Yahoo Autos 2024 Ford F-150 Tremor vs. 2025 Ram 1500 Rebel: Backwoods Brawlers
When it comes to full-size pickup trucks, brand loyalty may as well be blind loyalty. Convincing a die-hard Ford F-150 owner to consider a Ram 1500 or vice versa is about as difficult as getting a University of Michigan football fan to root for Ohio State. But beneath subjective allegiance lies objective truth, and it's our duty to brave the crossfire and find out whether Ford or Ram builds the better half-ton truck. And so we arranged a metaphorical backwoods brawl between each pickup's penultimate off-road model to determine whose devotees deserve bragging rights once the pavement ends.
No one will confuse the 2024 Ford F-150 Tremor or the 2025 Ram 1500 Rebel for their wider and mightier siblings, the desert-pounding F-150 Raptor and the new-for-2025 Ram 1500 RHO. But for what the Tremor and Rebel lack in swollen fenders and increased horsepower, they make up for with lower entry prices and off-road prowess that's well above average. These two trucks carry many on-paper similarities, including equipment and pricing, but the way each executes its vision produces two distinctly different options.
The differences start under the hood. Ram replaced the beloved Hemi V-8 with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six (dubbed Hurricane), and the Rebel is handcuffed to the 420-hp standard-output version. The Tremor offers a no-cost choice between a 400-hp twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 and a 400-hp 5.0-liter V-8, with our test truck getting the latter. Eight-cylinder engines may not be long for this world, and the Ford's older-school leaf-spring underpinnings pair well with a powerplant of similar vintage. Next to the Ford, the straight-six Ram and its all-coil-or-air-spring suspension seems downright futuristic.
The Tremor doesn't give off the same swole vibes as the beefier Raptor, but its $66,445 base price is a pill that's $14K easier to swallow. For 2024, Ford tinkered with the Tremor treatment to better distinguish it from other F-150s. Along with a newly available modular front bumper shared with the Raptor, the Tremor's grille gets an egg-crate-like mesh that's divided by an orange band that flows into redesigned headlights. The truck also has standard four-wheel drive, an electronic locking rear differential, Raptor-like running boards, protective skid plates, front and rear recovery hooks, upgraded dampers, and a lifted ride height.
The Tremor we tested also had a boatload of options, namely the $11,710 402A package that adds the aforementioned front bumper, a Torsen limited-slip front diff, and a Raptor-spec transfer case with mechanical locks. Plus, there's a host of stuff that makes the Ford feel ritzier and more versatile. Leather covers the heated steering wheel and seats, which have heated and ventilated cushions; the rear outboard seats are heated too. The B&O sound system's speaker count rises from eight to 14, a head-up display and 360-degree camera array join the party, the center console can unfold into a tabletop, and the tailgate has a side-hinged door for easier bed access. Add a $1495 panoramic sunroof and $595 for a spray-in bedliner, and our F-150 Tremor's as-tested price ballooned to $80,245.
The Rebel starts at $66,190, which is virtually the same as the Tremor and only $5800 less than the RHO (Ram's replacement for the 702-hp V-8-powered TRX). The move to a Hemi-free future coincides with a mid-cycle refresh for 2025 that introduces new facias and new features. For the Rebel, that means narrower headlights, a bigger grille with a simpler design, and a new powder-coated front bumper. Along with four-wheel drive and an electronically locking rear diff, every Rebel features Bilstein dampers, front tow hooks, a softer rear anti-roll bar, and a slower steering ratio to offset its higher ride height.
This truck, too, came brimming with optional kit. That includes $545 for the Bed Utility Group (115-volt outlet, spray-in bedliner, retractable bed step) and multiple towing packages. Big-ticket items include the $3395 Advanced Safety Group and the $2495 Rebel Level 2 package (19-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo, dual wireless chargers, front-passenger display, heated rear seats). The $1995 four-corner air suspension, plus some additional extras, swelled the Ram's as-tested price to $81,695, surpassing its beefier sibling's base price (the Tremor's as-tested outlay came up just short of a Raptor's base price).
Interior and Exterior
Like barbed-wire tattoos on bulging biceps, the 2024 Ford F-150 Tremor and 2025 Ram 1500 Rebel assert their toughness with prominent bedside decals. Both sling mud from knobby 33-inch all-terrain tires and mean-mug onlookers with dark headlight bezels and distinctive grilles. They're sold exclusively with a crew cab and a single bed size; the Ford has a five-foot-five-inch box, and the Ram has a five-foot-seven-incher. The Tremor's sturdy running boards make the cabin easier to access, but their fixed nature also makes them a nuisance on tight trails. The Rebel's available air suspension can raise or lower the truck's regular ride height by 1.8 inches, which makes getting in and out or clearing obstacles easier. The height-adjustable Rebel has up to 10.7 inches of ground clearance compared with the Tremor's 9.4. The Ford offsets that with notably better approach (27.6 degrees versus 23.3) and departure (24.3 degrees versus 22.8) angles, and it has more robust body armor. The Tremor has what looks like a bulletproof baking sheet beneath its front bumper, while the Rebel's smaller chin guard provides less protection.
2024 Ford F-150 Tremor
HIGHS: Better at taking a beating, last vestiges of the V-8 rumble, more flexible suspension.
LOWS: Rides and drives like an old truck, lazy transmission, huge steering wheel conveys no feel.
VERDICT: Proof that being rough around the edges can be enjoyable in small doses.
The Ram's Dumbo-like side mirrors make towing trailers easier, but they create major blind spots at crosswalks and intersections. Meanwhile, Ford's smaller mirrors didn't need to be folded on narrow trails. That, combined with the F-150's unique dip-design front windows, meant the Tremor's outward visibility was better.
The Rebel's interior is where we'd rather spend long hours, however. Not only do the materials look better, but everything feels better too. Both trucks have a mix of physical and touch controls, with Ford's setup making it easier to activate the heated and ventilated seats. There's no shortage of passenger or cubby space in either truck, but the Ram's center console has the edge with a more accessible wireless charging pad and a cupholder tray that slides back to create a sizable bin.
We're not fans of Ford's folding shifter, which has a rickety action, but it stows so the center-console cover can convert the area into a flat workspace. It's an innovative feature that allows in-car dining and desktop duties, but we'd prefer a column shifter. We also noticed the F-150's binnacle, steering column, and steering wheel are misaligned—a quirk that's hard to unsee once you notice it.
Both trucks have configurable digital gauge clusters and prominent touchscreens. The F-150's Sync 4 infotainment system runs through a horizontally arranged 12.0-inch display that responds quickly and has an intuitive menu structure; wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work seamlessly and can fill the entire screen. Ram's Uconnect 5 system has similar features, but its touch controls are positioned awkwardly low on the optional portrait-style 14.5-inch touchscreen. While the Rebel's display is larger than the Tremor's, it doesn't take advantage of the real estate, as demonstrated by the Rebel's comically small camera views. The Tremor's feed has more angles that can expand to the whole screen, a benefit of its landscape layout. A front view automatically activates in off-road drive modes, and there's a wide-angle setting that aids forward visibility. The Ram does score more points with audiophiles and tech nerds though; its Harman/Kardon stereo sounded better than Ford's Bang & Olufsen setup, and our Rebel had a 10.3-inch touchscreen above the glovebox that gives the passenger control of music and navigation, as well as the ability to watch videos (the screen is blocked from the driver's view for safety).
Powertrain and Performance
Full-size trucks and V-8 engines go together like cold beer and Friday nights. That's why the F-150 Tremor with the 5.0-liter just feels right. With predictably linear power delivery and a growling soundtrack, it's like a Raptor R for people who can't afford a six-figure, street-legal trophy truck. Its 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque are routed through a 10-speed automatic, and while the engine roars to 79 decibels at wide-open throttle, the transmission is lost at times and slow to downshift, making it a lousier dance partner than the ZF-sourced eight-speed in the Ram. Sure, the straight-six doesn't make fun sounds like the Ford's V-8 (the Ram produced only 71 decibels inside at WOT), but the Hurricane is a powerhouse that perfectly matches the truck's more sophisticated personality. Along with 20 extra ponies, the Rebel has considerably more torque at 469 pound-feet.
The 5739-pound Rebel and 5650-pound Tremor are similarly heavy, but the Ram has a better power-to-weight ratio. That helped at the test track, where it hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, 1.1 ticks better than the F-150's 6.0-second run. The Ford closed the gap in the 50-to-70-mph acceleration test, where its 4.1-second time was only one-tenth behind the Rebel. Still, the turbo-six setup proved its dominance at the drag strip, completing the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds at 99 mph against the Ford's 14.6 seconds at 97 mph.
Interestingly, the quicker and more powerful truck also gets better gas mileage. The EPA estimates the Rebel at 19 mpg combined (17 mpg city, 24 highway), whereas the V-8 Tremor is rated at 17 mpg combined (15 mpg city, 20 highway). However, the F-150's bladder-testing 36-gallon fuel tank will require fewer fill-up stops compared with the Ram's standard 26-gallon unit (a 33-gallon tank is a $445 option). The V-8 drinks regular unleaded too, while higher-octane premium juice is recommended for the six-pot.
Driving Experience
The difference between driving the F-150 Tremor and the Ram 1500 Rebel is a lot like getting out of a 5.0-liter Mustang and into a BMW 2-series. One is raw and loud, the other is smoother and more cohesive—although, obviously, neither half-ton truck has the precise handling of a sports coupe. We spent several days tooling around town in both the Tremor and the Rebel, and the latter proved more in line with our preferences—not only does the Ram's air suspension provide pillowy comfort over most road surfaces, but the truck steers and stops better too.
The F-150 has one of the largest-diameter steering wheels we can recall. It fills up our laps and exacerbates the truck's ponderous feeling at highway speeds. Vibrations plague our hands on uneven roads, and with more turns from lock to lock than the Ram, it's harder to maneuver into a Menards parking spot. Meanwhile, the similarly sized Rebel drives smaller than it is and feels more refined overall. Driving the Ford, on the other hand, is a constant reminder that leaf springs were often used in horse-drawn carriages. Both trucks have chunky all-terrain tires sized 275/70R-18, and both clung to our skidpad at just over 0.70 g. The stop from 70 mph took the Rebel 211 feet, whereas the Tremor required 223 feet. The Ram's brake pedal also feels firmer and responds better to inputs.
2025 Ram 1500 Rebel
HIGHS: Fantastic powertrain, comfortable all the time, easier to maneuver on tight trails.
LOWS: Less suspension articulation than the Tremor, small camera views, compromised outward visibility.
VERDICT: A do-it-all truck that's satisfying to drive both on- and off-road.
Since these trucks are marketed to people who regularly go beyond where the blacktop ends, we headed about 60 miles west of our Ann Arbor headquarters to Bundy Hill, a 350-acre off-road park built in a former gravel pit. Along with myriad technical trails, Bundy has all sorts of terrain that will separate a 4x4 from a faux-by-faux.
As we expected after we first peeked under its body, the Tremor's underbelly proved impervious to the pounding it took from rocks and other hard objects. The Ram was equally unperturbed thanks to its adjustable ride height, which allowed it to clear many of the obstacles the Ford smashed over. Still, the Tremor's simpler suspension had better articulation over twisty sections, with it scoring 488 to the Rebel's 388 in our Ramp Travel Index (RTI) test. While slowly crawling over rocks and ruts required more skill in the F-150, it was more rewarding too. The Ram's sharper steering provided more precise wheel placement, but its suspension banged its bump stops over high-speed whoop-de-doos. The Ford could be comfortably driven harder and faster over the bumps.
And the Winner Is...
Haters—er, pickup purists—will denounce Ram for sending the Hemi V-8 to slaughter. We call that mob mentality a mistake. The Ram 1500 has won multiple 10Best awards because it transcends the full-size-pickup formula with its unrivaled luxury traits and unmatched ride quality, accomplished without compromising its capabilities as a pickup. The Rebel is cut from the same cloth, and while its name may sound tougher than it is, the Ram has a wider bandwidth than the Tremor. And for anyone whose driveway isn't the Rubicon Trail, it's the better truck to live with.
While the Tremor takes second place, it's still a lot of fun. With fewer options, it's also a great alternative for off-roaders who want a full-size Ford truck with a V-8 but can't afford the six-figure Raptor R. The F-150 offers desirable and innovative features, and the eight-cylinder Tremor feels like a tank when you beat the snot out of it. However, apart from that limited use case, its anachronistic driving behavior is more fatiguing on a day-to-day basis. Some truck lovers live and die by that crass nature, and they won't be convinced otherwise, but hemispherical-head apostates should appreciate the Ram's class.
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