Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

[LazyLightningATX]

First truck. I drove a '99 Tahoe for a while and have driven a cargo van a good amount for work, so not totally unfamiliar with a larger vehicle. I got used to driving it pretty quickly, still figuring out the angles for backing into spot at work, but that is coming along. My garage is only 19', so that sucks.

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[ctuan13]

Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

This is more of an open letter to anyone who wants/wanted a Lightning, but was/is on the fence due to its size. Here I am, just a couple of weeks out from delivery on my Lightning, and I am seriously second guessing getting a vehicle this large. After a more recent test drive and then double-checking how much space it will take up in my garage, reality is sinking in a bit more. I have owned trucks before, just not ones this big. Turn the clock back several years ago, and I was looking at used F-150 Crew Cabs and came to same conclusion. Way too big. I ended up with a used first gen Ridgeline. I think the garage measurement really puts things into perspective for scope. It gets into your brain about daily driving and parking something of this size. I was just wondering how many folks here went through the same thought process before signing on the dotted line. Thanks in advance!

Never owned a truck of any kind before, but one of my other vehicles, a 79 Contintental is within a quarter inch of the same length of the Lightning so I'm used to maneuvering large/long vehicles. Still took some getting used to given the greater width and height of the Lightning, but your results may definitely vary if you've never driven/owned anything this large.

 

[Gullwing]

I traded my previous full-size crew cab for my current mid-size and quickly regretted it. I thought we could adjust to the smaller cab, but nope; didn't take long for the difference to show up, especially our fist road trip. With 4 people and all of our stuff it was cramped, luckily we didn't have a third person in the back seat. However, I think it depends on everyone's individual situation, but it does take some getting used to owning a full-size truck. Since we're somewhat in the country day-to-day isn't a big deal, but if we were more in a metro area I might have second thoughts.

As for garage size, completely agree. Our previous house had a tiny barely call it 2 car garage. Our current house has ample space, plus I have a detached garage which is where I normally park my truck. Of course, that's where charging is an issue.

 

[Jim Lewis]

Before I retired, I used to drive a Ford F-150 van and, before that, a Chevy van -with low visibility of the surroundings (and also a very loud ATV that might have cost me some of my hearing!). I've driven very large Ryder rental trucks before, too, and used U-Haul trailers, so my Lightning does not seem especially large by comparison. I'm used to the size. Because you have to accommodate the Lightning's size and mass, it makes you a safer driver, IMHO, vs. driving a small, zippy sedan.

My truck fits in my garage with about 10 inches to spare. But two parking aids other forum members mentioned make it a breeze. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WHDGN5K/ and https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079VX8RJ8/. My garage is low enough that I had to remove the standard F-150 antenna. I replaced it with the following: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BDKNQWM/, again another forum member's suggestion, IIRC.

The sensors and 360-degree camera view make parking the truck a breeze, IMHO, both in the garage and ~anywhere else (so far!). I usually park far out in lots and walk in to a store for exercise and to be parked in a vacant area with lots of space around my vehicle so no one dings me (I fold the mirrors, too). I noticed other trucks doing the same and overlapping the opposing parking spots in head-to-head parking so as not to have the other end of the truck sticking out into a driving lane.

P.S. I got two of the curb stops I referenced above because I wanted to be sure both front wheels would be blocked. I didn't bother bolting mine to the garage floor because, as other Amazon reviewers noted, if you come in slowly, you can definitely feel when a truck wheel hits one, and the curb stops don't seem to move, as the truck presses them against the floor. YMMV depending on the state of your garage floor surface (test with the stops placed further out from the garage wall!). If I manage to come to a stop before the sensors say 005 to 006 inches, I back up a foot or two and start the "final approach" farther back rather than try to restart the truck just a few inches from the end wall. The garage door and all its fittings also sit an inch or two back from where the interior garage floor ends, so that helps the truck fit, too.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

This is more of an open letter to anyone who wants/wanted a Lightning, but was/is on the fence due to its size. Here I am, just a couple of weeks out from delivery on my Lightning, and I am seriously second guessing getting a vehicle this large. After a more recent test drive and then double-checking how much space it will take up in my garage, reality is sinking in a bit more. I have owned trucks before, just not ones this big. Turn the clock back several years ago, and I was looking at used F-150 Crew Cabs and came to same conclusion. Way too big. I ended up with a used first gen Ridgeline. I think the garage measurement really puts things into perspective for scope. It gets into your brain about daily driving and parking something of this size. I was just wondering how many folks here went through the same thought process before signing on the dotted line. Thanks in advance!

I think I can directly help you.

About 10 years ago I shopped a F-150 and found it too large. I ended up with a Model X instead, a vastly different vehicle. Ultimately I found I needed a truck, and ended up with a 2009 Ridgeline - which I loved and still love.

I went through the same thing you did before I picked up my Pro. Continued to go through it as I sold the Pro and picked up the Rivian, which is much closer to the Ridgeline in terms of dimensions….I sold the Rivian and went back to a Lightning.

Bottom line, yes it’s bigger. But not that much bigger. I don’t find navigating parking lots or parking in my garage much different. I must’ve adjusted to it while I drove the Ridgeline. That said, I dislike the height of the bed, it’s too tall. I miss the ridgelines tailgate and ease of bed access..

 

[snowy_91]

I have a 3 car garage that's 23 feet deep, but the will sit outside because...it's the truck. The garage space has 2 convertibles and 3 motorcycles in it. Even my GTPE sits outside.

 

[JRT]

I'm looking forward to this smaller truck, since I'm moving from a Ram 1500 Crew Cab with 6'7" bed lol.

 

[BedFullOfElectronZ]

Yes, the Lightning is big, and it reminds me of this every time I climb up into it, or try to park it (the parking gets better with practice). But having all that room in the cab is truly marvelous. And the Lightning doesn't *drive* that big -- it's very responsive and handles well. Also, it's very comfortable just to sit in, and is extremely quiet. Many of us wish that Ford had come out with a Maverick-sized electric pickup first, but they didn't, so we bought the Lightning, and have never regretted our decision once in the six months we've owned it.

 

[Aaron]

Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

This is more of an open letter to anyone who wants/wanted a Lightning, but was/is on the fence due to its size. Here I am, just a couple of weeks out from delivery on my Lightning, and I am seriously second guessing getting a vehicle this large. After a more recent test drive and then double-checking how much space it will take up in my garage, reality is sinking in a bit more. I have owned trucks before, just not ones this big. Turn the clock back several years ago, and I was looking at used F-150 Crew Cabs and came to same conclusion. Way too big. I ended up with a used first gen Ridgeline. I think the garage measurement really puts things into perspective for scope. It gets into your brain about daily driving and parking something of this size. I was just wondering how many folks here went through the same thought process before signing on the dotted line. Thanks in advance!

I have never owned a full size crew cab until I finally got my lightning after 2 years of waiting. I had a 2002 ford ranger super cab before I took delivery of my lightning

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

This is more of an open letter to anyone who wants/wanted a Lightning, but was/is on the fence due to its size. Here I am, just a couple of weeks out from delivery on my Lightning, and I am seriously second guessing getting a vehicle this large. After a more recent test drive and then double-checking how much space it will take up in my garage, reality is sinking in a bit more. I have owned trucks before, just not ones this big. Turn the clock back several years ago, and I was looking at used F-150 Crew Cabs and came to same conclusion. Way too big. I ended up with a used first gen Ridgeline. I think the garage measurement really puts things into perspective for scope. It gets into your brain about daily driving and parking something of this size. I was just wondering how many folks here went through the same thought process before signing on the dotted line. Thanks in advance!

First truck I have ever owned. I would not give up this truck for anything. I have a very tight space in my apartment building's garage, but I learned how to do it. The many cameras make it easy. And the space (elsewhere in the parking garage) where I can charge it is equally tight. But as someone else said, the first time you press on the acelerator makes it all worth while. The room (for me and my Red Fox Lab!) is amazing; he has the entire back of the Lightning, with the seats up, and a 4 inch cushion on the ground. At our summer house in Maine, I installed the Charge Station Pro at the end of the driveway and it's so easy to charge. Love this truck.

 

[ivan256]

There will probably be a Ranger and Maverick eventually. Just be patient! Or park outside...

My frustration with the size of the current F-150s is that they could be a lot smaller without losing anything at all. There is a lot of wasted space that seems like it's just there to make the truck bigger for bigness' sake. Though I'm sure some of it is justified by the crash test arms race.

 

[JustBuyATesla]

My 1st full size truck. Definitely takes some time to get used to in tight spaces. Garages, parking lots, Main St USA. Here is the rub: the cameras are amazing, but the beeps are super annoying. The beeping (they are supposed to be warnings but they beep so often you eventually ignore them) and the video feeds with additional warnings are incredible so it's like you have an extra team of eyes helping you, including the "overhead cam" which is a very impressive piece of tech. Besides your own garage/driveway and some parallel parking you won't even notice the size more than a few times a year.

 

[queuewho]

I had a full size squarebody GMC in higschool but I never gave it a second thought because it was just what I drove... then I drove small toyota, small honda cars, medium size subaru SUVs until my model 3. Traded model 3 for my lightning without a test drive.

On the way home I was filled with a deep sense of fear that I'd never get used to driving it, it was so horrendously huge. It felt like when I rented a u-haul for our last move.

I'm happy to say I am used to it now and I don't give it a second thought, unless I'm forced to be driven somewhere in someone else's vehicle, then I feel claustrophobic.

 

[KickingGas]

Oh, there is also getting into it... I have a Pro and now have running boards. The first couple of weeks before I got them were interesting. My mom had twisted her ankle, so we literally had to bring a step stool so she could get in and out. Also my younger daugher (she's a gymnast and comedian, so hard to tell how real this was) was flinging herself up onto the seat and belly wriggling in. She insisted we had to bring the step stool everywhere for awhile before she got bored with it, but it really wasn't that easy to get up there for the kids without running boards, or for my mom even once her ankle was better.

 

[jbw]

Who here had never owned a full-sized crew cab pickup before?

This is more of an open letter to anyone who wants/wanted a Lightning, but was/is on the fence due to its size. Here I am, just a couple of weeks out from delivery on my Lightning, and I am seriously second guessing getting a vehicle this large. After a more recent test drive and then double-checking how much space it will take up in my garage, reality is sinking in a bit more. I have owned trucks before, just not ones this big. Turn the clock back several years ago, and I was looking at used F-150 Crew Cabs and came to same conclusion. Way too big. I ended up with a used first gen Ridgeline. I think the garage measurement really puts things into perspective for scope. It gets into your brain about daily driving and parking something of this size. I was just wondering how many folks here went through the same thought process before signing on the dotted line. Thanks in advance!

this is my first truck of any size. it's big! i had for a few months and like it BUT on the 5th day i owned it i mangled the the rear quarter panel because i didn't realize there was another 2' of car left behind when i pulled into an over head door. rubbed on side of door

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