Ford F-150 hybrid delivers five tonne towing

Set to be available in Australia only from low-volume conversion specialists, the next Ford F-150 will boast hybrid and EV power, a high-tech cabin and sleeper seats, but no 'official' right-hand drive -- yet.

The 14th generation of North America’s top-selling vehicle, the Ford F-150, won’t be a global model like the Ford Mustang – and therefore won’t be sold in Aussie Ford dealerships, at least not in the short-term.

Ford Australia said there are no 'current' plans to build a factory right-hand drive version of North America’s top-selling pick-up for the past 40 years.

That means the all-new full-size pick-up truck will not be offered through official channels any time soon in Australia, where local conversion companies like Performax International and Harrison F-Trucks will continue to get a free kick.

Ford Australia could still approve an official local RHD conversion program with an engineering firm like Tickford – as Chevrolet and RAM do with the Walkinshaw Group and Nissan hopes to do with Premcar. Toyota Australia says it won't follow that route with the Tundra, the next generation of which could be a global model.

However, an official Ford image presented to investors two weeks ago lists both the new F-150 and Bronco as being intended for the International Markets Group, a Ford sales division that includes Australia, New Zealand, ASEAN, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Africa and the Middle East.

The image provides no timeline for when either new model will be released in those regions, but given some of them include right-hand markets such as Australia, it seems the new F-150 and Bronco will indeed be introduced here in factory RHD for the first time ever, at least at some stage.

Cool new features for F-truck

While the new Ford F-150 marks one of the biggest new vehicle launches of the year --most of its engines are carry over and the exterior design isn’t dramatically different -- there are plenty of new cool new features.

The biggest changes to the new Ford F-150 are the inclusions of a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, a built-in generator, a fully reclining sleeper seat and a significant tech upgrade for the cabin, not to mention what Ford calls genuine ‘hands-free’ driving.

There’s a battery-electric Ford F-150 coming in 2022 as well, designed to take on the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T and Nikola Badger EVs, but Ford hasn’t released new details on the battery-powered truck yet.

The 2021 Ford F-150 will be available with a new ‘PowerBoost’ powertrain, which takes the brand’s twin-turbo 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 and adds a 35-kW electric motor hooked up to a 1.5kWh Lithium-ion battery.

Pumping through a 10-speed automatic transmission, Ford claims the V6 hybrid has a range of 700 miles per fill, or more than 1100km.

Given the small battery, electric range will be limited but Ford says the PowerBoost V6 hybrid will be able to tow up to 12,000 pounds, or 5440kg.

In response to customer feedback, the new Ford F-150 can be optioned with an onboard generator which allows owners to charge power tools and use other system from the tray.

The Pro Power Onboard generator offers 2kW of power in regular models and 2.4kW in hybrid versions, and can be boosted to 7.2kW. It comes with twin 120V ports or four 120V ports and one 240V socket.

Buyers can also option a fully illuminated bed or tray to improve night-time functionality, and even the drop-down tailgate has been upgraded with a special work surface that allows for easy C-clamp fitting, timber cutting and other common tool-based operations. It also has a smartphone stand.

More towing tech

Ford has also upgraded its towing assistant, called Pro Trailer Backup Assist, which uses multiple cameras to provide improved rearward optics.

Ford enlisted a legion of owners to help guide its redesign of the cabin, where the coolest new feature is probably the ‘Max Recline Seats’ option that allows the front seats to recline almost completely flat so you can catch up on sleep.

The new SYNC4 infotainment system makes its global debut on the new Ford F-150, bringing advanced connectivity features and over-the-air updates, like Tesla vehicles.

There are 8.0-inch or 12-inch touch-screen displays on offer with smartphone-inspired intuitive touch input methods, while a new 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster looks pretty schmick.

Leather upholstery will be available on top-spec models and there are other new options too, such as the Work Surface. This creates a flat table-like area that will appeal to owners who often work (or eat) in their vehicle, and some models feature a fold-away gear shifter to create more space.

Advanced driver aids have been borrowed from the upcoming Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV, allowing hands-free driving where legal. Called Active Driving Assistant, the system has a multitude of sensors that can accelerate, brake and steer the car autonomously. There even a driver-facing camera to make attention is where it should be.

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