We’ve been in the midst of a 2021 F-150 blitz around the various Autoblog home offices of late, as Ford has fire-hosed its overhauled half-ton into the waiting arms of critics all across the country. This was your author’s second look at the new F-150, having had the opportunity to sample a handful of variants late last year, but my first chance to live with it for a few days straight, in a Michigan winter, no less.
As an added bonus, it happened to be equipped with basically all of the 2021 F-150’s cool new options, including the Max Recline fold-flat seats, center console Interior Work Surface and Pro Power Onboard, all of which I’d seen in action at least once, but never had the chance to play with on the same truck. The video above is the more comprehensive rundown of that experience, but here are some of the highlights in writing.
The Max Recline seats are a neat gimmick. They do genuinely fold nearly flat, and where you position the base before reclining the back will ultimately determine how close to the “Max” part you can actually get. Even if you give up a few degrees for the sake of having your seat a bit lower, that probably won’t be your primary comfort issue. That’d be your legs, which will still hang off into the foot well unless you find a way to comfortably bridge your upper body all the way into the rear seat. Hey, whatever works for you.
The Interior Work Surface gives off a similar vibe, but I could see some buyers getting a lot of use out of it, maybe even working in additional aftermarket accessories. Multiple AB staffers (myself included) are 100% convinced that owners will inevitably trash that shifter recess with drink spills, crumbs, trash, half-melted hard candy — you know, the detritus common to any mode of transportation that often doubles as a dining room and home office.
Pro Power Onboard, I have to say, is just plain-old convenient, and a great selling point for potential hybrid customers who actually have practical use cases for mobile power hookups.
All of this comes at a price. This 4×4 SuperCrew Platinum retails for more than $60,000 before options (including all of the cool features mentioned above) and destination, and while each of these options is only a few hundred bucks apiece, that all adds up quickly. All-in, our tester would grace a showroom with a $68,420 price tag.