2021 Ford F-150 – All The Important Stuff Is Under The Skin

The Mustang might be the icon that gets people excited, but there is no question that the F-series trucks including the light-duty F-150 are the most important products in the Ford lineup. They collectively generate enormous profits that fund a lot of less cash-positive products. When a new generation of the truck that’s been the top-selling nameplate in the U.S. market for four decades arrives everyone in the company pays attention. That’s exactly what is happening with the launch of the 2021 F-150 later this summer. 

Ford calls the 2021 F-150 all-new, but at a glance you will be hard pressed to distinguish it from the 2020 or 2015 models. Living here in southeast Michigan, it’s not at all shocking to see all manner of prototype vehicles running around wrapped in camouflage on public roads. The F-150 is no exception and I’ve been seeing them for at least six months. Were it not for the vinyl wraps on the front and rear, I probably wouldn’t have even noticed them at first. 

This is after all a pickup truck and aside from the Tesla Cybertruck, the industry has coalesced on a more or less common profile because it works for the way people actually use their trucks. That’s not to say all trucks or even all F-150s look exactly the same. Line up a Ford, Ram and Chevrolet truck, and you will immediately be able to recognize them. 

Similarly, even though much of the aluminum body of the 2021 F-150 looks the same despite all-new sheetmetal, the devil as usual, is in the details.  Virtually, all the major dimensions are within about a half-inch of the 2020 truck. The whole face of the F-150 has been recontoured, giving it an updated and more functional look. The aerodynamic drag has been reduced by 3% thanks to standard active grille shutters on all models as well as Ford’s first use of an active air dam. At 40 mph, the air dam automatically lowers to reduce airflow under the truck. At lower speeds it retracts for traversing rough terrain. While new to Ford, Ram added a similar feature to its new 1500 in 2018. 

How it looks

From an aesthetic standpoint, Ford has adopted a C-clamp theme in several places consistent with its use as a working vehicle. Signature lighting around the new headlamps and the taillamps evoke this image. The headlamps come in three varieties, entry-level halogen reflectors, LED reflectors and LED projectors as you go up through the six trim series from XL to Limited. The projector lamps also feature dynamic bending to target the light as you go around corners. 

Between the lamps, there are 11 different grille variations although it looks like there are only 5 different designs, with minor details like color adding further distinguishing marks. The wheels which have been pushed out 3/4 of an inch for a broader stance come in 13 distinct designs with sizes ranging from 17 to 22 inches in diameter. 

Over the past several years, truck tailgates have evolved from a basic barrier to hold the contents of the bed to increasingly sophisticated devices with lots of uses. Ram offers a split tailgate that can open in multiple configurations and GMC offers its 6-way MultiPro tailgate. Ford’s tailgate still only opens in one way, but retains the pull-out step and adds numerous details to make it a more useful workspace. 

Contractors often use the tailgate as a surface for measuring and cutting so there is a built-in ruler and slots in the top edge where a C-clamp can be inserted to hold parts without damaging the tailgate. A slot embedded in the left-hand side of the tailgate can hold up a tablet while other moldings can accommodate pencils and the obligatory travel mug. Ford has also added cleats on the ends of the tailgate to aid in tying down long objects. 

Where you live

In the cab, the changes are far more noticeable. While current F-150s have fairly functional ergonomics, the material quality and appearance falls well short of the class-leading Ram 1500. While we haven’t seen the new truck in person yet thanks to the ongoing pandemic, the images provided indicate that Ford has significantly upgraded from the previously dominant hard plastics to more soft-touch materials that look and feel more premium. 

The interesting design details extend throughout the cabin. On the XLT Sport, there will be appliques that are embossed with a map of Detroit. Given the political climate, over the past year, Ford has repeatedly highlighted the fact that it is the only one of the Detroit-based automakers that builds all of its pickup trucks in the U.S. GM and FCA both build some trucks in Mexico. To further reinforce it’s American presence, the F-150 has an American flag etched in the trim on each end of the dashboard where you can’t miss it each time you climb in. 

The changes aren’t just cosmetic though. Ford has clearly been benchmarking the Ram cabin extensively. Like the Ram, the new F-150 now has dual, upper and lower storage compartments on the passenger side. It also has larger central touchscreens for the SYNC 4 infotainment system. The XL and XLT trims get an 8-inch screen, while the XLT Lux package and above get a 12-inch screen standard. That accounts for more than half of the F-150 volume with the big screen. 

The 12-inch display is about the same size as the premium screen in the Ram. However, unlike the Ram, the larger Ford screen is in a landscape layout, rather than portrait like those in the new Explorer and the upcoming Mustang Mach-E. 

“It’s landscape orientation which was unanimously preferred by the customers during the research,” said Ehab Kaoud, chief designer for North American Trucks at Ford. “It allows us to retain the physical buttons that the customers absolutely appreciate.”

While the portrait layout 12-inch display in the Ram looks great and very Tesla-like, but it encroaches on the space that is occupied by physical climate control knobs on the models with an 8.4-inch display. That means driver’s of the high-end Ram have to look down to touch the screen in order to adjust temperature instead of just reaching out to twist the knob. More automaker’s should be following the F-150 approach on this one. 

A particularly unique element of the F-150 is the new transmission shift lever. Ford’s customer research indicated that truck owners preferred traditional shifters over rotary dials like the one used in the Ram or push-buttons. At the same time, many commercial customers also take laptops along to job sites and like to have a work space to put it down. So Ford developed a shift lever that can actually fold down into the console. The center armrest cover can fold forward on top of this to provide a flat work area.  When you need to take a break from supervising, the King Ranch, Platinum and Limited trims also offer Max Recline front seats that fold flat to nearly 180 degrees. In the second row of the crew cab variants, the flat floor is retained and there is a new pop-up storage bin underneath the seat. 

Under the hood

While all of these upgrades will certainly be appreciated, it’s some of the hardware under the skin that has changed the most. The same five engines offered in 2020 are retained although they all get a variety of updates. The base setup is the 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 with optional 2.7-liter and 3.5-liter Ecoboost twin-turbo V6s. The 5.0-liter V8 also remains an option and for those that tow a lot, the 3.0-liter diesel V6 remains a great choice. The 10-speed automatic transmission is now standard on all F-150s. 

The big propulsion news is that the F-150 hybrid has finally arrived, badged as the PowerBoost hybrid. Utilizing the same basic 10-speed modular hybrid transmission system as the Explorer hybrid and the Lincoln Aviator Grand Touring, the variant for the F-150 has been tweaked a bit. The truck pairs the hybrid system with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost but uses the same 35-kW electric motor as the Explorer. Due to the higher output of the F-150 engine compared to the 3.3-liter naturally aspirated engine in the Explorer hybrid, the truck gets beefier clutches. 

Ford isn’t giving specific output figures yet but is targeting the highest power and torque of any full-size light duty truck which will presumably push it past the current Raptor which generates 450-hp and 510 lb-ft. They plan to get 700 miles of range on a tank of gas and offer at least 12,000 pounds of towing capability, at least twice what was available a decade ago when GM built its two-mode hybrid pickups. 

Another feature unique to the pickup is the Pro Power Onboard system. For at least two years now, Ford has talked about how they want to make the hybrid truly useful for those that use the F-150 to earn a living. Many commercial users need power at the job site for their tools and equipment so they end up hauling a generator around. Since the hybrid already has more electrical output capability than almost any portable generator, Ford is harnessing that. 

Standard on the F-150 is 2.4-kW of AC power from four bed mounted 120V-outlets. There is also an optional 7.2-kW system that includes a 30A/240V outlet in the bed. When using the 2.4-kW output, power will be supplied from the hybrid battery until it is depleted at which point the engine will turn on as needed. At 7.2-kW the engine will be running, but this should still be more efficient and cleaner than any portable generator. Customers that forgo the hybrid but need on-site power can also get a 2-kW Pro Power system with the EcoBoost V6s or the V8. 

Perhaps the smartest truck yet

Like all current Ford vehicles, the F-150 includes an embedded 4G LTE connection with a wifi hotspot. In addition to the usual consumer telematics features through FordPass, Ford also offers its commercial telematics package that lets fleet operators track the location of all their trucks, monitor vehicle health, plan maintenance and monitor driver behavior. 

But the connectivity in the F-150 goes well beyond anything previously offered in a truck. This is the first truck that will have full bumper-to-bumper over-the-air update capabilities. Like the Mustang Mach-E, the new F-150 features a new modern electronic and electrical architecture. Many of the dozens of electronic control units on the current truck have been consolidated down to a few larger, more powerful domain control computers. 

Am

ong the domain controllers are the infotainment and driver assist systems as well as a gateway node to provide the main cybersecurity layer. These are all tied together by high-speed data connections. This will all enable Ford to update the software to fix bugs, security issues and offer customers new features over the life of the vehicle. 

Among the first of these features will be Active Drive Assist (ADA) which will arrive in mid-2021. ADA is the same hands-free partially automated highway driving assist that was just announced for the Mach-E. Like the EV, there will be an ADA prep kit offered from start of production that includes the additional sensors required for the hands-free driving capability as well as the infrared driver monitor system in the cabin. Once the ADA software is released, customers can pay for and activate with an OTA download or take it to a dealer to have it installed. 

Also following the pattern of other recent Ford launches, a suite of Co-Pilot 360 driver assists are included as standard. These include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, hill start assist and auto high-beam headlights. In addition, customers can choose from all the usual ADAS functions available on most newer vehicles like adaptive cruise control, automatic reverse braking, blindspot monitors and more. 

The 2021 F-150 starts production later this summer in Dearborn, Michigan and Kansas City Missouri and goes on sale in the fall. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.