Yahoo Autos The 2024 Ford F-150 gets even better at the Detroit Auto Show — and its tailgate gets a tailgate
The 2024 Ford F-150 is here with a well-rounded refresh, bringing new styling, a trick tailgate, more tech and improved Raptor models.
Starting with design, the F-150 is getting a new suite of front grilles and bumpers. The general theme is centered on increasing the sense of width, as every new F-150 model features a “coast-to-coast” grille look that Ford says harkens back to the 1970s and 1980s F-Series design. These new grilles feature more texturized front-end pieces and more darkened trim for 2024 in an effort to give the truck heightened personality when you examine the details. Ford is also democratizing LED headlights for 2024, as every trim of F-150 will feature LED units now, replacing the previously-standard halogens. New wheel designs, colors both inside and out and packages such as the Electric Lime-themed STX trim are all evolutionary in scope.
What verges on revolutionary in design, though, is the new Pro-Access Tailgate option. Instead of just folding down as a tailgate always has, the optional Pro-Access Tailgate can swing out via a single swing gate from the driver’s side, allowing for access to the bed without having to lean over the tailgate. It’s not the same as other swing-out tailgates like those from Ram or Honda either, as this one segments the tailgate into three parts, and the only part that opens is the section in the center, leaving behind two equal length pieces on either side. Ford says it’s designed to hit the first detent at 37 degrees to avoid ramming into your trailer hookup behind the truck, but it can swing out to a maximum of 100 degrees for easier loading. A step underneath the bumper can be swung out, and Ford increased the width of the rear bumper step, ultimately creating a two-step staircase into the bed of the truck and eliminating the in-bed pull-out step. There’s a handhold on the stationary part of the tailgate that you can use to haul yourself up or balance from if needed. This new tailgate will be optional (with the previous, more traditional tailgate being standard) on all but the Platinum Plus trim level, where it will be standard. And for those curious about the trim structure, Platinum Plus replaces the top-dog Limited trim as the new highest trim.
The F-150’s bed itself gains a new storage box on the passenger side that Ford says is deep enough for tie-down straps, jumper cables or other small items of the sort. If you don’t opt for an F-150 with Pro Power Onboard, then you’ll gain a second identical storage box in the same area where the Pro Power outlets would otherwise reside. And lastly, Ford’s new bed features cutouts in the wheel humps for DIY bed separators. They’re designed to fit 2x4s perfectly in the slots, so it should be a cheap bed accessory if you choose to take advantage of the design.
Very little is truly new in the powertrain realm, but Ford is dropping the previously-standard 3.3-liter V6 and making its 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 the new standard engine. Instead of being offered at a premium over the 3.5-liter EcoBoost, the hybrid PowerBoost engine is now going to be offered at the same cost as the gas-only version. Ford is expecting that to dramatically boost demand for the PowerBoost and is doubling its hybrid production capacity in turn. The hybrid powertrain is ostensibly the same as before, but Ford tells us it’s smoothed out transitions from the electric motor to the gas engine to make it a more seamless driver. There are no other major changes to the powertrain lineup to speak of, as Ford says it’s only made minor revisions to engine software for emissions purposes. And in case you were wondering, yes, the 5.0-liter V8 is still very much available alongside all the other engine options from the current 2023 model year.
The interior of the F-150 may look familiar, but Ford says it’s all running on a brand-new electrical architecture for 2024. Ford lets you see this tech at work in the form of screens, as the 12-inch touchscreen infotainment system is now standard on every trim. It’s the same screen as you saw on the pre-refresh truck, and it’s still running Sync 4 software. This screen is augmented by a new 12-inch digital instrument cluster (also standard). And if this wasn’t enough digital information for you, a head-up display is being introduced to the F-150 as an option, too. That new electrical architecture allows for new anti-theft/vehicle recovery services not seen in the pre-refresh F-150, too, which you can read about in great detail here. Plus, the truck’s new architecture allows for a new 5G-powered hotspot that will allow you to connect up to 10 devices to the in-car WiFi simultaneously. Ford says to expect more over-the-air updates to be pushed out to trucks with this 5G connection.
