10 Things You Need to Know About the 2016 Ford F-150

2017 Ford F 150

It should come as no surprise that Ford’s F-150 pickup is a sales king in America. One glance at the nearest parking lot will reveal generations of Ford trucks owned and driven by people from all walks of life. What might be news to some is just how long of a chart-topping legacy the F-150 is creating.

For the last 39 years, the F-150 has been America’s best-selling pickup. More impressively, the F-150 has been America’s best-selling vehicle, period, for the last 34 years. Ford’s been able to print money (and load the bed of each of its pickups with it) thanks to broadly appealing designs, reliable powertrains, and durable construction.

F-Series trucks have been around since the 1940s, but the F-150 nameplate is now in its seventh generation, having been redesigned in 2015. Though the truck was recently overhauled, the 2016 model year still has some notable updates. Here are 10 things to know about the 2016 Ford F-150.

EcoBoost Powertrains

Ford has offered an EcoBoost V6 in its vehicles for the past few years, but 2015 marked the introduction of both the all-new 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 and the newly refined 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 – EcoBoost means “turbocharged” in Ford speak. 2.7 liters may not sound like much in a fullsize pickup truck, but thanks to Ford’s remarkable engineering, the motor delivers 325 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque. Due to the F-150’s lighter aluminum body and the pint-sized motor, 2.7-liter F-150s can tow 8,500 lbs – about four times what you’d need to drag a small boat.

Ford also managed to reduce the displacement of its larger EcoBoost V6, which averages 17 mpg in the city and 23 on the highway – only 1 mpg off the pace of the compact 2.7-liter unit. Together, Ford’s EcoBoost motors are some of the most power dense and fuel efficient engines available in any fullsize pickup.

Photo by Ford

Beds & Cabs

The 2016 Ford F-150 is available in three cab configurations: Regular Cab, SuperCab, and SuperCrew. A Regular Cab F-150 translates to a 2-door, 3-seater design. The SuperCab adds a pair of rear-hinged half-doors to allow two to three more passengers to join. Finally, the SuperCrew replaces the half-doors with two full doors to give rear-seat occupants plenty of room to stretch out.

Adding a bit of complication to the F-150’s order sheet is the availability of three box sizes: 5.5-foot, 6.5-foot, and 8-foot dimensions. Though Ford won’t build a Regular Cab with the smallest bed, or a SuperCrew with the largest bed, deciding on the right platform can be a bit challenging – especially once powertrain, transmission, trim, and package criteria enter the equation.

Limited Trim

New for 2016 is Ford’s F-150 Limited trim. Slotting above the Platinum grade pickup, the Limited trim is a styling and accessory package to turn the F-150 into a veritable luxury vehicle – with the price to match. In addition to the standard 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, Ford adds a white metallic paint, satin chrome grille, door handles, and tailgate, 22-inch chrome wheels, LED headlights, an LED side mirror spotlight, a 360-degree camera system, active parking assistance, remote tailgate release, and a huge panoramic sunroof.

With so much bling and technology, you might assume Limited buyers won’t be doing much in the way of traditional hauling – and you’re probably right. Still, Ford has uncovered a demand for premium driving experiences across its vehicle range, including pickups, and the automaker is happy to satisfy its shoppers.

Photo by Ford

Aluminum Body

Ford shook up the field of utility vehicles last year with the introduction of its new F-150. For the first time, a mass production pickup was built with a completely aluminum body. The 2015 F-150 shed up to 700 lbs in the process, making it the lightest in its class. Rival trucks had begun to introduce mixed materials into their construction, but Ford was the first to break the mold.

Critics of the new F-150 cited high repair costs and aluminum’s less durable design, but the efficiency gains were hard to overshadow. In the time since Ford debuted its new truck, GM has announced its next generation Silverado and Sierra will sport aluminum bodies.

Photo by Ford

SYNC 3 Infotainment

Ford’s MyFord Touch infotainment system has been among the most maligned interfaces in the industry, but the introduction of the SYNC 3 unit has put the automaker on much better footing. Now available on the 2016 F-150, SYNC 3 is quicker, easier to use, and more capable than prior systems.

Ford was among the first automakers to bring voice command technology to production vehicles and its latest generation system is incredibly intuitive, making sense of not just a range of commands, but accents and speech patterns. Combined with an improved layout, new apps, wireless updates, and Apple CarPlay, SYNC 3 is finally on par with competitor infotainment systems.

Photo by Ford

Parking and Safety Systems

Increasingly, consumers expect the latest safety technologies to be available in vehicles of all segments. To meet these expectations, Ford has added three systems to the F-150’s options list for 2016. Blind Spot and Cross Traffic Alerts have been around for a few years now, but they’ve proven valuable in avoiding collisions at low or high speeds. Ford also was a pioneer of self-parking systems. Its Active Park Assist technology has found its way into the F-150 to help drivers find appropriately sized parallel parking spaces and automatically maneuver into them.

Finally, Ford has added an available 360-degree camera system to virtually project surrounding obstacles. This system isn’t just useful when navigating tight parking lots, it's also a good tool when off-roading on technical routes.

Photo by Ford

Pro Trailer Backup Assist

Yet another new-for-2016 feature of the F-150 is Ford’s Pro Trailer Backup Assist. As the name implies, the system helps drivers perfectly steer a trailer in reverse. Drivers use a simple knob to indicate the desired trailer direction while the system controls the truck’s steering and throttle to achieve precise positioning.

Those who haven’t had to launch a boat or back a trailer into a driveway might not appreciate how difficult the task can be, but Ford’s Backup Assist function makes the job easy for newbies and veterans alike.

Photo by Ford

Inflatable Safety Belts

Ford introduced inflatable safety belts for rear seat occupants on the 2011 Explorer and the technology is now available on 2016 F-150s. The benefit to inflatable belts is two-fold: First, they spread the crash force over a wider area of the body, likely reducing the risk of injury to the chest. Second, deployment of the bag tightens the belt, reducing forward movement and reducing the potential for head injury.

The automaker says this technology is most beneficial to children and elderly passengers, who are at greater risk of injury during accidents, but a softer blow is good news for anyone who might find him or herself in such a traumatic situation.

Photo by Ford

XLT Special Edition

Though not quite the powerhouse the F-150 Lightning or 3.5-liter EcoBoost-powered Tremor F-150 was, the 2016 XLT pickup still packs plenty of juice from the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 in addition to go-fast hardware like a 3.31-ratio limited-slip axle and 6-speed SelectShift automatic transmission.

The Special Edition package adds 20-inch dark wheels, body and hood decals, unqiue seats with red accents, a single exhaust port, and 275/55R20 BSW all-season tires that combine for an aggressive look unmatched by rival trucks.

Photo by Ford