My son's new XLT

[R P]

Some pics. Frunk is huge, and has another big compartment under that! Centre console armrest folds forward for a flat laptop table. Convenient steps up for easy entry. Very nice and functional interior. Has about 8 or 12 120V outlets all around the truck incl inside, frunk and outside bed. Note how the window curves down at the front to increase visibility. Has 775 lb/ft instant torque and does 0-60 in 3.8 secs (MotorTrend test), even faster than my car. Can tow up to 10,000 lbs, although this one with its hitch is configured for 5000 lbs, more than plenty for our boat. Really drives smooth and quietly. Can't wait to see how it does on our cabin road.

 

[electriceddy]

Some pics. Frunk is huge, and has another big compartment under that! Centre console armrest folds forward for a flat laptop table. Convenient steps up for easy entry. Very nice and functional interior. Has about 8 or 12 120V outlets all around the truck incl inside, frunk and outside bed. Note how the window curves down at the front to increase visibility. Has 775 lb/ft instant torque and does 0-60 in 3.8 secs (MotorTrend test), even faster than my car. Can tow up to 10,000 lbs, although this one with its hitch is configured for 5000 lbs, more than plenty for our boat. Really drives smooth and quietly. Can't wait to see how it does on our cabin road.

Really nice EV truck. I hope your son enjoys it thoroughly

 

[R P]

Really nice EV truck. I hope your son enjoys it thoroughly

I'm sure he will. He's been wanting an EV truck for a long time. Had an early reservation for a CyberTruck, but was very disappointed with how that turned out. He actually took one for a test drive, and that was the final nail in that coffin. He really hated the visibility, plus a lot of other things about it. It really is an abomination.

 

[insightman]

I'm sure he will. He's been wanting an EV truck for a long time. Had an early reservation for a CyberTruck, but was very disappointed with how that turned out. He actually took one for a test drive, and that was the final nail in that coffin. He really hated the visibility, plus a lot of other things about it. It really is an abomination.

The Cybertruck denies decades of pickup truck evolution. It also denies decades of safety-razor evolution.

 

[Puppethead]

Did he get the J3400/NACS (aka Tesla) adapter with it? I got one from Ford for free as a Lightning owner, but not sure if they're including them with new purchases. If not, your son should definitely look into getting one. I signed up for mine via the Ford site.

 

[R P]

Did he get the J3400/NACS (aka Tesla) adapter with it? I got one from Ford for free as a Lightning owner, but not sure if they're including them with new purchases. If not, your son should definitely look into getting one. I signed up for mine via the Ford site.

He asked, but no dice...

 

[R P]

Did a day trip out to the cabin today. The Lightning did well, and had enough range to go out there and back without any charging stops. Basically, pretty well identical in that respect to our Solterra. While the Lightning did well on the road, it was not quite as smooth over the bumps as the Solterra. But with being a truck, it can sure haul a lot more. Tried the Off-Road mode on a couple steep hills, and it worked well. Except no regen in that mode on the downhill portions. Not sure why, my Solterra has that in all modes. It is also not as efficient, which is understandable. It was using 31 kWh/100 kms for the trip while the Solterra would use about 20. But with the bigger battery, range was still good. The Cd for the Solterra is .26 (very good for an SUV), while the Lightning is .56, so that is where the efficiency is lost.

If I didn't have the Solterra, would buy the Lightning for off-road and going to our cabin. It is a very good EV truck, in all respects. Ford did a good job with this one. Since we have solar at the cabin, and can charge there, efficiency doesn't really matter. so much.

 

[insightman]

Tried the Off-Road mode on a couple steep hills, and it worked well. Except no regen in that mode on the downhill portions

I assume your Solterra must have a version of the Ford's Off-Road mode that doesn't shut off regen braking. Perhaps the Ford's anti-skid function wouldn't be up to the task (down to the task?) of going down a steep hill under regen without skidding?

 

[R P]

I assume your Solterra must have a version of the Ford's Off-Road mode that doesn't shut off regen braking. Perhaps the Ford's anti-skid function wouldn't be up to the task (down to the task?) of going down a steep hill under regen without skidding?

Yup, has several off road modes that don't shut off regen. The most severe mode, maintains a steady downhill speed, whatever speed you choose, but will slow down if it gets too slippery or dangerous. Works similarly to ICE Subarus.

But the Solterra also has an extra grip climb mode that is even better than other Subarus. They held an off-road challenge on Vancouver Island a few months ago. One of the auto journalists was so impressed that he decided to buy one afterwards. It can climb some pretty steep terrain, without you even touching the go pedal. It is a very impressive off-road car.

 

[R P]

We hauled up a couple new recliners to to the cabin and took out the old ones yesterday. Unfortunately, on the way back, had a flat. Thought it was a sharp stone from the FSR, but turned out to be a large screw/bolt. Just our luck! Good news is that the Lightning has a full size spare and proper onboard jack and tools to make the tire change easy. Took a few minutes of reading the manual to figure out how to do it, but the change itself was quick enough. The tires are supposed to come with a warranty to fix or replace a flat, so my son will pursue that this coming week. If not, looks like the hole could be easy to fix with a plug. It is right in the middle of the tread. He will also be checking out after market wheels and a set of A/T tires for this road.

 

[R P]

My son just bought a 2nd set of wheels and tires for off-road to our cabin. Saw them yesterday on the truck, pretty badass looking... Forgot to snap pics on the truck, but here are separate ones for the wheels and tires. He went one over size on the tires, to up his clearance to 8.8" Tires are WildPeak A/T4W HD LT275/70R18s. Should be tough enough for the sharp shale rock on the cabin road.

 

[R P]

Here are a couple pics of the A/T tires on the truck. Lots of meat with that 70 sidewall.