Gasoline-electric hybrid pickup trucks have always been a good idea, and it’s frankly disappointing it’s taken this long for an automaker to build a good one. As good as the 2021 Ford F-150 XLT Powerboost is, though, it’ll be even better when the last few programming wrinkles are ironed out.
We’ve driven and tested several variants of the latest F-150, and we know it’s a well-executed truck. We’ve even tested a Powerboost hybrid model already and found it’s as quick as the outgoing F-150 Raptor while delivering far higher towing and hauling capability. In terms of functionality, Ford’s hybrid pickup hits all the targets, but not every one is a bullseye.
Hybrid Power!
Take the powertrain itself. It allows this full-size truck to hit 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, yet it’s also efficient, netting 24 mpg across the board with four-wheel drive, per the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA also claims the F-150 PowerBoost can travel up to 624 miles before needing to refuel. It’s a heck of a thing to spend a week driving all over Southern California in a truck this quick and see the gas gauge still sitting on three-quarters of a tank. This is the one-two punch of the modern hybrid truck: It’s not only quick as a fox, but it saves you money on gas and requires fewer trips to the gas station.
The wrinkle is in the F-150 PowerBoost’s driving experience. The 35-kilowatt electric motor is theoretically capable of moving the truck on its own, but with only 47 hp, it takes an extremely light touch to keep the truck in its EV mode. Do more than breathe on the accelerator, and the gas engine kicks on. And although the combined output of the gas engine and electric motor is smooth, the transmission isn’t always. It struggles with low-speed, light-throttle situations, such as heavy traffic, where its shifts are clunky enough that you worry it might hurt something. We found the problem to be intermittent, but when it happened, there was no missing it.
Then there’s the braking. Ford has been building hybrid vehicles for nearly two decades, so we can’t see much of an excuse for the funky left pedal of this truck, not when other Ford hybrids perform just fine. This brake pedal has all the hallmarks of hybrids of yesteryear, with vague initial engagement followed by way too much engagement when the regenerative braking gives way to the mechanical binders.
Software Struggles
We also intended to evaluate how much the electric motor’s torque helps with towing, only to be thwarted by another bug, this one in the trailer brake controller. No matter what we did, the integrated trailer brake controller would not activate the trailer brakes—even with the gain all the way up. We verified the issue was with this F-150 by hitching the trailer to another truck, where the trailer brake controller and trailer brakes worked fine.
| 2021 Ford F-150 XLT PowerBoost Hybrid | |
| PRICE | $64,760 |
| LAYOUT | Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door truck |
| ENGINE | 3.5L/394-hp/492-lb-ft twin-turbo DOHC 24-valve V-6 plus 44-hp/221-lb-ft elec motor; 430 hp/570 lb-ft (comb) |
| TRANSMISSION | 10-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT | 5,832 lb (60/40%) |
| WHEELBASE | 145.4 in |
| L x W x H | 231.7 x 79.9 x 77.2 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 5.3 sec |
| EPA FUEL ECON, CITY/HWY/COMB | 24/24/24 mpg |
| ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY | 140/140 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.81 lb/mile |
| ON SALE |
By: rono
Title: 2021 Ford F-150 XLT PowerBoost Hybrid Review: Thunder Before the Lightning
Sourced From: www.motortrend.com/cars/ford/f-150/2021/2021-ford-f-150-powerboost-hybrid-review/
Published Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2021 18:53:37 +0000
