When Ford announces the unveiling of an F-150 pickup truck, it’s like Santa Claus at the mall.
No fan ever gets tired of the event. They are always lining up to take photos.
But Tuesday night’s unveiling of the 2024 F-150 at Detroit’s Hart Plaza ahead of the Detroit Auto Show offered a twist. While F-Series trucks have been bestsellers for decades, the 120-year-old automaker did something different this year. All because engineers went to Lowe’s, Home Depot and Ace Hardware and watched consumers load their trucks, resulting in an entirely new tailgate design with a door that opens like a refrigerator.
The Pro Access tailgate folds down as usual to allow workers to load large bags of dirt or wood. But the 5-foot-10 mom, who can’t reach into the bed of the truck, now has the ability to open a door even when the truck is attached to a trailer. No stress. When a driver hears something coming loose in the bed of the truck, he stops, walks to the back and peers through the swinging door as it opens. If necessary, a step can be folded out.
More quickly. Easier. Unique.
“It’s another example that the best never rest,” said spokesman Mike Levine. “This tailgate ends the tailgate wars.”
Prices: $38,565 to $111,550
Both Chevy Silverado and Ram feature innovative truck bed designs. But as of yet, no automaker has enough onboard power (and outlets) to run power tools on the job site or electrify a sound system for a wedding reception while accessing the truck bed through a rear door while the whole thing is plugged in to you Trailer.
Pricing starts at $36,570 plus $1,995 in destination and delivery fees. So a regular XL cab with a 6.5-foot 101A box and a 2.7-liter engine costs a total of $38,565. A high-performance Raptor R starts at $111,550, including fees.
“The (tailgate) door opens to the side at three different angles when towing a trailer,” Levine said. “The door also allows better access to the charging box to reach further in. And you can still open the tailgate straight down with a key fob.”
The ability to tow heavy trailers is a “superpower” of Ford’s, its engineers said. The new pickup can tow 13,500 pounds and has a payload of 2,455 pounds.
This latest development follows the popular Pro Power feature, which was inspired by workers carrying generators in the truck to power construction sites. Ford engineers decided they could provide power that would replace a noisy, heavy, space-consuming generator that required additional fuel.
Truck research at the 76 station
Ford calls it all “truck anthropology,” or getting into the heads of consumers and figuring out their needs.
Alana Strager, 53, of Plymouth, has a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Michigan State University and is applying her knowledge and learning to truck design as an F-150 program manager. Her father (and mentor) held the role before her.
“Before he died, he emphasized that I belonged at Ford,” she said. “I used to go to Station 76 on I-75 and talk to all of our competitors’ truck owners and ask, ‘What do you like and what don’t you like? What would make this vehicle the best vehicle for you in terms of comfort? Comfort, features.’ When my father found out I was doing this, he asked me to stop immediately and said, ‘You can’t go alone!'”
At nearly 6 feet tall, Strager laughed and said this 2024 F-150 was the highlight of her life’s work.
A retro look on the grille
The front end is a retro design with a wraparound grille that completely surrounds the headlights, placing the headlights within the grille.
“We haven’t done that in the last 20 or 30 years,” Stager told the Detroit Free Press. “We surveyed our own truck customers and asked about their pain points. One thing that came up again and again was reaching over the tailgate. So now you can swing open a door, sit right on the bed and attach the strap or load your mulch.” Concrete, a container with 36 pack of water, Yeti cooler.
“If you’re going to get up and put things through the door, you should be able to do it without bumping your elbows. You won’t do that anymore. We watched people,” said Stager, who began her career working on heavy trucks 33 years ago.
Her daughter goes to horse shows on weekends and Stager saw mothers all driving big trucks.
“Most women say they are buried in their trucks because they love them,” Stager said.
Eerie vs. harmonious
Bob Brancheau, senior color and materials designer at Ford, said he bought a Ford F-150 while doing carpentry work to finance his art school education.
Now, he said, “we’ve refreshed the front end – to make it more sophisticated” with modernity, robustness and style.
The texture on the grates hides rock marks and the LED headlights work better during the day and at night, Brancheau said. While some color combinations are dark and eerie, others (like “smoked truffle”) are intended to convey a harmonious feeling, he said.
Another new feature is a hinged storage box that conveniently stores and locks under the rear seat.
This latest F-150 “has brains and power,” said John Emmert, general manager of Ford North America Trucks.
He touted 4 million miles of durability testing, which included harsh heat at the Arizona Proving Grounds and an all-aluminum, military-grade body.
An estimated 10% of F-150 vehicles sold year-to-date are hybrid vehicles, powered by a conventional gasoline engine and an electric motor that uses energy stored in batteries. The F-150 full-size hybrid pickup charges the battery through regenerative braking, not by connecting the battery to a charger.
Jim Farley sees demand for F-150 hybrids increasing
Ford CEO Jim Farley told the Free Press during his visit to the 2024 F-150 unveiling at Hart Plaza: “We expect to have close to 20% hybrid (F-150) trucks with Pro Power on board will sell. We have the chance to be the most successful hybrid seller in the United States. No one ever thought Ford could come close to a (Toyota) Prius or (Toyota) RAV4 hybrid. I think it’s close.”
The F-150 hybrid can power a home, a construction site or a Lions football tailgate party, Farley said.
“I think everyone imagined hybrids as these extremely fuel-efficient compact cars, like (actor) Larry David driving his Prius in Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Farley said with a laugh. “And here we are: The most popular truck in America may be the best-selling hybrid truck in the country. Just think of how much things have changed.”
However, the shape or size of the truck bed will not change, Stager said. Even 1 millimeter could cause an uproar, she said. “Customers say, ‘Don’t take my space. We don’t. And we won’t do it either. Plus, this is a five-star crash rating. I wouldn’t put my child in anything else.”
More: Ford teases the unveiling of the F-150, planning to woo buyers who aren’t yet sold on electric vehicles
More: Experience the Ford F-150 Lightning from the perspective of a young journalist
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.