Buying an XLT Extended Range for $55K

[TomB985]

Good morning, everyone.

I'm new to the forum, but have been lurking for the last few months. I currently drive a 2022 Model Y, which is my third EV since 2019. I love my car, but I realized last month that it's not giving me enough range with my A-frame camper to be practical. The sorry state of CCS chargers drove me back to Tesla last year from an EV6 that I really enjoyed, but Ford's NACS adoption made me reconsider.

I have a deal on THIS TRUCK, which is the first XLT Extended Range that I’ve seen on the used market, and they just took it in trade last weekend at their Shakopee location. They had to send the salesman to the other store to bring it over for me, and it showed up just before I arrived with 5% in the tank and hadn’t seen their detail shop. This dealer didn’t have a fast charger, either, so I went on an abbreviated test drive to get a feel for it. They’re only willing to give me $37K for my Model Y, and Carvana has offered $40K, so I told them I’d play with my calculator and get back to them. I decided to move forward and sell my car to Carvana, and I drove back down this afternoon for a better test drive and put down a deposit.

The tires have less than 50% life at 18,300 miles, so they are putting my choice of tires on it. My deposit is refundable, but it’s looking like this is the one.

My only gripes are the lack of brake controller and having to deal with the standard sound system after getting spoiled by the premium Tesla setup. I can’t argue with the deal, though…I almost think they mistakenly priced it like a Standard Range. $55K for the equivalent to a regular 302A package with factory spray-in bedliner and tonneau cover.

The color really speaks to me. We lost our 6-year-old daughter back in 2018, and her favorite color was always blue.

Is there anything specific that I should look for before pulling the trigger?

 

[The Weatherman]

Have them check the update status to make sure it’s current. They can load any updates it needs, but some dealers won’t do it for free.

 

[invertedspear]

This is a helluva deal. I'm jealous after buying mine new yesterday.

 

[Blochead21]

Brake controller can be added, I think someone on here did it previously.

 

[Maquis]

Since you’re an EV owner already, you probably know this, but driving at 5% SoC is like driving an ICE with 2 cylinders not firing. It’s not a good representation of how the truck will drive.

 

[JerseyMike]

love atlas blue, sounds like a good deal and given that you need the range I think maybe go for it

 

[Peddyr]

That's a great deal. I actually like the Atlas Blue better than the Antimatter Blue one that I have. People often think mine is black. Good luck with it if you purchase it, and I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter.

 

[JRT]

Seems like a good deal and with new tires. I'd make them put OEM on it to start with so you have no range impact as you learn the truck. I'm still not sure I'd have an EV truck if I intended to tow a trailer, guess it depends on your use case. Also the 2022 does not have the Tesla charging port, so we wait for an adaptor, just keep that in mind.

 

[TomB985]

Since you’re an EV owner already, you probably know this, but driving at 5% SoC is like driving an ICE with 2 cylinders not firing. It’s not a good representation of how the truck will drive.

Yup, and it performed exactly as I expected. Gutless, but functional at 5%.

I was down in the area the following day, so I stopped in for a better test drive after it had time to charge. It was a rocketship at 72%, which is what I expected. It’s a shade faster than my Model Y on paper, and the second test drive didn’t disappoint. I think my Y would run away from it above 60 MPH, but it’s brutally strong at lower speeds.

Seems like a good deal and with new tires. I'd make them put OEM on it to start with so you have no range impact as you learn the truck. I'm still not sure I'd have an EV truck if I intended to tow a trailer, guess it depends on your use case. Also the 2022 does not have the Tesla charging port, so we wait for an adaptor, just keep that in mind.

I specifically asked for a set with the 3-peak mountain snowflake rating because I live in Minnesota. I’ve been using snow tires for the last few years, but newer all-seasons with that rating seem to do almost as well. I’m sure there will be a small range penalty with more aggressive tread, but most tests suggest it’ll go further than my Model Y when unloaded.

This will probably sound arrogant, but I’m a bit more familiar than most with towing expectations. I pulled this little popup trailer on a 4,800 mile trip to California and back two months ago. I was able to get about 150 miles of range at 60-65 MPH, which was barely adequate. Having to unhook to plug in with a rear charge port wasn’t great, but I managed.

I upgraded last month to an A-frame camper that sits a lot taller in the front. I drug this one 2,600 miles to San Antonio and back before putting it up for the winter. As I expected, the duck-shaped car sent the wind right into the face of it, and I could only manage ~100-120 miles at 60 MPH. That’s a bridge too far for me.

In contrast, my Expedition only loses 3 MPG while pulling it because of how much higher the rear end is. Much less of an aero penalty with a taller tow vehicle, which is what made me start look at the Lightning. If some folks are getting 150 miles with full-profile travel trailers, I can expect at least that with my shorter A-frame. That’ll be good enough for me.

 

[JRT]

Glad to see you do homework, a lot of very upset people with towing impacts. I held my 2014 Ram 1500 for past 2 years with my Mach-E as my 1st EV experience. After 31k miles on the Mach-E and 127k miles on the Ram, with really only 2 times I ever did any serious long distance towing, proved I'd be fine trading both for my lighting.

 

[GoodSam]

Get a Ford extended warranty from Granger after purchase? Lots of doo-dads that cost a fortune. Insurance and registration costs will be higher as well.

 

[Maquis]

Yup, and it performed exactly as I expected. Gutless, but functional at 5%.

I was down in the area the following day, so I stopped in for a better test drive after it had time to charge. It was a rocketship at 72%, which is what I expected. It’s a shade faster than my Model Y on paper, and the second test drive didn’t disappoint. I think my Y would run away from it above 60 MPH, but it’s brutally strong at lower speeds.



I specifically asked for a set with the 3-peak mountain snowflake rating because I live in Minnesota. I’ve been using snow tires for the last few years, but newer all-seasons with that rating seem to do almost as well. I’m sure there will be a small range penalty with more aggressive tread, but most tests suggest it’ll go further than my Model Y when unloaded.

This will probably sound arrogant, but I’m a bit more familiar than most with towing expectations. I pulled this little popup trailer on a 4,800 mile trip to California and back two months ago. I was able to get about 150 miles of range at 60-65 MPH, which was barely adequate. Having to unhook to plug in with a rear charge port wasn’t great, but I managed.



I upgraded last month to an A-frame camper that sits a lot taller in the front. I drug this one 2,600 miles to San Antonio and back before putting it up for the winter. As I expected, the duck-shaped car sent the wind right into the face of it, and I could only manage ~100-120 miles at 60 MPH. That’s a bridge too far for me.





In contrast, my Expedition only loses 3 MPG while pulling it because of how much higher the rear end is. Much less of an aero penalty with a taller tow vehicle, which is what made me start look at the Lightning. If some folks are getting 150 miles with full-profile travel trailers, I can expect at least that with my shorter A-frame. That’ll be good enough for me.

You’re correct about the top end. The Y will smoke it up there.

One of the reasons the Expedition only loses 3% is because it’s already wasting 80% of the stored energy directly to heat to begin with. If those losses remain constant, it’s using about 15% more energy to tow the camper.

 

[TomB985]

You’re correct about the top end. The Y will smoke it up there.

One of the reasons the Expedition only loses 3% is because it’s already wasting 80% of the stored energy directly to heat to begin with. If those losses remain constant, it’s using about 15% more energy to tow the camper.

Sure, but aero affects both of them.

I have an open utility trailer with a big ramp gate in the back. It weighs 1,500 lbs, and my Expedition only gets 10 MPG when the gate is up. The Model Y gets similar numbers with this trailer as it does the camper, but the Expy only takes a huge hit with the open trailer. I expect the Lightning will have much less of an efficiency penalty because the tailgate is almost as high as the nose of the trailer.

I just got a text from the salesman with a few photos now that it's done with detail and inspection.

I don't pull the trigger until tomorrow morning, but they're making it *really* hard for me to back out. As promised, they mounted the Firestone Destination A/T2s that I asked for.

 

[Maquis]

I don't pull the trigger until tomorrow morning, but they're making it *really* hard for me to back out. As promised, they mounted the Firestone Destination A/T2s that I asked for.

I’d expect those tires to be a small hit to range compared to stock.

 

[JerseyMike]

It’s a beautiful truck, tires look good, might be a 5% or so hit but worth it for winter traction

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