Adventures of our 2023 Carbonized Gray Metallic Lariat Lightning ER

[SpaceEVDriver]

But... Driving more faster is more funner and more faster?

I get it .. Or I did. I misspent a lot of my youth going moar faster. Had a [ЯƎVO ƎVOM] front license plate, tickets, etc, etc, etc.

But 80 vs 70? With today's vehicles? I don't feel any difference. The truck's not on the edge. It's not a motorcycle. It's just cruising.

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[SpaceEVDriver]

A map and elevation profile of our trip.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Year-end summary of our EV driving.

We had the 2023 Lightning Lariat ER delivered to us from down in the valley on 12 April, 2024. We now have 11,748 miles on it. We've chosen the Lightning over the Mustang Mach-E (2022, 43,791 miles) for most of our long-distance driving since purchasing it. The Lightning is just so much more comfortable.

This map shows all the places that I can remember we've taken one or the other of our EVs since late February 2022.

• Would I buy another EV? Yes, without question. We won't go back to gas.
• Would I buy another Ford EV. Yes. We're not brand loyalists. The Lightning was the only truck option that we could afford when we bought it. The Mustang was the best SUV option when we bought it. When the Mustang reaches 100k-150k miles, we'll probably retire it and get something else. What brand we buy will depend on what is being offered.
• Any regrets?
  • I would have preferred a Lightning Pro with the extended range battery, but that wasn't available to us. We got the Lariat at a too-high, but reasonable price for an EV.
  • I wish we'd had the Lightning at least a few months earlier than we got it. We would have been able to put Arkansas on the map too.
• What could be better?
  • Lots of things.
  • The prices could be better.
  • The Mustang has too harsh a ride, even with low pressure tires. It's better than most cars we'd had before it, but nowhere near as nice as the Lightning
  • The Lightning is bigger than I'd prefer--I would prefer a Maverick- or Tacoma-sized electric truck.
  • I'd like a simple way to tell the battery to warm up or cool down before I drive.
  • I'd like to have a little more efficient heater for the cabin.
  • I wish BlueCruise was more reliable and dependable. It's too aggressive with its slow-downs at curves and it doesn't give me enough information when it turns itself off.
  • I'd like a faster interface in the tablet. I would remove all the entertainment apps, games, karaoke, and Alexa--perhaps that would speed up the interface a bit.
  • The stock tires that came with the Lightning are pretty soft and allow too much body roll. The soft ride is nice, but the tires aren't conducive to a reliable working truck. I have to baby it when I'm towing or hauling because of the soft sidewalls.
  • The dealership experience is unpleasant at best.
  • Probably a few other things.
• Major problems?
  • None.
  • The Mustang had the HVBJB recall, which I finally acquiesced to have done. It was mostly painless. It didn't change my willingness to take the car anywhere, just put to rest the nagging from Ford. The first dealer we went to failed to even try to replace the hardware, so we went to another dealer an hour and a half away. They completed the job as expected.
  • Got a flat in the Lightning. No problems.
  • Had a slight shudder in the Lightning while accelerating between about 45 mph and 55 mph. Rotated and balanced the tires myself and the shudder is gone.
  • Got a flat in the Mustang. It's probably time to get my repair job fixed--I think we're losing a small amount of air over a few weeks.

Overall, we are incredibly happy with both of our EVs.

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