What is in the 2023 Ford Maverick tremor?

We thought we spotted a Ford Maverick Tremor prototype a few weeks ago. It turns out the more rugged-looking Maverick we spied was indeed a Tremor, making it the fourth truck to get the off-road Tremor trim level, joining the Ranger, F-150, and Super Duty. Welcome to the family, baby Tremor. It's a good look.

Want a Maverick with the Tremor package? You'll need to spring for a Maverick XLT or Lariat model equipped with the available 250-hp, 277-lb-ft 2.0-liter EcoBoost I-4 engine. That means the front-wheel-drive-only standard hybrid powertrain and entry-level XL trim cannot be combined with the Tremor, as Ford describes Maverick Tremor as "an entry-level option for buyers seeking greater off-road capability and bold styling." It's kind of like a souped-up FX4 Off-Road Package already offered on all-wheel-drive Mavericks. So, the most off-road capable Maverick becomes Ford's entry-level off-road-optimized pickup.

Visually, the Maverick Tremor wears a healthy dose of signature Tremor Orange accents, reminiscent of its F-150 brethren. The orange hue accents the tow hooks, fender vents, grille, and wheels. And of course the Tremor bedside logo is in Tremor Orange.

Tremor logos are stitched into the Black Onyx seatbacks, which fittingly also have Tremor Orange stitching. There's a dose of non-orange customization in the form of a unique grille finish and blacked-out Ford oval logos, headlights and taillights.

There's also a separate Tremor Appearance Package that adds a Carbonized gray roof and mirror caps plus black graphics on the hood and lower bodysides. For 2023, Avalanche Gray joins the Maverick line, available on Tremor only.

The 17-inch dark gray aluminum wheels are wrapped in 235/65R17 Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires (these are a $795 option on FX4), though you'll probably only notice the Tremor Orange on the inside pocket of one of the spokes, which serves to highlight the location of the air valve. A full-size spare on a steel wheel comes standard with Tremor (it's a $115 option on FX4).

The Maverick Tremor gets "off-road tuned suspension with increased ride height" in the form of a 1-inch lift, with "unique front and rear springs and shocks." Indeed the springs and shocks are unique to this fitment, sharing some characteristics with those of the mechanically similar Bronco Sport SUV's Badlands HOSS (High-Performance Off-Road Stability Suspension) system, but tuned for Maverick's unique geometry, curb weight, and payload ratings. The whole package is also developed to pass Ford's pickup-truck durability testing regimen which is tougher than what the Bronco Sport had to endure. In any case, the visual effect is a tougher Maverick.

Paring nicely with the upgraded suspension is a new front bumper modified to improve the approach angle by 10 degrees over the front-wheel drive Maverick Hybrid. The Tremor package also adds steel skid plates for undercarriage protection. The cooling system is upgraded to basically match that of the Bronco Sport Badlands, including coolers for the transmission and power-transfer unit (which apportions torque to the rear and disconnects the rear driveshaft to reduce drag when possible) as well as the radiator (which is slightly shorter in height, to better fit Tremor's revised approach angle). The half-shafts are also strengthened to meet Built Ford Tough truck standards.

The Maverick Tremor gets five selectable drive modes, but the real story is Trail Control and the upgraded all-wheel-drive system complete with a torque-vectoring rear axle borrowed from the Bronco Sport Badlands, neither of which the Maverick FX4 gets. Trail Control is like off-road cruise control, where the driver sets the speed and steers while the truck controls throttle and braking to maintain a (slow) velocity. As in the Bronco Sport, the torque-vectoring rear-drive unit consists of a simple bevel gear and separate clutch to individually apportion torque to each rear wheel, with the ability to lock the wheels together or open them completely. The engine is essentially unchanged except to borrow the Bronco Sport Badlands' engine sound enhancer. Active in Sand mode, it adds some fourth-order sound pulses that make the 2.0-liter four sound like a V-8.

The 3,807-pound Maverick Tremor is, naturally, the heaviest of the Maverick clan, which reduces its maximum payload to 1,200 pounds (down 300 from other Mavericks) and limits towing to 2,000 pounds. Doing so allowed engineers to soften the spring rates slightly to improve both off-road ride quality and suspension articulation. This will be the comfiest Maverick to drive off-road—until or unless a Raptor variant comes along.

The 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor Off-Road Package will add $2,995 to the (as yet undisclosed) price of a 2023 Ford Maverick XLT or Lariat, with the Tremor Appearance Package tacking on another $1,495. Order books will open in September, with production beginning in fall.