2021 Ford F-150: It’s Got Screen Presence

The 2021 Ford F-150 promises to outperform its competition when it comes to max towing, payload, and horsepower. But nowadays, people expect their trucks to be not only capable but also comfortable and technologically advanced. Fortunately, the Blue Oval also improved these areas of its truck, giving its best-selling model a more inviting interior with company’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system. It’s standard across the board, however, the way you interact with it differs between trims and option packages.

Bigger Screens

Even base F-150s have a reasonably sized screen now. The 2021 Ford F-150 comes standard with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, which was previously optional. Buyers can upgrade to a Ram-rivaling 12.0-inch screen, too. Unlike the big screen on the Ram 1500, which has a portrait orientation, the fancy Ford unit features a landscape design. Its split-screen functionality lets you control navigation on the left of the screen and music on the right, for example.

New Digital Instrument Cluster

A new fully digital instrument cluster gives the F-150 a much more modern look. The available 12.0-inch unit displays key information such as speed, gear selection, and even off-roading data. When navigation is engaged, it will show turn-by-turn directions. The gauge cluster features unique graphics and animations that change depending on the drive mode. Alas, the setup isn’t standard across the board, and lesser F-150s make do with a 4.0-inch cluster screen.

Wireless Smartphone Connectivity

You can keep the USB cord at home thanks to Sync 4’s wireless compatibility with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Drivers can also access Sync AppLink apps such as Waze and Amazon Alexa.

More Computing Power

Sync 4 has twice the computing power of Ford’s previous-generation infotainment system. That ought to help it perform more tasks more quickly.

Better Voice Control

We’ll have to test it out for ourselves, but Ford claims its new infotainment system recognizes more conversational language. Given our positive experiences with the voice control systems in recent Lincoln products, we’re hopeful the F-150’s system is equally as competent.

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