2021 Ford F-150 Review: The Power(Boost) of Choice

Auto123 reviews the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost edition.

You might not know it from looking at it, but the 2021 F-150 is being called an “all-new” truck by Ford. Indeed, you have to look pretty closely to see why – there are 11 grille styles, some new wheels, some detailing around the side grilles (finished in a classy matte black on my tester), new colours and the DRLs are new but otherwise, it’s a familiar shape.

The reasons this continuity makes sense are twofold: first of all, the F-150 has been the biggest-selling passenger vehicle in North America for around 50 years now and Ford’s never going to be one to rock the style boat too much, for fear of alienating its loyal customers. Secondly, ask any designer and they’ll tell you that SUVs and pickups – especially pickups – are some of the hardest things to style. Plus, there’s always the soon-to-be-released F-150 Raptor if you really want to kick things up a notch (or seven) in the styling department.

Another big notch in the “all-new” column is the addition of my truck’s Powerboost Hybrid powertrain, bringing the total available engines to six: two turbocharged sixes, a naturally-aspirated six, a turbodiesel six, a V8 and the hybrid which, at 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque, is the most powerful F-150 you can get until they announce the Raptor’s power figures, which will likely eclipse those of the Powerboost.

While the exterior styling may be evolutionary more than revolutionary, the interior is much more of a departure, especially considering its power-folding shift lever. What that means is that with the press of a button, you can fold the console-mounted shifter into a small storage bin, so that the armrest and environs can be transform into an entirely flat work surface perfect for a laptop, tablet or sandwich while on the job.

Read more