Ford BlueCruise With Towing Adds Hands-Free Towing to F-150

Ford Introduces BlueCruise With Towing for 2027 F-150

Ford Motor Co is introducing BlueCruise with Towing, a new ADAS feature that will debut on the 2027 Ford F-150 pickup truck. The system is designed to provide hands-free, eyes-on highway driving while the vehicle is towing up to 10,000 pounds. To develop the feature, Ford engineers conducted thousands of miles of real-world testing under varied conditions and combined those tests with numerous simulations. The development work examined how trailer weight, loading distribution, wind resistance, and trailer sway can affect hands-free driving operations while towing.

BlueCruise With Towing Adds Trailer-Specific Controls

Using BlueCruise with Towing will require drivers to create a unique trailer profile that specifies the dimensions of the object being towed. The feature also modifies several capabilities available with standard BlueCruise to account for towing conditions. The maximum operating speed is reduced to 75 mph from 80 mph, while hands-free lane changes and in-lane repositioning are disabled. These changes are intended to adapt the system's hands-free highway operation to the additional variables introduced when the F-150 is pulling a trailer.

Testing Evaluated Towing Conditions

The development program included extensive real-world testing intended to help Ford Motor Co engineers understand how different towing variables influence hands-free driving. Thousands of miles were completed across a variety of conditions, while simulations provided additional opportunities to evaluate scenarios involving trailer behavior. Particular attention was given to trailer weight, loading distribution, wind resistance, and sway because these factors can change the vehicle and trailer dynamics experienced during highway operation. The resulting testing informed the operating restrictions incorporated into BlueCruise with Towing.

System Can Restrict Operation When Conditions Change

BlueCruise with Towing includes additional safeguards that can modify or stop its operation when towing conditions move outside allowable parameters. The system can impose further speed restrictions or disable itself if it detects trailer sway or determines that the towing weight exceeds permitted limits. These conditions distinguish the towing configuration from standard BlueCruise operation and reflect the additional requirements associated with controlling a vehicle while pulling a trailer. The feature therefore combines hands-free highway driving with trailer-specific monitoring and operating limits designed around the towing setup.

BlueCruise With Towing Will Expand Beyond F-150

All 2027 Ford F-150 models equipped with BlueCruise will have access to BlueCruise with Towing. The availability connects the new towing capability directly with vehicles that already have the required BlueCruise system. Ford Motor Co also plans to expand BlueCruise with Towing to additional vehicle models in the future. That expansion would extend the trailer-focused hands-free driving capability beyond the F-150, although the company has not specified which additional models will receive the feature or when those vehicles will gain access.

Industry Impact & Outlook

BlueCruise with Towing extends hands-free highway assistance into a use case where trailer dynamics introduce additional variables, making towing-specific system behavior an important part of the feature. The 75-mph limit, disabled lane-change functions, trailer profiles, and responses to sway or excessive towing weight show how ADAS capabilities can be adapted to different vehicle operating conditions. For Ford Motor Co, the planned expansion to additional models could broaden the application of towing-focused driver assistance, while future adoption will depend on how effectively the system manages varying trailer configurations and real-world towing conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is BlueCruise with Towing?
Ford BlueCruise with Towing is an ADAS feature for hands-free, eyes-on highway driving while towing. It will debut on the 2027 Ford F-150 and support towing up to 10,000 pounds. Drivers must create a trailer profile containing the dimensions of the trailer or object being towed. The towing mode also reduces the maximum speed to 75 mph and disables hands-free lane changes and in-lane repositioning. If trailer sway is detected or towing weight exceeds allowable parameters, the system can impose further speed restrictions or disable itself.