2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat First Test: Now, That's a Fast Truck
The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck's significance to the automotive industry is undoubtedly something you keep hearing. The most popular car in America—one with a historically conservative ownership base—is making a significant step into the future that is unavoidable by electrifying. You may have read our First Test of the top-of-the-line 2022 F-150 Lightning Platinum and be curious, as we were, about how a little more conventional model will do. Ford was gracious enough to give the 2022 F-150 Lighting Lariat Extended Range to our Los Angeles office, where we tested it out on our test track. It is still a luxury vehicle, but it is a little more inexpensive.
Why It's Important
The F-150 Lightning Platinum will probably be one of the most uncommon models in the lineup, much like the metal after which it is called. With a weight of 6,900 pounds, it is also the heaviest model and, with a range of just 300 miles, the least efficient. The F-150 Lightning Lariat Extended Range weighs slightly less than the Platinum at 6,794 pounds, has a range of 320 miles, and is more comparable to the midgrade XLT Extended Range models, which are likely to account for the majority of Ford's Lightning sales. It also has the optional $10,000 130-kWh battery that is standard on the Platinum. It has two electric motors with permanent magnets that provide a combined 580 horsepower and 775 pound-feet of torque. They have all-wheel drive since the engines are installed at the front and back axles (in fact, if you look beneath the Lightning, you can see the rear motor hanging out where a differential would typically be on gas vehicles).
Pros: What We Like
There are several positive aspects of this "lesser" Lightning. The Lariat is faster than the loaded Platinum, to start. The Platinum's top times were 4.0 seconds to reach 60 mph and 12.7 seconds at 105.9 mph, while the F-150 Lightning Lariat reaches 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and completes the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds at 106.9 mph. The 2022 Rivian R1T (3.1 seconds, 11.6 seconds at 110.8 mph) and the 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup are the fastest trucks we've ever tested, while the F-150 Lightning Lariat is now the fastest F-150 we've ever tested, and the third-fastest pickup (3.0 seconds, 11.7 seconds at 105.4 mph).
The F-150 Lightning Lariat is just a pleasure to drive, regardless of performance. Its powertrain is very powerful and flawlessly smooth, giving practically infinite acceleration regardless of your starting speed (with the exception of the odd front-motor torque steer under rapid acceleration in low-traction circumstances). Additionally, the Lightning drives remarkably well. Although it rides and steers like a truck, it corners far better than a gas-powered F-150 because to its low center of gravity. We still like its enormous frunk, which provides a ton of lockable storage while still allowing the interior to accommodate four or five passengers.
Cons: What We Don't Like
Software is increasingly influencing how we experience our cars, trucks, and SUVs as technology becomes more common in new automobiles. There is some space for improvement with the Ford. To begin with, the F-150 Lightning's max charge rate is on the low side for a truck with such a sizable battery pack (150 kW officially, 171 kW in our tests). The Ford's peak charge rate is less than an R1T with a similarly sized battery pack (220 kW) and the Hummer EV, which has 200 kWh of capacity and a 350-kW peak charge rate. In essence, the peak charge rate is a measure of the maximum rate an EV can cram electrons into its battery pack while DC fast charging. That implies that Ford Lightning's electric pickup truck rivals will probably use the fast charger less frequently when traveling or hauling than they would.
Additionally, we thought the enormous 15.5-inch touchscreen might be better organized and was occasionally a little sluggish. For instance, to change the driving mode on the F-150, press the Lightning icon in the top left corner, then tap the desired mode again. You must return to that page, scroll down, and hit the diff button in order to lock the rear differential. You'll also need to often enter the towing menus if you frequently hitch and unhitch trailers in order to "virtually" unhook the trailer and get back to Ford's digital instrument cluster's unladen driving range. The Lightning may also be difficult to modify when changing settings like the maximum charge percentage, which must be manually switched on each time you plug in since else the vehicle would default to a maximum charge of 90%.
We're cautiously optimistic that Lightning will benefit from over-the-air (OTA) upgrades, much like its rivals do, given Ford's embracing of software in its new "Model e" EV business.
The Bottom Line
Without the bother (or some of the elegance) of the R1T or the Nissan Leaf, the Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat is a genuinely alluring electric pickup truck.
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Rear-motor, AWD, 4-door truck, 5-pass- Front |