Analysis: 2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor: More Intelligent and Spacious

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The 2023 Ford F-Series Super Duty is designed to retain its crown as the ultimate multipurpose vehicle.

A look at the Ford Bronco

Ford’s entire 2023 Super Duty line has seen an intensive revamp, including the very framework, appealing particularly to enthusiasts looking for a vehicle that can perform tasks and provide entertainment. The Tremor off-road variant has increased its competitiveness by borrowing advanced tech from the Raptors, enhancing its towing and hauling abilities, improving its ride quality, and even tweaking its design to accommodate 37-inch tires with ease.

Ford welcomed AutoMotorMart to its testing facility in Bruce Township, Michigan, to traverse the woodland, ascend boulder-strewn hills, and perform sandy spins in order to experience the capabilities of the updated Super Duty designed for off-roading. The spoiler: it’s still an all-rounder.

2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor: Borrowing from the Raptors

With a 6-foot-4 box, the Super Duty Tremor crew cab measures 21 feet in length. Despite its size, the 2023 model has upgraded its surround-view camera system from four to seven angles, allowing drivers to combine the camera views for a comprehensive 360-degree perspective around the truck or inspect the sides of the vehicle while on the trail.

Taking cues from the Raptor team, the Super Duty developers have incorporated tread-like indicators that display the proposed path on the screen when the forward-facing camera is activated in Off-Road mode. This is an adaptation of the Raptor lineup’s Baja mode feature, which ensures proper alignment of the Super Duty’s tires with the desired line, alleviating the sense of partial blindness and loss of sight of what lies directly ahead of the truck.

The Super Duty Tremors also feature Trail Turn Assist, a function initially developed for the Bronco and later integrated into the F-150 Tremor and F-150 Raptor. By slowing down the inside rear wheel, this feature allows for sharper off-road turns. In the case of the colossal Super Duty, it can reduce the turning radius by up to 40%, a feature I found surprisingly effective during a test drive on a sandy track. However, this function may cause some ground disturbance and pile up some dirt in front of the inside rear wheel. This pile is eventually run over by the truck, adding to the typical off-road driving experience.

Ford’s existing driving modes – Rock Crawl, Tow/Haul, Normal, Eco, and Slippery – are now supplemented by an Off-Road mode. The new mode replaces the Deep Sand/Snow mode for clarity and automatically engages 4Hi. These modes, which adapt the truck to the terrain more efficiently than rivals with fewer or no driving modes, are one of Ford’s key advantages.

However, the Off-Road mode doesn’t automatically deactivate the automatic emergency braking, which it ideally should. During off-roading, I forgot to turn off AEB through the truck’s menu system, resulting in the truck abruptly halting and flashing multiple warning lights when the front parking sensors were triggered by tall grass. It’s inconvenient to remember to deactivate and then reactivate AEB when switching between off-roading and regular road driving.

2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor now accommodates 37-inch tires

David Demmith, vehicle integration supervisor for the Super Duty line, revealed that numerous owners have substituted the 35-inch Duratrac tires on their Tremors for 37-inch ones. The larger tires used to rub against the front control arms, causing owners to improvise to ensure their trucks ran smoothly. The updated suspension tuning in the 2023 Super Duty lineup, including the Tremor, provides a smoother ride, even on uneven roads when the truck is not carrying a load. Notably, the Tremor’s taller sidewalls on its robust all-terrain tires further soften impacts. A new front control arm design has been incorporated, which no longer interferes with 37-inch tires. However, Ford still doesn’t offer these larger tires; this option is left to buyers seeking larger wheels.

2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor boasts enhanced towing and hauling capacities

The Super Duty Tremor continues to be powered by a 7.3-liter V-8 engine, but its power has been upgraded to 430 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque. This torque boost comes from a smaller water pump and upgraded bearings and pistons for extended durability. An optional 6.7-liter turbodiesel V-8 engine with 475 hp and 1,050 lb-ft is still available and is now $800 cheaper at $9,995. A new high-output 6.7-liter turbodiesel offering 500 hp and 1,200 lb-ft of torque has been added for 2023, but it adds $12,495 to the Tremor’s price.

With the right setup in the Super Duty configurator, the Tremor is now rated to tow up to 18,200 pounds with a conventional hitch and 23,000 pounds with a gooseneck trailer, and it can carry up to 4,384 pounds of payload. These numbers mark increases of 3,200, 1,110, and 174 pounds, respectively. The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado HD ZR2 can tow 18,500 pounds with a hitch, but its payload capacity maxes out at 3,397 pounds, and it can only tow up to 18,100 pounds with a gooseneck trailer. The 2023 Ram Rebel HD lags behind both with a 16,870-pound conventional hitch towing capacity and a 3,140-pound payload capacity.

2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor: Broad range updates

The Tremor is an off-road package that combines hardware and software to enhance the Tremor’s off-road proficiency. Like the other Super Duty variants, it sees significant improvements for 2023.

Ford has refined the Super Duty’s exterior. The horizontal grille now integrates seamlessly into the C-clamp-shaped headlights, emphasizing the truck’s breadth. Access to the truck bed is simplified by integrated steps in the bed sides and rear bumper.

Inside, the material quality has been improved, although it still doesn’t match up to a Ram. The standard touchscreen is now an 8.0-inch, replacing the previous model’s 4.2-inch screen. A 12.0-inch touchscreen and a 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster, inspired by the F-150, are available for the XLT model and standard for the Lariat and higher models.

2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor offers value for money

The 2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor costs $60,780, with the price increasing rapidly as you select additional options. Most of this cost is attributed to the Super Duty XLT itself, with the Tremor package being a $4,375 add-on, which offers good value. The base Ram 2500 Rebel costs $71,420, and Chevrolet has yet to disclose the price of the Silverado HD ZR2.

The Tremor package can be added to the Super Duty XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trims. The Lariat trim seems to be the best fit for those looking for a vehicle for both professional and personal use as it offers upgrades like LED headlights, a power sliding rear window, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Crucially, the Lariat trim allows the option of useful features like onboard scales and a smart hitch.

Ford will continue to offer a factory-installed 12,000-pound Warn winch with a 70-foot synthetic cable, though the cost has increased to $3,995, $995 more than before. However, it remains a reasonably priced factory-backed accessory for those requiring this capability with seamless integration.

Despite facing new competitors since its launch in 2020, the 2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor maintains its unique proposition. No other pickup truck can do everything — from towing 23,000 pounds to off-road mastery — like the Tremor.

Ford funded travel, accommodation, and even a few snacks so AutoMotorMart could provide this firsthand report.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Super Duty Tremor

More about Super Duty Tremor

• 2023 Ford Super Duty Tremor
• Ford Super Duty Official Website
• Ford Super Duty Tremor Overview
• Ford Super Duty Tremor Towing and Payload Capacities
• Off-Road Features of the Ford Super Duty Tremor