Pros
- Efficient hybrid powertrain
- Pro Power outlets can power everything
- BlueCruise 1.2 is excellent
Cons
- Inflation sucks, as does this truck’s price
- Perhaps not as quick as it was
- Platinum trim is all hat, no bedliner
Ford sells a lot of pickup trucks but is doubling the number of F-150 Hybrids it builds. Why? If you read today’s issue of The Internet, specifically the Car Enthusiast section, you’ll become aware that EVs are dead and that what everyone really wants is a hybrid.
That’s the current prevailing sentiment, although the truth is that Tesla’s numbers are down while other EV sales are up. However, as is sometimes the case, perception has become reality. Ford has decided the smart play is to cover every single pickup truck base there is. Naturally aspirated ICE? Twin-turbo V-6? Fully electric? The Blue Oval has got you, including with the refreshed F-150 4×4 PowerBoost Hybrid reviewed here in Platinum trim.
What’s New With the F-150 Hybrid?
This truck is an update to the F-150 PowerBoost that arrived in 2021. The head- and running-lamp units get a nice, cyber-style refresh, and the grille is a bit less flashy, which we like. The powertrain is carryover but still damn good. Ford pairs its 3.5-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V-6 with an electric motor mounted between the engine and 10-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor adds enough gumption that total powertrain output is 430 horsepower and a stout 570 lb-ft of torque. Not quite Lightning numbers (580 hp, 775 lb-ft), but it’s a bit stronger than the 3.5-liter EcoBoost on its own (400 hp and 500 lb-ft).
The biggest news for the F-150 this year is probably the Pro-Access Tailgate (covered here) that sports a multi-position door to access the bed when the tailgate’s closed; our Platinum test vehicle didn’t have this. That was odd as the Pro-Access Tailgate is supposed to be standard on the Platinum, although it’s perhaps explained by our test unit being a pre-production model. The other big new standard feature (on most trims) is BlueCruise 1.2, Ford’s excellent hands-free driving software. It works essentially as well as GM’s Super Cruise, a technology we consider to be the industry standard. So, tied for first place. In version 1.2, the truck can now switch lanes hands-free if you tap the turn signal. We drove some 125 miles from Palm Springs to Los Angeles and rarely had to grab the steering wheel.
Also new is a higher price. Ford F-150 prices surged across the model line for 2024, but a couple of models really rocketed up. The worst offender is the King Ranch trim, up to $75,840, a $10,620 price jump compared to last year. Next is the Platinum, which saw a hike of $8,930 and a new starting price that matches the King Ranch, $75,840. Not cheap by any stretch. Those two are the most expensive non-Raptor F-150 models; both the Platinum and King Ranch come loaded with essentially every luxury you’d want (or publicly say is silly yet privately covet) in a pickup truck. Again, F-150 prices are up across the board, including a $7,515 increase for the Lariat and $5,680 more for the popular XLT trim. The as-tested price of this PowerBoost Platinum is $85,800, quite the pretty penny. Especially considering there was no bedliner.
The Instrumented Numbers
This 2024 model’s straight-line performance was down compared to the PowerBoost Hybrid we tested back in 2021. For example, the 2024 PowerBoost needed 5.6 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph, whereas the 2021 model required just 5.3. The 2021 Hybrid was a Lariat, not a Platinum, but our newer truck only weighed 18 pounds more. We also ran a 2023 F-150 Tremor to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds.
To cover 1,320 feet, the 2024 F-150 PowerBoost needs 14.1 seconds at 98.4 mph; the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost got ’er done in 13.8 at 102.1. That’s another significant drop in performance we’re at a loss to explain. Things do get a bit better in the braking department, with the 2024 model besting the 2021 version by 7 feet, at 129 feet to 136. The Hybrid’s braking distance was one thing we complained about three years ago.
If you were thinking maybe the 2021 PowerBoost just had better tires than the 2024 model, the improved braking performance nips that notion in the bud. The two are about matched on the skidpad, with the 2021 proving marginally grippier. We’re talking 0.75 g versus 0.74 g, virtually identical. We didn’t run the 2021 through our figure-eight test, but the 2024 went around our 1,600-foot handling course in 27.6 seconds. A 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4×4 RST ran the figure eight in 27.5. So, the F-150 Hybrid is right in there.
Should You Get One?
Blanket statement: If you’ve decided to buy a 2024 Ford F-150, you should go for the PowerBoost Hybrid powertrain. It’s only $1,900 more than the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6, and as we’ve noted in several previous reviews of Ford’s bestselling truck, the outlets that let you power a jobsite, campsite, or your house are totally worth the money. We’re also going to give Ford the benefit of the doubt that the early-build 2024 model we tested was a bit slower in a straight line than it should be.
A retest is of course in order, and our Truck of the Year competition is right around the corner. As for the Platinum, a starting price of more than $75,000 catapults this truck into an upper level of the pickup atmosphere. Our favorite overall F-150 is till the Tremor, though. It’s nearly as loaded and luxurious yet has truly impressive off-road chops. It’s too bad Ford doesn’t build a Tremor Hybrid. Maybe one day.
