The first thing you need to know is that I normally don’t study up on the press cars I get ahead of time.
I don’t want internet opinions rattling around in my head before I’ve even turned the key. I want a fresh, unbiased first impression. Of course, after more than a decade of doing this, there are very few surprises left. Most of the time when I get the delivery notification, I already have a pretty good idea of what’s headed my way: a redesign, a facelift, or a familiar friend returning for another round.
So I raised an eyebrow recently when I saw I would be spending a week with a Ford Expedition.
Now, I’m a huge Expedition fan. The last one I had was a 2023 model, and I liked it quite a bit. Big, comfortable, capable. Everything a full-size SUV should be.
But this one was different.
This was a 2025 model, and while I knew Ford had refreshed the Expedition, I didn’t realize they had introduced a new trim called Tremor.
“Tremor?”
That sounds exciting.
That sounds violent.
That sounds like something that should require a helmet and possibly a signed waiver from your insurance company.
My mind instantly went back to a Ford F-150 Raptor I drove a few years ago. A machine with roughly the same level of subtlety as a cruise missile. Seven hundred horsepower. Suspension travel measured in zip codes. The sort of truck that makes grown men giggle like schoolchildren.
So naturally, I assumed the Expedition Tremor would be similar. A family SUV that could haul the groceries and haul ass. Had Ford given it the name because it sent tremors through your spine every time you hit the accelerator?
Well, no.
Instead, Ford’s marketing department apparently sat around a conference table and decided that what suburban America truly needed was an Expedition capable of crossing the Mojave Desert on the way to soccer practice.
Ford has transformed the Expedition into the most capable off-road version the company has ever offered. To earn the Tremor badge, it gets an upgraded suspension, 33-inch all-terrain tires, 10.6 inches of ground clearance, Raptor-derived underbody protection, an electronic locking rear differential, and specialized trail modes including Rock Crawl and Trail Turn Assist.
Basically, if a mountain goat suddenly challenged you to a duel, you’d probably feel reasonably confident.
And while it isn’t a Raptor, it certainly isn’t lacking in the horsepower department. Under the hood sits Ford’s High-Output 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 producing 440 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque.
That’s enough muscle to move this three-row apartment building with surprising authority. In a vehicle whose primary mission in life is transporting children to orthodontist appointments.
Mash the throttle and the Expedition lunges forward with the kind of urgency that feels slightly inappropriate for something capable of carrying eight people, a Labrador, two bicycles, and enough luggage for a family vacation that somehow requires three separate coolers.
The engine is excellent. Quiet when cruising, forceful when needed, and paired with a smooth-shifting 10 speed transmission that rarely seems confused about what gear it should be in.
What impressed me most, however, was how civilized the Tremor remained despite all the off-road hardware underneath.
You’d expect the chunky tires and lifted suspension to punish you on pavement. They don’t.
The ride is remarkably composed. Broken pavement, expansion joints, potholes the size of small swimming pools—the Tremor simply shrugs and keeps moving. It’s one of those vehicles that makes bad roads feel like someone else’s problem.
Of course, size remains both its greatest strength and biggest weakness. And it is enormous. Standing next to it feels like standing next to a suburban office building.
On the open highway, the Expedition feels majestic. In a crowded downtown parking garage, it feels like you’re attempting to dock an aircraft carrier.
Visibility is decent, and the cameras help, but there is no escaping the reality that this thing is enormous. Parked beside normal vehicles, it looks less like an SUV and more like the vehicle those SUVs travel inside.
At one point during my week with it, I parked next to a compact crossover. The poor thing looked like a housecat standing beside a grizzly bear.
Inside, Ford has completely revamped the cabin for 2025, and the result is one of the better interiors in the segment.
A massive 24-inch display stretches across the dashboard, complemented by a 13.2-inch touchscreen handling infotainment duties. Google Maps, Google Assistant, downloadable apps, wireless connectivity—it’s all here.
The Tremor gets distinctive orange stitching, water-resistant materials, and perhaps the most unusual steering wheel this side of a concept car. Ford calls it a steering wheel. I call it a squircle. Somewhere between a square and a circle.
The shape actually improves visibility of the gauge display, but the capacitive touch controls on the wheel take some acclimation. More than once, I found myself pressing something I didn’t intend to press.
Then there are the menus.
Good grief, the menus.
Changing certain settings requires a journey so deep into the infotainment system that it feels less like operating a vehicle and more like participating in an archaeological expedition. At one point I was diving through screen after screen trying to customize the display and felt like I was making an Acapulco cliff dive into Ford’s software architecture.
Eventually I found what I was looking for.
Eventually.
The new split tailgate is one of the best updates. The upper portion lifts normally, while the lower section folds down like a pickup truck tailgate. It’s sturdy enough to sit on and surprisingly useful for tailgates, camping trips, soccer games, or simply giving your back a rest while loading groceries.
And that’s really where the Expedition Tremor becomes interesting.
Most buyers will never use the locking rear differential.
Most buyers will never engage Rock Crawl mode.
Most buyers will never need 10.6 inches of ground clearance.
Yet there’s something appealing about knowing you could.
The Tremor is essentially an Expedition that has spent a weekend watching survival shows and now believes it’s ready to cross the Yukon. Meanwhile, it still performs all the normal Expedition duties exceptionally well: hauling people, towing things, swallowing cargo, and devouring highway miles.
Would I choose it over some of the more luxurious Expedition trims? Probably. The rugged personality gives it character, and the extra capability doesn’t come with major compromises.
The bottom line is simple. The 2025 Ford Expedition Tremor is big, comfortable, powerful, surprisingly refined, and genuinely capable off-road.
Just don’t buy one because you think the Tremor name means it’s a street-racing monster.
Unless, of course, your grocery store involves going off-road through the mud.
2025 Ford Expedition Tremor 4X4
MSRP: $81,350
MSRP (tester as optioned): $85,700
Engine (as tested): 3.5-liter V6 440 horses @5400 rpm, 510 lb.-ft torque @3300 rpm
Transmission: 10 speed shiftable automatic
Fuel Mileage (EPA): 22 highway, 15 city, 18 combined
Fuel Mileage (as tested, mixed conditions): 20mpg
Base curb weight 5668 lbs.
Exterior Dimensions (inches)
Wheelbase: 122.5
Length: 209.9
Width, with mirrors: 94.6
Height: 78.9
Minimum Ground Clearance: 10.6
Liftover Height: 35.3
Interior Dimensions (inches)
Passenger / Seating Capacity: 8
Front Head Room: 41.8
Front Leg Room: 43.9
Front Shoulder Room: 64.9
Front Hip Room: 62.2
Second Row Head Room: 40
Second Row Leg Room: 41.5
Second Row Shoulder Room: 64.8
Second Row Hip Room: 62.3
Third Row Head Room: 37.4
Third Row Leg Room: 36.5
Third Row Shoulder Room: 64.2
Third Row Hip Room: 51.4
Cargo Space/Area Behind Front Row (cubic feet): 108.5
Cargo Space/Area Behind Second Row (cubic feet): 69.9
Cargo Space: 22.9 cu. ft. (behind 3rd row) | 108.5 cu. ft. (maximum with all seats folded)
Maximum Towing Capacity (pounds): 9,600
Warranty
3 Basic Years / 36,000 Basic Miles
5 Drivetrain Years / 60,000 Drivetrain Miles
5 Corrosion Years / Unlimited Corrosion Miles
5 Roadside Assistance Years / 60,000 Roadside Assistance Miles
Greg was a writer for DriveTribe supporting Amazon's The Grand Tour and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek and a regular contributor to Forbes.