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

[flyct]

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

I think what Ed describes as mushiness is the soft shocks, independent rear suspension and soft rear coil springs. Coming out of my driveway the truck dips and moves up and down comfortably. My teslas will jar your teeth exiting the same area. I'm not complaining. I much actually prefer the Lightning ride over my Teslas. That is probably because I'm an old fart.

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[Marc]

I traded my 20 Model Y Long Range AWD for my 23 Lariat ER. The tech, self driving and charging are hands down better with the Tesla. The Lariat is hand down better in the ride and drive quality. The frunk is better in the Lariat.

 

[dww]

I think what Ed describes as mushiness is the soft shocks, independent rear suspension and soft rear coil springs. Coming out of my driveway the truck dips and moves up and down comfortably. My teslas will jar your teeth exting the same area. im not complying. I much actually prefer the Lightning ride over my Teslas.

These tires made that go away. When you stop it does not rock back and forth, there is one dip then it levels. When you make sharp right turn it does not rock when you turn back straight. When you go over a bump it can jarr/rattle like a truck. It’s actually a bit too stiff now.

 

[Altivec]

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.

When you said "resolution" I thought you were talking about the pixel density of the screen. I now think you are talking about how far you can zoom into a map. That is all software dependent and decided by whomever provides the map. For satellite imagery, many map companies put restrictions on zoom due to privacy concerns. But that can change at any time and has nothing to do with Ford Nav. If you are just talking about line maps, I can zoom pretty far in Apple Maps, way beyond anything practical.

Why in the world does CarPlay and android auto not count as a "Ford" solution. So if Tesla licensed out their software and Ford put it in their vehicles as an optional app, is that not a "Ford" solution that they chose to incorporate for their buyers. You could be driving a Lightning around with what you call your gold standard nav, but because the Ford Nav is on there too not being used, the truck is no good at Navigation. Sorry dude. I completely disagree with you. I couldn't care less that its Apple or Google that have Nav apps available to use , who by the way are far more advanced than even Tesla at having updated maps and POI. If I can use it, then it's part of the vehicle and the more options I have, the better.

I also don't use Ford's navigation and would never pay for it. As the OP asked in this thread about talking him into buy a lightning, I would not say the nav is crap and the other integrated options that work good don't count because Ford didn't make them. I would say the truck is amazing but the software is not at the gold standard that Tesla's software is. The Ford Nav is crap but luckily you have other options such as CarPlay and Android Auto that have numerous Nav apps that work great and integrate well with the vehicle and keep on improving.

 

[ED_C]

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

I only have 5K on the vehicle, still using the tires that came with the truck. Thanks for the suggestion, i will look into better tires when i replace these.

 

[ED_C]

I only have 5K on the vehicle, still using the tires that came with the truck. Thanks for the suggestion, i will look into better tires when i replace these.

The tesla's are definitely a harder ride, are hard to decrease road friction.

 

[PrimeRisk]

When you said "resolution" I thought you were talking about the pixel density of the screen. I now think you are talking about how far you can zoom into a map. That is all software dependent and decided by whomever provides the map. For satellite imagery, many map companies put restrictions on zoom due to privacy concerns. But that can change at any time and has nothing to do with Ford Nav. If you are just talking about line maps, I can zoom pretty far in Apple Maps, way beyond anything practical.

Why in the world does CarPlay and android auto not count as a "Ford" solution. So if Tesla licensed out their software and Ford put it in their vehicles as an optional app, is that not a "Ford" solution that they chose to incorporate for their buyers. You could be driving a Lightning around with what you call your gold standard nav, but because the Ford Nav is on there too not being used, the truck is no good at Navigation. Sorry dude. I completely disagree with you. I couldn't care less that its Apple or Google that have Nav apps available to use , who by the way are far more advanced than even Tesla at having updated maps and POI. If I can use it, then it's part of the vehicle and the more options I have, the better.

I also don't use Ford's navigation and would never pay for it. As the OP asked in this thread about talking him into buy a lightning, I would not say the nav is crap and the other integrated options that work good don't count because Ford didn't make them. I would say the truck is amazing but the software is not at the gold standard that Tesla's software is. The Ford Nav is crap but luckily you have other options such as CarPlay and Android Auto that have numerous Nav apps that work great and integrate well with the vehicle and keep on improving.

You are correct, I'm not talking about DPI of the LCD panel.

AndroidAuto and CarPlay are nothing but projecting the app from your phone. Your phone is doing 100% of the compute, sensing, and communication, so any nav projected from your phone has absolutely zero do to with Ford. You might as well just put in a phone mount and use the phone's screen. If you think Ford renting the monitor to your phone makes it a Ford solution, well we'll never see eye to eye on this point. To make it clear where I draw the line between what is part of the Ford solution and not, lose your phone while out and about in an unfamiliar city, then see what works in your truck and what doesn't.

Why does this matter? Because if BlueCruise ever becomes more than TACC with lane keeping, it will have to integrate with the native navigation solution to work.

If Ford licensed the Tesla tech for their vehicles, it would be running on the vehicle's hardware and then be part of the Ford solution. Do you believe Ford is actually writing the software for any of this other than maybe BlueCruise anyway? They are doing nothing but re-branding the lowest bidder's software solution into the SYNC4 framework and it shows...badly.

As for map bases and POIs, Google is the Gold Standard and that is what Tesla is licensing. If Tesla lags behind the native Google Maps map base, it's by very little compared to the competitors.

You say Ford Nav is not crap, but then you say you wouldn't pay for it and it is crap?

The software in the Lighting is a sh*t-show and the situation is not getting better. Any buyer is well advised to make sure they are 100% satisfied with what it will do the day they take delivery as it is very uncertain that Ford will make any improvements in the future. As we see on this forum time and time again, the new toys only go in the new model year. The rest of us get nothing.

On the last part we agree, the "truck" part of the Lightning is great.

 

[dww]

When you said "resolution" I thought you were talking about the pixel density of the screen. I now think you are talking about how far you can zoom into a map. That is all software dependent and decided by whomever provides the map. For satellite imagery, many map companies put restrictions on zoom due to privacy concerns. But that can change at any time and has nothing to do with Ford Nav. If you are just talking about line maps, I can zoom pretty far in Apple Maps, way beyond anything practical.

Why in the world does CarPlay and android auto not count as a "Ford" solution. So if Tesla licensed out their software and Ford put it in their vehicles as an optional app, is that not a "Ford" solution that they chose to incorporate for their buyers. You could be driving a Lightning around with what you call your gold standard nav, but because the Ford Nav is on there too not being used, the truck is no good at Navigation. Sorry dude. I completely disagree with you. I couldn't care less that its Apple or Google that have Nav apps available to use , who by the way are far more advanced than even Tesla at having updated maps and POI. If I can use it, then it's part of the vehicle and the more options I have, the better.

I also don't use Ford's navigation and would never pay for it. As the OP asked in this thread about talking him into buy a lightning, I would not say the nav is crap and the other integrated options that work good don't count because Ford didn't make them. I would say the truck is amazing but the software is not at the gold standard that Tesla's software is. The Ford Nav is crap but luckily you have other options such as CarPlay and Android Auto that have numerous Nav apps that work great and integrate well with the vehicle and keep on improving.

Which of these looks less frustrating to use?

 

[Altivec]

Which of these looks less frustrating to use?

I did say the processor should have been more powerful and in no way am I letting Ford off the hook. I agree there is a lot of improvements needed. But... I feel you are also accentuating the issue. You are taxing it when the system is booting up where as it looked like the Tesla one was already up and running. Unless my truck and/or my phone is aberration, I don't experience anything close to your video. First off, I don't have to select my phone like you did in the first part. I do get that phone list screen for a second but then it just automatically connects and puts me right into CarPlay without any interaction. I have never rushed into my truck and taxed it that way, so I can't deny that's how it will react. But from almost a year of use, I have never experienced anything like that. My system is much more fluid, I have no problems typing, and the zooming and rotating are smooth. What phone are using? Maybe that has something to do with it. I will try to see if I can replicate that lag the next time I get into my truck, but that is not representative of what I experience at all.

Again, I never said that Ford's Nav is BETTER Than Tesla's. I am saying that compared to other Nav's, that is not Tesla, it's okay. What you showed in your video however is atrocious and not okay. So one of two things are happening. You've either knowingly realized that if you tax it during boot up, it looks really bad or there is something wrong with your truck or phone.

 

[dww]

I did say the processor should have been more powerful and in no way am I letting Ford off the hook. I agree there is a lot of improvements needed. But... I feel you are also accentuating the issue. You are taxing it when the system is booting up where as it looked like the Tesla one was already up and running. Unless my truck and/or my phone is aberration, I don't experience anything close to your video. First off, I don't have to select my phone like you did in the first part. I do get that phone list screen for a second but then it just automatically connects and puts me right into CarPlay without any interaction. I have never rushed into my truck and taxed it that way, so I can't deny that's how it will react. But from almost a year of use, I have never experienced anything like that. My system is much more fluid, I have no problems typing, and the zooming and rotating are smooth. What phone are using? Maybe that has something to do with it. I will try to see if I can replicate that lag the next time I get into my truck, but that is not representative of what I experience at all.

Again, I never said that Ford's Nav is BETTER Than Tesla's. I am saying that compared to other Nav's, that is not Tesla, it's okay. What you showed in your video however is atrocious and not okay. So one of two things are happening. You've either knowingly realized that if you tax it during boot up, it looks really bad or there is something wrong with your truck or phone.

I’m using a 13 Pro. Most of the time it does not ask to connect to the phone, but the lag to connect to Carplay is about the same. The Tesla is always like that. As soon as you open the door it is on. I gave it no advantage. The AC is on, you can enter a destination. You can select songs from youtube. 0 delay. I am the delay. The Lightning’s blower/volume/menus do not even start until I’ve cleared the garage. At least you can drive immediately. The nav/menu in the Lightning is always like that. Almost 0 chance of using it while driving other than voice, but if you are looking for traffic or where it’s navigating 20 miles out you can’t because it’s so slow. If I did not have the Tesla I would accept it as normal because GM is worse. The Chinese are killing it though. Every one of them has Tesla level software.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Which of these looks less frustrating to use?

Yikes, that's brutal. I thought my AndroidAuto was sluggish and I've got a 2021 Pixel 6 (non-pro). Does it get more responsive as drive goes on?

Nice music selection in the Tesla BTW.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

My wife has a Y and I have a gas F150 Lariat. The lightning prices seem good right now so I'm considering pulling the trigger on a lariat lightning. Anything I should know since I'm coming from the world of Tesla?

You'll like the truck but you might hate the software.

 

[PrimeRisk]

I did say the processor should have been more powerful and in no way am I letting Ford off the hook. I agree there is a lot of improvements needed. But... I feel you are also accentuating the issue. You are taxing it when the system is booting up where as it looked like the Tesla one was already up and running. Unless my truck and/or my phone is aberration, I don't experience anything close to your video. First off, I don't have to select my phone like you did in the first part. I do get that phone list screen for a second but then it just automatically connects and puts me right into CarPlay without any interaction. I have never rushed into my truck and taxed it that way, so I can't deny that's how it will react. But from almost a year of use, I have never experienced anything like that. My system is much more fluid, I have no problems typing, and the zooming and rotating are smooth. What phone are using? Maybe that has something to do with it. I will try to see if I can replicate that lag the next time I get into my truck, but that is not representative of what I experience at all.

Again, I never said that Ford's Nav is BETTER Than Tesla's. I am saying that compared to other Nav's, that is not Tesla, it's okay. What you showed in your video however is atrocious and not okay. So one of two things are happening. You've either knowingly realized that if you tax it during boot up, it looks really bad or there is something wrong with your truck or phone.

The apps are not running on the Ford's processor, they're running on the phone's processor and being projected to the SYNC4 system's screen. This should be putting very little demand on the Ford's infotainment system. There is lag introduced through the screen projection and relay of touch input back to the phone, but the heavy lifting is being done by the phone. The wake-up could be amplifying the sluggishness a little when first entering the Lightning, but dww is absolutely correct, he didn't stage the Tesla, that is how they always operate. Even in my older 2021 MYP with the underpowered Intel Atom infotainment processor, the ability to start changing settings and entering a destination is virtually instantaneous. My wife's 2023 MYLR is even faster and more responsive with its AMD Ryzen processor. In the Teslas, the onboard processor is doing all of the work as opposed to the phone. In fact, you need no phone to get these features in the Tesla, it's all built in.

Dww's videos did not show either of these vehicles booting up. Neither of these vehicles ever shutdown unless commanded to or you pull the 12V battery. Both the Tesla and Ford will take a number of minutes when truly booting up. Both of these vehicles were in a standard quick-start sleep mode.

 

[Altivec]

The apps are not running on the Ford's processor, they're running on the phone's processor and being projected to the SYNC4 system's screen. This should be putting very little demand on the Ford's infotainment system. There is lag introduced through the screen projection and relay of touch input back to the phone, but the heavy lifting is being done by the phone. The wake-up could be amplifying the sluggishness a little when first entering the Lightning, but dww is absolutely correct, he didn't stage the Tesla, that is how they always operate. Even in my older 2021 MYP with the underpowered Intel Atom infotainment processor, the ability to start changing settings and entering a destination is virtually instantaneous. My wife's 2023 MYLR is even faster and more responsive with its AMD Ryzen processor. In the Teslas, the onboard processor is doing all of the work as opposed to the phone. In fact, you need no phone to get these features in the Tesla, it's all built in.

Dww's videos did not show either of these vehicles booting up. Neither of these vehicles ever shutdown unless commanded to or you pull the 12V battery. Both the Tesla and Ford will take a number of minutes when truly booting up. Both of these vehicles were in a standard quick-start sleep mode.

Good to know about them both not having to boot up. I did know that CarPlay was just a projection and using the phone's processor and that's why I was surprised to see it so laggy. I finally had a chance to replicate what Dww did in his video and my experience is not even remotely close to what he is experiencing. As stated, CarPlay automatically connects. My typing is instantly responsive, I can drag around, zoom in and zoom out smooth as butter. It's not like I have the latest iPhone either. I have a 14pro which is just one year newer than his. I now understand why there are differing opinions of how okay the nav is. I definitely would not be okay with what Dww showed but I am perfectly happy with my system. The various ages and compute power of phones is a drawback of using the phone as a processor but on the other hand, every time you upgrade your phone, you get a faster processor.

I still think something is wrong with Dww setup because CarPlay has been projecting smoothly for years now. Is it possible that there is something wrong with his bluetooth modem? Does anyone have an iPhone 13 or lower hooked up? Does it perform as bad as what's shown?

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