Winter Trip Report: Seattle to Whistler BC

[Power P]

Hi all -

Just got back from a 400+ mile round trip from Seattle area to Whistler (BC) for a family ski vacation and wanted to share some thoughts...

Like mrtyndall in his recent post, this was my first significant road trip in my relatively new '24 Lightning Lariat (leased in mid-Jan this year)...And overall I'm really impressed with how well it performed on this trip. Most importantly - so did the family! My wife and son love the extra legroom, space for luggage and comfortable ride (this is our first truck as we've mostly driven crossover SUVs in the past). We used ABRP (with OBD dongle) for trip planning and WAZE for routing (I like their hazard/police alerts ;-), and they worked well together over Car Play.

Some stats:

• Overall efficiency - 2.1 mi/kWh
• Total miles - 436 miles
• Averaged between 55 -65 mph, which kept things relatively efficient
• Left both times at ~90% SOC and arrived at ~40% (with charging stops)
• 3 charging stops (one each way, and another after arrival in Whistler) - all at Tesla Superchargers > they worked flawlessly with the Lectron adapter, using Ford Pass app to initiate the charge; and yes, I had to perform an 'alternative' parking solution to get the cord to reach ;-) Luckily, it wasn't a busy station at the time...

Observations:

• The Lightning held up pretty well in some treacherous PNW winter driving on the return trip home today (atmospheric river storm). Even with pounding rain and nearly gale level winds, the truck seemed solid on the road. Very confident.
• The storage: wow, what a huge advantage to have a frunk and a covered bed available for gear storage - skis, boot bags, kid's sled, suitcases, cooler and gear box all fit! Something we could never have done in our previous Audi Q5. This is a game changer for family vacations!
• BlueCruise experience: somewhat mixed to be honest...On the trip up to Whistler it performed pretty well in good road conditions on the major highways (I-5 in the US and route 1 in the Vancouver BC area). But on the trip back today in pouring rain, it wouldn't stay on for more than a few minutes, when it reverted back to 'hands on mode'. Is this a known issue for folks? Yes, it's probably best to be more attentive to driving in these conditions, but it would have been nice to know the caveats to BC ahead of time.
• Range: no worries at all on this front as I could use ABRP to program the right route and find the right charging locations, with plenty of miles to spare. Even in colder mountain air of Whistler, the charge held up well during the week (we didn't really need to use the truck much to get around while at our condo stay).
• Truck height: as a new truck owner, this was something that required a bit more planning as our rental condo's garage said it was 6'6 max height, which as most folks on the forum know is right at the height of our truck...However, after I saw a couple other F-150's parked in the same garage, I knew this warning wasn't accurate. So with some careful visual guidance by my wife on the ground, I gave the garage a shot and it fit fine, with a few inches to spare. Yes, it was a bit dicey, but I took a gamble for convenience sake. As folks may know, parking at Whistler isn't optimal...So having it parked right under our building was much preferred than a hike across town.

Anyways, it was a fantastic trip up north for a few days of great skiing and relaxing with family and friends. All made possible by our new Lightning! Hope others are having fun this winter with their trucks.

 

[K6CCC]

Truck height: as a new truck owner, this was something that required a bit more planning as our rental condo's garage said it was 6'6 max height,

Sounds like a good trip! As long time truck owner (since 2003, a Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 crew cab, and a Toyota before that), I can assure you that watching vertical height is something that you have to pay attention to. A large number of garages in downtown Los Angeles are 6' 5" up to 6' 8". That will take the roof off my truck. To make it worse, I have several antennas on the roof that make it even taller. You will get very used to what does and does not work.

 

[RickLightning]

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