The Ford Explorer Timberline is getting mulched in favor of a new off-road trim with familiar nomenclature.
Ford on Monday released an image of a Tremor badge—the same one that already appears on the F-150, Expedition, and Maverick—on the tailgate of an SUV. Ford didn’t explicitly say that it was an Explorer, but what’s visible in the photo matches the automaker’s midsize SUV right down to the word Explorer on the tailgate.
2022 Ford Explorer Timberline
It’s also logical for the Tremor to fill the space in the Explorer lineup left by the Timberline, which wasn’t announced as part of the Explorer’s 2025-model-year refresh and thus far hasn’t reappeared. And Ford just added a Tremor variant to the Expedition lineup as part of that bigger SUV’s own refresh for 2025, so an Explorer Tremor would maintain uniformity.
Ford didn’t say when it would reveal the Explorer Tremor, let alone provide any specs. For reference, the Expedition Tremor gains skid plates, side steps, all-terrain tires, off-road-tuned suspension, a Rock Crawl model, and some unique styling cues, including yellow trim, a model-specific grille with auxiliary lights, and front tow hooks. Expect similar features on the Explorer Tremor.
2025 Ford Explorer ST
That would make the Tremor a near analog of the Explorer Timberline, which arrived for the 2022 model year with all-terrain tires, upgraded suspension, and its own unique styling features. At the time, we thought these changes might be enough to sway some Subaru Outback owners, but fell short of a true threat to Jeep.
In addition to dropping the Timberline model, Ford gave the Explorer larger screens, BlueCruise, and its latest infotainment system for the 2025 model year. The latter is based on Google’s Android Automotive OS and brings integrated versions of Google apps, but keeps Apple CarPlay.
