Tremor Edition. Let me walk you through the good and the bad. This is primarily again looking at this as a over $60,000 SUV as well. So, the good. The 3-liter EcoBoost V6, while it's not the most refined drivetrain, it makes a

[12:23] ton of power which makes this quite a bit faster or quicker than things like the Pilot and Telluride, two of its closer rivals if I'm going to be honest. better fuel economy than honestly the equivalent Pilot does with a naturally

[12:39] aspirated V6 and better fuel economy than the Durango, which probably shouldn't be surprising to you. And from it comes to interior features, massaging Olufsen audio system, cooled seats, and a lot of the usability of the cabin

[12:52] space is quite impressive for this price point. The con part of this is it's not when you look at something like a Kia Telluride in comparison, at least in the interior side of things, it is a much better screwed-together interior space,

[13:06] have massaging seats, I think it does a lot of the regular SUV things better than this vehicle. If you want something to go off-road, however, have some off-road capability, look that way, and come with all-terrain tires, this or

[13:19] probably the Pilot Trail Sport are probably going to be your two best options in this class. In some ways, I actually think the Pilot is a more thanks for watching. Hope to see you again soon.