Home Articles The Best features of the Ford F-150 Lightning

The Best features of the Ford F-150 Lightning

Image: Ford

Ford has certainly committed itself to be one of the pioneers of the EV revolution and with the debut of the brand spanking new Ford F-150 Lightning it has cemented its place as one of the first traditional manufacturers that have a strong foothold in the EV market.

The success of the Mustang Mach-E seems to have prompted Ford to go all in and boy oh boy have they certainly hit the spot with their new launch! Although the likes of the Tesla Cybertruck and the Hummer EV are definitely intriguing, the fact that we can soon go to the nearest Ford dealership to buy a Ford F-150 with an electric powerplant under the hood certainly puts it into perspective as to how far along have we come in terms of transitioning to EV’s.

The new F-150 Lightning doesn’t have a whole lot in common with its predecessor, and being an EV there is always going to be the argument of the lack of a “soul”, we are still definitely impressed with what all Ford has achieved with their first EV pick-up to the market. Ford though, has come mighty prepared and the following list of features might just make a believer out of even the most skeptical ones.

Lightning” Performance

Even though the new Lightning isn’t solely performance-oriented, the 426 hp (563 hp in the extended battery model) and a ridiculous 775 lb-ft of instant torque would have you believe otherwise. A sub 4 second 0-60 time for an 1800 pound workhorse is simply breath-taking and the fact that it can go around bends better than any other pick-up on the market due to the CG being absurdly low is quite the talking point.

Even though Ford has stated that the Lightning would debut with an independent rear suspension much to the horror of purists, this electric F-150 can still manage to haul 2,000 pounds of load in its bed or 10,000 pounds once you hitch a trailer, which is more than what most would want to use it for.

Time to Plug-In

With a claimed range of 300 miles in its extended battery guise and the ability to gain 54 miles of range with just a 10-minute charge via a 150 kWh DC fast charger, the Lightning should help ease range anxiety significantly.

Although with the tiny 80 amp portable charger, the Lightning can take up to 8 hrs to juice up, the DC fast charger can turn a 15% charge to 80% in a mere 40 minutes.

Choose to cruise

When optioning out your F-150 Lightning, don’t forget to checkmark the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 Prep Package in the options list as this would give the Lightning the ability to do all of the driving for you in the form of “BlueCruise”, the future is here my friends, the future is here!

The in-built radar sensors and advanced camera systems work in conjunction with each other to provide the user with a completely hands-free experience, albeit only on 100,000 miles of prequalified sections of North American highways which have been rightfully dubbed “Hands-Free Blue Zones”.

Junk in the trunk

It is a reality that for most F-150 buyers, their pick-up serves to be a hauler, and using an all-electric vehicle to replicate the same use cases can be a little anxiety-inducing since the heavier loads tend to eat away at practical range and not being aware of how much juice your truck has is a definitive bother.

Hitch like a Boss

Hitching a trailer has never been easy and everyone has their own preferred methods to get the job done well and fast. Ford decided that it was time that the consumers were treated with an upgrade which is why the F-150 Lightning features a “Pro Trailer Hitch Assist” option that automatically controls the steering, throttle, and brake inputs.

All of this helps to make hitching a trailer a complete walk in the park. Ford has also promised that OTA updates in the form of “Ford Power-Ups” will also improve features like Pro Trailer Assist and BlueCruise as time goes by alongside maybe even adding even more functionality.

Is that a TV?

With a ginormous 15.5-inch infotainment touch screen serving as the command center for the Lightning, navigating the SYNC 4A UI should be a breeze. We have always been impressed with older SYNC systems in other Ford products and the new 4A system turns the overall experience into arguably the best in the industry.

The system comes loaded with handy features such as a charging schedule for the truck, smartphone integration, native app support, and a natural voice control system which make it one of the smartest systems out now.

Where’s the engine?

Unsurprisingly, since the Lightning ditches the regular ICE under the hood, it is inherently blessed with 14.1 cubic feet of volume in the front which has been dubbed as the “Mega Power Frunk”. This frunk not only is extremely roomy but is rated at 400 pounds of total payload while being water-resistant and featuring drains that aid its use as a humongous icebox. The 4 electrical outlets producing 2.4 kW of power alongside two USB ports should also come in handy on your next trip into the wilderness.

Let there be light

With the ability to supply up to 9.6 kilowatts of power, the Ford F-150 Lightning is not just the perfect camping vehicle, but also a dependable power source in case of an emergency. Walking in the footsteps of the famed Powerboost technology which turned the ICE F-150’s into a generator, Ford’s Intelligent Backup Power tech ensures that no matter the conditions, the Lightning would never let you wander in the dark.