2024 Ford F-150 Review: Refresh adds new looks, greater utility, more tech
Pros: Massive array of excellent engine options, including a hybrid; unique and game-changing tech; well-balanced driving dynamics; Raptor!
Cons: Interior is a bit ugly; rivals have better infotainment; Ram rides better
No other full-size pickup can match the variety put forth by the revised 2024 Ford F-150. Besides the usual array of trim levels that range from working vehicle to plush luxury truck, the F-150 offers hybrid and all-electric powertrains (the latter is the Lightning, which we review separately) and four off-roading variants. That includes the XLT’s FX4 package, the rock-crawling Tremor, the desert-storming Raptor and desert-destroying Raptor R that now produces 720 horsepower and features Dual-Valve Fox shocks.
There are noteworthy updates for the 2024 Ford F-150, although the underlying truck and most mechanical elements remain unchanged. Front-end styling is new, although as before, the look differs with each trim level (the Platinum is shown below). The 2024 Tremor is the most obviously revised, though, with its “Coast-to-Coast” grille split by a distinctive yellow bar that bifurcates the grille and lighting clusters, plus a new modular grille (shared with the Raptors) that lets owners more easily customize their rigs without knocking out parking sensors and cameras. Amongst those customization options is a 12,000-pound WARN winch kit defended by a brush guard. The Tremor also now comes standard with the 5.0-liter V8, while the previously standard 3.5-liter turbo V6 becomes an option.
Not surprisingly in the year 2024, technology plays a big role in the updates made to every F-150. Every trim level now comes standard with a 12-inch touchscreen and 12-inch digital instrument cluster – both were previously optional or included on upper trims – and a head-up display is available for the first time. New electronic architecture allows for 5G connectivity, which is a boon for in-car WiFi as well as accepting over-the-air updates. Finally, BlueCruise is updated (officially BlueCruise 1.2) to perform driver-initiated lane changes and to adjust in-lane vehicle positioning based on factors such as large trucks in adjacent lanes. One wrinkle: BlueCruise hardware is now standard, but owners must subscribe on an annual or monthly basis to use it.
The other big news for 2024 is a brand-new take on old-fashioned truck technology. The Pro Access Tailgate motors up and down, and has a middle section that swings open to 37, 70 or 100 degrees (the tightest angle is for when you’re hitched up) to allow for a shorter reach into the bed. An enlarged bumper step joins with an available drop-down step to allow for an easier climb into the bed (the old assist step will be discontinued mid-year once production begins on the Pro Access). Of the various newfangled tailgate designs, this one strikes us as the one with the widest appeal.
And you know what? That’s a pretty good way to summarize the entire 2024 Ford F-150 lineup. A Ram 1500 might be a little more comfortable and the GMC Sierra’s top-shelf interior might be prettier, but it’s tough to beat the total package that Ford offers.
Interior & Technology | Passenger & Cargo Space | Performance & Fuel Economy
What it’s like to drive | Pricing & Trim Levels | Crash Ratings & Safety Features
What’s new for 2024?
Besides what we described above, you can take a deep dive into what’s new about the 2024 F-150 here in our preview.
Interiors of the F-150 Platinum (top), Tremor (above right) and XLT (above left)
What are the F-150 interior and in-car technology like?
The F-150 dash receives only the slightest, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it change (instrument cowl now connects with the center stack), but the overall design carries over. That means it’s still extremely utilitarian in appearance, and we still prefer what you’ll find in the Ram 1500 and upper trim levels of GM’s trucks. That said, Ford updated the color palette for 2024 to spruce things up a bit, and there’s no denying the range-topping Platinum deserves the title of luxury truck. Leather is everywhere, including on the seats where it’s quilted, and the open-pore wood and a textured metal-like finish look and feel expensive. We also sampled an XLT, and although cloth seats in a truck costing $60,000 is a tough pill to swallow, overall materials quality is on-par with comparable Ram and GM trim levels.
All of the neat features we’ve enjoyed since the beginning of this generation continue. Five-passenger F-150s offer a center console with a unique armrest lid that unfolds forward to become a flat surface to place a laptop, paperwork or road-side picnic. To make this origami possible, the shifter uniquely motors forward into a recess, though only when parked (pictured below). It works, but it does strike us as unnecessary complicated (an electronic column shifter or dash-mounted rotary shifter would accomplish the same goal). The fold-flat seat is still available, and you’ll have a field day going through all the various ports and storage solutions on offer throughout the cabin.
As for technology, every F-150 now benefits from a 12-inch all-digital instrument display and 12-inch touchscreen. It functions the same as it did previously when found in upper trim levels, but the underlying electrical architecture allows for 5G connectivity and over-the-air updates. A head-up display is also now available and shows a greater-than-usual variety of information.
How big is the F-150?
The various full-size trucks are so big that differences among them are effectively moot. An inch or two here and there won’t make a difference outside. As before, you get a choice of regular, SuperCab (extended) and SuperCrew cabs with the latter two offering six-passenger or five-passenger seating arrangements. The SuperCab continues to have clamshell doors rather than the front-hinged ones offered by Ram and GM. Its back seat space is still on the cramped side, but that’s common for the segment. So too is the vast amount of rear seat space in the SuperCrew.
The big news for 2024 is Ford’s new Pro-Access Tailgate option, which is an answer to GM and Ram’s trick tailgates (and technically the Honda Ridgeline). Instead of just folding down as a tailgate always has, the center section of the tailgate can swing out through three detents (37, 70 and 100 degrees) to let you more easily access the bed. The 37-degree angle is specifically intended to let you access the bed while hitched up. An enlarged bumper step and an optional drop-down step underneath the bumper provide an easy one-two-three-step process for climbing aboard the bed (an especially great feature in taller variants). Note that Pro Access will make its way into the F-150 mid-year, and until that happens, the trusty old pop-out tailgate step will stick around on select trucks.
Once inside the bed, the 2024 F-150 borrows a page out of the Maverick playbook with embedded slats that let you pop in 2x4s for a DIY bed divider system. There’s also a new passenger-side enclosed cubby as well as one on the driver-side should you opt against a Pro Power Onboard system. We’re not sure why you’d do that, as the 2.0-, 2.4- and 7.2-kilowatt electrical outlets are just as much a game-changer as they were when we named them our 2021 Technology of the Year. The F-150 took home the same award a year later for its Onboard Scales and Smart Hitch systems.
What are the F-150 fuel economy and performance specs?
In total, the F-150 has six different engines, not counting the electric Lightning, while every version comes with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The base 3.3-liter naturally aspirated V6 is dropped from the lineup for 2024, leaving the 2.7-liter EcoBoost turbocharged V6 as the new base engine. It produces 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 19 miles per gallon city, 25 mpg highway and 21 mpg combined with 2WD. It drops to 18/23/20 with 4WD.
Despite all the turbo V6s, Ford’s 5.0-liter “Coyote” V8 is still available. It’s good for 400 hp and 410 lb-ft. Despite its output and cylinder count, it still manages 16/24/19 mpg regardless of drivetrain, though it’s a bit lower with the Tremor.
The silky-smooth 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 pumps out 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy stands at 17/25/20 mpg with 2WD, and with 4WD, matches the V8 at 16/24/19.
The sensational PowerBoost hybrid is improved for 2024 with smoother transitions between gas and electric power, according to Ford. Its combination of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 and electric motor integrated into the transmission produces 430 hp and 570 lb-ft. It returns 22/24/25 mpg with 4WD, which is now standard with the hybrid. That difference may not seem great, but when talking trucks, small differences in mpg figures can actually equate to big savings.
And now the Raptors. The “base” choice is an upgraded version of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 good for 450 hp and 510 lb-ft. Fuel economy stands at 14/18/16 mpg.
The Raptor R’s 5.2-liter supercharged V8 was upgraded for 2024 to produce 720 hp and 640 lb-ft of torque. It returns the same fuel economy as the hybrid. Just kidding, it’s atrocious at 10/15/12 mpg.
What’s the F-150 like to drive?
At the time of this writing, we have only driven the 2024 F-150 on road with its PowerBoost hybrid powertrain. Ford says it smoothed the transitions between gas and electric power sources for 2024, and we can confirm they succeeded, because you’d be hard-pressed to detect anything unusual about the way it accelerates. It remains our pick of the litter. For most truck buyers, its massive output, refined power delivery and superior fuel economy greatly outweigh the potential drawback of what is effectively base-engine payload. It also now costs the same as the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, which remains the strongest of the gas-only choices (Raptor aside). Sure, “turbo V6” doesn’t carry the red, white and blue glory of the 5.0-liter Coyote V8, but its greater torque and buttery-smooth power delivery are enough that we could live with the “stigma.” Besides, the Ram 1500 no longer offers a V8 at all.
Speaking of the Ram, the F-150 still can’t match its coil-spring rear suspension, but it sure comes close. In our drive of the new F-150 Platinum, we were truly impressed by how comfortably it rode on the choppy highway pavement around Palm Springs – this despite the sort of gigantic wheels that can make body-on-frame vehicles, like the Toyota Tundra, ride like a jittery mess. In terms of steering and handling, the F-150 can feel more like a crossover SUV at times than a gigantic pickup, although the second you try to park or negotiate a tighter road, the illusion disappears.
As for the off-road models, the FX4 package (pictured at the top on an XLT in red) felt little different than other versions in our brief drive on road despite its off-road-tuned front shocks, monotube rear shocks, locking rear diffs and skid plates. The Tremor is big-time step above that, and should be considered the rock-crawler of the group (the Raptor’s independent rear suspension and bigger tires reduce wheel articulation). It ably mountain-goated through the sort of rock-strewn mountain trail a typical owner might tackle, often at a rapid pace you might normally reserve for a nimbler, smaller midsize truck. It also now comes standard with the Coyote V8 should that red, white and blue argument above ring hollow.
As for the Raptor, well, we can’t quite talk about that yet.
What other Ford F-150 reviews can I read?
Ford Lightning Review
Details about the electric F-150 Lightning, which review separately since there’s so much to cover.
2021 Ford F-150 Tremor First Drive Review
The Tremor looks different now and there are some different features, but the experience off-road remains comparable.
Ford F-150 Raptor First Drive Review
We dispatched engineer and off-road expert Dan Edmunds to the California desert to give us the fullest look at the new Raptor you’ll be able to find. This version of the Raptor is mostly unchanged from what you’ll find today.
Ford F-150 Suspension Deep Dive
Ford didn’t draw attention to them, but there were many subtle-but-significant changes made to the existing generation back in ’21.
What is the 2024 F-150 price?
Ford significantly reduced the number of individual options for 2024, instead grouping popular options into bigger packages for ease of ordering and assembly. There’s no shortage of variants, however. All prices below include the hefty destination charge of $1,995.
XL: $38,765
STX: $45,890
XLT: $49,615
Lariat: $67,190
King Ranch: $75,730
Platinum: $75,730
Tremor: $66,145
Raptor: $80,325
Raptor R: $110,255
Tremor and Raptor R
What are the F-150 safety ratings and driver assistance features?
One of the updates for 2024 is making a suite of driver-assist features standard on every F-150 no matter the trim. You’ll get features like Pre-Collision Assist with automatic emergency braking, lane keeping system and blind-spot warning with cross-traffic alert. Plus, you’ll be able to option additional features like an updated BlueCruise 1.2 system, a 360-degree camera, exit warning, trailer assist features and more. Speaking of BlueCruise, the highway hands-free driving system is now a subscription service. Most trucks come with the necessary hardware and a 90-day free trial, but thereafter, owners can pay for an annual subscription or go month-to-month (you can sign up just before a road trip, for example, then cancel afterward).
In government crash tests, every cab style of the 2024 model received a perfect five stars for overall, frontal and side crash protection. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had not fully tested the 2024 at the time of this writing, indicating only that the truck got the best-possible “Good” rating in three crash tests.
