With 11 Grille Options, 13 Wheel Choices, And New Paint Colors, The 2021 Ford F-150 Is Very Customizable

There’s been so much information over the last several days regarding the new 2021 Ford F-150. As someone who covers Ford and Ford trucks for Torque News, it’s been a gold mine.

One thing I noticed that has gone almost uncovered was the addition of new grilles and new wheels that will allow Ford truck consumers to essentially customize their 2021 Ford F-150. This is a win-win for both Ford and definitely for the consumer.

Add on the addition of some new color options including the gorgeous Antimatter Blue, which was the truck that rolled onto the stage with Denis Leary during the reveal on June 25 (pictured above), along with more new colors, and the consumer has choices. And choices are always good for the discerning truck consumer.

In my reveal story from Thursday night, I mention how stunning I thought the Limited trim grille was (main picture in this story). It looks classy and has loads of distinction. Many have been critical that the exterior styling wasn’t drastic enough for this 14th-generation, but I don’t believe that’s true.

So, let’s take a look at the different grille options available for the 2021 Ford F-150.

2021 Ford F-150 grille choices
There are 11 grille options for the 2021 Ford F-150. It will total 12 when Ford reveals the 2021 Ford Raptor, which unfortunately they didn’t offer much information regarding yet. We will wait impatiently for more details on the Raptor.

The grille of the base trim is the least impressive to me. It has an inexpensive look and feel with plastic vertical slats for the XL and XL Chrome. As the name insinuates, the base XL chrome features less plastic and has a chrome-like applique. It is the better looking of the two base trims of the 2021 F-150.

The STX trim is attractive and for me is one of the most drastically-different appearances for the 2021 F-150. The honeycomb-like black mesh grille is starkly different than the vertical bars found on the XL trims. Plus the surround of the STX grille matches the body color and gives the front end a sharp, attractive look.

The XLT trim has three variants including the XLT which is awfully close to the base model XL with only a slight difference. Then the XLT Chrome, as the name hints, adds an actual chrome frame around the grille. The XLT Sport is my favorite on this trim as it loses the chrome altogether and replaces it with dull black colored-surround and in place of chrome, there’s body-colored match for the rest of this grille. The XLT Sport is a hot trim with a distinctive grille.

The Lariat trim, one of the most popular trims for the F-150 gets its own grille and it has a lot of chrome. The vertical slats are slimmer and there’s chrome on the bumper too. For those people who don’t like chrome, this won’t be the trim for you. There’s also a Lariat Chrome option with even more chrome.

The Lariat Sport is the best option on the Lariat trim, replacing all chrome with the same dull-black accents found on the XLT Sport. Plus there’s color matching on the bumper making the Lariat Sport highly attractive.

The King Ranch has two different grilles that are distinctive to this trim. A gold-colored trim runs headlight to headlight on the center and that same gold color is matched on the bumper. There’s a King Ranch and King Ranch Chrome (which has more chrome as you’d expect).

The Platinum trim closely resembles the King Ranch grille, only instead of a gold-colored accent, it’s all chrome. And the bumper is color-matched to the body. For me, I’d skip the Platinum and go right to the Limited (or stick with the amenities of the King Ranch).

Speaking of the Limited, this grille is stunning. The skinny silver vertical slats add a unique grille to the F-150, plus the word Limited is emblazoned above the grille at the hood angle.

13 Unique Wheel Choices For 2021 Ford F-150
Wheels are a personal preference for most car-buyers. And in the truck-buying community, it’s a big aftermarket business too. Custom wheels are incredibly popular.

For 2021 Ford is offering 13 wheel choices for the consumer ranging in size from 17 to 22 inches. The basic wheel is a 17-inch steel option. Then there’s two 18-inch alloys that share the same mold. All of the other options are unique and distinctive, including a massive but impressive 22-inch wheel.

Ford has given the 2021 F-150 a lot of iterations, and that’s good for the consumer. There’s even variants of the tailgate (pictured above in the new carbonized gray color) and three different headlamps and fog lamps. The stylings of the headlamp/foglamp configurations (available in LED reflect, LED project and halogen) help accent the 11 different grilles too, making each truck almost customized. This is what the average truck buyer wants and demands.

Ford listened, and now the 2021 F-150 has the color, design and wheels to reflect your personality.

What trim and grille stand out to you? If you were buy one, what would you want to see on your 2021 Ford F-150. Leave me a comment with how you’d personalize your new truck.

Jimmy Dinsmore has been an automotive journalist for more than a decade and been a writer since the high school. His Driver’s Side column features new car reviews and runs in several newspapers throughout the country. He is also co-author of the book “Mustang by Design” and “Ford Trucks: A Unique Look at the Technical History of America’s Most Popular Truck”. Also, Jimmy works in the social media marketing world for a Canadian automotive training aid manufacturing company. Follow Jimmy on Facebook, Twitter, at his special Ford F-150 coverage on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can read the most of Jimmy's stories by searching Torque News Ford for daily Ford vehicle report.