2017 Ford F-150: What's Changed
Most significant changes: New turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine and 10-speed automatic transmission; available Sync Connect multimedia system
Price change: Base prices are unchanged on XL, XLT and Lariat models. Prices are $230 higher on King Ranch models, $320 higher on the Platinum and $715 higher on the Limited.
On sale: Now
Which should you buy, 2016 or 2017? Depending on the trim level, 2017. Prices have not gone up on the volume XLT and Lariat models, while increases are modest on other models.
Ford's bread-and-butter F-150 lineup gets a new turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 engine and new 10-speed automatic transmission for 2017. The EcoBoost V-6 has direct injection and comes with stop-start technology and 375 horsepower, 10 more hp than the previous version. Torque increases by 50 pounds-feet to 470.
The 10-speed automatic is available with the new EcoBoost V-6 on two- and four-wheel-drive models and has a trailer-towing mode. Ford teamed with GM to develop the new transmission. Other F-150 engines still use a six-speed automatic.
Also of note is that the Sync Connect multimedia system, which allows owners to access vehicle functions through a smartphone, is available on XLT and higher trim levels.
Ford upgrades its F-Series lineup on a regular basis, as shown by the introduction of the new twin-turbo V-6 and 10-speed automatic. In addition, Ford has brought back the high-performance off-roader for 2017 (starting at $49,520 including destination) and redesigned the F-250/F-350 Super Duty models for 2017.
The half-ton F-150 is the volume leader for the F-Series, which has been the best-selling vehicle line in the U.S. for more than three decades, and Ford hasn't been afraid to tinker with that success. It risked the franchise when it switched the F-150 to an aluminum body for 2015 and also relies heavily on turbocharged V-6 engines in a segment where V-8 engines long have ruled.
The F-150 returns in regular-, extended- and crew-cab body styles and in three cargo box lengths: 5.5, 6.5 and 8 feet. The engine lineup includes a base, naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V-6; a turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6, two different twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6s; and a 5.0-liter V-8.
Cars.com images by Mark Williams
