The 2027 Ford F-150 Can Finally Tow A 10,000-Pound Trailer Down A Highway Without You Holding The Steering Wheel

For the past 49 years, the Ford F-Series has been America’s best-selling pickup truck. Nearly a million new F-Series trucks find their way to driveways, job sites, and campgrounds every single year, and Ford wants to retain its crown. For 2027, the Ford F-150 is getting some mild visual upgrades, a huge technology upgrade, and two beloved off-road trim models are getting more accessible. For one, the Ford F-150’s BlueCruise system can now officially tow a 10,000-pound trailer with your hands off the wheel.

Now, Ford’s claim to having the best-selling truck for 49 years is a technicality. If you were to combine the sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra into the same pile, General Motors sells more trucks. However, the Silverado and Sierra are marketed as two different trucks under two different brands. Either way, the fact that there are nearly two million full-size truck sales between Ford and General Motors alone is frankly nutty. Add in Ram, and you’re well over two million.

As such, it’s not at all surprising that all of the Big Three are in a sort of pickup truck arms race. Everyone is angling to have the best tow rating, the best luxury, the best technology, the best off-road capability, and the best comfort. Ford’s biggest upgrade to the 2027 Ford F-150 finally brings its Level 2 driver assistance system to the level that GM has had for a few years now.

So Subtle You Might Miss It

The list of upgrades to the 2027 Ford F-150 starts off subtly. Visually, the updated XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trim levels have a new grille and new wheels. The new grilles don’t make a huge difference, but Ford says they came after customers asked for a “modern spin on a familiar face.” For reference, here’s what the 2026 Ford F-150 Lariat looks like:

Here’s what the 2027 Ford F-150 Lariat looks like:

Curiously, the new Lariat grille looks vaguely similar to the 2026 F-150 Platinum grille, which looks like this:

I don’t really have a stance on the new grille one way or another, and that’s probably a good thing. The current generation F-150 is a handsome truck, and Ford clearly didn’t want to rock the boat that much for a mid-cycle update.

The next biggest upgrade to the 2027 Ford F-150 is the setlist of engines. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 that stood as the F-150’s base engine will no longer be offered with the F-150. In its place will be the 3.0-liter EcoBoost twin-turbo V6. According to Ford, the 3.0-liter engine makes 325 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, and 400 lb-ft of torque at 2,200 RPM. Apparently, this engine has the same “peak capability” as the outgoing 2.7-liter mill, but is said to provide 10 percent to 11 percent more torque “where daily driving occurs.” For reference, the output of the outgoing 2.7-liter V6 is 325 horsepower. The 3.0-liter’s block is also made out of compacted graphite iron like the outgoing 2.7-liter engine.

With the 2.7 gone, Ford says that the 2027 F-150’s engine lineup will look like this, at least in standard trim levels, which has more good news:

• 3.0-liter EcoBoost (new base engine).
• 5.0-liter V8 (400 hp / 410 lb-ft torque) — King Ranch, Platinum.
• 3.5-liter EcoBoost (500 lb-ft torque, towing at 13,500 lbs).
• 3.5-liter PowerBoost Hybrid (570 lb-ft torque, available 2.4kW, available 7.2 kW Pro Power Onboard).

That’s right, V8s are back on the menu in high trim levels again! The King Ranch and Platinum haven’t seen the V8 since 2023.

There’s more good news, too. Ford says that it’s found a way to make the Tremor and the Raptor cheaper. How? Ford’s just going to rip content out.

New for next year is an entry-level Ford F-150 Tremor, which starts on the STX trim. From there, Ford starts removing features that would normally be standard on the Tremor. Ford says the Tremor Low has “an STX steering wheel, manual A/C instead of Dual Zone climate control, the removal of heated front seats, a 6-speaker audio system rather than the 8-speaker B&O setup, the deletion of off-road running boards, and fixed rear glass in place of the power sliding rear window.” The most important Tremor features, like the 33-inch tires, the off-road suspension, and off-road modes, stick around.

Then there’s the new entry-level Raptor, and once again, Ford’s making this one cheaper by taking standard content out. To reach the new lower Raptor, Ford removes the head-up display, the fog lights, the Pro Power Onboard system, the Mobile Office, the power passenger seat, the under-and the seat storage. Further adjustments include a swap from a power-adjustable steering wheel to a manual one, and the B&O audio system gets its 14 speakers reduced to eight speakers. The rest of the truck is standard Raptor.

Weirdly, Ford doesn’t say how much these cheaper trim levels will be.

BlueCruise Can Tow Trailers Hands-Free Now

Perhaps the biggest news for 2027 is a long-awaited technology upgrade. For the first time in the F-150 line, BlueCruise will be able to tow a trailer without your hands on the steering wheel. BlueCruise is Ford’s Level 2 driver assistance system that offers a hands-free driving experience, so long as you’re paying attention to the road.

Ford says that customers have been begging for this ever since the system launched in 2021. According to Ford’s research, 76 percent of F-150 owners tow trailers, and F-150 owners also logged 118 million miles on BlueCruise in 2025 alone, so Ford felt that there was a disconnect between how drivers use their trucks and the level of functionality from BlueCruise. Of course, some people have allegedly gotten their BlueCruise to work while towing, but it wasn’t officially supported.

Then there was the thorn in Ford’s backside, General Motors. The GM Super Cruise system has been able to tow trailers down the highway hands-free since 2022. Technically, that means Ford is late to the game here. But as the kids say, late is better than never. Ford says that developing BlueCruise with Towing was “one of our most complex software developments to date,” and involved thousands of miles of testing dozens of truck and trailer combinations against pretty much every environment someone can reasonably expect, from the windy Great Plains to mountain climbs.

The result is that BlueCruise should tow a trailer down a highway almost like a human can. The system can monitor trailer sway and make corrections where necessary while also monitoring tire pressures and weight for any issues. BlueCruise with Towing is unable to make hands-free lane changes, will not go faster than 75 mph, will not perform in-lane repositioning, and will require the driver to hold the wheel in a construction zone.

This is similar to how GM’s Super Cruise works when towing, as that system also disables hands-free features that generally require the rear-facing sensors. Like Super Cruise, BlueCruise also only works on pre-mapped divided highways. In this case, Ford has mapped over 130,000 miles of highways. If BlueCruise with Towing is as competent as Super Cruise, this could be a game-changing feature for Ford enthusiasts. Every 2027 F-150 from XLT and up with BlueCruise will have access to the towing feature.

Another interesting claim from Ford is that BlueCruise with Towing can haul up to 10,000 pounds, or more weight than any gas-powered full-size pickup truck with a gross vehicle weight rating under 8,500 pounds. Ram has a hands-free Level 2 driver assistance system, but it doesn’t work while towing, so it’s out of the running.

GM doesn’t advertise a max tow rating with Super Cruise, but GM’s configurators don’t allow you to build a gasoline-powered truck that has both a tow rating above 10,000 pounds and Super Cruise at the same time. It will, however, let you configure a truck with a 3.0-liter Duramax, a tow rating above 10,000 pounds, and Super Cruise. So Ford’s claim is a technicality that hinges on “gas-powered.”

Of course, I feel like I need to note that these systems do not replace towing skills. Don’t just hitch up a giant trailer and hope that the robot will save you, because it will give up at the moment when you need to use your skills to keep things under control. At least, that’s my experience using these assist systems. All driver assist systems should be considered an augment to what you can already do. So, learn how to tow a trailer first before you try to rely on the BlueCruise or Super Cruise towing modes.

Still, even with the technicalities, all of these features are great. The 2027 Ford F-150 isn’t introducing anything Earth-shattering. Instead, it’s getting nice evolutionary updates. I’m for anything that makes towing trailers easier. Add in the entry-level off-roaders and mild styling update, and the Ford people seem to have done some good work here. Maybe, with some luck, I’ll get to try out BlueCruise and see how it hauls compared to Super Cruise!