AutoTrader SCORE
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STYLING8/10
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Safety8/10
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PRACTICALITY8/10
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USER-FRIENDLINESS9/10
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FEATURES7/10
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POWER9/10
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COMFORT8/10
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DRIVING FEEL8/10
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FUEL ECONOMY8/10
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VALUE7/10
When gasoline and electricity work together, they can lead to impressive performance.
Unless you move up to a Raptor, the 2024 Ford F-150 Hybrid is currently the most powerful of all of Ford’s half-ton trucks. Dubbed PowerBoost, the hybrid powertrain is offered only with the crew cab configuration with four-wheel drive, and is available on all but the entry XL and STX trims.
Styling: 8/10
The F-150 was updated for 2024, including new head- and tail lights, keeping this good-looking truck fresh. The hybrid is distinguished by the PowerBoost badges on the front doors. Inside, the focus is on the 12-inch centre screen, but there are still hard buttons and dials below it for climate and other functions. The large centre console lid is part of an optional interior workspace included in this tester which lets you fold down the gear selector and then unfold the console lid over it, creating a flat space between the front seats.
Safety: 8/10
The 2024 F-150 gets the highest five-star crash-test rating from the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Over at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) it earned the top “Good” in original front crash tests, along with the updated side test that better simulates being struck by a large SUV. However, the updated front moderate overlap now assesses potential injury to a rear-seat passenger as well as to those in front, and the F-150 rated “Poor” in that test
Standard features include emergency front braking, post-collision braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with trailer coverage and rear cross-traffic alert, and the back-up camera that’s mandatory on all new vehicles.
Features: 7/10
The F-150 can sometimes feel like a blank slate. Despite a starting price of nearly $70,000, this tester featured numerous options I would have expected to be standard. These included heated seats, a power passenger seat, leather upholstery, a wireless charger, and adaptive cruise control. Also extra were a tow-haul package with an integrated brake controller; that aforementioned fold-down console lid; and a power-sliding rear window.
User-Friendliness: 9/10
The F-150 is simple to use for most functions, including the cabin temperature — falling just a little shy is fan direction, where the button doesn’t change it but brings up screen icons. Still, the centre screen’s menus are intuitive, as are the steering wheel buttons; there are quite a few of them, but there are stops on some to help guide your thumbs.
All of today’s light-duty trucks are needlessly oversized, and the running boards make it a bit easier to climb in. The integrated bumper steps on the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra are still the best, but Ford’s optional integrated tailgate step, while more complicated, makes it easier to get into the bed.
Practicality: 8/10
The F-150 Hybrid can tow as much as 4,899 kg (10,800 lbs) as it stands, or 5,080 kg (11,199 lbs) with a maximum towing package. By comparison, the gas-only version of this same truck can pull as much as 5,942 kg (13,099 lbs). Payload for the hybrid can go to 787 kg (1,735 lbs) — less than its non-hybrid siblings, but still very respectable.
The F-150 offers Pro Power Onboard, an integrated generator system that can provide 2.0 kW of power with some gasoline engines, and a standard output of 2.4 kW with the hybrid. This tester’s system was optionally upgraded to 7.2 kW, while the all-electric F-150 Lighting has 9.6 kW of power.
Comfort: 8/10
The F-150 has comfortable seats and a roomy interior, and I found it easy to reach a good driving position thanks to its power seats and power-adjustable pedals. The ride can be a bit bouncy, which is often the case with trucks, but it’s not unbearable.
Power: 9/10
The F-150 Hybrid uses a turbocharged 3.5L V6 engine and combines it with a battery pack and electric motor for a total of 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque. On non-hybrid trucks, that 3.5L V6 alone makes 400 hp and 500 lb-ft of torque.
That’s more power than any F-150 that doesn’t have Raptor in its name, although it’s not the hybrid truck king. That belongs to the Toyota Tundra i-Force Max, which also uses a turbocharged 3.5L V6 but churns out 437 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque. For 2024, the F-150 and Tundra are the only proper hybrid trucks available. The recently updated Ram 1500 is available with what’s called eTorque, but it’s a mild-hybrid system that can’t drive on electricity alone.
Driving Feel: 8/10
The F-150’s hybrid system is primarily about extra power rather than efficiency. The F-150 can drive on electricity alone, but it requires a very light foot. It switches automatically between gas, electricity, or a combination of both, depending on driving conditions, but the transition can often be rough and abrupt.
Otherwise, it’s pretty much like a conventional F-150, with responsive steering and handling that’s relatively tight for a big truck like this. Acceleration is smooth when you take off moderately, and quick when you put your foot into it. For all its size and weight, this truck can really haul.
This tester was optioned with a BlueCruise trial, Ford’s name for its hands-free highway driving assist system. It requires that you be on a pre-mapped section of highway, and there are some 300,000 km of them across Canada and the U.S.; the vehicle lets you know when you’re on a section that qualifies. BlueCruise is getting better all the time, including changing lanes when you tap the turn signal stalk, but it’s not perfect, and a couple of times it started over toward a highway exit, realized its error, and scolded me as it momentarily shut off and made me take the wheel to get back on track.
Fuel Economy: 8/10
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) rates the F-150 Hybrid at 11.4 L/100 km city, 10.1 highway, and 10.8 combined, and it takes regular-grade gasoline. As mentioned, it’s more about power than spectacular efficiency, although it’s better than the non-hybrid F-150 3.5L V6 at 12.3 L/100 km in combined driving, and the Toyota Tundra Hybrid at 11.7 L/100 km. In my week with the F-150, I averaged 11.8 L/100 km.
Value: 7/10
The hybrid option’s price depends on the base engine in each trim, because it’s the difference from the cost of that engine. For my XLT, which starts with a turbocharged 2.7L V6, the hybrid is an additional $4,575. Overall, the hybrid lineup runs from $74,195 to $106,485. By comparison, the Toyota Tundra Hybrid runs from $75,280 to $92,620, including delivery.
The Verdict
The 2024 Ford F-150 Hybrid could be the right truck, but buyers have to be more interested in its power, because the price difference will take a long time to catch up to its advantage at the gas pump, if ever. It’s powerful, has generous towing capacity, and is comfortable, but the hybrid option is expensive. You’ll have to consider all its factors to see if gas plus electric is the best way to go.
| Engine Displacement | 3.5L |
|---|---|
| Engine Cylinders | Twin-turbo V6 |
| Peak Horsepower | 430 hp @ 6,000 rpm |
| Peak Torque | 570 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm |
| Fuel Economy | 11.4 / 10.1 / 10.8 L/100 km cty/hwy/cmb |
| Cargo Space | 5’5” / 1,651 mm bed |
| Model Tested | 2024 Ford F-150 XLT hybrid |
| Base Price | $67,225 |
| A/C Tax | $100 |
| Destination Fee | $2,395 |
| Price as Tested | $90,165 |
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Optional Equipment
$20,445 — XLT 303A package, $6,685; PowerBoost hybrid system, $4,575; XLT Black Appearance package, $2,600; Twin-panel sunroof, $1,750; Tow/haul package, $1,075; 7.2-kW Pro Power OnBoard, $1,000; Bed utility package, $935; Spray-in bedliner, $600; Rapid Red Metallic paint, $600; Engine block heater, $375; Floor liners, $250
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