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unixadm

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So a week ago I wasn't thinking about a new F150 and a week later I brought one home last night. Picked up a fully loaded Powerboost Platinum with all options in Star White. I traded in my 2018 F150 Lariat SE FX4 which was fully loaded as well. The tech improvements and this powertrain interested me, so I started working some numbers. What surprised me was the improvement in trade values. My 2018 was a leftover, so I bought it in 2019 and put about 7k miles on it. WFH killed my second year mileage. I got $42,750 on trade for that truck. Picked up the Powerboost using X-Plan, and $3,600 in rebates (Ford Credit, $2k private cash, and like $100 for something else). The only downer to the deal was going from 0% on my 18 to 5.6% on the 2021. Ford Credit has some crazy high rates, so I'll be refinancing with Penfed during the next few months. I laughed when I saw the rates with my 832 credit score. At least refinancing is easy.

I had hunted around in Northern California for less than a week and a lot of available units sold during the past four days. The truck I ended up buying wasn't even showing up in Ford's inventory website and came off the transporter yesterday. It was a special order and I don't know what happened, but a deal must not have worked out or something, so they released it to me. It was just dumb luck since it was the exact truck I was looking for except it didn't have the Carmelo interior. That wasn't a deal breaker to me, though I do think that interior looks just a bit better. Build date is 01/28/21 and the release date was 01/29/21. VIN in the 85k range. I have access to Ford OASIS so I ran the VIN to get specifics.

Options:
  • 701A Package
  • Star White
  • Powerboost
  • Twin Panel Moonroof
  • Pro-Power 7.2KW
  • Interior Work Surface
  • Max Trailer Tow Package
  • FX4 Package
  • Partitioned Lockable Storage
  • Max Recline Seats
  • Wheel Well Liners
  • Toughbed Spray-in Bedliner
I purchased from Ron Dupratt Ford in Dixon, CA. I worked with Ian in sales and I have to say this was the best Ford dealership I've worked with, outside of one back in Texas when I bought my 2017 GT350. Ian was all over it, clear emails, called when needed and was going to get me a truck which was in production at the plant. We were working out the logistics when he called saying the truck I bought was freed up and it was mine if I wanted it. Three hours later I was in the finance office doing the paperwork. While they may be a smaller dealership, they are all cool peeps and didn't jack me around. I live down the street from Elk Grove Ford and will never do business with them again. Trying to charge me $5k ADM on the Bronco First Edition i graciously sent their way was the last straw. :)

Going from the 2018 to the 2021 shows improvements in almost every area. Driveability, performance, NVH, audio (B&O Unleashed is pretty damn good), driver assistance (night and day) and comfort. You can feel the quality improvements in a lot of the surfaces you touch, though not everything is perfect. I hear a rattle somewhere, where my 18 had none. It's definitely quiter in pretty much all driving situations. Fit and finish is pretty good though for an early production vehicle. Compared to the 15 Charger SRT I had which looked like Ray Charles aligned the body panels, the F150 is just as good as my 18 was if not a touch better.

Mind you, I've logged slightly less than 100 miles, but my 18 was pretty much my daily driver and I got to know the things I liked and didn't like. For the most part, the 21 addresses those issues. I had a bit of deceleration shudder in the driveline on the 18 and the 10 speed in that truck was hot garbage. It would slam into drive, shifted very clunky and didn't quality for any of the TSB updates. The 21 isn't perfect by any means, but they seemed to ditch some of the skip shift logic, smoothed the gear changes and generally it feels much better. It still can get a little clunky at times and it still frustrates me that GM tuned the 10 speed so well (it was flawless in my 17 Camaro ZL1), but at least it's better than it was.

For the hybrid powertrain, I'd say it works very well together. You can certainly feel the punch it gives and reduces the feeling of turbo lag. The 21 is noticeably faster than my 18 which was the 3.5L Ecoboost. I didn't consider the 18 slow by any means and it was more than sufficient for a truck. In the 21, it's a bit like playing a game with the EV coach getting it to go into or remain in EV mode, but for cruising around 40 MPH or below, you can do that pretty well in full EV. All I'll say is the full EV F150 is going to be good.

The technology advancements in the 21 are probably the most notable. My 18 was a 502A with Technology, 360 Camera and Adaptive Cruise, so it had all of the available driver assistance features available on the 13th gen. However, the 21 drove me home 80% of the way from Dixon, CA to Elk Grove, CA last night after picking up the truck. It does very well in many situations, but can get a bit messed up at times when the lines are not clear, or widen out. Everything about the driver assistance works much better IMO. Adaptive cruise is smoother, lane centering is damn good and everything seems to work together very well. I really like the 12" screen and instrument cluster. The cluster is really nice with a lot of options but not much customization which I get. I appreciate that it's fast and lag free, unlike the Explorer. Sync 4 is nice and wireless Apple CarPlay has worked flawlessly so far with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. The amount of options you can set is significant, but it allows you to personalize the truck in many ways which were not even a remote possibility on the 13th gen. So far, everything has worked well, but with such low mileage this means absolutely nothing at this point.

Lastly, one thing I liked that they improved upon is the highway steering. On my 18, it always felt over-boosted and loose. On the 21, it is tight and goes down the road with minimal intervention, even with the driver assistance items turned off. Brakes are just as good as the 18 and honestly they feel very similar. Throttle seems better in the 21. Sport mode is still clunky and a bit much. I wish they'd allow you to have an individual mode where you can pick steering, throttle and transmission settings to dial it in. My Audi RS3 has that and it works well.

I installed my tried and true Uniden LRD950 in it this morning using mirror taps. Everything I had in the 18 worked perfectly in the 21. Makes me happy when I don't have to buy something new which is pretty rare when changing vehicles. I liked the fact that I could take my tonneau cover and bed mat from the 18, which was a direct fit on the 21! Thank you, Ford! First mod was a stubby antenna which I also lifted from the 18 before trading.
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unixadm

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I forgot to mention one other thing. The 18 had LED headlights which never really impressed me. The headlights on the 21 seem to be quite a bit better with throw and brightness. I have somewhat crappy night vision, so I certainly appreciate the improvement.
 

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Hot damn! Another one in the area I'll be lookin out for ;)

I tried zooming in on the yellow payload sticker but it's too blurry. Looks like you (well, the original orderer) got factory tonneau? I'd guess about 1275# unless it has spray liner then maybe 1230#. It has max recline and we don't know yet how much weight that is versus the standard massage seats.

Congrats it looks awesome!
 

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Impressive truck! I think its crazy with such a high credit score that Ford is handing out crappy rates. Definitely go through a credit union if you can!!
 

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unixadm

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Hot damn! Another one in the area I'll be lookin out for ;)

I tried zooming in on the yellow payload sticker but it's too blurry. Looks like you (well, the original orderer) got factory tonneau? I'd guess about 1275# unless it has spray liner then maybe 1230#. It has max recline and we don't know yet how much weight that is versus the standard massage seats.

Congrats it looks awesome!
Payload is 1,289 lbs. That is the one disappointing thing but that's what you get when you option the hell out of these trucks. I just ran out and took a pic you could see. :)

The tonneau is a Tyger Auto tri-fold I picked up from Amazon for the 18. I liked it because it kept stuff dry, wasn't heavy and was easily removed. I transferred it over to the 21 after giving it a good cleaning.

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unixadm

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Impressive truck! I think its crazy with such a high credit score that Ford is handing out crappy rates. Definitely go through a credit union if you can!!
Yeah. The finance manager said they're trying to claw back from extended 0% during Covid. I only went with them to get the additional $1k rebate which by the time I refinance will probably be a $750 rebate, but whatever. I thought it was a typo and asked them to check it again, but they said that's the rate. I was like holy crap. I feel bad for someone walking in with a 640 score. LOL
 
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unixadm

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I keep forgetting things to mention. Another big improvement is the power deployable running boards. The 18 I bought had them and it wasn't something I ever would have optioned, but once I had them I liked them. However, they'd open/close like crazy to the point it was annoying when just getting something out of the truck. The 21 can hold them in position and leave them in that position. Much improved, though they are louder when actuated within the cabin. They are better positioned though compared to my old 18. Glad they improved them for the 14th gen.
 

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So a week ago I wasn't thinking about a new F150 and a week later I brought one home last night. Picked up a fully loaded Powerboost Platinum with all options in Star White. I traded in my 2018 F150 Lariat SE FX4 which was fully loaded as well. The tech improvements and this powertrain interested me, so I started working some numbers. What surprised me was the improvement in trade values. My 2018 was a leftover, so I bought it in 2019 and put about 7k miles on it. WFH killed my second year mileage. I got $42,750 on trade for that truck. Picked up the Powerboost using X-Plan, and $3,600 in rebates (Ford Credit, $2k private cash, and like $100 for something else). The only downer to the deal was going from 0% on my 18 to 5.6% on the 2021. Ford Credit has some crazy high rates, so I'll be refinancing with Penfed during the next few months. I laughed when I saw the rates with my 832 credit score. At least refinancing is easy.

I had hunted around in Northern California for less than a week and a lot of available units sold during the past four days. The truck I ended up buying wasn't even showing up in Ford's inventory website and came off the transporter yesterday. It was a special order and I don't know what happened, but a deal must not have worked out or something, so they released it to me. It was just dumb luck since it was the exact truck I was looking for except it didn't have the Carmelo interior. That wasn't a deal breaker to me, though I do think that interior looks just a bit better. Build date is 01/28/21 and the release date was 01/29/21. VIN in the 85k range. I have access to Ford OASIS so I ran the VIN to get specifics.

Options:
  • 701A Package
  • Star White
  • Powerboost
  • Twin Panel Moonroof
  • Pro-Power 7.2KW
  • Interior Work Surface
  • Max Trailer Tow Package
  • FX4 Package
  • Partitioned Lockable Storage
  • Max Recline Seats
  • Wheel Well Liners
  • Toughbed Spray-in Bedliner
I purchased from Ron Dupratt Ford in Dixon, CA. I worked with Ian in sales and I have to say this was the best Ford dealership I've worked with, outside of one back in Texas when I bought my 2017 GT350. Ian was all over it, clear emails, called when needed and was going to get me a truck which was in production at the plant. We were working out the logistics when he called saying the truck I bought was freed up and it was mine if I wanted it. Three hours later I was in the finance office doing the paperwork. While they may be a smaller dealership, they are all cool peeps and didn't jack me around. I live down the street from Elk Grove Ford and will never do business with them again. Trying to charge me $5k ADM on the Bronco First Edition i graciously sent their way was the last straw. :)

Going from the 2018 to the 2021 shows improvements in almost every area. Driveability, performance, NVH, audio (B&O Unleashed is pretty damn good), driver assistance (night and day) and comfort. You can feel the quality improvements in a lot of the surfaces you touch, though not everything is perfect. I hear a rattle somewhere, where my 18 had none. It's definitely quiter in pretty much all driving situations. Fit and finish is pretty good though for an early production vehicle. Compared to the 15 Charger SRT I had which looked like Ray Charles aligned the body panels, the F150 is just as good as my 18 was if not a touch better.

Mind you, I've logged slightly less than 100 miles, but my 18 was pretty much my daily driver and I got to know the things I liked and didn't like. For the most part, the 21 addresses those issues. I had a bit of deceleration shudder in the driveline on the 18 and the 10 speed in that truck was hot garbage. It would slam into drive, shifted very clunky and didn't quality for any of the TSB updates. The 21 isn't perfect by any means, but they seemed to ditch some of the skip shift logic, smoothed the gear changes and generally it feels much better. It still can get a little clunky at times and it still frustrates me that GM tuned the 10 speed so well (it was flawless in my 17 Camaro ZL1), but at least it's better than it was.

For the hybrid powertrain, I'd say it works very well together. You can certainly feel the punch it gives and reduces the feeling of turbo lag. The 21 is noticeably faster than my 18 which was the 3.5L Ecoboost. I didn't consider the 18 slow by any means and it was more than sufficient for a truck. In the 21, it's a bit like playing a game with the EV coach getting it to go into or remain in EV mode, but for cruising around 40 MPH or below, you can do that pretty well in full EV. All I'll say is the full EV F150 is going to be good.

The technology advancements in the 21 are probably the most notable. My 18 was a 502A with Technology, 360 Camera and Adaptive Cruise, so it had all of the available driver assistance features available on the 13th gen. However, the 21 drove me home 80% of the way from Dixon, CA to Elk Grove, CA last night after picking up the truck. It does very well in many situations, but can get a bit messed up at times when the lines are not clear, or widen out. Everything about the driver assistance works much better IMO. Adaptive cruise is smoother, lane centering is damn good and everything seems to work together very well. I really like the 12" screen and instrument cluster. The cluster is really nice with a lot of options but not much customization which I get. I appreciate that it's fast and lag free, unlike the Explorer. Sync 4 is nice and wireless Apple CarPlay has worked flawlessly so far with my iPhone 12 Pro Max. The amount of options you can set is significant, but it allows you to personalize the truck in many ways which were not even a remote possibility on the 13th gen. So far, everything has worked well, but with such low mileage this means absolutely nothing at this point.

Lastly, one thing I liked that they improved upon is the highway steering. On my 18, it always felt over-boosted and loose. On the 21, it is tight and goes down the road with minimal intervention, even with the driver assistance items turned off. Brakes are just as good as the 18 and honestly they feel very similar. Throttle seems better in the 21. Sport mode is still clunky and a bit much. I wish they'd allow you to have an individual mode where you can pick steering, throttle and transmission settings to dial it in. My Audi RS3 has that and it works well.

I installed my tried and true Uniden LRD950 in it this morning using mirror taps. Everything I had in the 18 worked perfectly in the 21. Makes me happy when I don't have to buy something new which is pretty rare when changing vehicles. I liked the fact that I could take my tonneau cover and bed mat from the 18, which was a direct fit on the 21! Thank you, Ford! First mod was a stubby antenna which I also lifted from the 18 before trading.
Surprisingly I got 3.8% from Ford I was seriously expecting 6+ based on others experience. I planned to refi right away so when he ran it I told him no money down and we were both shocked by the rate lol
 

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You mentioned that you used mirrortaps, what wires did you use? I saw last gen had green(negative) and black(hot), is it still the same?
 

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I forgot to mention one other thing. The 18 had LED headlights which never really impressed me. The headlights on the 21 seem to be quite a bit better with throw and brightness. I have somewhat crappy night vision, so I certainly appreciate the improvement.
Nice write up. Thank you for sharing your experience. Same truck as mine, except you've got the max recline, and I added the tonneau.
Any rust issues on the rear axle or the pumpkin??
 

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I'll be joining the Platinum crew Thursday. I had a 2016 King Ranch that I traded for a 2019 Ram 1500 Limited. The Ram is being traded for the F150. The Ram set the benchmark for truck interiors. I'm hoping this new F150 will at least come close. It'll be nice to get back some performance (relative) the Ram hemi eTorque lacked.
 
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unixadm

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You mentioned that you used mirrortaps, what wires did you use? I saw last gen had green(negative) and black(hot), is it still the same?
I believe it was the same pin locations as on my 2018. Bottom row closest to the connector release tab. There are two wires. Pin 1 is hot and Pin 4 is ground. I was going to write up an install post for others, but I'll post up the image I started editing to help you out.

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unixadm

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Nice write up. Thank you for sharing your experience. Same truck as mine, except you've got the max recline, and I added the tonneau.
Any rust issues on the rear axle or the pumpkin??
Thanks. I ran outside and took a couple of pictures for you. Some surface rust but nothing crazy. It's cast iron so some rust doesn't surprise me. Some rust converter spray would make quick work of that.

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unixadm

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I'll be joining the Platinum crew Thursday. I had a 2016 King Ranch that I traded for a 2019 Ram 1500 Limited. The Ram is being traded for the F150. The Ram set the benchmark for truck interiors. I'm hoping this new F150 will at least come close. It'll be nice to get back some performance (relative) the Ram hemi eTorque lacked.
The interior is certainly a step up from the 13th gen in quality and comfort. I'd still give the edge to the Ram, at least on looks/style and possibly materials. I almost bought a 2019 Ram and then a 2020 Ram, but I just can't bring myself to purchase another FCA product.
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