Welcome to another segment of the Search for the Ultimate Dad Car. I’m Steve with Wilderdad.com, and today I’ve got a very special truck to share with you. It’s not just the Ford F-150. It’s the Ford F-150 Lightning review. Ford’s all-electric update to the #1 selling truck in the world.
These things are impossible to get right now, so we’re super lucky to get our hands on one.
But before I get into it, you should know there are some F-150 Lightning haters out there. Critics say this truck doesn’t have enough range, the battery drains too quickly when towing, and some of the finishes are clumsy. To do a full Ford F-150 Lightning review, I took it on a weeklong test drive around town and off-road to find out if the haters are just hating or if they’re right.
Watch My Review of the Ford F-150 Lightning
How Did We Get To An EV Truck? A Look Back At the 14 Generations of F-Series Trucks
The 2023 F-150 Lightning may blend in a little with any of the full-size trucks on the road today. But it’s light years ahead in tech, design, and function from its great-great-grand-pappy that originated in 1948. Built just after World War II, the F-series platform was developed into farm trucks, work trucks, fire trucks, and even buses. By 1952, Ford changed the name to the F-100 and F-250, the same naming convention that lives on today. This 2nd generation was the first to include an automatic transmission option. The 3rd generation started in 1957 and gave drivers a more boxy appearance and roomier cabin. It also was built with a four-wheel drive option starting in 1958.
By 1992, the F-Series entered its 9th generation. This model introduced the first performance version called the—wait for it—F-150 SVT Lightning. Yes, today’s F-150 Lightning has roots going back to the 1990s.
The 10th generation of F-Series trucks came out in 1997. It introduced more cabin comfort and luxury features, which began to blur the line between trucks, cars, and SUVs. Over the next twenty years, the F-Series continued to get larger, more powerful, and more luxurious. The 12th generation launched in 2009 and was the first to introduce the F-150 Raptor, a high-performance, 411-horsepower V8 beast.
Now in its 14th generation, the F-150 is redesigned from the ground up. Built on a lightweight aluminum chassis and packed with futuristic tech, this new generation is the first to include a hybrid powertrain, and of course, the all-electric F-150 Lightning.
Okay, enough of the history lesson. So, is the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning the Ultimate Dad Car? The ultimate family car? The ultimate work truck? Let’s take a closer look to find out.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Review
Ford made every effort to make the all-electric Lightning feel like a regular gas-powered F-150. The exterior looks like an F-150. The interior looks like an F-150. But looks are deceiving. This is far from your dad’s F-150. Starting with the price. While the F-150 Lightning launched in 2022 with a reasonable price tag of about $41,000, the 2023 model now starts at closer to $56,000.
I test drove the Platinum edition with a price tag of about $99,000 that comes with extras like massaging front seats, extended range battery, max trailer tow package and more. Now let’s look at the Lightning’s specs.
Ford F-150 Lightning Specs:
POWERTRAIN:
Dual electric motor, both front- and mid-placement, with all-wheel drive. Standard 98 kWh battery produces 462 horsepower. The larger 131 kWh battery serves up 580 horsepower.
PERFORMANCE:
Zero to 60 mph: 4 seconds
Zero to 100 mph: 10.6 seconds
EPA MPGe / RANGE:
Combined/city/highway: 66/73/60 MPGe
Standard Battery Pack Range: 230 miles
Large Battery Pack Range: 320 miles
F-150 LIGHTNING BASE PRICE: $56,000
F-150 LIGHTNING PLATINUM (TEST MODEL) PRICE: $98,000
FORD F-150 LIGHTNING PROS:
- Powerful electric motors make for great acceleration
- Looks and feels like a regular gas-powered truck
- Interior cabin and ride are plush and very comfortable
- Possibly the ultimate everyday work truck
FORD F-150 LIGHTNING CONS:
- Software is buggy and reliability is questionable
- Range depletes too fast when towing
- Larger battery pack is expensive
- Prohibitive price
- Long waiting list to buy (but that’s the same story for most high-demand vehicles today)
A quick reminder: every car or truck I review is judged on 5 Ultimate Dad Car Factors: Comfort, Safety, Reliability, Environmental Friendliness, and Fun Factor. Each factor is scored on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best. Let’s see how the F-150 Lightning fared starting with Comfort.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Comfort Score = 5 out of 5
One look inside the Ford F-150 Lightning and you’ll be sold. Aside from the gigantic 15” infotainment screen, you’ll be hard pressed to see or feel a difference from its gas-powered counterpart.
The seats are super comfy, the massage feature is better than any tech I’ve experienced, the cabin is roomy, and the 18-speaker Bang & Olufson sound system is impressive.
There’s a ton of leg room in the back seat—43.6 inches. And there are tons of smart features. For example, the shift lever stows away so you can open up a work table.
The F-150 Lightning check all the boxes here so I give it a Comfort Score of 4 out of 5.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Safety Score = 4 out of 5
Now for the safety factor. The F-150 Lightning has not been fully tested by the NHTSA. That said, its gas-powered sibling as a top safety pick in 2022 by the IIHS. And in 2023 the F-150 received GOOD safety ratings for front and side crash tests and 4-star rollover rating. However its seat belt reminders received a poor rating and child car seat latches received a marginal rating for being hard to find and not super easy to use.
It’s got multiple airbags throughout the cabin, driver-assistance technology like lane departure warnings, and lots more safety features. However, it did get a SUPERIOR rating for front crash avoidance technology.
There are some unknowns here, and of course you’ll want to do your own research to be sure, but with all that info, I’ll give the F-150 Lightning a Safety score of 4 out of 5.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Reliability Score = 3 out of 5
Next up, the Reliability factor. The F-150 Lightning hasn’t been out long enough for a thorough read on reliability. That said, Consumer Reports predicts it won’t be as reliable as other new cars. They might be right. The 2022 Lightning had 8 recalls for everything from faulty airbag deployments to wiring that was too short in the steering column.
I have faith that Ford will figure these things out, but for now all you can do is trust in their warranty of 3 years or 36,000 miles for basic items (which is not great). It also has a solid 8-year/100,000-mile warranty for all electric components.
For that, I can’t give the F-150 Lightning a Reliability score of more than 3 out of 5.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Environmental Score = 5 out of 5
Now for Environmental Friendliness. You’d expect an all-electric truck to be pretty gentle on old Mother Nature. And you’d be right in this case.
The Ford Lightning gets an EPA-rated 73 miles per gallon of gasoline-eqivalent electric power, 66 miles on highway, and 60 combined. But beyond that, the Lightning also makes use of wiring harnesses made of 100% post-consumer ocean plastic and fully recycled aluminum for body construction.
It gets a government greenhouse gas rating of 10 out of 10, and smog rating of 10 out of 10. No surprise there.
So, for the Ultimate Dad Car rating, I give the Ford Lightning an Environmental score of 5 out of 5.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
Fun Factor Score = 4
Okay, now for the Fun Factor. The F-150 Lightning comes standard with two electric motors and a smaller 98 kWh battery that produces 462 horsepower and up to 230 miles of range. The Platinum model I tested had the larger 131 kWh battery serves up 580 horsepower. That gives it some serious kick. And also ups the range to 320 miles.
It’s also got 4 drive modes that dial in your ride: Normal for max comfort, Sport for max performance, Tow for braking assist on steep grades, and Off-Road for traction and stability.
All of that means this is a fast truck that handles great in all conditions, easily carries all your family’s gear for road trips and camping adventures, and looks great doing it all. So I give it a Fun Factor score of 4 out of 5.
Ford F-150 Lightning Review: Conclusion
Total everything up and the F-150 Lightning gets an Ultimate Dad Car score of 21 out of 25. That’s the second highest score I’ve given out for test ride so that should tell you something. It should also tell you something that my wife and kid loved it so much they both said I should get rid of my old truck and immediately get the Lightning.
Will I? I don’t know. I’m definitely thinking about it. Then again I’ve got lots more cars to review.
So until next time, I hope to see you out on the road in my search for the Ultimate Dad Car.
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