Ford Redesigns the F-150 to Keep it on Top

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DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford last night revealed the all-new F-150 full-size pickup truck to the world with an online presentation detailing the myriad of features and advances comprising the cornerstone of America’s best-selling range of vehicles.

The all-new F-150 raises the standard for all light-duty trucks. It targets the most towing, payload, torque and horsepower of any light-duty full-size pickup, introduces all-new features to increase customer productivity, has new connected vehicle innovations such as over-the-air updates that help keep F-150 at the forefront of purposeful technology, and an available all-new 3.5-liter PowerBoost™ hybrid powertrain with Pro Power Onboard™ – an integrated power generator.

“We see it as our duty to deliver not just what our customers want and need, but what they might have never thought possible,” said Craig Schmatz, Ford F-150 chief engineer. “The F-150 will be tougher than ever, and with fully connected over-the-air updates, it opens up a much wider range of potential enhancements – from predictive maintenance to feature upgrades.”

Major changes can be found throughout the vehicle which is a requirement to remain competitive in this marketplace segment. Highlights include a hybrid powertrain which is projected to go some 700 miles on a tank of gas; completely redesigned interior which can be turned into an efficient office space and has a 12-inch color touch screen controlling vehicle functions; the most extensive suite of advanced driver assist (ADAS) and safety systems; a tailgate which sculpted to be a true work surface and far more features than can listed here.

Today’s pickups are nothing like their simple, but tough ancestors, offering as much technological advances as the most comprehensively equipped luxury car (but in a package just as tough as ever).

Driver-assist technologies

Ford’s flagship pickup offers the latest driver-assist features as part of Ford Co-Pilot360™ 2.0. More features are now standard on XL trim, including Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Detection to help avoid a possible collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian, rearview camera with dynamic hitch assist, auto high-beam headlamps and auto on/off headlamps.

Related post:
Ford Co-Pilot360™ Technology Adds Hands-Free Driving

F-150 also adds 10 new driver-assist features and is the only pickup to offer Active Drive Assist, which allows for hands-free driving on more than 100,000 miles of divided highways in all 50 states and Canada.

Its advanced driver-facing camera tracks head position and driver eye gaze to enable hands-free driving when available. It allows owners on certain sections of pre-mapped, divided highways to drive with their hands off the steering wheel – if they continue to pay attention to the road ahead – granting them an additional level of comfort during long drives.

The Active Drive Assist prep kit contains the hardware required for this feature, while the software to enable functionality, expected in the third quarter of the 2021 calendar year, will be delivered by an over-the-air update or dealer visit.

Mike Geylin
Mike Geylin

Mike Geylin is the Editor-in-Chief at Hagman Media. Geylin has been in automotive communications for five decades working in all aspects of the industry from OEM to supplier to motorsports as well as reporting for both newspapers and magazines on the industry.