Ford is aiming high with the F-150 Lightning, looking to keep the segment lead it already has even with the shift to electric vehicles. And even though it’s only for America, it has been attracting attention from around the world and now Top Gear has flown in to try it out, impressed by its usability and specs.
This isn’t a typical review, though, as presenter Jack Rix takes the F-150 Lightning to a gathering of pickup owners and American patriots in Cleburne, Texas to see what they thought of it. Opinions among this more traditionalist crowd seem mixed, with some people pointing to insufficient charging points as the main reason why they thought the shift to EVs couldn’t happen right now.
But as some of the festival goers learn about the Lightning’s power, performance and range specs, their opinions on the electric F-150 quickly change. The fact that it can do 300 miles on one charge seems to be an impressive enough number, especially since you will cover those 300 miles cheaper on average compared to an ICE truck.
In fact, it seems that Ford has achieved its stated goal of making the Lightning better than the gas-burning F-150 in pretty much every way except for outright range (especially when towing). It has all the practical features of its ICE brother and more (the frunk, the fold-down center console that turns into a table) and the fact that it allows you to power so many appliances (even to another EV) makes it genuinely useful in a whole range of outdoor activities.
Add in the fact that it is affordable, it has advanced safety features, it can drive itself on the highway and it charges fairly quickly (at a claimed maximum 150 kW) and it seems like a model capable of changing opinions on EVs, an unexpected poster vehicle to promote electrification. Ford wants to be segment leader and the slew of very positive Lightning reviews, including this one by Top Gear, suggest it is off to a great start.
