Ford F-150 Platinum 2026 Review

With a list price of $163,950 in both short-wheelbase (SWB) and long-wheelbase (LWB) form, the 2026 Ford F-150 Platinum asks a generous chunk of change. It’s a square $4000 more than a RAM 1500 Laramie Limited, but $9040 less than a Toyota Tundra Platinum, so what do you get for your spend?

Unique to the F-150 Platinum are a set of power-retracting side steps which automatically deploy when the doors are opened, black leather upholstery, and front seats that can not only massage you from your thighs to your shoulder blades, but are also able to recline to a near-flat configuration.

There’s a bevy of Platinum badges throughout, while the 360-degree camera array also gains a camera overlooking the cargo tub. A fold-up rigid tonneau cover is also standard-fit, while the grille, headlamp jewellery, 20-inch gloss black alloys and body-colour front bumper are unique to the Platinum too.

And that’s on top of features common to the Lariat which are also included at the Platinum and XLT level, like heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard rear seats, a 14-speaker B&O audio system, glass roof, wireless charger, and the clever Pro Access tailgate, which can hinge downward conventionally as well as swing sideways for more convenient access to the tub.

Mechanically, the only upgrade the Platinum offers over the XLT and Lariat comes in the form of its continuously controlled damping (CCD) suspension which automatically vary the damping force 500 times per second to enhance body control, with specific tunes for the F-150’s various drive modes like Sport and Tow/Haul.

Otherwise, the greasy parts are familiar fare. The 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6 carries over with 298kW and 678Nm, with power sent to all four via a 10-speed auto and a multi-mode four-wheel drive system.

Like the living room of your rich, child-free uncle, the interior of the Ford F-150 Platinum is not short of gadgets and luxuries.

It was already a comfortable place to be thanks to the massive sprawling space offered by Ford’s biggest dual-cab, but in the Platinum you can truly make yourself at home by unfurling the front seats into their near-flat position (which also raises the rear of the base cushion so your bum is actually aligned with your spine), engaging the massage function, and enjoying the most relaxing powernap of your life.

Out on the road, the driving experience is fairly hard to top for a full-size ute. Revisions to the steering hardware and tuning for 2026 have delivered an agreeable amount of weight to the tiller that doesn’t make you feel like you’re piloting a hulking truck when schlepping around town, but it also feels stable at highway speeds.

Fuel economy is also decent for such a big bus: the factory claim is 13.4L/100km on the combined cycle, but after 600km of mostly country cruising we saw an average of 11.5L/100km. Not a bad figure considering the F-150’s muscular engine and 2.6-tonne heft.

The CCD suspension proves its worth by taming the F-150’s tendency to bounce after rolling over larger bumps. Rebound recovery is definitely swifter than the passive dampers of the XLT and Lariat, and a brief towing test proved that body control remained decent even when hooked up to a trailer.

That said, the load we were pulling as a mere 2400kg rather than the full 4500kg load the F-150 is rated for, so further testing may be required for a definitive verdict there.

For a vehicle pitched as the luxury flagship of its ilk, there are some things about the F-150 Platinum that feel decidedly un-luxe.

The remarkably synthetic-looking leather upholstery is one, and the way various actuators – principally the retraction motors for the side steps and the gear selector – loudly complain when asked to work is another.

On top of that, the rest of the cabin trimmings don’t represent a massive step up on what you receive in the Lariat grade, which costs $20K less.

And while the CCD suspension definitely tames big body movements better than the passive dampers, it isn’t exactly a magic bullet when it comes to ironing out choppy surfaces. It copes very well on long undulations and bigger hits (basically, anything that exercises a significant portion of the damper stroke), but on small-amplitude, high-frequency bumps it can still feel a touch sharp.

The rigid tonneau cover is another thing. Yes, it’s dramatically more secure and easy to work with than a flappy vinyl tonneau, but at this end of the price spectrum some may question why a motorised roller tonneau isn’t standard-issue instead.

Is the value of the Platinum’s extra equipment actually worth the twenty grand extra over a Lariat, or the fifty grand over an XLT? Unless you tow heavy things on a frequent basis and would thus make the most use of that adaptive suspension – or you just really love a mid-trip massage – it’s hard to see sense in paying $164K when the junior F-150 grades deliver the same core capabilities.

2026 Ford F-150 Platinum at a glance:
Price: $163,950 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.5-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Output: 298kW/678Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Fuel: 13.4L/100km
CO2: 306g/km
Safety rating: Platinum (ANCAP collision avoidance rating)

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