Yahoo Autos Tested: 2024 Ford F-150 Pushes Ahead with Big Tech Gains
10/25/24 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results for the V-8 F-150 Tremor.
While it's easy to get starstruck by the Ford F-150 Raptor R and its impressive 720 horsepower, the changes to the 2024 Ford F-150 aren't limited to the automaker's top truck. The entire F-150 range earns a few thoughtful upgrades, largely in the tech department, and the result is a truck that's a little bit smarter but still every bit as ready for action as before.
Off the Road: F-150 Tremor
Pounding pavement was on the agenda when we checked out the refreshed 2024 F-150, but it certainly took a back seat to playing around far from the beaten path. The Tremor trim positions itself as sort of a halfway point between the more basic FX4 Off-Road package and the outright nuttery of the Raptor, and it fits well in that spot. The Tremor picks up the same visual facelift that all F-150s do—as well as an optional new modular front bumper reserved for the Tremor and Raptor.
Mechanically, the Tremor remains unchanged. Buyers have a choice of two powerplants: A naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 produces 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, while a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 makes 400 ponies as well, although torque rises to a meatier 500 pound-feet. At the test track, the V-8 Tremor sprinted to 60 mph in an even 6.0 seconds, 0.7 second behind the twin-turbo V-6 Tremor we last tested. The 5650-pound truck continued through the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds at 97 mph, once again lagging the force-fed F-150 by 0.7 second (and 3 mph).
As we climbed a mountain outside Palm Springs, California, we were never facing down anything worthy of Moab. In fact, Ford positioned this expedition as something the average owner could do on a weekend. There were a few tricky rocks to make it past, but most of the trail was easily accomplished in two-wheel drive without even looking at the mode switch. Thanks to a litany of onboard cameras, ensuring proper wheel placement over the sharper stuff was hardly a problem.
However, swapping to Off-Road mode did introduce some fun overlanding tech that should help keep the shiny side up. Trail Control is your typical off-road cruise control, where you set a single-digit speed and the truck manipulates both the throttle and brakes to maintain that speed on inclines and declines. There's also a Trail 1-Pedal Drive mode that acts like an EV's one-pedal driving mode—as your foot comes off the throttle, the truck will activate the brakes, halving the number of feet required to traverse a craggy hill. It feels strange at first, and we still prefer to either two-foot it or let Trail Control handle it all, but it's a solid middle ground and fun to play around with.
Trail Turn Assist is another neat bit of dirt tech. It brakes the rear inside wheel, reducing the turning circle, which can help on tight mountain passes and the like, especially on a truck of this size. In practice, it's basically an off-road donut factory; Ford's explicit instructions to us were, "Turn it on, crank the wheel, and mash the gas." And lo and behold, a dab of countersteer later, we managed a pretty tight turn around a fire pit.
If you're trying to maximize grip instead of shooting dirt everywhere, the V-8 Tremor rounded our skidpad at a paltry 0.71 g, so we don't recommend sneaking one into your local autocross event. We blame the 275/70R-18 General Grabber A/TX rubber for that. They didn't help on the braking front, either, contributing to a long 223-foot stop from 70 mph.
Our tires were aired down to about 22 psi for better grip through the rockier bits, but once it was time to spend a few minutes on the pavement, we first needed to air back up. Thankfully, each truck carried a portable air compressor. Stealing a bit of juice from the truck using the Pro Power Onboard inverter—a 2.0-kW unit is standard on the Tremor, while a 2.4-kW variant is standard on all hybrid F-150s, which can also option a beefier 7.2-kW inverter for $750—we had the General Grabbers aired back up to street spec in just a few minutes.
Accessing the compressor was a breeze thanks to the new Pro Access Tailgate, an available feature with a split swing door that opens laterally to improve bed access. It has three separate detents, including one at 37 degrees to avoid smashing an attached trailer, and it's as easy to use as any other door on the truck.
On the Road: F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid and BlueCruise
In addition to Ford standardizing the 12.0-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.0-inch central touchscreen, one of the 2024 F-150's most notable updates is the addition of BlueCruise 1.2, the latest iteration of Ford's hands-free highway driving aid. The premise is the same as it is in the many Ford and Lincoln vehicles we've driven with this tech—get the sucker on one of the approved pre-mapped highways, engage the adaptive cruise control, and wait for the display to tell you to lift your hands. After that, Dearborn Jesus takes the wheel.
Functionally, BlueCruise is just as great on the F-150 as it is on everything else. Engagement is smooth, and any requests to return the driver's hands to the wheel arrive with sufficient warning. It holds lane position well, and it can shift its position within the lane to make room for semis and other wide loads passing by. While the steering wheel may look weird while it makes micro-adjustments on the road, the whole experience is steady and chill. It can also suggest and execute lane changes as needed, and all you need to do to start this process is engage the turn-signal lever, at which point it takes between five and seven blinker blinks to make its way over.
BlueCruise doesn't only work at speed either. When we came across stop-and-go interstate traffic, caused by a driver who managed to jackknife their travel trailer across two entire lanes, the F-150 did a great job keeping pace with traffic. It can be a little jerky when applying the throttle or brakes below 3 mph, but overall, it's vastly easier to deal with tedium like this when the computer picks up the brunt of the legwork. One caveat: Unlike GM's Super Cruise, BlueCruise still can't be used while towing.
Our PowerBoost hybrid truck also featured another new-for-2024 bauble: the available head-up display. It's far from revolutionary and does exactly what you expect an HUD to do, but in the case of BlueCruise, we appreciated having the driving aid's visual indicators closer to eye level, requiring fewer glances away from the road. Just don't expect to see anything with polarized sunglasses on—unless you tilt your head 45 degrees to either side, which isn't exactly highway-driving best practices.
Otherwise, the PowerBoost hybrid remains the same as before. A twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6 hooks up to a 47-hp electric motor that receives juice from a 1.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, and the whole shebang makes 430 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque. You'll almost never experience it running on electrons alone, but the power delivery feels nice, and it'll tow up to 11,200 pounds, so it'll do pretty much whatever you need it to.
BlueCruise is available on higher trims such as the Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum, and Tremor, so prepare to shell out. For context, a Platinum-trim hybrid test truck we drove carried an $87,625 window sticker, which is not out of line with the competition but still mighty steep. BlueCruise is available as a 90-day free trial upon purchase, with the option to subscribe for three years ($2100) or monthly ($75) once the free trial expires.
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