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

[Elcolochin]

We had a 2022 Model Y and recently purchased a 2024 F150 Lightning Lariat. The EV Lariat is priced similar or below the ICE Lariat, actually comes under by a few hundred in MSRP. We bought at the end of the year (2024) and the end of year promotions were amazing. We even got $1500 discount for owning a Tesla vehicle. Since the MSRP is similar for both ICE and EV, why wouldn't you get the EV when you get some many discounts with the EV?

As far as software, I think everyone has provided their input. The ride is smooth and so is performance, my wife has taken over the truck and I'm shopping for a new EV, a commuter car.

Getting rid of the Tesla was the best decision we made. Of course we made a conscious decision for us, not going to get political here. But there's also an economical decision, the Tesla depreciated over $30K in two years, with all their crazy pricing and discounts. It was hardened to sell the car, since new Tesla's are worth around the same as used ones.

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[netpositive]

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?

great comments on here. I have a 2022 Lightning Lariat ER
I love it, but agree with the comments about software. I never used the navigation after about the first day and have switched from Wayz to Google Maps with the satellite view. That is great for seeing who has added solar!!

It is a shame that the cameras do not record, so you need an extra device.

Mine gets about 2.3m/kWh in Boston in the winter and about 2.8 in the other months. I have the habit of using the seat heater and steering wheel heater in the winter and the rear window and side window for colling in the summer, mostly to see how I can keep that range.

My biggest question for Ford is WHY have they not taken a page from the Tesla book and improved their software? I would not like to believe that the Tesla engineers are just better at their work, but that certainly appears to be an issue. What is wrong with Ford leadership that they do not see this? I am sure that some of that has to do with the long term Ford culture of design and internal parts sourcing, but one would think that taking apart a Tesla would teach them so much!

Jim Farley has talked about his love for one of the Chinese EVs. Why not learn from them and improve the Lightning and Mach E to do some of the same things? It makes no sense that these issues linger

But, then again, Ford leadership seems so stuck in a prior decade and not recognizing the things that are needed. Their customer service stinks, they do not properly support their dealers with information that is needed, and they are operating with a very old world mindset where Tesla, despite Musk's dangerous views, still has a position of leadership. What is it that the Ford leadership, AND their Board of Directors does not get? I always gave Bill Ford points for trying to change the company, but it may be that this is the best that Ford can be without radical change. They need someone with some of the attributes of Alan Mulally again!!

They have a guy from Boston Consulting Group (Marin Gjaja) as their new head of strategy. He was the COO of the E group before that new role. I keep hoping that he will have an impact, but the problem with American leadership of companies these days is that by the time they get to those lofty positions and are making, in many cases, over $10,000,000 a year, they have become risk averse and top leadership does not reward dynamic thought, but following their paths.

GM's problem for decades was that there were no longer "A" level managers hiring "A" level people, but B managers hire C people and that continued path led to their major problems.

 

[vic7780]

in summary…buy a Lightning and don’t look back.

Nuff said.

 

[PrimeRisk]

great comments on here. I have a 2022 Lightning Lariat ER
I love it, but agree with the comments about software. I never used the navigation after about the first day and have switched from Wayz to Google Maps with the satellite view. That is great for seeing who has added solar!!

It is a shame that the cameras do not record, so you need an extra device.

Mine gets about 2.3m/kWh in Boston in the winter and about 2.8 in the other months. I have the habit of using the seat heater and steering wheel heater in the winter and the rear window and side window for colling in the summer, mostly to see how I can keep that range.

My biggest question for Ford is WHY have they not taken a page from the Tesla book and improved their software? I would not like to believe that the Tesla engineers are just better at their work, but that certainly appears to be an issue. What is wrong with Ford leadership that they do not see this? I am sure that some of that has to do with the long term Ford culture of design and internal parts sourcing, but one would think that taking apart a Tesla would teach them so much!

Jim Farley has talked about his love for one of the Chinese EVs. Why not learn from them and improve the Lightning and Mach E to do some of the same things? It makes no sense that these issues linger

But, then again, Ford leadership seems so stuck in a prior decade and not recognizing the things that are needed. Their customer service stinks, they do not properly support their dealers with information that is needed, and they are operating with a very old world mindset where Tesla, despite Musk's dangerous views, still has a position of leadership. What is it that the Ford leadership, AND their Board of Directors does not get? I always gave Bill Ford points for trying to change the company, but it may be that this is the best that Ford can be without radical change. They need someone with some of the attributes of Alan Mulally again!!

They have a guy from Boston Consulting Group (Marin Gjaja) as their new head of strategy. He was the COO of the E group before that new role. I keep hoping that he will have an impact, but the problem with American leadership of companies these days is that by the time they get to those lofty positions and are making, in many cases, over $10,000,000 a year, they have become risk averse and top leadership does not reward dynamic thought, but following their paths.

GM's problem for decades was that there were no longer "A" level managers hiring "A" level people, but B managers hire C people and that continued path led to their major problems.

Good comments and insights.

Farley has admitted that Software is hard for Ford, but it is exactly because they do not do things inside. They are not very well vertically integrated. They are trying to take the role of a Systems Integrator for their vehicle's software. Unfortunately they aren't a very good SI either. The clunkiness and visible difference of the UX approach across their different apps are distinct signs that the software is not their own. Truly, Google and Apple have done a much better job of enforcing UX standards for developers wanting to put apps in their stores.

Do I think that Ford should jump head-first into writing their own nav system? No, bad call. Could they hire a UX design team to smooth these seams and put some lipstick on on the experience? Yeah, pretty easily.

But really, what would be the cheapest and easiest step forward is to work on their Customer Service. So let me give Ford some very direct advice:

• Be honest with your customers: If you can't fix something, then tell us you can't fix it. If you can, then give your customers a timeline commitment and meet it, even if the answer is it will take us 6 months.
• If we open a ticket with you, then take it to resolution and don't leave it open with no response of any kind for months...even is the resolution to the ticket is "there is nothing we can do for you".
• Stop telling us that our dealership will fix all of our woes. We called Ford because our dealership already gave us a blank stare and said that no one could help us but Ford.
• Start investing in educating more EV techs. Give dealerships incentives to hire and retain EV techs. Free education is a start, but better pay retains them and encourages more to get the education.

A little goes a long way to create goodwill and start laying a foundation for brand loyalty in the EV space. Ford has been king of the hill for decades in the truck space, but times are changing. China is emerging with some very good and very inexpensive competition...and not only in the EV space. They have set their eyes on catching up with Tesla in the areas of performance, utility, efficiency, and technology. That means they'll eclipse Ford long before they catch Tesla. Eventually even the most loyal Ford customers will start re-evaluating the cost-benefit and start leaving for the competition.

 

[ds03]

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.

We owned a Model Y. We used it along with a utility trailer for some errands. That setup wasn't great, as you couldn't see the trailer because of the height of the bottom of the rear window. We decided to add another vehicle and lot a 2023 Lightning Lariat ER, which turned out to be the best vehicle we've ever owned. The Model Y sat for a year, save for a couple trips into NYC, where a car is easier to fit in a parking garage. In November, we traded the Model Y for a lease on a Mach-e. Our model Y was a rattle trap, bad road noise, and we found the software continued to do stupid things to the point where we just stopped using any of the assist stuff. The Mach-e is really well built, quiet, far more comfortable and the software, while doing less overall, has proven to be well sorted, and just does what it does quite well. The Lightning is the most comfortable vehicle we've ever owned, with the Mach-e a close second.

 

[Monkey]

The feature I miss on my Lightning that is on my Model Y is the camera recording. Both while driving and sentry mode when parked. I've added a FitCam X dash cam that does front and rear, but it is no longer functional, just stopped working literally days after the 1 year warranty ran out. I'm tempted to buy another since it would be a quick swap with the wire already run for the rear. But I've seen lots of reports of the same... Most legacy automakers are really dropping the ball when it comes to tech like this. They're doing their usual approach to onboard tech and that's to wait for industry solution providers to build a system they can integrate. And that just doesn't seem to be materializing for this application.

Tesla has good software, not perfect by any means, but nicely integrated with a lot of functionality. In my Lightning, I depend on Apple CarPlay to give me a better overall experience than the Ford Sync applications and navigation. Ford's navigation is OK, actually rather good for automotive company navigation. But not as good as Apple or Google maps navigation. And the Ford nav routing for charging is just bad. Apple/Google have very good charger routing and report charge level estimates. Apple currently does not show compatible Tesla stations in their navigation, so if using CarPlay, you'll also want to consult an app like ABRP to help plan your drive. ...Actually it's good to do so for road trips anyway.

Using CarPlay gives me superior messaging and calendar vs. Tesla's integrated stuff, which is one reason why a lot of Tesla people still request CarPlay. Same for Android Auto.

Outside of that, the Lightning is pretty much a superior experience to driving the Model Y. I mean, different size and class of vehicle for sure, but the Tesla has plenty of shortcomings and missing features of its own.

 

[Monkey]

My 23 Platinum locks when I walk away. I got that feature in an update around 6 months ago. I think there was also a setting somewhere that I had to turn on.

Ford's OTA update process and scheduling are infuriating... I'm still two updates behind this one and who knows if/when I'll get it.

 

[Monkey]

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.

Yep. Only take a fob with me on road trips, just in preparation of a worst-case scenario. Otherwise my phone works fine. I use my door keycode here and there anyway and I've used the passcode to drive twice -- once to test it after setting it up. And once when I went to move the truck when I was at my brother's place only to realize I had left my phone inside.

The one unfortunate thing, and kinda awkward deal was when I had to get a flat repaired. I had to give the guy at the tire shop my phone.

 

[Monkey]

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.

Tesla's navigation is just Google Maps. So you don't need to buy into the hype over how great Tesla nav is... But on the other hand, having a fully-functional Google Maps directly integrated and not running through an interface layer like CarPlay or Android Auto is a big deal. If you run Android Auto on your Lightning, you're going to effectively get the same nav experience that Tesla drivers get -- but with a performance penalty of being streamed from your phone. Some of the details and larger map overviews are limited with CarPlay and Android Auto that the larger Google Maps integration in Tesla will offer. CarPlay is effectively the same -- I do find it always wanting to default route me home whenever I start the truck while not at home is kinda annoying. Like Ford's own navigation, Apple Maps navigation does not yet integrate compatible Tesla chargers. Android Auto now does. Apple has said that feature is coming soon.

Ford's navigation is fine compared to the integrated navigation from most other car makers. It's actually damn good compared to the god awful navigation you get in a Kia or Subaru. But it's totally brain dead when it comes to planning and routing for chargers.

 

[Rip]

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?

I traded my Model Y in on a Platinum. I traded because I have been unhappy with Tesla's customer service pretty much from the first service appointment I made. They don't take customer service seriously there. The Tesla roadside service app is a joke (but not a funny one; if you hang on to that Model Y pray you never need it). You can't get a question answered, and my body panels wandered around a lot. It was an unnecessary inconvenience when I lived in Virginia and had a Tesla dealer nearby--now I live in Maine and the nearest service center is in Boston, 5 hours away.
I started looking at the Lightning when we were getting ready to move up here and it took 11 months to get some body work done following a VERY minor accident. At one point, the body shop was telling me that they weren't sure they were going to get the parts in from Tesla in time for me to get it back before we moved, so I was looking for another vehicle just in case. I had read some good reviews on the Lightning.
I took delivery on my truck in December. I really like it a lot. It's not quite as quick as my Model Y Performance, but it's a lot quicker than any of the ICE trucks I see. It's the most comfortable ride I think I've ever owned (even better than my old Chrysler 300, and MUCH better than the Model Y).
The tech does lag in most respects. I'm still a newbie with it, so there are things that probably work better than I think they do. Tesla didn't have Android Auto, so that's another learning curve, but it does make up some for the lack of a fully developed onboard nav system. I miss some of the games and the other entertainment apps (like Netflix and Hulu), but it has some OK games. At some point, I'm hoping that Ford decides they want to fully compete with Tesla, and start providing some better tech.
I think the problem we all have now is that Tesla sees themselves as a tech company rather than a car company, and Ford sees themselves as a car company and not a tech company. Maybe someone will come along and decide they need to be both to dominate the market (Benz seems like they are doing a lot of good research).

 

[Jarratt]

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?

We got out of our S & into a Mache and couldn't be happier. It's a better form factor for our rural site. We also far prefer BlueCruise CarPlay to the Tesla equivalent. Night & day improvement in self driving and infotainment.

Like you we have a Lighting which is by far the best of the scads of pickups I've owned over half a century -- except that it can't haul very far. Still have 2 others..

We have a great dealer and actually feel appreciated. Interacting with Tesla was quite different.

Now that Elon is in advanced stages of brand destruction, we are extremely gland not to have any association.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

in summary…buy a Lightning and don’t look back.

Nuff said.

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