Video: 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning: Likes and Dislikes

When it first went on sale, its only EV pickup competitor was the Rivian R1T, but it has more rivals now, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, the GMC Hummer EV and the GMC Sierra EV. We're now a couple years down the road from the Lightning's debut, and we've tested those rival pickups. And while they all have their charms, the Lightning still stacks up pretty well against them. Here are a few things we like and a few things we don't like about the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning. (upbeat music) One of the F-150 Lightning's biggest strengths is that it's still an F-150. Other EV pickups veer at least a little from standard pickup truck design. And the Tesla Cybertruck veers a lot, but the F-150 shares almost all (laughing) of its basic design with the regular F-150. So it's very easy to acclimate to, particularly if you're already familiar with the gas-engine F-150. Plus, the Lightning can be equipped with popular regular F-150 options, like the BlueCruise hands-free driver assist system, and Ford's Pro Power Onboard integrated generator. The F-150 Lightning lineup gains a new trim level called Flash for 2024, and it hits something of a sweet spot in the model lineup. Comes with a number of desirable features, including the extended range battery, a 15.5-inch navigation touchscreen, heated steering wheel, and an upgraded Bang and Olufsen audio system. So Ford has tweaked the Lightning's pricing multiple times during the 2024 model year, but as of now, the Flash starts at around $70,000, which means that even with a few options, you should still be comfortably under that $80,000 price cap for the $7,500 federal tax credit on domestically produced EVs. And while the Flash's cabin isn't quite as fancy as the upper trim level Lightning's, we've got fabric seats here instead of leather upholstery, this is still a very nice, honest pickup truck cabin that presents quite well. The F-150 Lightning is as fast as lightning. No? Okay, it moves out like a flash. Aw, all right, it's quick. The Flash trim level has 580 horsepower, 775 pounds feet of torque. And in our own acceleration testing, a 2022 Lightning Lariat, which has the same powertrain as this Flash model, accelerated from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 4.19 seconds. And even with 1,220 pounds of sandbags in the bed, it did that run in 4.79 seconds. That is really moving, especially for a full-size pickup that weighs almost 7,000 pounds. In addition to being quick, the Lightning is smooth and exceptionally quiet. The electric powertrain has no gears to shift, and there's no noise from a gasoline engine. The smooth accelerator and brake pedal response makes the Lightning very pleasant to drive and also helps its close-quarters maneuverability. There's also some great features in the Lightning's frunk, including additional power outlets and a drain if you wanna have an impromptu drink cooler. Both of those are great features for tailgating. And now for a few things we don't like. So EV powertrains have a lot of advantages, but there are some significant disadvantages as well, and the Lightning doesn't sidestep any of those. The extended range battery offers a generous 320 miles of range, but that number drops by about half when you're towing, as we discovered firsthand in our previous testing. And to bring the battery from a 15% to 80% charge takes about 40 to 45 minutes on a DC fast charger in optimal conditions. That's not great when you're on a road trip. Even though Ford has lowered the Lightning's prices over the course of the model year, it's still significantly pricier than a comparable gas engine F-150, like $10,000 to $15,000, if not more, depending on the trim level. Like all EV pickups, the Lightning is very heavy. It's around 7,000 pounds. And even though that weight is positioned low in the battery, you still can really feel that heft in corners. And while I found the Lightning steering and accelerator and brake pedal response to be agreeable, not all of our editors did. They found them all a bit vague. So that's just something to keep tabs on when you're doing your test drives. So the Lightning inherits lots of good things from the regular F-150, but also at least a couple of annoyances. The exterior door lock buttons almost never work for me on the first try. And while there is an auto-lock function when you walk away from the vehicle with the key fob in your pocket, I'm old fashioned. I like to press the button myself and know that it locked, and it, again, rarely worked on the first try. Very tedious. Likewise, while the big infotainment touchscreen is pretty slick overall, it also absorbs the climate controls, which we find much less than ideal. And some things that should be simple are now two-step processes because of it. For example, changing the fan speed, you have to first press this small fan speed virtual button, which changes the volume control to fan speed and adjust it that way. So a tedious process when you're driving. In other vehicles, it's just a physical control and you don't have to mess with it. (upbeat music) The F-150 Lightning has more competition now than it did when it first went on sale, and it's about to have even more competition when the Ram Rev electric pickup truck hits the market. However, the Lightning's strengths back then are still its strengths now. It's a great conventional pickup truck that happens to have an EV powertrain, so it's a great choice if you're going electric for the first time. For my full thoughts on the F-150 Lightning, be sure to check out cars.com/news.