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Ford Motor has been making its F-Series trucks since 1948, and in 46 of those years, the automotive manufacturer says it’s had the best-selling trucks in the U.S.
Now, Ford is looking to add another trophy to the trunk with the upcoming release of the 2024 F-150 truck, and at a top-of-the-line six-figure price tag. The truck will be available in “early 2024”, the company reported, with a fully-loaded 2024 F-150 Raptor R selling for $111,500 with an entry price for the basic F-150 starting at $36,570, not counting delivery fees. The company says it's ready to take orders for the vehicle this week.
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“With increased production of PowerBoost Hybrid for 2024, trims from XL through Platinum Plus, and off-road ready models like Tremor, Raptor, and Raptor R, there’s an F-150 for almost every use case,” the company stated.
The truck comes with multiple new features, including:
· Best-in-class maximum towing capacity of 13,500 pounds.
· A maximum available payload of 2,455 pounds.
· Available 7.2kW on PowerBoost-equipped trucks, which holds the “most exportable power on demand of any gas-powered pickup truck in its class,” Ford noted.
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The vehicle offers some new and unique features that should resonate with long-time truck owners.
For example, company engineers set up shop at Detroit area Home Depots and Lowes to watch truck owners load and unload lumbar, lawnmowers, ladders, and other household goods.
That process led Ford engineers to invent a new tailgate that opens like a refrigerator or swinging fence gate. That makes it easier for truck owners to quickly check on payloads, gain access to tools at the rear of the truck, and generally not have to reach over the tailgate to grab something. The tailgate also opens downward in traditional fashion with one press of a key fob.
"It's another example of the best never rest," spokesman Mike Levine said at a September 12 Ford event prior to the Detroit auto show. "This tailgate ends the tailgate wars."
The F-150’s Pro-Power Onboard generator is powerful enough to power up a house during a blackout or simply use the charger to power air compressors, saws, or even a small fridge and television for a football tailgate. F-150 owners can run the Pro-Power generator for 32 hours straight with a full tank of gasoline. The higher-end 2.4K Pro Power unit can run for 85 hours with a full gas tank.
Ford estimates that 20% of the F-150 line will be hybrid vehicles, (the company has sold about 10% of its F-150’s so far in 2023) with the full-size hybrid truck charging the embedded electric motor via regenerative breaking instead of using a traditional charger.
The company also says that since the F-150’s introduction in 2021, the truck has undergone more than 3.75 million customer equivalent miles of Built Ford Tough durability testing “in labs, at proving grounds, and in some of the harshest real-world conditions in North America.”
Now, Ford is hoping that all of that planning and testing will hit home with truck lovers.
“Built Ford Tough is more than a motto; it’s our promise to always strive for more and never rest for F-150 owners," said John Emmert, Ford Truck general manager. "We see it as our duty to deliver what our customers want and need and what they never thought possible,” said
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