Prosper2231

I wonder if California will have different EULA with their data protection laws. It looks like Ford will make more money selling data than they do off the truck.

Jeepcritter

well that was kinda rude. But to the poster's question, I believe lower trims will not get the 12 inch instrument cluster. XL and XLT probaby have more gauges with a smaller screen in the middle.

Jeepcritter

Here's the XLT pic from Ford's site. Definitely looks like a real needle to me.

Stu Cazzo

Ya, thats why I inserted the happy joker guy.
No, not trying to be rude but in all honesty, for years I've listened to members on here complain about how the XLT trims are so poorly equipped and why can't ford step up the options list a bit and increase the level of technology on the XLTs.

My response was always...buy a Lariat!

So now it "appears" that Ford is actually going to equip this next generation of trucks...specifically the XLT trims with some better technology and increased functions.

And so with that said, we now have member(s) saying they don't want the digital screen, analog gauges is the preference!!!

Now I'm sure there will be a package for everyone!

Im happy that the 2021 XLTs "appear" to be coming with the led lighting and some of the other desirable options so that those owners no longer have to buy led bulbs for their halogen lights.

Anth88

Stu was just kidding. I like Analog as well but can deal with digital just fine. I'm just extremely happy that we can still get a relatively basic pickup truck yet. Except for 4x4 there is not much more I want. They also seemed to make the center seat with better storage.

Stu Cazzo

The big question...yet to be answered is pricing. Wonder what the new line up will be going for!
Its was a pretty big jump to the 502a package on my Lariat but worth it to me.

Maybe that these new higher equipped XLTs will be priced a lot closer to the Lariats...

Overboost

Overall, the new truck turned out better than I had anticipated from the spy shots. The front fenders give it a more muscular appearance, and the interior is a large step up.

I'm not terribly impressed with the wheel designs, grilles (besides the STX), and I still prefer the slightly more angular center stack of the '15-20 interior. I had hoped that the full digital cluster would have more similarity to the Mustang cluster than the Escape/Explorer, in terms of design.

There's a lot of pushback/hesitation on the OTA concept. While it's not my cup of tea per se, I do think a lot of the buying public will enjoy the capability of it, simply from the reduced dealer trips that it provides. We're definitely seeing a shift in design in automotive components, from a time when hardware & software had to be complete, tested, and done before going in a vehicle. Software updates post-build were often few and far between. Now, Ford will give their supplier base the ability to flash OTA updates to their components that will help with warranty cost and owner perception, without ever setting foot into the service bay. For example, for anyone with the 5.0L and the oil consumption issue...wouldn't it have been nice to sit in your driveway and change the ECU strategy, without the hassles of dealer visits and scheduling? Ford would still have a record that the cal update was completed on your truck, and the dealer could see that you installed it. If they had data to show that the cal fixed it with a higher rate than the PCV and other hardware changes, wouldn't that have saved thousands of man hours at the dealership? What about the risk that the dealer techs misdiagnose or improperly re-assemble something? All reduced based on the OTA strategy that everyone (not just Ford) is moving to.

In terms of the "Big Brother" element of the OTA, it is far less that than people are assuming. The amount of security between each vehicle module and what is shared between them is VERY tightly controlled. Your cell phone is a much bigger personal data sponge than your vehicle is, at this point, and likely will ever be. Having the opportunity to add a feature down the road makes the first model year a little more relevant, especially if all it takes is a few minutes in your driveway to get the latest and greatest. Your driver door module isn't listening to you so it can start sharing Facebook ads based on your conversations that you have on the way to work each day.

ScaldedApe

The Car&Driver article doesn't seem to indicate that the two systems are separate. Adobe is showing the example of the type of information it can collect on users, including speed, start up time, run time, and more. By it's very nature, the OTA HAS to have access to all vehicle control modules in order to update them. That's the whole point. So yes, voice commands can be logged. Which means they can also be left on in order to have "hands-free activation". I think Amazon, Google, and Apple has already proven this point.

And I agree, your cell is a much higher offender because you're putting data into all sorts of systems (Facebook, Google, Apple, Tmobile, Microsoft). But I can actually just use my phone for its intended purpose (make phone calls and text) and never use my GPS, social media, or online shopping (i.e. reduce the number of contacts with various servers). I can turn all those things off or choose not to use them and the product still functions. With hooking up a vehicle to a Cloud server (not to mention we're uploading even more data into ANOTHER company), can I still opt out of these data transfers and still use the vehicle as intended? I don't know...the technology is still so new in major manufacturers. The C&D article admits that the tech is there, but we don't know exactly how companies are choosing to use the data.

Maybe some of us don't want to be a part of that experiment for the convenience of avoiding the dealership, is that too much to ask in a major purchase? Why not give the consumer the option? Make OTA a no or low-cost add on for people that want to participate.

Jeepcritter

I think it will still be that XLT will get the discounts and be the volume leader, with a slightly higher price to cover the new tech, and Lariat will still be a 4K jump with less incentives.

52isntbigenough

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read that the 12" was going to be available in the XLT.