UPDATE: Car and Driver reports that a Ford spokesperson said that no plug-in-hybrid F-150 is planned and that the fully electric variant will not be based on a chassis from Rivian. The original story continues below.
The 2021 Ford F-150, which we still expect to see revealed this year, is coming more into focus. As we suspected when looking at spy shots of prototypes, we’ve been seeing one of the higher trims. C/D writes that the Limited, King Ranch, and Platinum will upgrade their materials. Standard fit will be an eight-inch infotainment display running Sync4; the optional screen will measure 15 inches and will be square-format. A poster at the F150Forum uploaded a photo set of an uncovered Lariat interior, revealing many more small changes throughout, as well as an embossed leather “Lariat” tag fastened with Ford-branded rivets. The digital dash screen in the photos displays a simple, large-print approach to information, unlike the more ornate version in the Ford Explorer. Under the large infotainment screen, a compact row of audio controls sits above a wider row of HVAC controls, the HVAC dials with inset temperature readouts. The console shifter adopts a new different shape and a stitched leather upper, and appears to be fixed in position, tapped forward or back to change gears, and it could have a button for stowing the shifter out of the way.
Even though the best-selling XL and XLT won’t get fancy kit like the digital dash, they should see noticeable interior improvements.
After the VIN document leak we ran last week, C/D reported that the 3.5-liter V6 that forms the basis of the coming hybrid F-150 will be the twin-turbocharged EcoBoost motor, aided by an e-motor wedged between the V6 and the 10-speed transmission. The V6 produces 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque in the current, non-hybrid F-150. The mag writes, “Electric range will probably exceed 10 miles but only when unladen.” The setup is likely similar to that in the Ford Explorer Limited Hybrid, which puts a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery behind the second row of seats and in the rear off-side wheel well. The Explorer Hybrid can run on electric power, but the EPA doesn’t rate EV range, and the system is there to improve fuel efficiency and juice the tow rating to 5,000 pounds.
There have been hints that the F-150 will get a more substantial battery pack, Ford supposedly aiming to market the truck as a power source for tools while on the job. And C/D writes that the 2021 pickup will be a plug-in hybrid, but we’re not sure about that yet; the recent VIN paperwork identified the F-150 as a hybrid, same as the non-plug-in Explorer Hybrid sold in the U.S. There is an Explorer PHEV on sale in Europe, however, and we know Ford’s been testing F-150 PHEV prototypes for years.
After the standard F-150 debuts its refreshed front and rear fascias and interior, C/D says the electric version will come, developed in conjunction with Rivian and thought to sit on Rivian’s “multimotor platform featuring independent rear suspension.” Then cometh the Raptor, swapping out for coil springs on its live rear axle, and dogged by persistent rumors that Ford will transplant the 5.2-liter Predator V8 into the engine bay to counter the Ram Rebel TRX. C/D says once all the variants hit the market, the F-150 price spread will run from $30,000 to somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000.
Related Video:
