VAF84
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2023
- Threads
- 20
- Messages
- 211
- Reaction score
- 187
- Location
- Central Texas
- Vehicles
- 2023 Lightning Lariat ER
- Occupation
- Consultant
- Thread starter
- #1
We’ve all seen and done the review from ICE to EV. I thought it’d be interesting to reverse review objectively from EV to ICE. There is a notable number of cases that pop up here where things don’t work out in EV land and suddenly one is found trying to figure out what’s next. So, for the next person that happens to, hopefully this helps. (Posted on both Lightning forums)
RANGE:
I’ll jokingly start here. On my new Powerboost I had 500 miles of range when I drove out of the parking lot!!! Supposedly I can get 600 or more. Okay, I know I’m poking the bear with this one. For real though, it was a sigh of relief. Most people here have heard my moans about range echo down the forum corridors. Primary issue resolved. It dawned on me, as I drove back to work in Louisiana, that I was more relaxed. No calculations running in my head, no plugging numbers on my calculator (Stuff like 39% * 131kW * 1.8 kW/mi or 65mi delta in range / 1.8kW/mi = X / 120kW/h charging speed = Y * 60 min in an hr = roughly 18min stop) to figure out where I was going to stop. No fighting the nav to pick my preferred chargers and charging locations, or second guessing its calculations. I ran an extra errand or two on the way out that I would not have done in my LER because it would have meant more charging downtime. Further, I regained control of where I would stop on my trip. I can stop at any time now. Whereas w/ LER if I had to use the bathroom, I did everything in my power to try and make it to the charging stop (did the same w/ our family trip and annoyed my wife/kids, lol) to avoid adding more stops to my scheduled charging stops. I enjoyed blowing past my two charging stops on the highway this weekend.
FUEL COST:
For DC charging frequent flyers, compared to an unleaded fuel engine, it’s close to a wash. If you charge at home 99% of the time and don’t travel much, this review isn’t for you anyway. Even with oil changes, I don’t think it’s all that different. Then again, between adapters, mobile chargers, and home setup, that would have paid for a lot of oil changes.
GENERAL COMFORT:
Regarding ride comfort, I felt like I went from an S-Class in the LER back to a truck, which I did, so that sucks (side note, Sierra Denali had a better ride than PB, but LER better than Sierra). It’s night and day, and I instantly missed the LER ride. Similar interior comfort; can't directly compare to my higher trim replacement. Interesting note, the PB has a normal sized steering wheel. IDK why the LER always felt like the wheel came off a big rig, it practically sat on my lap. I’m going to need a measuring tape, but the PB KR steering wheel is more comfortable and feels correctly sized. Strangely, I miss the silence of the LER; no jarring or rattling compared to going back to ICE. The LER felt effortless.
DRIVEABILITY:
What's there to say, LER is the undisputed champion. Initially disconcerting, I had to retrain myself to the old weight distribution and high center of mass. Luckily, it's like riding a bike! Boy, do I miss the smooth and powerful acceleration, and the one pedal driving. It’d be cool if one pedal driving could get implemented in ICE. Regardless, the two are incomparable here; LER all the way. However, that was always one of the major selling points, if not the biggest selling point. From a psychological standpoint, I find that I’ve been babying the PB a bit, but I think that’s residual from 10 months of trying to squeeze range out of my truck in certain situations. I'm slowly returning to my old 80 to 85 on the highway. I feel like I’m shaking off PTSD; I always felt nervous going over the speed limit on trips because of the exponential effect speed has on range. I used to constantly check my kWh/mi. On a positive for the PB, it does not lack for power/torque coming from the LER. It's acceptable.
TECH:
No PAAK in the King Ranch PB, boo! WTH Ford, how is this not a thing with all Ford’s, or at least top trim? I’m back to carrying keys around. The big center screen in the LER was functional and useful; thus, in my opinion, better than the 24’s KR setup. I also miss the bigger map presentation on the LER. The LER also had more open space on the dash, however I think it’s because the 24 has a HUD and the BO sound system with a speaker in the center. PB does not have climate control from the phone app. Another win for LER. In other words, expect to lose some tech options. That was something I didn’t expect getting into a refreshed 2024 model. If there's a positive for PB, I no longer need for 10 EV charger apps on my phone anymore. Refueling also don't require me to hunt stations, then move to appropriate app, load/connect/handshake, etc.
COOL STUFF MY 24 PB HAS THAT I HOPE THE NEXT LER HAS:
Heads up display (love it), camera sideview when lane changing with a trailer. Finally, Ford! Seriously, the last thing left to overtake GM’s amenities is the rear-view camera mirror. However, those two are more important than the rear view. The new tailgate door is functional, I like it. New BC is an obvious one, but 24’s LER probably have the same one I have.
MENTALITY:
For heavy road trippers, and road warriors. It’s like rewiring your brain again. I’ve alluded to this already. I felt like I had one of those dog collars that shocked you if you left the defined perimeter in the LER. Everything is awesome, if you stay in the box. Going to the PB felt like someone left the door open, and I’m cautiously stepping through half expecting to get shocked. Possibly also analogous to breaking up with a hot crazy girlfriend so you could get married with a less attractive (still beautiful), but more pragmatic person. I think that’s why I may have come across harshly on some criticisms of the truck. I was, and still am, disappointed because I could not make it work, as much as I wanted it to.
CONCLUSION:
Those making the move to PB, you won’t regret it in a functional way. However, we know it’s being done out of necessity and not want. Otherwise, the LER has a special place in my list of vehicles owned. Personally, I’ve rerun the numbers and scenarios. Now that Ford has caught up to GM on the amenities side, I’m waiting for the next Lightning that has = or >395 miles of range so I can go back to EV. I fully expect the next Ford Lightning to leapfrog the Silverado LT which will have 395 range plus the capability to charge twice as fast as the current LER. If that were on the market today, with an equivalent price to ICE, I’d trade my PB today and go back to EV.
RANGE:
I’ll jokingly start here. On my new Powerboost I had 500 miles of range when I drove out of the parking lot!!! Supposedly I can get 600 or more. Okay, I know I’m poking the bear with this one. For real though, it was a sigh of relief. Most people here have heard my moans about range echo down the forum corridors. Primary issue resolved. It dawned on me, as I drove back to work in Louisiana, that I was more relaxed. No calculations running in my head, no plugging numbers on my calculator (Stuff like 39% * 131kW * 1.8 kW/mi or 65mi delta in range / 1.8kW/mi = X / 120kW/h charging speed = Y * 60 min in an hr = roughly 18min stop) to figure out where I was going to stop. No fighting the nav to pick my preferred chargers and charging locations, or second guessing its calculations. I ran an extra errand or two on the way out that I would not have done in my LER because it would have meant more charging downtime. Further, I regained control of where I would stop on my trip. I can stop at any time now. Whereas w/ LER if I had to use the bathroom, I did everything in my power to try and make it to the charging stop (did the same w/ our family trip and annoyed my wife/kids, lol) to avoid adding more stops to my scheduled charging stops. I enjoyed blowing past my two charging stops on the highway this weekend.
FUEL COST:
For DC charging frequent flyers, compared to an unleaded fuel engine, it’s close to a wash. If you charge at home 99% of the time and don’t travel much, this review isn’t for you anyway. Even with oil changes, I don’t think it’s all that different. Then again, between adapters, mobile chargers, and home setup, that would have paid for a lot of oil changes.
GENERAL COMFORT:
Regarding ride comfort, I felt like I went from an S-Class in the LER back to a truck, which I did, so that sucks (side note, Sierra Denali had a better ride than PB, but LER better than Sierra). It’s night and day, and I instantly missed the LER ride. Similar interior comfort; can't directly compare to my higher trim replacement. Interesting note, the PB has a normal sized steering wheel. IDK why the LER always felt like the wheel came off a big rig, it practically sat on my lap. I’m going to need a measuring tape, but the PB KR steering wheel is more comfortable and feels correctly sized. Strangely, I miss the silence of the LER; no jarring or rattling compared to going back to ICE. The LER felt effortless.
DRIVEABILITY:
What's there to say, LER is the undisputed champion. Initially disconcerting, I had to retrain myself to the old weight distribution and high center of mass. Luckily, it's like riding a bike! Boy, do I miss the smooth and powerful acceleration, and the one pedal driving. It’d be cool if one pedal driving could get implemented in ICE. Regardless, the two are incomparable here; LER all the way. However, that was always one of the major selling points, if not the biggest selling point. From a psychological standpoint, I find that I’ve been babying the PB a bit, but I think that’s residual from 10 months of trying to squeeze range out of my truck in certain situations. I'm slowly returning to my old 80 to 85 on the highway. I feel like I’m shaking off PTSD; I always felt nervous going over the speed limit on trips because of the exponential effect speed has on range. I used to constantly check my kWh/mi. On a positive for the PB, it does not lack for power/torque coming from the LER. It's acceptable.
TECH:
No PAAK in the King Ranch PB, boo! WTH Ford, how is this not a thing with all Ford’s, or at least top trim? I’m back to carrying keys around. The big center screen in the LER was functional and useful; thus, in my opinion, better than the 24’s KR setup. I also miss the bigger map presentation on the LER. The LER also had more open space on the dash, however I think it’s because the 24 has a HUD and the BO sound system with a speaker in the center. PB does not have climate control from the phone app. Another win for LER. In other words, expect to lose some tech options. That was something I didn’t expect getting into a refreshed 2024 model. If there's a positive for PB, I no longer need for 10 EV charger apps on my phone anymore. Refueling also don't require me to hunt stations, then move to appropriate app, load/connect/handshake, etc.
COOL STUFF MY 24 PB HAS THAT I HOPE THE NEXT LER HAS:
Heads up display (love it), camera sideview when lane changing with a trailer. Finally, Ford! Seriously, the last thing left to overtake GM’s amenities is the rear-view camera mirror. However, those two are more important than the rear view. The new tailgate door is functional, I like it. New BC is an obvious one, but 24’s LER probably have the same one I have.
MENTALITY:
For heavy road trippers, and road warriors. It’s like rewiring your brain again. I’ve alluded to this already. I felt like I had one of those dog collars that shocked you if you left the defined perimeter in the LER. Everything is awesome, if you stay in the box. Going to the PB felt like someone left the door open, and I’m cautiously stepping through half expecting to get shocked. Possibly also analogous to breaking up with a hot crazy girlfriend so you could get married with a less attractive (still beautiful), but more pragmatic person. I think that’s why I may have come across harshly on some criticisms of the truck. I was, and still am, disappointed because I could not make it work, as much as I wanted it to.
CONCLUSION:
Those making the move to PB, you won’t regret it in a functional way. However, we know it’s being done out of necessity and not want. Otherwise, the LER has a special place in my list of vehicles owned. Personally, I’ve rerun the numbers and scenarios. Now that Ford has caught up to GM on the amenities side, I’m waiting for the next Lightning that has = or >395 miles of range so I can go back to EV. I fully expect the next Ford Lightning to leapfrog the Silverado LT which will have 395 range plus the capability to charge twice as fast as the current LER. If that were on the market today, with an equivalent price to ICE, I’d trade my PB today and go back to EV.
Sponsored
