2021 Ford F-150 first drive: Hybrid brawn and a generator that can light up your life
Cars
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret that Ford can tell you for legal reasons, but I can this 72.
kW system is actually strong enough to power your whole house in a blackout.
No ****.
What could be more fun than a day spent climate over stuff, pulling things and getting muddy with lots of horsepower and torque?
Well, how about all that and power tools?
Yes.
Power tools this is the electrifying you 2021 Ford F150-.
Now before I'm tempted to build a treehouse, let's dig in an I'll explain everything from this Fords new hybrid powertrain to its onboard generator.
Over there updates and even its forthcoming hands.
Free driving tech.
This is the 14th Generation F series 14.
It's all blonde unprecedented in the Automotive World.
Have 14 generations of anything not even the fast and the Furious has that many movies.
At least.
I don't think I gave up after the first couple.
Not that you'd immediately notice that this truck is new, because this rig looks an awful lot like the last one.
The headlamps C clamp shaped LED, daytime running lamps now extend into the bumper.
There's a slightly wider track achieved in all new aluminum body work, plus and automatically deploying chin spoiler for better Arrow and a trick.
New multifunction tailgate overall.
This new F150- might be a bit predictable looking but I'm 100% OK with that.
This debt it up.
King Ranch appears powerful and polished and it's this trucks new tech cabin refinement.
And straight up Bron that makes this power boost model such a star.
That's right, I said powerboost, not EcoBoost.
Although this truck has that too.
Now you can still get a full range of V6 and V eights in both naturally aspirated.
An turbocharged forms, and you can even get a diesel, but this is the first F150- to get electrified.
And I'm not talking about some mild set up.
This is a full hybrid with a 35 kW electric motor in the transmission case, powered by a 15.
kWh battery.
The motor get strapped to the back of the 10 speed automatic and builds on the power of forward stoutest gas engion.
The twin Turbo 35.
liter EcoBoost, all in you get 430 horsepower and 570 pound feet of torque that is 30 more horsepower and 70 more pound feet than the gas engine alone.
It's also way more twists than you can get in the power stroke diesel.
EPA power boost fuel economy figures have just been released and they're easy to remember.
24 miles per gallon, city highway, and combined.
Admittedly, a loaded up super cab with big tires like this King Ranch probably won't do quite as well.
Even still, those are crazy good numbers for a full size pickup, and Ford says you can do a leg crossing 700 miles between Phillips all that with no plug.
I gotta say, the smoothness of this hybrid powertrain is really impressive.
You don't even notice when you're on a slight downhill grade and the engine cuts off and you're just being pushed along on a wave of electrons.
The electric augmented muscle of this pick up flat out gets the job done.
If I had to ballpark the zero to 60 time of this King Ranch, I guess somewhere in the mid 5 second range and that power delivery is effortless and quiet.
The EcoBoost V6 has never been a particularly good sounding Engin and this hybrid application doesn't change that, but at least you don't have to hear from it as often.
In any case, to go along with that quiet, I'm really impressed by this.
King Ranch is ride and handling balance.
Whether you're on a smooth surface like this one or on a rutted dirt Rd, the ride is really solid.
You can tell that the frame is stiffer than before, and the variable ratio power steering really does a nice job of helping you feel in control.
In fact, I did some modest off roading in a new F150- FX 42.
Aside from the inherent limitations of a full size pickup truck on tight trails, the Ford was good and drama free off road thanks in part to the gazillion drive modes that help set everything up for whatever you can put beneath its tires.
Of course, just because the power boost has more power than any other F150- doesn't mean all of its performance metrics are up and on hybrid.
35.
EcoBoost Super crew can carry up to 270 pounds of additional payload.
Depending on configuration, more importantly, while you can tell up to 12400, pounds with a power boost, super crew, an equivalent gas only three five will get you a further 1400 pounds.
That's partially due to the hybrid systems extra weight, especially that heavy battery.
Either way, if you spec it right, a gas only F150- can tow up to 14000, pounds.
That's 800 more than last year.
Or just on a normal road right now, but earlier forward, let me play around with a bunch of different tow package is on its proving grounds.
I tried an EcoBoost with a big superpower boat and trailer waiting 7200 pounds and I also tried a power boost towing a camper that weighed over 7000 pounds.
Both were well under their Max weight limits and behave like they weren't doing much of anything back there at all.
It was pretty well to be on a downhill with the engine turning off only to pull away from a stop silently on electric power board says it's subjected hybrid F1 fifties to the same torture tests as any other F150- in my power boost seemed genuinely well behaved through it all.
What's interesting is that the power boost only cost 1900$ more than the gas.
Only EcoBoost V6 that suggests with its improvement in fuel economy that you could be in the black quicker than you think.
And that completely ignores the added value of the 24.
kW Pro power onboard generator that comes standard on all power boost models.
With 220 Volt outlets in the bed and two right up front, you can have a killer tailgate party.
You can power a big screen TV mini, fridge, a heater, pretty much anything you want.
This particular King Ranch has been optioned up with the 72.
kW Pro power on board for an extra 750$ with a 240 Volt hook up in the back as well as an extra 220 Volt outlets back there.
You can power up an entire construction site with all the compressors, saws and drills you can think of and Ford says you can get 32 hours out of a full tank of gas.
For tells me that they even managed to charge one of their new Mustang Maki Electrics off of the back of one of these things.
That is seriously impressive.
All that and you don't have to mess with the usual generator stuff, no gas cans, no taking up bed space, no theft risk on Jobsites Pro.
Power on board is even quieter and cleaner than a standalone generator.
This is seriously smart.
I think Pro Power on board is a big enough deal that it may win over a few hardcore electric skeptics, and if they need any more incentives, there's a whole bushel of carats inside this new Left 150.
Past F150- interiors may have paled in comparison with Ram 1500, but it doesn't look like Fords going to make that mistake with their new truck.
This King Ranch is roomy and luxury car sumptuous with the western twist and it's super checked out beyond the wall to wall leather.
This one features and 18 speaker via no audio system, heated, ventilated, an massage, lay flat seats, 4G LTE WiFi-, and an all digital gauge cluster.
Plus it's got a matching 12 inch infotainment screen running sink 4 which is both versatile and quick help.
I've seen tiny houses that are less comfortable and less functional.
Did I mention that this new F150- features over the air updates?
That means that four can wirelessly beam you bug fixes, new features, a whole bunch of stuff?
And I'm not just talking info tainment, I'm talking the whole vehicle powertrain included, kind of like you know who.
And Speaking of updates, while this truck already has a load of advanced driver assist features, including adaptive cruise with Lane centering, an roadside recognition self park and all kinds of trailer safety tricks, it'll soon be updatable late next year for a true hands free driving system on HTMF divided three ways.
One last party trick for you and that is the full down center shifter that let's you flip over the armrest and turn it into a gigantic flat workspace so that you can put down your laptop, your pen and paper, whatever you need.
What a great workplace feature.
The only thing that I don't really care for is the action of the shifter itself.
It's a little over large and clunky feeling.
That one great beside I gotta say, I really love this cabinet.
The King ranch.
Everything feels high quality and all the special little touches like the lay flat seats and the flip over center console.
So they just work.
In fact, the whole truck is amazing.
It's so capable, so powerful and so refined.
The hybrid in generator tech are game changers.
Whether you're a contractor or a weekend warrior with lots of toys to use up.
One thing that struck isn't though, is cheap.
While the 2020 one F150- starts at 30635$, delivered this heavily option King Ranch powerboost prices out at nearly 77000$, including freight, and there are still two trims limited and platinum above this one.
You know what they say with great power and great tech come even greater price tags.
The good news is this 2021 Ford F150- feels like it's worth it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go find myself a really big belt buckle.
