Family Car Review: 2024 Ford F150 XLT American Pick-Up

How big is the tray of the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT?

Storage in the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT's tray is enormous for family use. So big in fact I could put all four of the Thule prams in the tray at the same time!

The tray floor is corrugated with a grippy paint surface which is quite scratchy.

When empty, the 2024 Ford F-150's tray holds thirty-five shopping bags, comparable to a Ford Ranger which holds thirty shopping bags and the Chevrolet Silverado which holds thirty-seven.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat…

…will fit in the tray of the Ford F-150 XLT with 28 shopping bags.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with two sibling seats…

…will fit in the boot of the Ford F-150 XLT with 29 shopping bags beside it.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat and bassinet beside it…

…will fit in the tray of the Ford F-150 XLT with 23 shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 3 single is the ultimate all-terrain stroller…

… with the back wheels on, fits in the tray of the Ford F-150 with 25 shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 3 double is Thule's beloved ultimate all-terrain stroller…

… with the back wheels on, it will fit in the boot of the Ford F-150 with 25 shopping bags.

The Thule Spring, lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…

…fits in the boot of the Ford F-150 XLT with 31 shopping bags.

How good is storage in the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT?

In the front of the Ford F-150 storage is fantastic! The central console has two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable cup holder and beside them are a couple of good storage wells. In front of the cup holders is a phone tray and charging pad. There are USB and USB-C charging sockets there too.

Perhaps the most opulent front storage feature is the central console storage box. It is enormous and the lid folds out to make a little table to eat your lunch at or to work on your laptop!

There are two glove boxes in the passenger side dash which are practical for families and fit your wallet and iPad in the lower glove box and a phone size upper glove box.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling and vanity mirror in the visors.

The door bins in the front have great storage. With room for two drink bottles, an iPad, a wallet and a phone!

The back of the F-150 XLT, is full of storage too.

The back of the central console box has two cup holders that will hold a reusable coffee cup or kid's drink cup and there's a slot for storing a phone between them.

There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold an iPad and USB-C and 12V charging sockets in the back of the central console box.

The rear door bin storage is very generous. They will hold a refillable water bottle or a couple of cans and an iPad and wallet fit in them too. Above that is another generous storage bin and there is a cup holder in the door that will hold a coffee cup for adults and a kids drink cup fits too.

How noisy is the 2024 Ford F150, and how easy is the media screen to use?

Being a ‘Mega Ute' pick-up truck, the F-150 is a large vehicle that requires a bit of grunt to move around, so you would expect a bit of engine noise. However, the engine feels so far from where you sit that you can't hear it like you can in normal utes so it's a bit like a ship in that sense. This adds to the relaxed and comfortable drive feel.

The Ford F-150's media system seems small against the supersized surroundings but is lovely and easy to navigate and use. The menu is along the bottom of the screen.

There is a towing screen and you can go into the driver assistance settings and customise them.

The F-150 has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can access your phone's navigation, messaging and listening apps while driving…

… and you can go into sounds and adjust those to your family's liking.

The Ford F-150 XLT has built-in Sat-Nav which is easy to use and navigate.

The climate controls are on the dash below the media screen so you can access them at any time when driving. There are plenty of USB and USB-C outlets in the front and a 12V socket.

The reversing camera is nice and clear…

… You can turn off the parking sensors with a button on the top right of the screen.

There is a helpful camera angle over the tow ball for hitching up for towing. The Ford F-150 XLT has a 4.5-tonne towing capacity (a tonne more than most utes and big SUVs).

There is a rear occupant reminder in the media screen when you get out of the F-150 so you don't leave your kids in the car.

The F-150's indicator sound is not too loud, so it did not disturb my kids while sleeping in the back.

The windows and doors in the Ford F-150 are not too loud or noisy to open and close, considering how big they are it's quite surprising!

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

How many child/baby seats can you fit in the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT?

When it comes to installing child seats in the Ford F-150 XLT there is so much space! It makes things far easier than cramped dual-cabs Australians usually deal with.

There are ISOFix points in both outer second-row seats. They are not within plastic guides but between the base and back of the seat fabric; they are nice and easy to connect to.

All three second-row seats have top tether anchorages behind the headrests, which are woven loops with metal rings attached. Compared to the Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton, Isuzu D-Max, Mazda BT-50 and Toyota HiLux these metal rings reduce the fabric-on-fabric friction, making it a bit easier to pass the top tether straps through as well as less concern about long-term longevity.

For the outer two seats you thread the top tether strap through the metal ring behind the headrest and take it across and fasten it to the metal ring behind the central seat headrest. The driver's manual says you can install three child seats in the back of the Ford F-150 using this method. So for the central seat, you thread through the ring behind the central seat headrest and across to one of the outer seats.

The rear seats are very spacious and wide and three child seats fit really comfortably across the second row of the Ford F-150 XLT. It's a really spacious back seat and interior so different combinations of forward-facing and rear-facing child seats fit well.

I could also fit in the central seat between two child seats, where the sofa-like bench was almost as comfy as the armchairs in front.

With a rear-facing child seat in the second row, we could fit a 190cm driver in front of it comfortably. Or, with a forward-facing child seat in the second row, we could fit a 190cm+ driver in front. Most dual-cabs are legroom-free zones with rear-facing child seats in.

The floor is almost flat in the rear footwell giving plenty of kick room for rear passengers. The rear doors open nice and wide so there is easy access for passengers getting in and out.

There is room to insert Bub into their child seat from outside the car and from inside, and there is room to feed Bub in the back if you have one or two child seats is installed.

Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

How comfortable is the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT?

The Ford F-150 XLT  keeps rear passengers comfortable with air vents in the back of the central console box and USB and USB-C sockets for charging devices while travelling.

The climate controls are on the dash underneath the media screen, and they are easily accessible while driving.

The rear seats are comfortable for passengers, not in child seats, and have fantastic legroom. The rear footwell is almost completely flat so you have great rear kick room. The upholstery is light grey marled cloth, with contrast grey panels. I actually liked it for its simplicity and the seats felt comfortable to sit on. Like your sofa at home (if you have a really nice sofa).

There are four large air-conditioning vents across the front of the dashboard, one on either side of the media screen and one at each end of the dashboard.

Visibility is good in the F-150. Even with three child seats installed in the back, because it's so spacious I could see well over the top of them and out of the rear side windows.

The rear windows are enormous, so rear passengers forward facing and rear facing have great visibility.

The 2024 Ford F-150 XLT is a fantastic pick-up to drive. I have thoroughly enjoyed it! It feels like you are driving around a very relaxed armchair, which is exactly what you want for the kind of long-distance road trips the F-150 is made for. Although it is enormous and very spacious inside you forget that when you are driving it and just enjoy the personal space and relaxed vibes. Being so large the turning circle is obviously big but the steering isn't heavy so manoeuvring it in carparks is easy and the good visibility and cameras help too.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually, I dread parking in our tight apartment block carpark, the Ford F-150 is fun to reverse park!

How safe is the 2024 Ford F-150 XLT?

The Ford F-150 XLT has not been through ANCAP crash testing. In the US the F-150 was awarded a five-star safety rating according to testing conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). However different countries have different safety criteria. One safety fail I found was the super-dim headlights. In this day and age, they are ridiculously bad! It also lacks adaptive cruise control.

Six airbags are standard:

Driver and front passenger, driver and front passenger seat mounted side and safety canopy side curtains.

The Ford F-150 includes a number of safety features and driver assists technology as standard, although not as much as most modern vehicles, which was surprising. It comes with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), anti-lock brakes, auto-on headlights,  auto-dimming rear-view mirror, blind spot monitoring (BSM), electronic stability control, emergency assistance, hill start assist, post impact braking assist, rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), reverse brake rollover mitigation, rear-view camera with hitch assist, rear parking sensors, trailer hitch light and trailer tow coverage, traction control, tyre pressure monitoring and trailer sway control.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!