VAF84
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2023
- Threads
- 20
- Messages
- 222
- Reaction score
- 197
- Location
- Central Texas
- Vehicles
- 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
- Occupation
- Consultant
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- #1
This same review will be posted on the Lightning and Silverado forums.
I'll preempt this review with a few things. One, I have no attachments to EV or ICE vehicles. I look for value and driving experiences, and accept each has their trade-offs. Two, the Lightning extended range was my first and is my only EV. Three, I was excited for the Silverado based on my experience with my LER and more so for the massive range of the SER compared to my LER.
Sunday I got my wife and 3 small kids with 2 boosters and one car seat into the Silverado EV RST for a test drive. We drove our Lightning ER there to have a back to back comparison.
SUMMARY: It's a great truck, but for me and my values it didn't hit the way I fully expected it would. At equal pricing with the Lightning, with a moderate surcharge for extended range, I'd consider, but no longer feel as strong an urge to spend extra.
LONG REVIEW:
EXTERIOR: Not much to say. Great looking truck. Frunk not as good as LER, but acceptably close. I miss GM's fold down step on the tailgate, but again LER has a pull out step. Not much to dwell on here. I personally like the rear plug, but in my world, everyone backs-in to park.
INTERIOR: It feels sporty. The screens are sharper in contrast to my LER. However, I couldn't put my finger on it, but the instrument panel maybe seemed small to me. I miss GM's smaller steering wheel compared to Ford's massive one. I REALLY miss the nice HUD GM offers along with the camera rearview mirror that Ford doesn't offer. Spacious rear seating area, almost like a 3/4 ton interior. APATHETIC WIFE INPUT: She immediately commented (first thing she said when she got in) on missing door storage (mid pocket), less dash storage (RST has an open air pocket), and lack of rear underseat storage. I know the midgate is the reason for this, but in a weird way, I think I would prefer a flat floor rear seat area like Ford's than a midgate after further consideration.
TECH: Google Maps was snappier than the one on my refreshed 2022 Denali, so I was happy about that. I'm still concerned about a lack of CarPlay, but that topic has been beaten to death. Supercruise... not going to lie, I'm starting to think Blue Cruise is better. This part is a big deal to me due to lots of driving. Ford's lane centering makes up for any areas without BC, Supercruise only engages on certain roads, otherwise you get the bumper lanes. I do like the steering wheel SC setup better than Ford, but geez, give us some lane centering especially for the roads where SC isn't available. I like the center console screen, pretty snappy. Also love that the button to remove one pedal driving is on the main screen. My wife hates it, I love it. So when we switch it's easy to access the button.
DRIVING: This is where SER starts to lose me. I assumed all EV's drove like a Lightning or Model 3, my only experiences in an EV. The acceleration felt a little lackluster to me. My LER is plain fast, but even my prior 6.2L Denali pickup felt snappier. I can't explain it. I don't care about GM's WTF mode, because I want to feel the torque in my daily driving, not by activating it at a red light. Even my prior F250 felt more like a torque monster once it was off the line. Second, it was surprisingly noisy in the cabin at speed. I'd had a short drive in an EV Hummer, and honestly it was about as noisy. My Ford is silent on the road. I didn't think it would bother me as much as it did. It does drive like a smaller vehicle, and my wife had nothing to report when she drove it; which is good as she's apathetic about cars. She did note the noise though.
A GEAR HEAD'S CONCLUSION: I don't have any brand loyalties, but tend to lean towards GM products. I kept trying to sort out my feelings on the SEV, and continued to come back to, "it's worth it for the range". Take away the extra range though, and what do you have? Without the luxury sports car feel, I realize I could just buy an ICE truck that offers a somewhat similar driving experience for less, and get the range. It's hard to justify an extra $27k for 100 miles of range and a HUD. If I'm being honest, I've concluded that if Ford kept the driving experience of the LER, but added a HUD and a 100 miles of range I would stay with Ford. If I take away 100 miles of range from GM; all else being equal, I'm not so sure I'd buy the GM product like I assumed I would prior to this drive. If anything I appreciate the driving experience Ford created with their Lightning after my test drive. Further, In a weird way, this may have actually boosted my interest in the CT w/ range extender if it drives more like the LER than the SER; but then again can't fit 3 kid seats on the bench... *sigh* Trade-offs.
I'll preempt this review with a few things. One, I have no attachments to EV or ICE vehicles. I look for value and driving experiences, and accept each has their trade-offs. Two, the Lightning extended range was my first and is my only EV. Three, I was excited for the Silverado based on my experience with my LER and more so for the massive range of the SER compared to my LER.
Sunday I got my wife and 3 small kids with 2 boosters and one car seat into the Silverado EV RST for a test drive. We drove our Lightning ER there to have a back to back comparison.
SUMMARY: It's a great truck, but for me and my values it didn't hit the way I fully expected it would. At equal pricing with the Lightning, with a moderate surcharge for extended range, I'd consider, but no longer feel as strong an urge to spend extra.
LONG REVIEW:
EXTERIOR: Not much to say. Great looking truck. Frunk not as good as LER, but acceptably close. I miss GM's fold down step on the tailgate, but again LER has a pull out step. Not much to dwell on here. I personally like the rear plug, but in my world, everyone backs-in to park.
INTERIOR: It feels sporty. The screens are sharper in contrast to my LER. However, I couldn't put my finger on it, but the instrument panel maybe seemed small to me. I miss GM's smaller steering wheel compared to Ford's massive one. I REALLY miss the nice HUD GM offers along with the camera rearview mirror that Ford doesn't offer. Spacious rear seating area, almost like a 3/4 ton interior. APATHETIC WIFE INPUT: She immediately commented (first thing she said when she got in) on missing door storage (mid pocket), less dash storage (RST has an open air pocket), and lack of rear underseat storage. I know the midgate is the reason for this, but in a weird way, I think I would prefer a flat floor rear seat area like Ford's than a midgate after further consideration.
TECH: Google Maps was snappier than the one on my refreshed 2022 Denali, so I was happy about that. I'm still concerned about a lack of CarPlay, but that topic has been beaten to death. Supercruise... not going to lie, I'm starting to think Blue Cruise is better. This part is a big deal to me due to lots of driving. Ford's lane centering makes up for any areas without BC, Supercruise only engages on certain roads, otherwise you get the bumper lanes. I do like the steering wheel SC setup better than Ford, but geez, give us some lane centering especially for the roads where SC isn't available. I like the center console screen, pretty snappy. Also love that the button to remove one pedal driving is on the main screen. My wife hates it, I love it. So when we switch it's easy to access the button.
DRIVING: This is where SER starts to lose me. I assumed all EV's drove like a Lightning or Model 3, my only experiences in an EV. The acceleration felt a little lackluster to me. My LER is plain fast, but even my prior 6.2L Denali pickup felt snappier. I can't explain it. I don't care about GM's WTF mode, because I want to feel the torque in my daily driving, not by activating it at a red light. Even my prior F250 felt more like a torque monster once it was off the line. Second, it was surprisingly noisy in the cabin at speed. I'd had a short drive in an EV Hummer, and honestly it was about as noisy. My Ford is silent on the road. I didn't think it would bother me as much as it did. It does drive like a smaller vehicle, and my wife had nothing to report when she drove it; which is good as she's apathetic about cars. She did note the noise though.
A GEAR HEAD'S CONCLUSION: I don't have any brand loyalties, but tend to lean towards GM products. I kept trying to sort out my feelings on the SEV, and continued to come back to, "it's worth it for the range". Take away the extra range though, and what do you have? Without the luxury sports car feel, I realize I could just buy an ICE truck that offers a somewhat similar driving experience for less, and get the range. It's hard to justify an extra $27k for 100 miles of range and a HUD. If I'm being honest, I've concluded that if Ford kept the driving experience of the LER, but added a HUD and a 100 miles of range I would stay with Ford. If I take away 100 miles of range from GM; all else being equal, I'm not so sure I'd buy the GM product like I assumed I would prior to this drive. If anything I appreciate the driving experience Ford created with their Lightning after my test drive. Further, In a weird way, this may have actually boosted my interest in the CT w/ range extender if it drives more like the LER than the SER; but then again can't fit 3 kid seats on the bench... *sigh* Trade-offs.
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