Ford F-150 Adds Features and Tech as Part of 2024 Updates

Competes with: Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra

Looks like: The 2023 Ford F-150, with a bit of a squint in its front end

Powertrain: 325-horsepower, twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6; 400-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6; 400-hp, 5.0-liter V-8; 430-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 hybrid; 450-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter high-output V-6 (Raptor) or supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 (Raptor R); 10-speed automatic transmission; rear- or four-wheel drive

Hits dealerships: Early 2024

The Ford F-150 full-size pickup truck was last redesigned for the 2021 model year, and for 2024, it’s been treated to a time-honored tradition of the automotive industry: a mid-cycle refresh. In addition to familiar mid-cycle changes like updated headlight and grille styling and more standard equipment, the 2024 F-150 gains a number of clever features — some of which are new to the light-duty truck class, while others take inspiration from equipment that’s available in competing pickups.

As before, the 2024 F-150 comes in a wide range of trim levels, from the work-oriented XL to the luxury-oriented Platinum Plus, the latter of which is new this year and replaces the Limited trim. The three off-road-oriented versions of the F-150 — Tremor, Raptor and Raptor R — also get updates designed to boost their capabilities.

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We named the 2021 F-150 our Best of 2021 winner and purchased a top-level Limited trim with the PowerBoost hybrid drivetrain for our long-term test fleet. It remained in our fleet for two years and racked up more than 26,000 miles during our ownership, so we’re very familiar with this generation of the truck. So what are the significant changes for 2024?

New Standard Engine, Increased Hybrid Availability

The F-150’s naturally aspirated 290-horsepower, 3.3-liter V-6 engine has been dropped for 2024, making the 325-hp, twin-turbocharged 2.7-liter V-6 the truck’s new standard engine. It’s part of a large engine range that also includes a 400-hp, twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6, a naturally aspirated 400-hp, 5.0-liter V-8, a full-hybrid powertrain with a twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 that makes 430 hp total, a 450-hp version of the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 for the Raptor and a supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 for the Raptor R. The Raptor R’s engine was previously rated at 700 hp, but its output for 2024 hasn’t been announced yet.

Ford says it’s planning to double the mix of hybrid F-150s, which is currently around 10% of sales, and will price the powertrain the same as the non-hybrid twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 rather than it being a more expensive offering as it is currently. Hybrid trucks come standard with a 2.4-kilowatt version of Ford’s Pro Power Onboard generator system, and a 7.2-kW version is optional (a 2.0-kW version of Pro Power Onboard is available for gas-only F-150s).

We really liked the 7.2-kW Pro Power Onboard system on our 2021 F-150 Limited, and we powered a lot of different things with it. We struggled, however, to consistently achieve the truck’s EPA-estimated combined fuel economy of 24 mpg, and in following model years, the EPA lowered estimated gas mileage for hybrid trucks with four-wheel drive to 23 mpg combined. We averaged just 17.1 mpg over the course of our ownership, but that did include a number of towing trips. All powertrains but the hybrid now come with a standard extended-range 36-gallon fuel tank (the hybrid’s is a still-large 30.6 gallons), and a Class IV receiver hitch is also newly standard.

Improved Bed Access and Storage

The pickup tailgate has become a configurable showcase of late with offerings like GMC’s MultiPro Tailgate and Ram’s Multifunction Tailgate, and now the F-150 has a configurable tailgate in the form of the newly available Pro Access Tailgate.

The Pro Access Tailgate is similar to Ram’s design in that a portion of the tailgate can swing open for access to the cargo box, and Ford says it includes various opening positions — 37, 70 and 100 degrees — that are useful for different situations. Certain F-150 configurations also get a larger bumper step near the rear license plate when equipped with the Pro Access Tailgate. There’s also a newly standard storage box built into the cargo box wall aft of the right-side rear wheel, plus another storage box on the left side of trucks with the 5.5- or 6.5-foot bed that aren’t also equipped with Pro Power Onboard.

New Tech Features

The 2024 F-150’s new tech offerings both improve on features it already had and include new features to make tasks easier. The pickup offers the latest version of Ford’s hands-free highway driving system on its XLT and higher trims, BlueCruise, which includes Lane Change Assist and In-Lane Repositioning. With Lane Change Assist, the truck can change lanes by tapping the turn signal, and In-Lane Repositioning can adjust the position of the truck in its lane based on traffic in adjacent lanes.

New tech features for the F-150 include an available head-up display and Pro Trailer Hitch Assist. Whereas Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist automatically steers the truck when reversing with a trailer when you use a dashboard control knob, Pro Trailer Hitch Assist will automatically back the truck up so that its hitch ball is right underneath the trailer hitch.

The F-150’s connectivity has also been improved thanks to a new 5G modem that replaces the current 4G LTE one. The new modem enables faster mapping, Wi-Fi connectivity and over-the-air software updates, according to Ford. Owners can even submit voice feedback on the F-150 using the truck’s Sync 4 system. We’ve liked the Sync 4 infotainment system overall, and for 2024, all F-150 trims get the system’s larger 12-inch dashboard touchscreen (an 8-inch screen was previously standard). A 12-inch digital instrument panel is also now standard.

Off-Road Enhancements

The 2024 F-150’s off-road trims see some significant updates, as well. Tremor and Raptor variants now offer an optional modular front bumper that can serve as a mounting point for accessories like a 12,000-pound Warn recovery winch, which is available from Ford Performance as a dealer-installed accessory, or a light bar for better off-road visibility. The Raptor also features new electronically controlled Fox Dual Live Valve shocks that add continuously variable rebound control to the existing position-sensitive compression control.

More From Cars.com:

• Breaking Down the 2023 Ford F-150’s Towing Capacities
• Ford Recalls Over 870,000 F-150 Pickup Trucks for Parking Brake Issue
• Going to the Dark Side: Ford Introduces 2024 F-150 Lightning Platinum Black Edition
• Ford F-150 Lightning Vs. F-150 Hybrid: What We Learned Towing and Hauling With an Electric Truck
• Shop for a New Ford F-150

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