Come flood, plague, or pestilence, one thing is certain: Ford's light-duty pickup will outsell every other vehicle in North America. It has done so for 44 years and, with Ford leading the way into electric pickups the trend is likely to continue for another 44.
Or more. Forget the fully boxed high-strength steel frame with a military-grade, aluminum alloy body. Disregard the innovative incorporation of an electric generator that you can use to build someone a house or power yours for three days on a tank of gas. Ignore Ford's claims that the latest model is the toughest, most productive, and most powerful of all.
You can even brush aside the fact that objective critics say the F-150 may not be the best in the land.
The F-150's strongest point is unshakable brand loyalty that stretches across generations. Roughly two-thirds of F-150 owners trade in their old trucks for new ones. Overall, Ford placed fifth in J.D. Power's 2021 survey of brand loyalty, behind Subaru, Honda, Toyota, and Ram, but the F-150 held its ground.
This raises a question. Which is a greater predictor of someone's actions, thoughts, or beliefs? Someone once posed this query to John Dewey, philosopher, psychologist, father of progressive education, and organizer of libraries across the planet.
The wise man chuckled.
"Neither," he said, "Habits control all."
This was not lost on his contemporary, Henry Ford, who made it a point to build pickups that were strong, durable, and suited to the needs of the tradesmen and farmers who bought them in the early going.
Ford knows pickups
Even today, Ford designers and engineers work to incorporate the features that owners say they want. That means comfort, workability, and technology. Comfortable seats, attractive cabins with a work area, advanced electronics entertainment, information and safety, plenty of cabin storage with power connections, a working bed with tie-down cleats, and the most payload and towing capacity in class keep 'em coming back for more.
Ford did a substantial redesign of the F-150 in 2020 to step up to Ram, which has gained a big chunk of market share with better ride and handling and luxurious interiors. The new F-150 falls short on both accounts. The ride is still "trucky" and the interiors display questionable craftsmanship. but that doesn't matter. Making an effort is enough for Ford's diehard customers.
To win the battle of payloads and towing, Ford continues to employ leaf springs, heavy-duty shocks, and a solid axle in the rear. Ram, in comparison, sacrifices a little bit of work capability to use a car-like, multi-link, shock-in-circular-spring rear set up.
That eliminates the pickup bounce and results in a truck that is better balanced and nimbler. The new F-150 is less jittery than before, but there is still that occasional whump that jars the bones. Handling feels clumsy but the truck is nicely planted and secure at speed.
No pickup handles like a sports car. I'd give the Ford a C, The Silverado a C+, and the Ram a solid B
"I've driven a Ford for 35 years and I love how it rides. There's nothing better," boasted my brother-in-law.
"So, you've never driven a RAM?"
Crickets.
It doesn't matter. A master craftsman, he already has his eye on a new F-250.
I would tell him the new F-150 hybrid would work better, but nobody, in or out of the family, ever listens to me. I'm just some guy who has tested, done research on, thought about, and written about 70-80 cars a year for 25 years on everything from Rocky Mountain trails to Smokey Mountain highways to muddy swamps to challenging racetracks.
What do I know?
Into the future
Ford knows a thing or two about electric cars. The Fusion Hybrid, launched in 2009, was a sporty and capable sedan that, like hybrids everywhere, was quite durable. The Mustang, which began production in 2020, the same year the Fusion ended, has proven to be a solid performer.
The company is investing $22 billion between now and 2025 on electric vehicles. An all-electric version of the Ford Transit should be on the streets this fall. The all-electric Ford Lightning pickup, starting at $42,000, will be out next spring. Ford already has more than 100.000 pre-orders.
This year dipped Ford dipped its toe into electrified pickups with an optional 3.5-liter V6 PowerBoost hybrid powertrain with Pro Power Onboard an integrated power generator.
A 2.4kW generator, good for running power tools or lighting up a campsite, is standard. A 7.2kW generator, which can power a house, is optional. During this year's snow event, when thousands of homes and hospitals lost power, Ford dealers loaned out dozens of Pro Power-equipped trucks.
Both generators run off the hybrid's 1.5 kW-hr lithium-ion high-voltage battery. Ford is also offering a 2.0 kW generator for non-hybrid F-150s.
Outlets for the generators are right next to the tailgate, which has been designed like a workbench, with ruler markings and places for C-clamps to hold things in place for precise cuts.
The F-150 is the only light-duty full-size pickup to offer a full hybrid and it is available on every trim level from XL to Limited. The full hybrid powertrain is the most powerful engine in the F-150 lineup, delivering 430 horsepower and 570 lb.-ft. of torque.
It can tow up to 12.700 lbs. A base F-250 tows 12,300 lbs.
Can you feel me, bro?
The EPA estimates the F-150 hybrid will deliver a combined fuel economy of 24 mpg. We managed 19 mpg running around, which is also what Consumer Reports got using much more sophisticated methods and equipment. Either way, the F-250 manages only 13.5 mpg. That's a 29% difference.
Out on the highway, all testers got around 26 mpg, which is amazing for a 20-foot-long, two-ton, four-door, four-wheel-drive pickup. The F-150 hybrid comes with a 23-, 26-, or 36-gallon tank, depending on cab and box configuration.
If you got the big tank, at today's prices it will cost $108 to fill with unleaded regular gas, but you could then drive to Denver, or Green Bay, or Monterey, Mexico, on that one tank of gas.
Henry, look how far we've come. I can't wait to see what comes next.