2025 Ford F-150 Review

The benchmark among full-size, light-duty pickup trucks.

Christian Wardlaw | 

Jul 23, 2025 | 8 min read

Capital One

Venturing into parts unknown can yield both rewards and regrets. Viewed through the windshield from the driver's seat of our 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor test truck, the trail we selected faded into the desert scrub, the way forward pockmarked with sizable boulders. It was time to turn around.

The danger? I was parked on a 10-degree slope covered with loose rocks. To either side of the F-150, bone-dry brush waited for any spark to erupt in flame on a day closing in on 100 degrees.

The challenge? The test truck's SuperCrew shortbed configuration measured 19.3 feet long by 8 feet wide. Surround-view camera powers, activate! I got the Tremor turned around — but not without breaking a sweat.

Christian Wardlaw

Ford builds the 2025 F-150 Tremor for off-roading. One of eight versions of the F-150, it's available in a single configuration. However, depending on the trim level, the F-150 comes in three cab styles and three cargo bed lengths. Multiple powertrain options are also available.

This year, the 2025 F-150 received numerous updates, many of them related to new advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS). A more luxurious F-150 Platinum Plus package is also available. Those changes help ensure the F-150 remains appealing to buyers of light-duty, full-size trucks. In nearly every way, I found the Tremor to be a rugged, capable, and compelling version of Ford's popular pickup.

Christian Wardlaw

About the 2025 Ford F-150 Tremor V8 Review Vehicle

The 2025 Ford F-150 is available in regular cab, SuperCab (extended cab), and SuperCrew (crew cab) configurations with short, standard, or long cargo beds. Trim levels include XL, STX, XLT, Lariat, Tremor, King Ranch, Platinum, and Raptor, and base prices range from the low $40,000s to the low $80,000s. That includes the destination charge to ship the truck to your local dealership.

My Tremor test truck had several options, including Equipment Group 402A, a panoramic sunroof, a hard tonneau cover and spray-in bedliner for the cargo bed, and a bed assist step. Those upgrades increased the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $82,240, including the $1,995 destination charge.

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The F-150 Tremor's Orange Accents Signal Off-Roading Chops

Even without its "Tremor" cargo-bed decal, spotting this trim is easy, thanks to the Active Orange accents on the grille and fender vents. It features a different hood and a visible skid plate under the front bumper and sits on dark-matte gray 18-inch wheels wrapped in 33-inch all-terrain tires. The ride height is a little higher, and Tremors boast improved approach and departure angles.

Active Orange accents and Tremor lettering decorate the interior, too, which comes only in Black. The cabin features an industrial aesthetic, combining digital displays, high-quality materials, and easy-to-clean plastic. Drivers have plenty of knobs and buttons at their disposal, though using some of the smaller switchgear while wearing gloves could prove troublesome. Unfortunately, I think the shift lever feels flimsy, which created a negative impression of build quality every time I drove the truck.

With the Tremor High Equipment Group (402A), the truck has heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel. This option package also replaces the standard cloth upholstery with leather featuring Active Orange stitching and piping. On a sweltering day in the desert, the ventilated seats worked effectively, and the F-150's air-conditioning system shrugged off the triple-digit temperatures.

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As you would expect, the F-150 SuperCrew has plenty of room for five people, and there is no shortage of storage space. For secure in-cab storage, you can flip up the rear seat cushion to create a significant amount of cargo space behind the front seats.

That Tremor High Equipment Group also equipped the test truck with a Pro Access Tailgate. It drops down like a typical tailgate but also adds a center section that swings right for easier access to the bed, especially when trailering. Additional options on the test truck included a retractable rear center step that can make climbing into the bed less strenuous and a hard tonneau cover that folds in sections, allowing you to use the cargo bed without removing it.

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Typical Truck Design Conceals a Technological Triumph

My Tremor test vehicle paired a 12.0-inch digital instrumentation display with a 12.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system running Ford's Sync 4 technology. Sync 4 doesn't have Google built-in like the automaker's newer Ford Digital Experience infotainment system, but I didn't miss it because the tech performed flawlessly. The only complaint I have is with the low-contrast screen graphics on a bright and sunny day. Also, the 14-speaker B&O Unleashed premium audio system sounded terrific.

Additionally, I think the test truck's head-up display is sensationally good. It features a widescreen format and provides quick reference to data, helping to reduce distraction. The multitude of camera views that helped me get the Tremor turned around on that desert hillside proved equally useful in urban situations. Ford also offers sophisticated off-roading and towing tech on the F-150. Considered together, this "tech stack" helps Ford to set the bar for light-duty, full-size pickup trucks.

Christian Wardlaw

The collection of safety features does, too. The list grows for the 2025 model year, with evasive-steering assist, intersection assist, and blind-spot assist. Still, as impressive as the F-150's menu of ADAS is, it's hard to beat the BlueCruise hands-free driver-assistance technology.

BlueCruise is standard with the XLT 302A option package and all trim levels from the F-150 Lariat up. It is fantastic but not flawless. I used it to drive from Ventura County, California, to the high desert region near Mojave. Most of the time, it took care of the steering, braking, acceleration, and lane changes with minimal input from me. Occasionally, though, I had to take control. Sometimes, that hand-off was gradual, with BlueCruise demonstrating patience. Other times, I had to take immediate action.

Christian Wardlaw

The F-150 Tremor Offers Two Excellent Engine Choices

The 2025 F-150 Tremor is available with your choice of two engines. A 5.0-liter V8 is standard, delivering 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. A twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine is a no-charge alternative, producing 400 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. They both use a 10-speed automatic transmission, and Tremors come standard with four-wheel-drive.

The twin-turbo V6 makes its peak horsepower and torque at lower engine speeds than the V8 and is rated to tow up to 10,200 pounds in the Tremor. The V8 can handle 9,900 pounds. Also, the twin-turbo V6 is slightly more fuel efficient, averaging 18 mpg in combined city and highway driving. The V8 is EPA-rated at 17 mpg. Therefore, logic dictates that the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is the smart choice. But when the V8 engine fires up and settles into its low rumble, emotion may overrule that decision.

In addition to its 18-inch wheels and 33-inch all-terrain tires, the Tremor has a Rock Crawl driving mode, a hill-descent-control system, and Trail Control off-road cruise control. Trail Control also includes 1-Pedal Drive, allowing drivers to modulate speed and braking using only the accelerator pedal, and Trail Turn Assist, which utilizes the braking system to tighten the turning radius.

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I've tested the Ford Trail Control technologies in the past and found them helpful. During this evaluation, Trail Turn Assist may have made it easier to get the F-150 headed back in the direction from which it came, but I wanted complete control over that dicey hillside maneuver. Otherwise, the Tremor had no trouble tackling the rest of the ground we covered, though its width made it impossible to squeeze through some sections of brush encroaching on the trail without contact with the paint.

On pavement, I found the Tremor was more satisfying to drive than a Ram RHO, which can feel like it's bouncing along on its balloon–sized tires. Taut over dips and bumps and unexpectedly quiet on the highway, the ride and handling are firm yet favorable. Again, the truck's size is a liability in drive-throughs and on winding mountain roads, but it is ultimately manageable with care and caution. The Tremor's all-terrain tires also limit grip in curves and corners.

The 5.0-liter V8 is a sweetheart of an engine. It sounds terrific at idle and when accelerating, and although I'm a fan of the twin-turbo V6, I would have trouble choosing between these two excellent powerplants. As for the baritone V8's fuel consumption, it met expectations set by the EPA rating. On my round-trip to the desert and back, which included everything from city and highway to trail and twisty two-lane driving, the test truck averaged 17.1 mpg.

Christian Wardlaw

Is the 2025 Ford F-150 a Good Truck?

Loyalty to the Blue Oval brand undoubtedly accounts for some of the F-150's sales numbers, but I think this Ford is the benchmark for full-size, light-duty pickup trucks. There's hardly anything to criticize and plenty to praise. If you're looking for an alternative to a Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, Ram 1500, or Toyota Tundra, you've found it.

Christian Wardlaw

Chris says his first word was "car." For as long as he can remember, he's been obsessed with them. The design. The engineering. The performance. And the purpose. He is a car enthusiast who loves to drive, but is most passionate about the cars, trucks, and SUVs that people actually buy. He began his career as the editor-in-chief of Edmunds.com in the 1990s, and for more than 30 years has created automotive content for CarGurus, J.D. Power, Kelley Blue Book, the New York Daily News, and others. Chris owns Speedy Daddy Media, has been contributing to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2019, and lives in California with his wife, kids, dog, and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata.