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First Look: 2021 Ford F-150 Puts Premium on Power, Features – and Adds 1st Hybrid

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The all-new F-150 Limited features a new exterior design with a bolder and even tougher look. The interior provides more comfort, technology and functionality.

Pandemic be damned, this is going to be a big year for the Ford Motor Co., Detroit’s second-largest automaker rolling out an array of new products as diverse as the reborn Bronco and all-new Mustang Mach-E battery-electric vehicle. But no single model launch will carry the weight of the 2021 Ford F-150.

Along with heavy-duty models, collectively known as the F-Series, they make up the best-selling product line on the U.S. market and, in the process, also generate the vast majority of Ford earnings. So, with the company struggling, its balance sheet falling deeply into the red during the first quarter of this year, the successful launch of the all-new F-150 will be critical.

And the truck that Ford designers and engineers are rolling out during today’s evening web event should have plenty to offer customers. As one would expect of a full-size pickup, there are numerous new features targeting those who count on their trucks to earn a living. That includes more storage, a tailgate designed to serve as a workbench, space to use a laptop computer and several optional onboard generators. There’s also a new business jet-style seat, new safety gear, and Ford’s first hands-free driving system. The 2021 truck also becomes the first F-Series to be offered with a hybrid powertrain.

(Feel the Earth move? Ford shakes things up with 2020 F-Series Super Duty Tremor.)

“This is a game-changing truck,” said Todd Eckert, the marketing manager for Ford Truck, during a media background briefing earlier this week. “It’s the toughest, most productive F-150 ever.”

Ford is looking to maintain its status as the top seller with the new 2021 F-150.

Ford was one of the first automakers to roll out a pickup – though who actually was first is a matter of long debate. What’s clear is that it gained market dominance earlier on in the 43-year history of the F-Series, and has no intention of ceding its sales crown anytime soon.

The new model won’t qualify as the most radical F-150 update in Ford history. That claim almost certainly belongs to the outgoing generation which saw Ford shift from steel to an “aluminum-intensive” design featuring a mostly steel chassis and a body primarily reliant on military-grade aluminum alloys. With a few tweaks, that approach carries over into the 2021 remake, Chief Engineer Craig Schmatz told TheDetroitBureau.com.

The switch to aluminum had several benefits, according to Ford, notably cutting as much as 700 pounds off the mass of the earlier, all-steel truck. The automaker continued to emphasize weight savings this time around, said Schmatz, though that might not be immediately apparent.

“We’re offering a lot of new features and technology (on the 2021 model) that add more weight,” he explained. “Our strategy has been to offset the (added) weight with selected other efficiency actions,” such as going from a heavy steel to a lightweight magnesium instrument panel crossbeam.

Ford’s “aluminum-intensive” body saves more than 700 pounds, helping to improve performance.

Visually, Ford opted for an evolutionary approach to the new F-150. Those familiar with the truck will likely notice many of the new design details, though the 2021 model won’t stand out like the latest-generation Ram 1500.

Pushing beyond what we’ve seen with the last-generation F-Series array, the various new versions of the F-150 will get distinct elements, including lights and grilles so you can tell a base model from the elite F-150 Limited that is likely to come very close, if not cross over, the $100,000 mark when all the possible option boxes are ticked.

All told, there will be three different headlights: halogen, LED reflectors and LED projectors with dynamic bending. There will be 11 different grilles, an assortment of body styles and box lengths, even 13 different wheels, ranging from 17-inch painted steel to 22-inch alloys.

The details that link all the variants include wheels pulled out by about ¾ of an inch to create a “more planted…powerful stance,” said chief designer Ehab Kaoud, as well as C-Clamp headlights, “power dome” hoods, larger tire diameters, round wheel openings and raised front fenders.

(First Drive: 2020 Ford F-Series Super Duty.)

Many of the changes are functional, such as the active grille shutters standard on all models that contribute to an average 3% improvement in aerodynamics.

Many of the changes are functional, such as the active grille shutters standard on all models that contribute to an average 3% improvement in aerodynamics. Optional new power running boards now stretch beneath the cargo box to make it easier to climb up to reach goods or tools. The board can be remotely deployed or operated with a foot waggle, much like the auto tailgates on many Ford SUVs.

Under the power dome hood, Ford will offer buyers what it bills as the widest array of powertrain options available. These include five familiar packages:

* The base, naturally aspirated 3.3-liter V-6;

* The turbocharged 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6;

* The 3.5-liter turbo EcoBoost V-6

* The 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-8; and

* The 3.0-liter PowerStroke turbodiesel V-6.

Ford has yet to release horsepower, torque, fuel-economy or towing numbers for the 2021 F-150 powertrain options, though it claims it will be upgrading them and we know that the PowerStroke diesel currently maxes out at 11,500 pounds towing.

(left to right) All-new F-150 Limited in Smoked Quartz Tinted Clearcoat, F-150 Lariat in Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat and F-150 XLT Sport Appearance Package in Carbonized Gray.

The “most capable” offering for 2021, however, is set to be the all-new 3.5-liter PowerBoost, a full hybrid which, according to a Ford statement, “is targeted to have the most torque and horsepower of any light-duty full-size pickup, at least 12,000 pounds of maximum available towing capacity and a targeted EPA-estimated range of approximately 700 miles on a single tank of gas.”

As you might expect, Ford wanted to use the hybrid drivetrain – which draws energy from a 1.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery – to do more than just boost mileage. Among the numerous additional features coming with the hybrid, there’ll be a built-in 2.4 kilowatt generator. Various F-150 models, including the hybrid, will be available with three different generator packages, ranging from 2.0 kW to 7.2 kW. And they’ll be able to provide 120 and/or 240-volt current.

There are plenty of features aimed to make work a little easier. That includes details as small as the ruler now built into the tailgate, and lighting that can spot the tailgate when folded down. These days, part of the workday can involve getting online.

The cabin is completely redesigned with more comfort, technology and functionality along with more premium materials, more color choices and more storage.

It’s not uncommon for current F-150 owners to “spend hundreds of dollars” on ready-made solutions, “or come up with their own hacks” to create a place to lay out a laptop or tablet computer, said Engineering Manager Dawn Piechocki. The 2021 truck can be equipped with a foldaway shifter on the center console that creates a flat surface to work on.

The F-150 is itself loaded with smart technology, starting with larger touchscreens – now either 8- or 12-inch. Unlike some competitors, however, Ford retained buttons for numerous vehicle functions, such as climate control, something it said owners forcefully demanded. The infotainment system is the latest take on Ford Sync. This now permits optional wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And it pairs with an updated Ford Pass smartphone app that can operate or check on a variety of vehicle functions.

Then there’s CoPilot 360, with an array of standard advanced driver assistance systems, such as forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking. Upgrades add features like blind-spot detection and active cruise control.

The 2021 F-150 will become the first vehicle in the full-size segment coming standard with smartphone-style Over-the-Air, or OTA, updates. These will allow Ford to revise onboard software, even add new features automatically, said Stuart Taylor, executive director of the automaker’s connectivity team, adding that “updates will be short, often completely invisible.”

Pro Trailer Backup Assist makes backing up a trailer as easy as turning a knob; and the F-150 is the only light-duty full-size pickup with this feature.

One of the features expected to become available next year will be Active Drive Assist, a technology Ford announced earlier this month for the Mach-E long-range battery-SUV. It will permit a motorist to drive completely hands-free on about 100,000 miles of U.S. limited-access roadways that have been mapped in super-high resolution. The hardware will be pre-installed when the new F-150 goes on sale late this year, though the software for the system is still being finalized. Owners will be able to buy and then remotely download the program when it’s ready – or go to a dealer to have it installed.

Among other technology, the new F-150 will be offered with an array of cameras providing various views, including one that essentially lets you look back while towing as if there was no trailer.

The launch of the new F-150 is “a pivotal moment for Ford,” said analyst Jessica Caldwell, of Edmunds, so the automaker will be working hard to avoid the production snafus that fouled the early run of the new Explorer last year. The first F-150 plant is already ramping up, with two other plants to go online in the coming months.

(Ford planning mid-2022 to launch F-150 EV.)

Expect to see the 2021 Ford F-150 reach U.S. showrooms in November or December, said Eckert. Pricing will be revealed closer to launch, but analysts would be surprised if the numbers don’t climb a bit considering all the new content, with Edmunds forecasting the average new truck will roll off the lot at around $50,000.

With All-New GTI Coming, VW Plans to Drop Standard Golf Model from U.S. Line-Up

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Volkswagen is bring the eighth-generation Golf GTI to the U.S. next year, but it’s cancelling the regular Golf.

Volkswagen has big plans for the eighth-generation Golf GTI coming to U.S. showrooms next year, but while the sporty hatchback is expected to retain strong demand, the automaker now plans to end sales of the conventional Golf line, officials revealed Wednesday.

Going forward, American buyers will only have access to the GTI and the less sporty Golf R, said Hein Schafer, senior vice president of product marketing for Volkswagen of America. There are no plans, meanwhile, to bring either an all-electric or plug-in hybrid version of the Golf to the U.S., added Schafer, though he did note during a media webinar that the German automaker is working on an electrified concept version of the new GTI.

“I wouldn’t say the door is closed,” said Schafer, but considering the rapid decline in demand for hatchbacks during the last several years, “It is highly unlikely that the (standard Golf) version will come to the U.S.”

(VW Design Chief Bischoff offers insight into digital development of next-gen GTI.)

Despite the dramatic shift in the U.S. market from passenger cars to light trucks, the Volkswagen GTI and, to a lesser degree, the Golf R, have retained a strong buyer base. In fact, the U.S. and Canada together account for 45% of global demand for the GTI, said Product Manager Megan Closset, making North America the single largest market for the sporty hatchback.

VW is cutting the regular Golf in the U.S. as the sale of hatchbacks has started to decline.

VW hopes that it can move at least some conventional Golf buyers over to those two models when they come to the U.S. While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic could lead to timing changes, the current plan calls for the 2022 Volkswagen Golf GTI to go on sale during the “back half of next year,” said Schafer, the Golf R coming around the same time.

For the 2021 model year, the existing seventh-generation GTI will remain available in the States, though the Golf R will be out of market, that version of the hatchback ending its run temporarily with the end of the 2019 model year.

The next-gen Golf line, in general, will be “evolutionized, rather than revolutionized,” said Closset, adding that the automaker wanted to “play it a little safe with design.”

In a separate web briefing last week, VW global design chief Klaus Bischoff emphasized there are clear “do’s and don’ts” when working with such an iconic product. The basic dimensions of the 2022 Golf – and variants – is near identical to the outgoing product, but for a slightly lower roof.

(Eighth-generation VW Golf GTI supposed to make debut in Geneva — but didn’t.)

The new GTI comes equipped with new tech conveniences for the driver and passengers.

The GTI does adopt a softer, more rounded look, with a sloped nose anchored by a low, crosshatched grille and slit-like headlamps, while the sides are more curvaceous than the outgoing GTI and there’s a subtle, coupe-like roll to the hatchback’s roofline.

The new honeycomb grille with 10 integrated foglamps is meant to accentuate the GTI’s width and make the car appear much lower.

The interior gets a much more high-tech appearance, VW officials revealed during this week’s briefing. That includes a standard-issue reconfigurable 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster and new 10-inch infotainment touchscreen. The new GTI will feature the Volkswagen We Connect telematics service, ambient lighting that can be adjusted to any of 31 different colors, and a new array of advanced driver assistance systems, including Lane Keeping Assist. A head-up display will be offered as an option.

Of course, with a vehicle like the VW GTI, performance will be the focus for most potential buyers and the hatchback’s 2.0-liter turbo now will deliver 242 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, up from 228 hp and 250 lb-ft with the gen-seven model.

Buyers will have the option of either a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox with paddle shifters or a six-speed manual. With the outgoing GTI and Golf R models, about 40% of customers opted for the stick, noted Closset.

The new GTI’s engine puts out 242 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.

The next GTI will reach market about the time Volkswagen begins ramping up its push into the all-electric vehicle market, the German giant planning to have about 50 battery-electric offerings from its various brands by 2025. That includes the ID.3, the first of these BEVs, which is roughly the size of a Golf. VW officials have hinted at the idea of having something like an ID.R, an all-electric alternative to the Golf R. But there also is interest in finding ways to electrify both the Golf R and GTI models themselves.

“Yes, we do want to find something that potentially can carry forward into the future some of the success we’ve had” in the hot hatch performance market while also expanding VW’s push into electrification, said Schafer. He hinted at the possibility of a concept GT R that would likely use some form of hybrid driveline.

(Volkswagen Concept IDs a Space Vizzion of the future.)

Considering that more and more automakers are seeking ways to use electrification not only to boost mileage but also to enhance performance – taking advantage of the instant torque electric motors can deliver – it seems highly likely we will see electrified versions of the sportiest Golf models, at least in concept form, over the next few years.