2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch Review – Driving A Robot Truck

King of the Road

We have to hand it to the automotive industry. As time marches forward, they make it harder and harder for James Bond movies to add cool gadgets to cars. That’s not easy; we’re talking about a film franchise where .50 caliber machines and passenger ejection seats are OEM. But car makers just keep packing more and more technology into their creations, forcing 007 to get more creative in staying a step ahead. Just look at all of the tech the 2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch has going for it, for example.

The new Ford F-150 aimed to reset the standard for all light-duty trucks. It does this by targeting the most towing and payload of any light-duty full-size pickup, introducing all-new features to increase customer productivity, and featuring new connected vehicle innovations like over-the-air updates to keep F-150 at the forefront of purposeful technology. Oh, and it also sports the all-new 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid powertrain with Pro Power Onboard (an integrated power generator).

And we loved it. When we got a chance to test drive the new F150, we loved all of the bells and whistles Ford worked into the new pickup. This truck came with everything! Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure, Power Everything, heated and cooled seats. It even massages you! It was so comfy that no one wanted to get out; even after the 500 mile one-way trip!

However, there’s always room for improvement. In this case, that Lane Departure feature needs tweaking. Even with our hand on the steering wheel, the truck yelled at us to apply our hand to the wheel, roughly every 20-30 seconds.

Now don’t get us wrong. In the 40 mph crosswinds, we didn’t have to work hard at all to steer, but the Lane Departure got annoying. It was like a game we couldn’t win. But at the end of it all, our arms weren’t tired in the least, either.

But let’s talk about how fun it was to drive. In a very large nutshell, the big 5.0L V8 rocked.

Power isn’t only important under the hood. Available Pro Power Onboard expands F-150’s capability by bringing generator levels of exportable power to work sites, camp sites and everyday life. Pro Power Onboard is available with a 2.0-kilowatt output on the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 and 5.0-liter V8, while PowerBoost-equipped F-150 comes standard with 2.4 kilowatts of output or an optional 7.2 kilowatts of output. Power is accessible through in-cabin outlets and up to four cargo bed-mounted 120-volt 20-amp outlets, with a 240-volt 30-amp outlet on the 7.2-kilowatt version. The system even provides power on the move to charge tool batteries in between jobs.

For our review ride, we averaged 17.1 mph over the 1400 mile trip and that included the following.

First off, an average highway speed of 85 mph. Second, a 23-mile off-road adventure at below 2 mph (that would be Schnebly Hill Road, dropping from the Flagstaff forest into the Sedona Red Rock valley). And finally, a scenic drive up 89A up through Oak Creek Canyon out of Sedona, then back to Flagstaff.

Oh, and then there’s its towing ability. In a word: Effortless! The truck pulled a 4500lb wakeboard boat like it wasn’t even there. Simply amazing!

But perhaps the most telling of all this was our tester’s response: “This Ford turned a Chevy guy, who had fallen in love with the New Ram, into a Ford F-150 lover. Where do I sign up?”

Story by Jerrod D. Strauss and Mark Masker. Photography by Jerrod D. Strauss, Benjamin Daniel Strauss, Cassidy Ryane Strauss, and courtesy of Ford Motor Company.