Ford F150 Lightning review: An EV that just happens to be a dual-cab ute!

Well, if thats, what you believe Ive got three words for you: Ford, F, 150 Lightning. This is the first all electric pickup truck from the US Giant and one of only two on the market in America, the other being the rivian r1t. This has the potential to change what you think an electric vehicle is capable of because, while its 100 electric its also 100 and F 150, we were lucky enough to be in Detroit to drive it and see if it has the potential to be a hit in Australia now, as usual, you can read my in depth, written review on the cars Guide website now and, if youre looking forward to any particular section of this review. Well, here are the time codes, so you can skip ahead and, of course it wouldnt be a YouTube. Video, if I didnt tell you to smash the like button and hit subscribe, so you can keep up to date. Every time cars guide posts a new video now on with the review now, pricing is a tricky question to answer, because Ford Australia is yet to confirm if the F 150 Lightning will ever make it to our Shores. Now, if it does given its size and technology and give what weve already seen with the Chevy Silverado and the Ram 1500, a six figure price tag is probably a safe bet. While we cant provide a detailed Australian price and specification rundown, we can explain what four charges in the US, so you can at least get an idea of what to expect.

The lineup begins with the pro priced from ‘ 974 US Dollars. It moves up to the XLT for 52 974 and then the lariat, which costs 67 474. before the range is topped by the Platinum priced from 90 874 US Dollars, the XLT and the Platinum are what we spent the majority of our time in so well. Focus on those for this review as a very rough guide, those U.S prices convert to approximately sixty thousand dollars for the entry level Pro eighty thousand dollars for the XLT and a hundred and thirty five thousand dollars for the Platinum. But given the cost involved with conversion to right hand drive like, I say its likely, that any Australian available lightning would start well above a hundred thousand dollars and could stretch even further beyond that for the Platinum. The pro is, as the name suggests, targeted tradies and comes equipped with the standard range battery, while some of the equipment highlights include 18 inchello Wheels LED headlights, a carbon black Grille, plus a strong suite of safety features and a 12 inch infotainment screen. This is Fords. Sync 4 system, stepping up to the XLT brings unique 18 inch, yellow wheels, leather trim, power, adjustable seats and other Creature Comforts, as well as the option to upgrade to the extended range battery. The range top in Platinum may look like a ute, but it feels like a luxury car. In many respects. It rides on 22 inch, alloy wheels, gets body, colored bumpers and a huge 15 and a half inch infotainment screen.

That makes it look and feel high tech. Thanks to its newer sync, 4A system, plus, it has helpful features such as an onboard smart scale in the tray and a tailgate step. That will detail in a moment well its too early to make any judgments on whether a six figure electrocute would be a good value in Australia. Certainly all the pieces are there for four to create a compelling range for the local market. Theres a lot to like about the design of the F 150 Lightning, because Ford didnt just drop their petrol engines out and Chuck in some electric motors. They took a more holistic approach to the design. So while it still looks like an F 150, it also looks unique. It looks sleeker and more Dynamic, which is a critical element for any electric vehicle. The unique design allows Ford to do clever little things like this, its the front trunk or Frank, As Americans like to call it – and I say little but its, not its a 400 liter storage area under the Bonnet, where the motor usually would be its got a Hard working floor, its got a ruler built into it, its even got a little divider. If you want to store, wet clothes or something its got power points, including a USB outlet. It is in what ideal, if you want, if youre a tradie or if you want to go camping on the weekend, another cool tradie friendly feature is this power tailgate, and this High spec Platinum model gives you this theres two rulers actually built in inches because its An American cut but centimeters because well its just a common sense way of measuring things, but then the real piece to resistance is this.

Lets pop this bad boy out and step up into the tray in style and, as we mentioned earlier, the lightning is available with something Ford calls its smart scale, which is able to measure how much load is in the tray and adjust the driving range displayed on The dash accordingly, so you can safely plan your trips moving inside. The XLT was impressive, with its space and practicality, with the 12 inch infotainment screen doing a good job and backed up by physical buttons for the air conditioning stereo. However, the Platinum really steps it up. A level with its more premium designs, centered around a huge tablet style screen. Overall, the design of the lightning inside and out, takes the strength of the F 150 and adds elements that being electric allows it to create something pretty special. Both the XLT and platinum really impress in terms of space, which shouldnt be as too surprising, given how big the F 150 is. But when you factor in the quite a Driving Experience, it does elevate the lightning above just a humble Ute and pushes it into the space of potentially competing with the luxury SUVs. With its huge screen running towards more advanced and stylish sync 4A infotainment system. It really does border on luxury car levels of refinement and usability. The front seats are wide and comfortable and between them is a very large center console with plenty of small item storage as well as not so small ohm storage out the back.

The train measures. 170. Centimeters long by 128 centimeters wide between the wheel arches, with a total volume measuring just over 1500 liters, which is of course in addition to the 400 liter, Frank, payload and towing capabilities differ between the two battery packs available. With the standard range battery, the lightning can manage a payload of 1013 kilograms with a maximum towing capability of 2267 kilograms. With the extended range battery, the payload drops to just 885 kilograms, but the towing capacity increases to around 3500 kilograms, which is roughly on par with a ranger. However, at the max trailer, towing package and selected extended range battery equipped, models can handle up to 4 500 kilograms of Towing thats, not all because Ford bills, the tailgate as a workbench, on Wheels thanks to its non slip. Surface with built in in rulers slots for clamps and even cup holders. Now we call this section under the Bonnet, but as weve just seen, whats under the Bonnet is actually a storage area. So I guess more accurately we call this whats underneath the F 150 Lightning. Thats because again because its a more bespoke electric vehicle Ford has been able to package the battery effectively inside the frame which frees up cabin space, and then the electric motors sit underneath the tray at the back and a package sort of, I guess more, underneath the Dash in the front, there are two electric motors one on each axle that makes 337 kilowatts and 1050 newton meters with the standard range battery or 433 kilowatts, and the same 1050 newton meters with the extended range battery.

The specs on those batteries are 98 kilowatt hours. For the standard which gives it a 370 kilometer driving range, while the extended range has 130 kilowatt hours of usable energy and as the name promises, it extends driving range on a single charge to more than 480 kilometers. I honestly didnt know quite what to expect driving the lightning, but I tell you the thing that jumps out immediately is how quiet it is. It is one of the quietest vehicles I think Ive ever driven including luxury cars. It is just I mean theres, no tire. Noise theres a little bit of wind noise around these very big side mirrors, but overall, its an incredibly uh isolated experience for the outside world. Its got fantastic. You know cabin Ambience because its just so relaxed and quiet to drive, which is not the impression you typically get from these big American pickup trucks and then in terms of actual performance and how it drives. Well, given the amount of power and torque these electric motors produce, not surprisingly, it is uh, as the name suggests lightningly quick it I mean the ability to build speed is phenomenal that you can really shove your back in your seat. Youll. You know scare The Living Daylights out of your passengers with just how ferociously it accelerates all in near silence, at the end of the day, its still an F 150 and so its still a big ladder frame truck. So the ride is a little bit jittery uh its, not exactly a small vehicle because its so big and so heavy its not going to handle.

Like a sports car, I mean its its a big old truck, but obviously in America where were driving it, the roads are built for it. So you know its easy enough to live with around town and were driving out on some more open roads and, quite frankly it you know because of the performance. You know the steerings nice and light its actually a very easy, very big vehicle to live with. As mentioned earlier, Fords claim driving range for the standard battery model is 370 kilometers. Well, the extended range stretches it to 480 kilometers between charging stops. Those are solid but unspectacular numbers for modern EVS, but when you factor in the size and capability F, 150 Lightning, they start to look a bit more impressive. Obviously the biggest challenge for any would be. Buyer is that taking an electric vehicle for a longer road trip a weekend, getaway in the Australian bush might be challenging, but for those who need their Ute for a more urban life, it will be more than suitable in many respects. The verdict for the F 150 Lightning is simple: please bring it to Australia Ford. This would be a genuine Game Changer in the local market, ushering in a new era of electric Utes Utes that are more than capable of helping out tradies and those who love Adventure. Equally and given there are currently no Rivals for the lightning its hard to give the F 150 Lightning anything less than Knight out of 10.

. It isnt a faultless vehicle, but the biggest criticism of it right now is simply that its not available in Australia at least not yet.