Pricing A 2021 Ford F-150 From Affordable To Expensive

Remember that scene in the movie, The Jerk, when Navin, played by the brilliant Steve Martin, proclaimed in excitement, “The new phonebooks are here, the new phonebooks are here”? As absurd as that was to be excited about something so mundane, many Ford enthusiasts are as jubilant over the release of the price configurator by Ford for the 2021 Ford F-150.

Just as Navin was excited, so too am I. And certainly, some have called me a jerk before. But I digress. Using Ford’s new 2021 F-150 pricing configurator, I decided to build a bare-boned F-150 and my dream F-150 to see the price differences.

Before getting into the two extremely different trucks that I created, let’s recap some of what we know about the 2021 Ford F-150. First, earlier this year, I went into detail about upcoming pricing and trims for the 2021 F-150. Find more on that article here.

We also know that one of the most exciting new features for the 2021 F-150 is the addition of a hybrid powertrain that Ford has named PowerBoost. The cost to add this technology to any engine is $2,500. We don’t know the fuel economy, but for me, this should be added to almost any build for maximum fuel efficiency, and as we reported, a hybrid in this case does not mean it’s a Prius.

With Ford mired under some frivolous lawsuits regarding fuel economy, the PowerBoost could really add legitimate fuel savings to the F-150.

Now, for the fun part. Using Ford’s price configurator, I priced the most basic 2021 F-150 I could find and then I built what would be my ultimate F-150. It’s important to note, that my ultimate F-150 was the King Ranch, and that you can add more packages on the top-of-the-line Limited trim with 4x4 will take the price more than $74,000. You’ll see my King Ranch build was reasonably less than that.

Let’s take a look at my two builds.

2021 Ford F-150 XL 2x4 Regular Cab with 6.5-foot bed
The XL trim is the base trim and this truck that I built was only the regular cab as I envisioned this more of a one-person truck, or a work truck. And remember, I wanted to build the least expensive truck I could do. Note: I could’ve built this same truck with an 8-foot bed, but chose to keep it to the 6.5-foot bed. The 5.5-foot bed is not available on this base trim.

This truck has the base 3.3-liter engine, but I did not add the hybrid PowerBoost to save money (from the bottom line). In doing so, I forego one of the coolest new features of the 2021 F-150 which is the Pro Power Onboard generator. The 10-speed automatic transmission is standard and so are 17-inch silver steel wheels, manual-folding side view mirror and 245/70 R17 BSW all-season tires.

The interior, being a basic work truck has cloth seats and vinyl floor coverings. Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system is standard, and really with smart phone integration, that’s all you need. Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 technology features lane-keep assist, pre-collision alert, and rear view camera with dynamic hitch.

In the end, the final price of this bare-boned 2021 F-150 is only $30,635, which when financed (according to Ford) over 60 months comes out to roughly $521/month.

2021 Ford F-150 King Ranch 4x4 SuperCrew with 5.5-foot bed
First, with thousands of different configurations, why did I settle on this one? Well for one, I’ve loved the King Ranch since it was launched. Plus, I want those full reclining seats that turn into a bed and that requires going to at least the King Ranch trim.

I also went with the SuperCrew interior for the spaciousness of the cabin. And I went with the smallest bed option as I want my truck to be easier to park and fit into spots, and since I could never envision towing plywood or anything too long, I didn’t think I needed the longer beds.

For this build I opted for the PowerBoost hybrid technology added to the 3.5-liter Ecoboost engine. I imagine the MPG on this will approach or exceed 30 mpg, and with the torque of the hybrid technology should give me all the towing capacity I might need.

Note: Neither towing nor fuel economy is known yet.

I chose the antimatter blue, because I love the color, although will miss Blue Jean from the previous generation F-150. There was no upcharge for the antimatter blue. For the exterior, I spent a little extra and added some nice touches that I think make the truck look fantastic, including the King Ranch Chrome Appearance (an extra $1,995). I think this adds an elegant look to the King Ranch.

Standard exterior features include: 20-inch chrome PVD wheels with Caribou King Ranch Wheel ornaments, LED box lighting along with LED fog lamps and LED cornering lamps and LED side-mirror spotlights. A power tailgate and tailgate step are standard along with the incredibly cool and useful new tailgate for the 2021 F-150 which includes cleats, clamp pockets, measuring unit and useful work surface.

Also included are power deployable running boards. I opted not to spend the extra $225 on the extended chrome running boards, but honestly since I chromed it out, I should’ve splurged on it.

I spent big on the 601A equipment package which includes the aforementioned power tailgate and multi-countour front seats with active motion. Additionally a great Bang & Olufsen sound system is part of this equipment package which has a total upgrade price of $4,560.

I added a few more interior features (I’m all about the interior creature comforts) that were upgrades including partitioned lockable fold-flat storage ($215), interior work surface (turning the center console into a flat work space ($165) and the aforementioned and awesome max recline front seats ($340).

My chromed-out, luxurious King Ranch 2021 Ford F-150 had a base MSRP of $59,775. With total options of $8,525 and a $1,695 destination charge, the final price of my truck was $69,975. Ford estimates a monthly payment (60 months and $7,000 down) of $1,189. Ouch! I guess I won’t be getting my dream truck any time soon as this as much as my house payment.

And therein lies the issue when I write about the F-150 here at Torque News. Readers speak up about the price. And I sympathize and understand. I certainly can’t afford the truck I want, but I could afford a lesser expensive F-150, as indicated here. But that’s not necessarily the truck I want.

So, what say you? Have you reserved your 2021 F-150 yet? With so many different grille options and trims, there are so many ways you can customize the 2021 Ford F-150. How will you build it? What features can’t you live without? Leave me your comments below.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.