You’d have trouble filling it up after a run to your local Costco. Instead, Ford has transformed the engine compartment into what is now the world’s largest frunk. It’s actually a sealed panel, as there’s no need to send air under the hood. (Photo/Paul Eisenstein)Ī closer inspection does reveal a few unique details, starting with the blue Lightning badges on the front fenders, more aerodynamic wheels, and the grille. The goal was to make clear it can go head-to-head with any existing version of the pickup. (Photo/Paul Eisenstein) A Cautious Approach to DesignĪt first glance, you might confuse the Lightning for a conventional F-150. But if my first drive is any indication, the new Ford Lightning is going to satisfy its buyers - and could get a lot of those waiting for the repeatedly delayed Tesla Cybertruck to rethink their plans. Obviously, I’m not the only one making a leap of faith. “We put them back up, and now have to knock them down again.” “Just when we finished the walls, we’ve had to knock them down,” Darren Palmer, Ford’s VP of Electric Vehicle Programs, told me. It now has more than 200,000 advance orders and has repeatedly upped those production plans, which now have climbed to an annual 150,000. That said, Ford entered the project cautiously, gearing up a new production facility in Dearborn, Mich., to produce just 25,000 Lightning pickups a year. It’s been the bestselling pickup in America - indeed, the bestselling vehicle - for three decades, sales at times nearing 1 million a year. Electric overlanding (photo/Paul Eisenstein) But it’s starting by focusing on icon models like Mustang and, now, the F-150. Like most manufacturers, Ford will eventually go all-electric with its entire lineup. Its first project, the Mustang Mach-E, is now one of the bestselling BEVs in the U.S. They were slow, stodgy, and offered marginal range.īut the automaker found religion a few years back when company officials created Team Edison, which, essentially, was assigned the task of taking on Tesla. But the original offerings didn’t fare all that well, especially all-electric models like the Focus EV. I’d been waiting for this opportunity for more than a year, ever since Chief Engineer Linda Zhang took me out for a ride at the Ford Proving Grounds north of Detroit.įord was early to electrify its lineup, offering up a mix of hybrids, plug-ins (PHEV), and battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Review (Photo/Paul Eisenstein)Ī brutal Texas sun had sent temperatures soaring to record highs as I climbed into my dark-blue Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum edition.
A little hint before I get into the details: I’m not canceling my order.
So when I got the chance to fly down to San Antonio for my first drive, I jumped at the chance - not only to review the new pickup but to decide whether I was making the right choice. Here’s our hands-on first-drive review of this hotly anticipated vehicle.Ī personal disclosure: I have a Lightning on order. Yet it offers extended range, plenty of muscle, and lots of features, especially on premium versions like the Lightning Platinum. There’s good reason for all the excitement considering this all-electric version of America’s bestselling truck starts at less than $40,000. None has generated as much interest as the Ford F-150 Lightning, reviewed here, that’s just gone into production.
Home » Motors » Truck » 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Review: First Drive in Ford’s Electric Pickupĭozens of new battery-electric vehicles will reach U.S.
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