These days, “truck people” tend to fall into one of two camps: those who actually need a truck and regularly put them to work, and those who want one as a lifestyle accessory and little more. The 2023 Ford F-150 Limited Powerboost is very clearly aimed at buyers in the latter group, and while I’ll never really understand that niche of “truck people”, I do agree with them on one thing: the top-dog F-150 sure is nice.
Between the multiple bed, cab, and powertrain options, Ford offers you Baskin Robbins-style variety in speccing an F-150. The top-spec Limited we have here is available exclusively with the Powerboost hybrid powertrain. Everyone fawns over Lightning and the Raptor, but the plush and relaxed Limited and the Powerboost hybrid is a sublime pairing.
It all starts with Ford’s 3.5-litre EcoBoost V6 engine under the hood, teamed to a 35 kW electric motor and a 1.5 kWh battery pack. Working together, this zappy combination puts out 430 horsepower and 570 pound-feet of torque — a sizable power bump over most F-150s using just the twin-turbo sixer, and actually torquier than the almighty Raptor.
All gas-swilling F-150s use a 10-speed automatic transmission, which sends power to the wheels through a traditional four-wheel-drive system. (Fun fact: the Lightning is actually all-wheel-drive!) I’m aware of the qualms with this Ford- and GM-developed autobox, but I have none to add. In fact, it was well-behaved throughout our rainy commutes with the truck, and happy to fire off snappy shifts on country drives.
No, I didn’t take it off-road. Are you nuts? Did you miss the rubber-band sidewalls on this thing? Besides, that’s not why you buy a Limited Powerboost. You buy an F-150 Limited Powerboost for one of two reasons.
Number one: the fuel economy. If you want a truck for whatever reason, despite most of your driving being around town, the hybrid is well-suited at keeping the fuel consumption impressively low for a truck. Officially, it’s rated at 10.5 L/100 kilometres in the city, 10.4 on the highway, and 10.4 combined. I’m satisfied with the 11.8 L/100 km it actually did over roughly 500 kilometres, most of that in stop-and-go traffic. It’s quite a way’s off from the official ratings, but it’s an improvement over the 13.0 we got in the last Powerboost, not to mention the 14.3 we did in the Tremor, and — should I even bother? — 16.8 L/100 km in the Raptor last winter.
Number two: the Limited is a genuinely nice truck. In an alternate universe, this is a 2023 Lincoln Blackwood. As with most trucks, the ride is a little choppy over rough surfaces, but the F-150 Limited is otherwise cushy and well-insulated on smooth pavement. The powertrain is quick and quiet. Steering isn’t a chore, visibility is great, and that interior is just on a whole other level.
This particular truck was finished in a fetching blue-on-blue colour combo, which rolling on bright 22-inch wheels and acres of bright chrome up front, garners a lot of looks. But the F-150 Limited takes “it’s what’s on the inside that counts” to heart. The cabin feels bright and airy thanks to the big windows and massive sunroof. Fit-and-finish and material quality are top-notch, with tight stitching, squishy touch points, and bright metal accents pretty much everywhere. The seats are supremely comfortable adorned in buttery smooth, quilted leather; between the generous glass, adjustable pedals, and the seats themselves, it’s very easy to find a comfortable driving position.
In fact, with generous headroom and legroom all around, the F-150 is pretty comfy regardless of where you sit. Plus, if you’re hauling cargo but not rear passengers, the rear bench flips up to generously accommodate anything that shouldn’t be in the bed on a rainy day. Not only that, the fold-away shift lever and armrest that turns into a flat work surface is a clever touch, serving as a mini desk or a platform for your Big Mac and fries. We won’t judge.
On the tech front, the Limited Powerboost is loaded up with all the bells and whistles you’d expect. Ford’s Pro Power Onboard system is a particularly nifty trick; it’s essentially a built-in generator that harnesses juice from the engine, electric motor, and battery to power small tools or even household appliances and electronics. The system is rated at 2.4 kW on most F-150s with the Powerboost trim, but can be optioned to put out up to 7.2 kW. The F-150 Limited gets this latter upgrade as standard. It’s a handy party trick for powering the Xbox and TV when you’re glamping, a microwave to zap a burrito at the job site, or provided you have a full tank of gas, even your home during an outage.
In addition to Pro Power Onboard, the F-150 Limited boasts the usual crop of tech. Infotainment is handled by Ford’s Sync 4 system; it’s intuitive and the Limited’s 12-inch display is crystal clear and responsive. It also comes with the de-rigueur suite of active driving assists, like adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, a 360-degree camera, and lots more. It can even steer for you in heavy traffic!
On price, you very much get what you pay for. The Limited starts at $106,285; the only options specced on this particular tester is $800 for special paint and $600 for a spray-in bedliner, bringing the total up to a not-insignificant $107,685. Too rich for your blood, but still want a Powerboost? The cheapest way to get the hybrid powertrain is the $70,000 Lariat; still a decent chunk of change, but at least it’s sub-$100,000.
An F-150 with plush carpets and cream-coloured leather seats isn’t a work truck — at least, not for the kind of work that gets dirt everywhere and puts gashes into beds. But the 2023 Ford F-150 Limited Powerboost is a lot of other things: it’s easy to live with, supremely comfy and luxurious, and with the hybrid powertrain under the hood, surprisingly frugal for a half-ton truck. After all, everyone deserves to be coddled, even “truck people” who rarely put their trucks to work.
