2024 Ford F-150 Gets a Light Refresh and More Tech

Ford was sparing with changes for this year, and many of them—such as expanding its offering of Blue Cruise, the automaker’s hands-free driver assist feature—are tech-focused. Considering that F-Series trucks are so popular—they’ve been the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. for many years now—it’s not surprising that Ford is sticking largely to its winning formula.

This seems to have been Ford’s approach for some time. The last redesign was in 2021, and other than adding a hybrid powertrain, CR’s testing of the latest version of the F-150 revealed a truck that hadn’t really changed in significant ways. CR owner surveys show years of middling owner satisfaction as well as marginal, and in some years, poor predicted reliability. That’s not likely to have changed much with a light refresh. Nor do we have expectations that ride and handling will be notably improved, two areas of criticism with the current version.

Most people will find little difference between the new F-150 and ones from the past few years. It still features an aluminum body and the same blocky styling. As before, the presence of chrome or black plastic in the grille will depend on the trim level, but Ford said the visual differences between various trims will be more pronounced to help customers better tell them apart. The grilles, for starters, will look different. Some trims will be offered with a blackout package that excises shiny chrome. 

Perhaps the most notable exterior feature is the optional pro access tailgate. Similar to the swinging tailgate found on some Ram pickups, Ford says its version makes it easier for someone to reach 19 inches deeper into the bed—rather than bending and reaching over a conventional swing-down tailgate when it’s open—and allows better access when a trailer is connected to the tow hitch. It has resistance designed into the hinge mechanism to prevent the door from banging into a trailer or its hitch.

The base model comes standard with 17-inch aluminum alloy wheels, with 18-, 20-, and 22-inch wheels offered based on trim level. The top-end Platinum Plus will come standard with the largest wheels.

The most noticeable change inside the 2024 F-150 will be the 12-inch center touchscreen. Before only available in more expensive trims, it’s now standard across the model lineup, along with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster screen. Another new feature will be the optional head-up display that projects basic driving information and the truck’s drive mode onto the windshield, where the driver can look at it without taking his eyes off the road.

Inside the bed of the truck, there’s a new storage cubby that can be used for straps and towing gear. Pro power, a feature that allows the connection of electrical devices for a work site or tailgate party, is still available.

Ford jettisoned the previous base engine (a naturally aspirated 3.3-liter V6), making the popular and more fuel-efficient 2.7-liter turbo V6 the standard engine. Top trims will get the same turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 as before, and a hybrid powertrain based on that same engine is also available at the same price. A conventional 5.0-liter V8 is still optional. 

Ford says two changes—a higher curb weight and the omission of a payload package available in last year’s model—will bring down bed payload and towing capacity slightly. Towing capacity for 2024 tops out at 13,500 pounds, and bed payload at 2,455. 

EPA fuel economy figures for the new F-150 are not yet available.

Not surprisingly, the most substantive changes in the 2024 F-150 surface in the tech realm. Along with Blue Cruise—Ford’s hands-free driver assistance feature–the F-150 can also be had with a system that uses cameras to guide the truck automatically to a trailer hitch and to effortlessly back up a trailer.

According to Ford, the F-150 is the first of its vehicle offerings to be available with stolen vehicle service, or SVS. For customers who opt in, the truck will collect location data that can help find it if it’s stolen.