2021 Ford F150

[rob_s]

One thing on the hybrid option...
If it gets me legally into the HOV lane in my state then it’s worth the potential long-term maintenance problems.


I think they are doing a pretty good job of balancing screens and physical buttons.


I like power tailgates. I don’t have one now but I find myself wishing I did.


The new power options in the bed are amazing! Lots of potential trial there for charging e-bikes and such too. Funny that to get the max power you have to have the hybrid, but makes sense.


Tailgate work surface is dumb IMO but maybe someone else will like it. Same thing for the folding shifter and deplorable desk in the cab.




More here (watch at 1.25 or 1.5 speed)

[peterb]

As for saving gas, it's more about reducing emissions of vehicles sitting still in traffic or at lights. Though I suppose the pollution caused by additional batteries or worn out starters doesn't matter...

I was driving in Germany a few years ago and noticed how quiet it was at stoplights. Apparently lots of cars had stop/start.

Service life shouldn’t be an issue unless manufacturers try to cut corners and save a few dollars. ;-)

[Bigghoss]

I have two questions:

1.) Can I get it with a manual transfer case?

2.) How do the front tires connect to the front diff? Are the hubs/axles shafts live or is there some kind of automatic disconnect? I know 2004-2008 have a system that's locked by default and unlocks with engine vacuum so if it breaks the front wheels are engaged instead of being stuck in the wilderness without 4wd.

The way trucks are made these days are why I still drive an '84 Chevy K5 and why I spent a month looking for a pickup with manual hubs and T-case and why I then spent WAY too much money fixing said truck instead of giving up on it when everything broke all at once. That and I also don't feel like taking on that much debt. I seriously considered a Jeep Gladiator pickup but just couldn't bring myself to put myself $36k in the hole.

[mtnbkr]

Service life shouldn’t be an issue unless manufacturers try to cut corners and save a few dollars. ;-)

We're talking about Ford here. Also, I fully expect the warranty on the starter to be less than adequate.

Chris

[JRB]

Back in my hot rod shop days, we routinely removed the cyl deactivation in Chevys and the start/stop features of other vehicles at the time, newest being 2016ish when I left that industry. Some folks got a custom performance tune *just* to disable that stuff.

While Ford's PCM's and drive cycle resets have always been a pain in the ass, I'm 100% sure that performance tuning can eliminate the start/stop feature in software. Having a removable widget that doesn't affect the software is nice for warranty coverage concerns, though.

I highly recommend the Coyote 5.0L V8 if you really want a trouble free truck.

[farscott]

I have components on the 2021 F-series vehicles, so I want it to be a great sales success. However, my long policy, born out by warranty numbers and experience, is to never buy the first model year of a new platform. It takes until the middle of the second model year to get the reliability and quality to its highest level. It is as much tuning manufacturing and assembly processes as it is design fixes. After that, cost cutting starts the reliability and quality on the downward trend. The sweet spot is the second half of the second model year.

[EMC]

Back in my hot rod shop days, we routinely removed the cyl deactivation in Chevys and the start/stop features of other vehicles at the time, newest being 2016ish when I left that industry. Some folks got a custom performance tune *just* to disable that stuff.

While Ford's PCM's and drive cycle resets have always been a pain in the ass, I'm 100% sure that performance tuning can eliminate the start/stop feature in software. Having a removable widget that doesn't affect the software is nice for warranty coverage concerns, though.

I highly recommend the Coyote 5.0L V8 if you really want a trouble free truck.

I second your recommendation for getting the 5.0 v8 over the ecoboost. I say this as a 2013 ecoboost owner who likes the power of the eco but wishes he went with the reliability and simplicity of the coyote. I am already saving money for cam phaser replacement when the random cold start clacking eventually leads to a check engine light. Cam phaser wear also happens on gen 2 versions of that engine. They never fixed it. Also no expensive turbos to worry about failing on the V8.

[BehindBlueI's]

I'd definitely go Coyote. Plenty of aftermarket support if you need more oomph for some reason. I still like my 5.7 Hemi as well. Just not a fan of the "new look" on the Rams.

[Navin Johnson]

farscott is wise....

Side note: The EPA/Obama have ruined diesels by requiring complex expensive filters and cats that complicate things. Think 4-8k to replace exhaust parts just north of 100 k miles. Fleets are going back to gas for less down time (the worst for fleet managers) and cheaper repairs that don't require as much training to perform. (part of the reason your Cummins et. al. are $10k more than gas new)

The 5.0 will likely give the least grief and with a lot of miles have the best re-sale.

[JRB]

I second your recommendation for getting the 5.0 v8 over the ecoboost. I say this as a 2013 ecoboost owner who likes the power of the eco but wishes he went with the reliability and simplicity of the coyote. I am already saving money for cam phaser replacement when the random cold start clacking eventually leads to a check engine light. Cam phaser wear also happens on gen 2 versions of that engine. They never fixed it. Also no expensive turbos to worry about failing on the V8.

Cam phasers and turbos are routinely victims of poor oil choices and poor oil change intervals. Current recommendations for 5k mile changes or even 7500 mile changes in some applications are simply insane.

Also, without opening the whole can of 'what oil is good' debate - having built performance engines for a living that included warranties, the only three oils in our discussion were Dexos-certified Mobil 1 synthetic, Ford Motorsport 5w50 synthetic, and Valvoline VR1 - usually 20w50. Hot LS's would get set up for Dexos 5w30 Mobil 1, Hot Coyotes even with big ass turbo or blower setups would get 5w50 Ford Motorsport, and VR1 went into Japanese imports and 'all in' wild LS, Hemi, etc builds.

It's my belief and observation that a lot of Ford cam phasers and turbos die in ecoboosts (and Subarus and a few others for that matter) from running shitty oil for those engines, specifically Rotella T or Royal Purple. Rotella belongs in diesels with high component loads at low bearing speeds, not gasoline engines. Royal Purple is trash and has directly led to many turbocharger failures, to the point of other guys in the turbocharger industry telling me that significant percentages if not majorities of their low-mile warranty returns on performance turbochargers being ran on Royal Purple for a short time before bearing/CHRA failures when everything else was right.

Good oil doesn't save you from decent change intervals, either. I don't give a fuck what some disciple in the Lord's Church of Amsoil has to say about his Blackstone oil tests for his 1998 5.7L Chevy that's never made more than 220hp at the tires.