Ford refreshed the F-150 for 2021, and while it may not look all that different outside, the update includes several big changes, such as the new hybrid model. But clearly, FoMoCo wasn’t done; Ford just announced some seriously cool and intuitive new features that can be added to your F-150 — so intuitive that we’re wondering how no one thought of them before.
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There’s a new Onboard Scales feature, which will provide F-150 buyers with a new way to measure payload. The live payload weight the truck is carrying can be displayed on the center console screen, the FordPass smartphone app — and via the vehicle’s smart taillamps, which show a vertical bar that reveals the percentage of payload being used. All four lights illuminate when the payload is full and blink when capacity is exceeded. Owners can zero out the scale to determine the weights of individual items.
Smart Hitch will help F-150 owners connect trailers more easily and safely. The hitch measures the tongue weight when a trailer is connected. It displays information about weight distribution and overloading on the center console screen, the FordPass app and the smart taillamps. It guides owners on tensioning a weight redistributing hitch.
The F-150 also is adding Continuously Controlled Damping. It will have pothole sensing technology that firms the suspension when it detects the edge of a pothole to prevent the wheel from traveling deeply into it. This damping system will also have special tuning for Tow/Haul mode to reduce stress on the driver while towing.
Ford says these features can be added to F-150 orders starting in June, with the trucks themselves arriving in late summer. There’s no mention of how much they will cost.