You might be asking yourself, “how exactly can I spot the differences between the F-150 XLT and the FX4?” Well, if getting a response to that question is your purpose of being here, you’re at the right place. In this article, we’ll not only disclose the answer to the question — What’s The Difference Between FX4 And XLT? — we will also give a little information about the F-150 FX4 and the XLT.

Table of Contents

What’s The Difference Between FX4 And XLT?

The FX4 is the offroad package, and the XLT is just a regular F-150, nothing fancy. If you place an FX4 and a 4×4 XLT side by side, the FX4 will definitely be taller.

F-150 FX4 vs F-150 XLT

There are pickup trucks out there known for their gasoline-electric hybrid nature, and they’ve always been the choice of many. One disappointing thing is, it took an automaker this long to build a fabulous one. As effective and good as the 2021 version of the Ford F-150 XLT Powerboost is, it’ll record more effectiveness and fascinating qualities when the last few programming wrinkles are wiped out. The F-150 XLT performs maximally in terms of delivering far higher hauling and towing capability. Is it in the area of functionality, the hybrid pickup of Ford checks every single one on the target chart.

Hybrid Power

Let’s focus our attention on the powertrain a bit. It helps in allowing this full-size truck to hit a 60 mph mark in 5.3 seconds, yet it doesn’t become less efficient. According to the EPA — the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — the F-150 PowerBoost has the capacity to travel up to 624 miles before giving the notification for refueling. You know what it means for one to drive all over Southern California in a truck quickly and have the gas gauge remain on three-quarter of a tank: interesting. It’s quite quick, similar to the speed of a fox, and while it’s quick, it also requires few journeys to the gas station. On top of that, it’s built to save you money on gas.

You’d find the wrinkle in the driving experience of F-150 PowerBoost. The 35-kilowatt electric motor is built with the capability of being able to move the truck on its own — but with a hp of up to 47 (47hp), it, to keep the truck in its EV mode, takes a light touch, an extremely light touch.

For the gas engine to kick on, simply do beyond breathing on the accelerator. Looking at the gas engines and electric motors, their combined output is smooth — but they don’t always result in a smooth transmission. We can’t fail to include what it struggles with: as regards that, there’s low-speed, light-throttle situations such as heavy traffic, where the shifts it comes with are clunky enough that you end up being worried about “it just might hurt something.” We can say that, as for the problem, we found it to be intermittent, but when it came into play, there was no missing it.

Furthermore, let’s look at the braking. Ford — the popular automobile company we all know — has been following the process of building hybrid vehicles for almost two decades, so you shouldn’t expect to see much of any excuse around the truck’s funky left pedal, not when the performance of other Ford hybrids can be tagged as “working just fine.” This brake pedal comes with every single one of the hallmarks of hybrids of the previous year, with unclear initial engagement alongside enough engagement when the regenerative brakes usher in the mechanical blinders.

Software Struggles

One of the things we intended to do, was to evaluate how much torque of the electric motor assists with towing, only to have another bug thwart it — a bug in the trailer brake controller. It doesn’t matter what we did, you just have to know that the integrated trailer brakes wouldn’t activate the trailer brakes. What we did to verify what really the issue was, was: we hitched the trailer to a separate truck — a truck that doesn’t have any issue with the trailer brakes and the trailer brake controller.

All those issues are simply software issues. What does this mean? It means that for you to rectify these issues, you have to employ the use of the type of over-the-air software updates which are compatible with this truck, so hopefully, it wouldn’t take so much time before the issues are remedied. In the same vein, we just hope that a software update can help to speed up the infotainment system of the truck. The update is needed because the infotainment system tends to respond pretty slowly to your inputs. Also, there are times it just freezes up entirely — and this lasts for a couple of seconds.

Truck Stuff

Look away from the new-tech teething issue, and you’ll appreciate the fundamentals which Ford got right. According to what we felt, the F-150 of the previous generation was regarded as the truckiest of the Big Three pickups, full-size pickups. The Ram 1500 rode better and the Chevrolet Silverado handled better. The F-150 itself just felt like one of those traditional trucks out there. This new model points out, and also splits, the hidden difference between the Ram and the Chevy.

The stats are available as well. With a capacity of up to 2,120 pounds, the maximum payload figure of the hybrid takes its place in the F-150 range’s middle. It’s just similar to towing, where its maximum of 12,700 pounds is found on the scale’s higher side. When it comes to new technologies that work amazingly well, there are plenty of them out there. The gamut of Ford’s Co-Pilot360 advanced driver assistance technologies was fitted into a truck and frankly speaking, the performance of the F-150 PowerBoost’s adaptive cruise control and active lane centering was quite impressive. They allow you the ability to take your two hands off the wheel — and it’s something you can do without the fear of any unexpected/expected occurrence while being focused on the road.

In addition, there’s a system on the F-150 models known as the Pro Power Onboard mobile generator system. As for the PowerBoost hybrid, it gets, as its standard, a more powerful version — and to add to that, it offers an extremely powerful optional system. The basic 2.4-kilowatt system comes with two 120-volt outlets generating up to 20 amps each. This is beyond enough to run about two power tools in a simultaneous manner. If you choose to go for the 7.2-kW system, then you’ll get four 120-volt outlets at 20 amps each 30-amp, 240-volt NEMA L14-30R outlet, which — together —offer enough juice to effectively run half a worksite. You would really be lucky, if you had the ability to blow up an air mattress at the location of the camp, without — in any way — popping the breaker.

On a pickup truck, the most useful feature that’s installed Pro Power Onboard: this feature has been available since or over a decade.

Tricks Of The Trade

The tablet and phone holder integrated around/within the tailgate is quite handy. There’s a stick, a measuring stick precisely, molded right into the tailgate — and it’s a lot useful if you misplace your measuring tape.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does The FX4 Ride Better?

The FX4 comes with offroad tuned shocks. The presence of these shocks is to ensure that the lariat will ride smoother. Even though it has a full load in the bed, it still rides the best.

What Does XLT Ford Stands For?

It stands for extra luxurious trucks. The XLT was Ford’s way of saying “extra luxurious truck.” As a side-bar, the explorer name also originated as an appearance package on the F-Series as well.

Does FX4 Sit Higher?

The answer to this question is a big NO. The FX4 doesn’t sit higher. FX4 gets you (2) decals, (4) average shocks with red boots, and a couple of skidplates. All of the above have no effect on ride height. To increase the ride height you need the HD suspension, the camper package, or the snowplow package.

What Is The XLT Package?

The XLT adds on some desirable exterior features that aren’t found on the base trim. These include chrome exterior trim, chrome bumpers, alloy wheels, and foglights.

Can You Add FX4 Package After Purchase?

You can always just get the sticker and add. FX4 gets you locking rear differential, skid plates, stiffer shocks, and hill descent assist. All is swappable with the exception of hill descent.

Does FX4 Have A Lift?

For one, any FX4 equipped truck is given a lift and off-road-tuned, improved, rancho stocks.