2021 Ford F

May 03, 2023

Ford added more functionality to the tailgate on the F-150 for use when it's lowered, including clamp pockets, pencil holders, and a tablet stand.

As the pickup wars have heated up in recent years, the tailgate has become the latest battleground. GMC recently began offering the innovative MultiPro tailgate on the Sierra, and Ram came out last year with its own multifunction tailgate on the 1500. Now, the 2021 Ford F-150 will offer its own tailgate whose functionality has the job site in mind.

Every F-150 tailgate will come with cleats mounted to the sides of the tailgate. When the tailgate it needs to stay down to fit long items, the cleats can used to securely fasten those items. These side cleats are something that the F-150's competitors don't offer. Every F-150 tailgate also gets new clamp pockets on either end of the gate so, for instance, woodworking clamps can secure a piece of lumber while making a cut with a circular saw.

The tailgate's work surface, optional on the new F-150, and offers several functions that can be accessed when the tailgate is down, including a phone or tablet holder, pencil holders, a ruler, and a cupholder. Other new items, including a generator, fold-down sleeper seats, and interior workspace features, function to make the F-150 a better-performing truck on construction sites and out on the road.

Unlike the tailgates seen on the GMC Sierra or the Ram 1500, the new tailgate on the F-150 has only one opening maneuver. The Sierra's MultiPro tailgate offers several different ways for the tailgate to be opened and the 1500's tailgate can be opened both the traditional way and split into a 60/40 barn-door style setup. Nonetheless, the tailgate's work surface is something new to offer to battle of the tailgates.

Colin Beresford, a born and raised metro Detroiter, has been surrounded by the auto industry his entire life. For most of his formative years, he didn't know who in their right mind would drive anything but an American-made car. He's passionate about all the ways that people get around, even if it doesn't involve a car or a driver. What he looks for in a vehicle is simple: it needs to be able to get him where the skiing, climbing, backpacking, or fly fishing is.

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