While we continue to wait for the inevitable Ranger Raptor, Ford is throwing us an off-road-ready bone in the form of the Ranger’s new Tremor package. And as luck would have it, Ford tossed us the keys to one such Tremor-equipped truck – specifically, the Ford Ranger Tremor Lariat. That name’s a mouthful, so let’s break it down.

We hope that the “Ford Ranger” portion of the name needs no explanation. “Tremor” refers to this uprated off-road package. And as for “Lariat,” that just means that this is the fanciest Ranger. All clear? Good. Let’s get into it, then.

Much like Toyota’s TRD Pro lineup, the Ranger Tremor is designed to be a flat-billed 909 bro’s dream. In Ford’s words, it’s “the most off-road-capable factory-built Ranger ever offered in the U.S.,” and it’s built for crushing trails while you crush cans of Monster.

The Ranger is already a proven commodity across the world, so all Ford had to do here was dig into its massive parts bin to create a winner. And the parts list is nice. The suspension has been fully upgraded, from the revised front knuckles to the beefy Fox shocks, raising the overall ride height and increasing suspension travel across all four corners. 32-inch Continental General Grabber A/TX all-terrain tires come standard, and bolted along the ladder frame are heavy-duty skid plates. Outside, the Ranger Tremor gets the requisite badging and red grille surround to further differentiate this truck from the rest of the Ranger pack. Ford’s array of computer-assisted off-road traction technologies also comes standard.

All in all, it’s the same formula Toyota uses to print money with its TRD Pro lineup, so it makes sense to see Ford do the same here. Thankfully, the truck itself if pretty good, too.

Our time in the Ranger Tremor was limited to on-road driving only, so we can’t tell you if it yeets itself off the dunes as well as the Raptor, but even a quick drive tells us the Ranger isn’t quite as capable. A quick visual glance shows that its suspension components aren’t as robust, and the ride is on the stiffer side, versus the extreme compliance of the Raptor. But if you want a truck that drives like a truck, you’ll feel right at home here.

There’s not a whole lot to say about the driving experience other than the Raptor goes, turns and stops. Power comes from the proven 2.3-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-banger, rated here at 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The automatic transmission is crammed full with 10 forward gears, so the Ranger generally feels like it’s in the correct spot of its power band, though we would like to feel a greater sense of urgency when we mash the gas. 10 gears, of course, makes manual shifting confusing, so you really need to trust that the powertrain knows how to do its thing.

And though the ride is on the stiffer side, it is pretty comfortable… for a truck. The Ranger exhibits good on-road manners and is comfortable when the roads are smooth. You’ll definitely feel it as the Ranger Tremor goes over the rougher stuff, but you’ll also feel a weird sense of satisfaction knowing that whatever it was you just ran over, it did absolutely no damage to the truck. Almost makes us want to give up our life of driving lowered cars. Almost.

Inside, things are nice, again… for a truck. You can tell that materials were generally selected for their durability versus tactile nature, but it’s all nicely put together. The Ranger Tremor gets its name embroidered on the seats, some extra toggle switches for auxiliary components and rubberized floor mats. But the interesting thing is that, unlike other trucks in this segment, the Ranger’s interior seems to have been penned by a car designer.

By that we mean that other trucks in the competitive set have big, chunky controls. The types of switches and knobs that you can grab with a gloved hand while racing down a fire road. The Ranger, by contrast, gives you a bunch of small buttons that look like they were ripped out of a Focus. Nothing wrong with them, really, just something that jumped out at us. Oh, and the interior door pulls still feel cheap, like a couple pieces of a Little Tykes play set glued together. We were pretty sure we’d break them after chugging our afternoon cans of Monster, but they’ve lasted so far. Still, not the kind of touch point you want on something designed to be the epitome of toughness.

But if our one complaint is about how the door pulls feel, that means the rest of the Ford Ranger Tremor Lariat is pretty damn good. We really, really like driving this truck, and it excels at its true mission: making its driver feel cool. It’s got just enough off-road cred to look serious, but it’s not comically overdone to look out of place when making a grocery run for the day’s third case of Monster.

With an as-tested price of approximately $46k, the Ford Ranger Tremor Lariat certainly isn’t cheap. But it is cheaper than its competition, and certainly just as durable. And if you’re the type who needs the newest and baddest thing with a blue oval on the front, this truck will certainly tide you over until the Ranger Raptor finally hits U.S. shores.

Highlights	Description
Engine	2.3-liter EcoBoost inline 4-cylinder
Horsepower	270 hp @ 5500rpm
Torque	310 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
Transmission	10-speed SelectShift automatic
Suspension, F/R	Short- and long-arm independent and tubular stabilizer bar/Hotchkiss-type nonindependent live, multi-leaf springs and outboard Fox shock absorbers
Brakes, F/R	12.24-in. discs w/2-piston calipers, 12.12-in. discs w/ single-piston calipers
Wheels and Tires	17-in. alloy wheels, 32-inch Continental General Grabber A/TX all-terrain tires
Curb weight	4571 lbs.
Overall length	210.8 in.
Overall width	85.8 in.
Overall height	71.5 in.
Wheelbase	126.8 in.