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Am I the only one who finds the keyless entry on the F-150 (and all Ford vehicles) extremely outdated? While I personally never use it, I certainly understand the functionality of it. I just wonder if it's outlived its usefulness with apps that can unlock your door. I used to own a 1995 Crown Victoria that had what feels like the same exact buttons. At a minimum, I'm very surprised that they haven't at least updated the design to look a bit more sleek. Perhaps, more of a touch screen on that door pillar to enter the code? I feel like Ford has mostly done a great job with the 2021 redesign, but there are also some misses there, and the buttons (for me) are in glaring need of complete abolishment, or a redesign to at least make them appear like they fit in with the current century!
... and WHY do they give us TEN numbers and only FIVE buttons?...
If ford still had cassette players we would have an exact same tread about it… people saying they love it, ones who hate it.
Some argue it’s for contractors… well why isn’t it standard in the XL trims?
Some argue it’s not replaceable, but I could get a brand new iPhone XR with Face ID which would be far superior, or even the ancient instant finger print recognition. With how many innovative things ford has done (EVs self driving) isn’t there something thing could come up with? Guess not. I guess there is so many people that buy fords for this innovative feature they just won’t let it go…
All great points by you. It is sort of crazy with all of the innovations in the autmotive industry that we have these same keypads....from three plus decades ago! Also, great points about the keypads only being reserved for those higher trim levels, and the cassette thing. There would absolutely, positively be people who tell you how great the cassette player is. I'm convinced that some people are just so blindly loyal to a brand. That's never really been my thing. If I designed a truck, I would take features from every manufacturer. I've always loved the entire rear window in the Tundra rolling down, and yet only Toyota offers that feature. Given they've offered it on Tundras for 20 years, it can't be that difficult to replicate! That extra space to put something into the cab of my truck with a five and a half foot bed would be far more useful to me than a keypad. Oh, and I would ensure every step has the built in steps to the bumper that GM has been doing since 2014 on their trucks. I find that far more functional than the slide out step that Ford has been using for a very long time on the F-150's. Oh, and at this point, it should be easy enough to incporate a rear facing camera for the rear view mirror on every truck. I had it on two Rams I owned, and it's a great feature. One of these days, I'm hopeful that one of these manufacturers will build that ultimate truck, that incorporates all of the great features from every manufacturer. A man can dream.
Am I the only one who finds the keyless entry on the F-150 (and all Ford vehicles) extremely outdated? While I personally never use it, I certainly understand the functionality of it. I just wonder if it's outlived its usefulness with apps that can unlock your door. I used to own a 1995 Crown Victoria that had what feels like the same exact buttons. At a minimum, I'm very surprised that they haven't at least updated the design to look a bit more sleek. Perhaps, more of a touch screen on that door pillar to enter the code? I feel like Ford has mostly done a great job with the 2021 redesign, but there are also some misses there, and the buttons (for me) are in glaring need of complete abolishment, or a redesign to at least make them appear like they fit in with the current century!
I miss it on my new car. I have the pushbutton start and sensors in the door handles to unlock, but that all requires a FOB.
My new car has an APP available, however I would rather carry a small fob to unlock my door than a cell phone. Or better yet, the keypad.
Its not often I needed it or used it, but I like having it better than having it removed.
Great for a quick trip to the vehicle to lock/unlock without grabbing a key first.
Oh, and I would ensure every step has the built in steps to the bumper that GM has been doing since 2014 on their trucks. I find that far more functional than the slide out step that Ford has been using for a very long time on the F-150's..
The tailgate step is much more useful to me because when deployed it hangs down below the bumper.
With a leveling kit and larger tires the bumper steps are too high for old timers like me to use. Also when the tailgate is down the tailgate step is easier and safer to get into the bed.
The tailgate step is much more useful to me because when deployed it hangs down below the bumper.
With a leveling kit and larger tires the bumper steps are too high for old timers like me to use. Also when the tailgate is down the tailgate step is easier and safer to get into the bed.
I hadn't even considered that angle, but I see your point how that could be an issue. I'm also 6'4", so have long enough legs, but I also don't lift any of my trucks, or put larger tires on them, so that's probably why I've always appreciated the built in bumper steps that GM uses. It's just always there, and it doesn't look bad to me.
This is the best response I've seen. All really great points. I'm in my fifties, so not exactly a young kid, and a reason I still remember that awful looking keypad from my 1995 Crown Vic That said, I also never go anywhere (unless it's the bathroom in my own house) without my cell phone in my hand, so I guess that I sometimes forget there are still humans that don't have a smart phone. Based upon the responses, I'm clearly very much in the minority with the opinion that the keypad is flat out ugly, and offensive to look at on a modern truck. Again, I thought it was ugly in 1995. The fact that it still looks the same as it did almost 30 years ago just doesn't allow it (in my opinion) to work with the aesthetics of any modern vehicle. For me, it's like having headlights from a 1995 truck on my 2021 truck.
Yeah, don't get me wrong, I am fine if they replace it. I re-read my response and want to clarify I am not against it going away entirely. Someone later on said something along the lines of replacing it with finger print ID or whatever, fine! I would be down with that. We already have touch unlock on most trim levels as of this gen, and touch ID tech is pretty advanced and used in a lot of critical situations. It has its flaws, but so does a five button combination. I just meant, there isn't a currently in place exact replacement, where I could access my truck without my keys.
Another situation I just remembered if for friends to access the vehicle. I have a close friend that also works at Ford, and on my way to work I would sometimes have something to drop off to them and I was able to just go to his truck in the parking lot and get in using the keypad and leave the stuff and lock his truck and move on. He didn't have to step away from work or be available to unlock the truck from FordPass in case he was in a meeting or something. It's just convenient.
All that said, I would still buy an F-150 without it. This isn't a make or break thing for me. But the look has never bothered me which for me makes it more of an appealing feature than not. For people that either don't use it and don't like the look, or find the look to be more offensive than the feature is useful, I get it. If Ford does a finger ID replacement or something, that would be sweet.
Yeah, don't get me wrong, I am fine if they replace it. I re-read my response and want to clarify I am not against it going away entirely. Someone later on said something along the lines of replacing it with finger print ID or whatever, fine! I would be down with that. We already have touch unlock on most trim levels as of this gen, and touch ID tech is pretty advanced and used in a lot of critical situations. It has its flaws, but so does a five button combination. I just meant, there isn't a currently in place exact replacement, where I could access my truck without my keys.
Another situation I just remembered if for friends to access the vehicle. I have a close friend that also works at Ford, and on my way to work I would sometimes have something to drop off to them and I was able to just go to his truck in the parking lot and get in using the keypad and leave the stuff and lock his truck and move on. He didn't have to step away from work or be available to unlock the truck from FordPass in case he was in a meeting or something. It's just convenient.
All that said, I would still buy an F-150 without it. This isn't a make or break thing for me. But the look has never bothered me which for me makes it more of an appealing feature than not. For people that either don't use it and don't like the look, or find the look to be more offensive than the feature is useful, I get it. If Ford does a finger ID replacement or something, that would be sweet.
Believe me...it's not lost on me that at the end of the day this isn't that big of a deal, and truly a first world "problem"! For me, the bottom line is that I just think a keypad from 25 plus years ago looks very out of place on a truck that had a sticker price of $76K in today's world.
That said, I also never go anywhere (unless it's the bathroom in my own house) without my cell phone in my hand, so I guess that I sometimes forget there are still humans that don't have a smart phone. Based upon the responses, I'm clearly very much in the minority with the opinion that the keypad is flat out ugly, and offensive to look at on a modern truck. Again, I thought it was ugly in 1995. The fact that it still looks the same as it did almost 30 years ago just doesn't allow it (in my opinion) to work with the aesthetics of any modern vehicle. For me, it's like having headlights from a 1995 truck on my 2021 truck.