Ford continues to push the boundaries and expectations of what people expect a certain vehicle to be. The all-electric crossover Mustang Mach-E got some attention, but wasn’t really even the beginning of the perception push. The EcoBoost version of the vaunted F-150 dates back a full decade and lots of truck people yelled at their TVs and computer monitors that a small displacement turbo engine had no place in America’s favorite vehicle. While it’s not electric, or even a hybrid, it proved what was possible. Now it’s commonplace, and the Lightning EV version of the F-150 is coming soon. It was with all of that in mind that I saddled up the 2021 Ford F-150 4X4 PowerBoost Hybrid for a week-long ride.

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Hybrid F-150 Overview

This is where I typically run you, dear reader, through the ins and outs of the model and trim level that I’ve been testing. And I will still do that, sort of, but let me say up front that Ford’s website much more confusing than normal. Most manufacturers tout their hybrid variants and sometimes treat them like a completely different model. Ford does note that the F-150 has a “Hybrid Available” (vs. “Hybrid Standard” for the Maverick) and even lists it under “Trucks & Vans” as well as the “Electrified” tab.

One might think that clicking on “Build & Price” from the Electrified tab would get one to the PowerBoost Hybrid. Yeah, nah. You have to delve into Ford’s complex “Build Your Own” section and successfully navigate to a trim, cab size, and bed combination that will allow the Hybrid drivetrain.

Let’s start, Regular cab XL…nope, gas only. Regular cab XLT…nope just the 2.7L, 3.3L, and 5.0L petrol engines. SuperCab XL…no. SuperCab XLT, negative. SuperCab Lariat, nein. On to SuperCrew, wow first time lucky! The XL SuperCrew is available with the 3.5L PowerBoost Full Hybrid V6. The XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, and Limited trims all have the Hybrid as an option, while the off-roady Tremor, and off-road rockin Raptor do not.

That was exhausting Ford, and I haven’t even started looking at features and options. Hopefully a Ford salesperson can explain it easier.

In order to build something similar, basically start with a Lariat SuperCrew. That’s a little counterintuitive since the Lariat Series is listed as the first item on the left, but that’s actually part of the standard stuff for this vehicle. I think. The PowerBoost will tack on $3,300, tow-tech package and Ford’s CoPilot360 add a couple grand combined, the ProPower plugs in the back are $750, interior working surface is $150, FX4 off-road(ish) package is a grand, it’ll be almost $700 for a power-tailgate, and about $800 for wheel well and bed liners.

The grand total is just over $66,600. That’s a lot of stuff, and I just praised the new F-250 Tremor diesel for delivering a hell of a lot of stuff for $75,600. So is this lower priced Ford truck with the Hybrid powertrain a similarly good value?

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Exterior

The news on the exterior is…it’s basically the same as any other F-150. Ford doesn’t have big splashy “Hybrid” badges, in fact the only way to really tell that it’s a Hybrid is the small “PowerBoost” badge on the front doors. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty typical F-150, not much to really talk about here.

It looks like a truck, truck, truck. Got tires like what, what, what. Baby, move your butt, butt, butt. Sorry, that got weird, started channeling Sisqó. I wonder what he’s up to these days?

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Interior

The interior is far more interesting. The first thing you notice is that the shifter sort of looks like it might be able to fold down flat. And yes, yes it can. Why tho?

Well, so you can do this.

Ford continues to focus on how to make the truck an even more useful tool for the working person. Lots of trucks have been sporting big ole center consoles that can hold many things, and are even able to act as hanging file folder storage. Ford takes that one step further with the interior work surface add-on. For $165 you have a small table to work on. This chap seems to be enjoying it.

I never really used it, and likely wouldn’t make use of it all that often unless I’m spreading some fast food out on it picnic-style. Still, it’s a clever option. Unfortunately the chrome strip that ran along the back of our center console would oddly reflect light around the cabin while I was driving. It was distracting and I kept looking over at it wondering what it was.

Elsewhere, the F-150 is a massively comfortable truck with big supportive seats and a pliant ride. The rear is pretty comfy as well. My youngest fell asleep in the back of it just about every time he was in there, and that doesn’t happen too often. Although we found out he was getting up at 3:30 to watch Netflix, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Driving

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The F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid drives like a normal F-150, except that it’s perfectly silent at low speeds. It takes some getting used to, but in EV mode it will hum quietly through your neighborhood, startling pedestrians along the way. This is the future kids, might as well get used to it. The EV to gas transition, as well as the start-stop feature, were not always very smooth. There was an occasional shudder as the petrol engine fired up. I generally turn those off anyway, and in my opinion they represent a bridge between EV and gas that at some point will no longer exist. When the 3.5L Hybrid does fire up, you’ll get 430 horsepower and 570 lb.-ft. of torque which means that the F-150 can haul some ass as well.

Out on the road you’ll realize an absolutely massive fuel range. While the PowerBoost gets a 24 city, 24 highway EPA rating that isn’t really any better than a 2.7L EcoBoost’s 21/26 range estimate, it does it with more power and something like a 650 mile range. I drove the heck out of it and barely had to put fuel into it during my week long loan.

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We put the F-150 to good use, participating in a “Scouting for Food” drive on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America. The truck served as one of the two pick-up vehicles (get it) that…uh picked up…donated food (the other was coincidentally an Expedition EL). The rearview bed camera helped me keep an eagle eye of what was happening in the back as I slowly trundled down the neighborhood streets and accepted bags of food picked up and loaded by the Scouts. We transferred everything into the F-150’s ample bed and I dropped it all off at the food bank.

Access to the rear is easy, which I shall now demonstrate with a slider.

Ford has had this on their trucks for a bit, and it helped kickoff Tailgate Wars™ where every truck maker is trying to invent a smarter version of the tailgate. Ford’s is easy, the tailgate is motorized, so after it drops down you pop out the step, pull out the grab handle, then mount up. Ford also has some cool details like a slot for your smartphone (YouTube DIY baby) and built-in measuring devices built into the tailgate.

I didn’t really have a reason to play with the on-board power, but it’s freakin cool.

Summary

It’s funny, the notion of a $66,000 truck isn’t all that odd these days. You can spend a lot more, so I guess it’s relative. The early success of the Maverick could mean a push for smaller, cheaper, options, but for now the F-150 remains the top dog in the U.S. with regard to all vehicle sales. I’ll spare you the “they sell one every x seconds reference”.

If you want an F-150, the number of options continues to grow. Two EcoBoosts, a V6, a V8, this Hybrid, and soon the EV Lightning. It’s quite a future we are living in, and the F-150 is a great jack-of-all-trades option to check out. Just plan to invest some time on their website configurator.