Will the new Ford Everest Tremor come to SA?

The new Ford Everest Tremor boasts all manner of off-road goodies as well as a V6 heart (unlike its 4-pot Ranger Tremor sibling). But will this uprated adventure SUV come to SA?

This is the new Ford Everest Tremor, an off-road-ready, V6-powered version of the Blue Oval brand’s 7-seater adventure SUV. For now, it’s been confirmed only for the Australian market, but will it eventually come to South Africa, too?

Well, we asked Ford South Africa that very question. Unfortunately, the Dearborn-based firm’s local division could tell us only that it “does not comment on future models”. That’s not a “no”, at least…

Considering Mzansi sources its Everest units from the same Rayong manufacturing facility in Thailand as Australia does, there’s certainly a chance that the Tremor-badged SUV will eventually reach local shores. But with production expected to commence only in November 2024, we’d speculate any such introduction would take place only in 2025.

So, what exactly makes an Everest Tremor? Well, before we delve into the off-road details, it’s worth noting that the Australian-spec model employs Ford’s 184 kW/600 Nm 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel engine (driving all 4 wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission), rather than the 2.0-litre bi-turbodiesel motor used in the Tremor-badged Ranger bakkie available in Mzansi.

Set to be available in a model-specific “Command Grey” exterior colour, the new Everest Tremor features a honeycomb grille design (with auxiliary LEDs) familiar from the Ranger Tremor as well as the Ranger Wildtrak X. It furthermore gains a steel bash-plate, heavy-duty side steps and “Tremor” badging on the lower sections of its front doors as well as on the tailgate.

Under the skin, the Everest Tremor boasts Bilstein position-sensitive dampers and uprated springs, while General Grabber AT3 all-terrain tyres add 26 mm to the SUV’s ground clearance. In addition, this derivative features a “Rock Crawl” drive mode that ostensibly “optimises traction and momentum on loose and rocky surfaces, ensuring confident off-road exploration”.

Inside, Ford says you’ll find “Tremor” logos embossed onto the leather front seats, ebony-coloured interior accents and “all-weather” floor mats. In addition, the Blue Oval brand offers a range of factory-backed options Down Under, including a “Rough Terrain” package featuring ARB accessories such as “under-vehicle armour” and an auxiliary switch bank.

We’ll keep our ears close to the ground and update you should we hear anything more about a possible local introduction of the Everest Tremor…