It has been a long wait for the arrival of the 2021 Ford F-150, but in an announcement released earlier today (as well as a prior Instagram post,) Ford confirmed that the long awaited debut for the updated pickup is closing in on the home stretch.
BAM! The all-new Ford F-150 will be revealed on Thursday, June 25 at 8 pm ET. #BuiltFordTough #FordF150 pic.twitter.com/oO6NLZ99Vo
— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) May 29, 2020
Like other model launches affected by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the F-150’s arrival can be viewed as a bit overdue, with prior reports suggesting that it was supposed to make its debut back in April. However, the sheer magnitude of the pandemic forced Ford to push the debut back by a few months. This also extended into an accompanying production delay, with separate reports suggesting that it will start sometime in October before the truck rolls out to dealerships next year.
But look past the wait, and the 2021 F-150 certainly tries to make up for it with all the new technology that it has to offer consumers. For starters, the 2021 model could offer a diverse arsenal of performance with multiple engines leading the charge according to a leaked set of documents. A 3.3 liter V6 would serve as the base engine, and it is expected to make about 290 horsepower while a 2.7 liter turbocharged EcoBoost V6 would be a spicier 325 horsepower upgrade. Meanwhile, the 3.5 liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 would carryover from last year’s model, but we suspect that minor tweaks would allow it to make 375 horsepower. Lastly, the beloved 5.0 liter V8 could make its return to the F-150 lineup, but with how sluggish the V8 has performed in terms of sales when compared to the EcoBoost engines in the main F-150 lineup, its revival could perhaps be limited to the range topping Raptor. That would make sense, since some Raptor fans have been clamoring for the return of a V8 to the Raptor family after the 6.2 liter went out to pasture several years ago.
In addition to the engine lineup, the 2021 F-150 could also lead the way in technology, with reports suggesting that the F-150 will offer over the air vehicle updates for the first time ever, an optional generator for powering equipment at the job site or the campground, and even a massive center screen that could finally allow the F-150 to fight the Ram 1500’s equally big touchscreen on more solid ground. But while the bulk of the changes are expected to be focused on the performance hardware and the interior, the exterior styling is expected to be more of a modest update than an outright evolution aimed at revamping the truck’s look. This would be understandable considering that the F-150 is arguably the model that literally helps keep the lights on at Ford in terms of sales volume, and it would not make much sense to mess with a formula and design language that is still producing considerable profits for the company.
But we will have to wait a few more weeks to have all of these questions and more answered. As mentioned, the 2021 Ford F-150 will make its debut on June 25th at 8:00 pm so be sure to mark your calendars for this key date.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.