The first hybridized Ford F-150 was always going to be a game-changer, mixing excellent towing figures with a level of fuel-efficiency not often associated with full-size trucks. Last month, we found out that the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid would manage an excellent 24 mpg in a mix of city/highway driving, a figure that has just been confirmed by Ford. In fact, the 4x2 version is even more economical, with a combined rating of 25 mpg.

Ford boldly claims that these numbers make the F-150 PowerBoost 3.5-liter V6 the most economical gas-powered light-duty full-size pickup on the combined cycles. Broken down in more detail, the PowerBoost 4x2's figures are 25/26/25 mpg city/highway/combined, while the 4x4 manages 24/24/24 mpg.

Those numbers lead the way among gas-powered trucks, but it's not actually the most efficient truck in the segment since the Chevrolet Silverado 4x2 with the turbodiesel engine returns 23/33/27 mpg and the Ram 1500 4x2 with its own turbodiesel can do 22/32/26 mpg. However, neither of these trucks are anywhere near as powerful as the F-150 PowerBoost which churns out 430 horsepower and 570 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to tow up to 12,700 pounds in 4x2 guise. A maximum payload of 2,120 lbs is on the cards.

You could say, therefore, that the Ford offers an unbeatable combination of power and efficiency. On a single tank, the new PowerBoost 4x2 can travel around 750 miles, with the 4x4's range sitting at around 700 miles.

The next most efficient F-150 is the 3.0-liter Power Stroke V6 4x4 which returns 20/27/23 mpg, while the heaviest is the 5.0-liter V8 in 4x4 guise which can only manage a combined 19 mpg.

Another advantage to the PowerBoost is its standard 2.4 kilowatts of exportable power via cabin and cargo box outlets. However, a 7.2-kW upgrade is available, which Ford says offers 18 times more power than its closest rival - or enough to power two RVs.

"Using electrification, we realized we could now give customers something they had long wanted but didn't think was possible," said Ford chief product platform and operations officer, Hau Thai-Tang. He went on to describe the PowerBoost as offering "tremendous power, great fuel economy, and all-new capabilities to make their F-150 even more productive."

The 2021 Ford F-150 will be shipped to dealers across the country this week.