Way back in 2021, ford announced the F-150 lighting. Back then what was I thinking about it? Insert “ take my money, here’s my deposit”
Fast forward almost 2 years later and where are we? Well I got vetoed on the pick up truck idea from the wife early on but now that she’s experienced an EV for a while, maybe we can change here mind. Today were testing the new Ford F-150 Lighting XLT Lariat Extended Range.
I have been dying to experience the Lighting for so long - Why? I love trucks, you ride nice and high, great visibility, handy for outdoor activities and home use and today’s trucks, there so little compromise and for many, the interior features and space rival anything out there. My kids never complain about rear seat room in any full size 4 door trucks.
The only thing is that I really don’t have a real use for a truck most of the time so its really hard to justify it especially with the cost of fuel. That’s why when Ford announced the Lightning I thought, hey, this is for me. Not only can I get a truck but an EV at the same time.
Since the Lightning has been out for a while, alot of you are probably pretty familiar with it. Just in case you’re not, heres a little recap on it.
The Lightning footprint is roughly the same as a regular gas F-150.Of course there are some subtle differences being this has a different light signature where it goes right across in the front, the grill area is solid, and on the Lariat you get unique tailgate LED lighting as well, there a charge port of course and one of my favourite features when it was launched is the MEGA Power Frunk! Not only does it have a perfect load in height but has multiple plug options to power whatever you want up to 9.6 kW. Ideal for work or for play. Now you get the benefits of a trunk in a truck. Ground clearance is 8.9” which is the same as teh gas version.
The starting XLT has a power down tailgate. When you get into the Lariat we’re testing, you get a full power tailgate. All Lightings come with the tailgate step which I love on all F-150s.
The inside gets all the regular F-150 goodies and a great place to spend time whether driving or working, tons of room, nice flat floor, big seats adjustable pedals, heated and ventilated seats . This lariat comes with the storable shifter so you can creat your own workstation. We also get the Sync 4A system with this one which gets you this large 15.5” screen as well as a Band O audio system, Love how all Lightnings come with a 360 camera. Thank-you Ford for not forcing people to the top trim to get this valuable feature.
I’m really enjoying doing this EV truck review, you know why? Because for most trucks there are sooo many different trims and confirmations. You have cab choices, bed choices, drive choices. On the lighting they’re all 4X4’s, all super crew, and all come with a 5.5” truck bed.
Essentially you just choose you r times which will just add or subtract features and your range, either standard or extended. Horsepower starts at 452hp on the std and gets bumped up[ to 580hp on the extended. Torque is massive at 775 lb.ft almost instantly which is the most out of any F-150. Payload is rated at 2235 lbs and towing is 10,000 lbs with the extended range battery.
As for range, the standard get 386 kms and extended is 515 kms thanks to the large 98 and 131 kw/h battery. I thin its pretty decent. Of course as people have mentioned, if you’re going to tow with it that’s going to reduce your range well that’s going to happen regardless whether its an EV or Gas. If your needs are to be driving long distances often while towing a large trailer well, an EV might not be for you. Not that its not capable but its just more of a hassle in terms of charging. For many though this is perfect. Take for instance my neighbour who is getting a Lightning. He’s a general contractor that uses a pick up for work and maybe tows a smaller trailer once a month and he works mainly in the greater Vancouver area. This is perfect for him not just for the truck features, the frunk, the onboard power but also as a thriftier commuter to and from the job site which often involves sitting in rush hour traffic.
This thing is a rocket 0-60 in just 4.5 seconds. Which is even quicker than the fire breathing Raptor R which swallows fuel faster than a bunch of freshman shotgunning beers at a college party.
The ride is solid and of course silent. There are no pumped in sounds that I can find for this. I wouldn’t mind something , kind of weird driving a silent truck lol.
‪@ford‬ ‪@FordCanada‬ #f150 #lightning