Coming from a Model Y, talk me in/out of a Lightning

[astrand1]

I have a model Y and a Lightning Lariat. You will be disappointed with the Ford software in general. The navigation stinks, the road trip charging experience is sketchy and takes a lot more planning than Tesla. Only SOME Tesla chargers are open to the Ford. The DC charging speeds are slow, way below the competition. The phone app is not very useful. As can be expected, it uses about twice the energy as the model Y.

On the plus side, it is a great truck, just like a regular F150. Real world range is a tick better than the model Y if you keep it below 75.

I bought the Lightning because you can get it a good deal on them. For an extended range at $60k, it can't be beat.

I will push back on a few things you said. I don’t think the nav “stinks” it’s not nearly a smooth as Tesla but it’s ok. Once they add in the SC to the nav (which is coming) they will help out. For SC we really only can’t access V2 chargers. So it’s way more than “some” I’ve been across the country twice now and had no issue finding chargers and almost all were SC. To the OP using ABRP and getting a Bluetooth dongle for the OBD2 really makes planning much easier. You have to buy the premium access for ABRP but I’ve found it pretty decent. I love my lightning and it’s a great road trip vehicle. Prices are good. Go get one!

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[Eboss]

If you have to use a Bluetooth dongle for the OBD2 port and a seperate app... the NAV stinks.

 

[dww]

I drive a ‘22 Lariat ER and a ‘23 Tesla MY. I have driven each as much as 70- miles in a day. I used to drive a ’13 Lariat Ecoboost and a ‘17 Tesla MS. I like both the Y and the Lightning very much. The Y is nimble and has extremely quick steering. The truck has Ford’s patented “dead fish” steering wheel feel. The truck would beat the Y in a drag race but both are way more than adequate. PAAK works well for both. I miss having “walk away locking. Car has it, truck does not. Both have hands-free cruise. The Y’s system has automatic lane changing, and I like that mostly. The truck’s hands-free keeps having dead spots, but the car’s is seamless. The truck is quieter at highway speeds. The truck’s sound system is better too but it took me a few days to figure out how to turn on its radio. Both are a joy to drive. Both have really good brakes. I greatly prefer the truck’s blind spot warning system. The truck’s auto headlights and auto wipers are better. The Y’s chargeport door is much better than the Ford’s. I like and use the Y’s dog mode and camp mode (I wish the truck had them). Glad I have both the Y and the Lariat. Ford seems to value me as a customer. Tesla doesn’t much care. I am likely to keep each vehicle for many years.

Ok, I don’t get the sound system is better in the Lightning take. Either something is really wrong with my Lightning or something is really wrong with your Y. Or you have a tremendous aftermarket system in the Lightning. I just went out and played Jane at the loudest setting in both the Y and the Lightning Lariet. I did a db check with an ipad. The Y is 101db ish and the Lightning is 85db ish. That is 60 times more powerful in the Y and it’s not clipping or bassing out.

 

[Bwanapete]

I drive a ‘22 Lariat ER and a ‘23 Tesla MY. I have driven each as much as 70- miles in a day. I used to drive a ’13 Lariat Ecoboost and a ‘17 Tesla MS. I like both the Y and the Lightning very much. The Y is nimble and has extremely quick steering. The truck has Ford’s patented “dead fish” steering wheel feel. The truck would beat the Y in a drag race but both are way more than adequate. PAAK works well for both. I miss having “walk away locking. Car has it, truck does not. Both have hands-free cruise. The Y’s system has automatic lane changing, and I like that mostly. The truck’s hands-free keeps having dead spots, but the car’s is seamless. The truck is quieter at highway speeds. The truck’s sound system is better too but it took me a few days to figure out how to turn on its radio. Both are a joy to drive. Both have really good brakes. I greatly prefer the truck’s blind spot warning system. The truck’s auto headlights and auto wipers are better. The Y’s chargeport door is much better than the Ford’s. I like and use the Y’s dog mode and camp mode (I wish the truck had them). Glad I have both the Y and the Lariat. Ford seems to value me as a customer. Tesla doesn’t much care. I am likely to keep each vehicle for many years.

One more thing I like about the Y is that when I pull into a lined space in a parking lot, the center screen leets me see where the space’s lines are. One more very nice thing about truck is the trailer backup steering system with the knob. I also like being able to do many controls in the car by just telling it to turn up or 3

 

[Flipper]

I have a model 3 and my wife has a Y. I had an F250 diesel that was used for hauling my trailer and I sold that to get a lightning. Now it's my daily driver and the tesla is hardly driven because this lightning is so nice. The lightning has been a great vehicle and I would buy another one tomorrow. I'm charging the lightning from the Tesla wall charger.

 

[Altivec]

If you have to use a Bluetooth dongle for the OBD2 port and a seperate app... the NAV stinks.

I have not used Tesla's Nav for an extended period of time. What makes it so great that it doesn't stink? I use Apple Maps and when I get in my truck, Apple Maps already has a pin asking me if I want to go to a certain place based on looking at something on my phone earlier. Usually it's right. Turning directions show up in my instrument cluster, voice works great, maps are nice and clean. I am very happy with it.

Not saying there are not better Navs out there but to say it stinks. I don't get.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

I don't carry the FOB either because it's bulky as heck, but I did have one day when the PAAK just crapped out. Rebooted the phone and everything...No go. Luckily i had setup the keypad and a the passcode to start the vehicle, otherwise I would have been stranded. I keep one fob hidden in the truck in a RF bag now.

Why does the fob need to be in an RF bag? There is something that I'm missing here. Can you fill me in? Thanks.

I put my FOB in the console the day I bought the truck and I've never touched it since. I unlock the truck with the key pad on the door, and I lock it the same way. When is the RF bag needed?

 

[PrimeRisk]

Why does the fob need to be in an RF bag? There is something that I'm missing here. Can you fill me in? Thanks.

I put my FOB in the console the day I bought the truck and I've never touched it since. I unlock the truck with the key pad on the door, and I lock it the same way. When is the RF bag needed?

Because if someone pops a window to rummage through the console and glovebox, they could then just drive the truck away. In the bag, it can't communicate with the truck and unless someone knows it's there, it ends with the rummaging through my paperwork.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

Because if someone pops a window to rummage through the console and glovebox, they could then just drive the truck away. In the bag, it can't communicate with the truck and unless someone knows it's there, it ends with the rummaging through my paperwork.

Thanks. I just ordered one!!

 

[dww]

I have not used Tesla's Nav for an extended period of time. What makes it so great that it doesn't stink? I use Apple Maps and when I get in my truck, Apple Maps already has a pin asking me if I want to go to a certain place based on looking at something on my phone earlier. Usually it's right. Turning directions show up in my instrument cluster, voice works great, maps are nice and clean. I am very happy with it.

Not saying there are not better Navs out there but to say it stinks. I don't get.

Pinch/zoom/drag/rotate is nice if you want to check for traffic or if the navigation is taking you on a rout you don’t want to go. The screen is 4x the resolution and it’s as responsive as a new ipad. Typing a destination or any map interaction is at current ipad speeds. Not having your phone hijacked for navigation is nice. You can record video with sound while you are in the car if you need to. If you have FSD you don’t have the interruption of the navigation because it’s doing all the lane changes, interchanges and turns for you. These are the things I notice. For the most part it’s just different except twice the truck has changed a route on me through Dallas to navigate to a charger I did not need to go to. I thought it was for avoiding traffic until I was in a parking lot with it saying I was at my destination at a L2 charger. Pinch/zoom would have been nice.

 

[Altivec]

Pinch/zoom/drag/rotate is nice if you want to check for traffic or if the navigation is taking you on a rout you don’t want to go. The screen is 4x the resolution and it’s as responsive as a new ipad. Typing a destination or any map interaction is at current ipad speeds. Not having your phone hijacked for navigation is nice. You can record video with sound while you are in the car if you need to. If you have FSD you don’t have the interruption of the navigation because it’s doing all the lane changes, interchanges and turns for you. These are the things I notice. For the most part it’s just different except twice the truck has changed a route on me through Dallas to navigate to a charger I did not need to go to. I thought it was for avoiding traffic until I was in a parking lot with it saying I was at my destination at a L2 charger. Pinch/zoom would have been nice.

I am not going to say you're wrong. Although I can't "pinch", There are one touch plus minus button for zooming and you can drag around in Apple Maps. Resolution? Am I supposed to care if it has 3000x better resolution if I can't see the pixels. No difference than an 8k display over a 4k display. As soon as you sit at a normal distance they are indistinguishable. I don't use my phone when I'm driving and I wish more vehicles hijacked drivers phones so there would be less texting while driving. I do agree the processor at whole could and should be snappier but I've never noticed this during navigation. I notice that mainly when changing apps.

Regardless, these are minor nuances. my point is not to say that Tesla's Nav is not better. I am just saying the lightning's "Nav", especially since you have multiple mapping options, is not trash like you are implying. I've driven a lot of vehicles, and I would say 99% of the Navs out there are trash. Although, the Lightning lacks some speed and a few features (which could be added later through CarPlay or Ford), I would not put it in the trash category.

 

[PrimeRisk]

I am not going to say you're wrong. Although I can't "pinch", There are one touch plus minus button for zooming and you can drag around in Apple Maps. Resolution? Am I supposed to care if it has 3000x better resolution if I can't see the pixels. No difference than an 8k display over a 4k display. As soon as you sit at a normal distance they are indistinguishable. I don't use my phone when I'm driving and I wish more vehicles hijacked drivers phones so there would be less texting while driving. I do agree the processor at whole could and should be snappier but I've never noticed this during navigation. I notice that mainly when changing apps.

Regardless, these are minor nuances. my point is not to say that Tesla's Nav is not better. I am just saying the lightning's "Nav", especially since you have multiple mapping options, is not trash like you are implying. I've driven a lot of vehicles, and I would say 99% of the Navs out there are trash. Although, the Lightning lacks some speed and a few features (which could be added later through CarPlay or Ford), I would not put it in the trash category.

I think that Tesla's navigation is the Gold Standard. I have used no navigation system in any car that touches the solution Tesla has delivered. The resolution may not be of a concern to you, but I often travel to places where I am unfamiliar with the location and I want to be able to zoom into a satellite image to see which lanes are through vs turn and where actual entrances are. More than a few times this has prepared me so I didn't have to go around the block after being in the wrong lane or missing a turn into the correct driveway in heavy traffic.

I am in the camp that the Ford navigation is only useful if absolutely nothing else is available. I took it through its paces for the first 2 months but was continually frustrated with its lack of performance, difficulty of use, and the fact that the mapping data set seems to be stale. I travel to a lot of new-build areas. My Tesla and phone can find the newest addresses, but the Ford doesn't have it and when I get there it sometimes thinks I'm driving in the middle of a field.

I completely abandoned it and haven't fired it up since. I use Waze via AndroidAuto and while it is not the best resolution nor does it provide satellite layers, it works without performance issues, is easy to use, and doesn't stare at me blankly when I put in newer addresses. The inclusion of AndroidAuto and CarPlay in the SYNC4 feature set does not improve my opinion of the Ford navigation as using another navigation solution through that feature is NOT a Ford solution.

Here's what it all comes down to, is Ford's navigation good enough that you are willing to pay for it? Maybe for you it is, but for me it is an absolute no. When my trial expires, Ford will brick the functionality completely and I won't give it a 2nd thought.

 

[Jseis]

I’ve some great perspectives on a Lightning but as our other car is a Mach E and we’ve 100K miles between them and no Tesla experience I won’t waste your time.

 

[ED_C]

I only know the tesla side of EV ownership, so I'm looking for advice from someone who ideally has Tesla and Ford Lightning firsthand experience.

I have 2 tesla S (2019 and 2014) and ford 150 Flash. As a truck the flash works as expected. it has good acceleration, a bit of a mushy suspension, performs well in snow, quiet and comfortable. however, the technology is primitive compared to a tesla. i never know for sure if something i have configured with work. simple things that i would expect just aren't there. i'm also still waiting (7 months) for the NACS adapter to charge at tesla super chargers. I sold my 21 tundra to buy the flash, its much cheaper to run. i had the f150 as my 3rd pick of trucks, cybertruck was first on the list followed by rivian then lightning. Cybertruck isn't a truck, its toy, the rivian has too small a box and doesn't have a canopy option so it fell to the ford. so far i'm satisfied for the truck function.

 

[dww]

I have 2 tesla S (2019 and 2014) and ford 150 Flash. As a truck the flash works as expected. it has good acceleration, a bit of a mushy suspension, performs well in snow, quiet and comfortable. however, the technology is primitive compared to a tesla. i never know for sure if something i have configured with work. simple things that i would expect just aren't there. i'm also still waiting (7 months) for the NACS adapter to charge at tesla super chargers. I sold my 21 tundra to buy the flash, its much cheaper to run. i had the f150 as my 3rd pick of trucks, cybertruck was first on the list followed by rivian then lightning. Cybertruck isn't a truck, its toy, the rivian has too small a box and doesn't have a canopy option so it fell to the ford. so far i'm satisfied for the truck function.

The mushiness is the tires. Get a stiffer sidewall and it will mostly go away.

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