The 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is a truck that I had already driven earlier this year. Except that was during winter with a lot of cold. I wanted to sample one during warmer fall weather and, well, re-evaluate it against its new competitors from Ram and GM. Oh, right, they’re still not on the market yet. Here we are, a month away from 2024 and the Lightning is still the only full-size electric pickup truck you can currently buy.
2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Review: Come At Me, Tesla Cybertruck
You’d think that by now, Chevrolet/GMC and Ram would have released their answer to Ford’s electric pioneer, yet, no. All they have to show at the moment are concepts of their electric rigs, while Ford is busy actually shipping the fucking things. Also, as I’m writing this blog, we’re three days away from the Tesla Cybertruck Delivery Event. We all know Elon plans on selling a shit-ton of those. Who would have thought that the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning’s first real rival would be, that? I know I didn’t.
Until GM and Ram get their shit together, it’s fair to say that the Lightning is a real electric truck for real truck people. If you count yourself among those thinking that this is a truck only for sissies, than you simply do not understand how electric vehicles operate and, perhaps more important, you have not seen what a Lightning can do.
Now, contrary to the last test I did where I towed and roadtripped with the Lightning during seriously cold weather, for this review, I rather lived with it casually during a full week. I used it as a family vehicle, transporting my five-month-old son, his gear, my girlfriend and the dog. And you know what? It was freaking awesome. I absolutely adore this truck for what it is and what it represents. It’s further proof that some people don’t need the full capability of a full-size truck. When it comes to their daily chores, they can be perfectly content with 50% of what these things can do.
Allow me to refresh your memory on the Lightning’s technical specifications and pricing. For the 2024 model-year, Ford has added a few updates, reshuffled the lineup and has brought the pricing ladder slightly down. Yes, the Lightning is still an expensive vehicle, but while the truck I was driving last winter kicked off at $81,195 for an XLT, you can now buy an entry level Pro at a much more attainable $61,395. The XLT now costs $71,395, while the top-flight Platinum costs $117,395 versus $123,195. A new Flash model should also soon be added to the lineup, offering Lariat equipment at a price that’s closer to an XLT. The one you see in these pictures is a Lariat powered by the 131 kWh battery. It stickered at $101,995 before fees and taxes.
That battery still powers two electric motors, for a total combined output of 563 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque. Range on that one can reach up to 515 km, or 483 km if you opt for the 22-inch wheel package. The smaller, 98 kWh battery is good for the same amount of torque, but 426 horsepower instead, while range drops down to 386 km. Maximum towing is rated at 10,000 lb. for the large battery and 7,700 lb. for the small one.
So Smooth And So Fast!
Look, I’m not a truck guy. I don’t need to live in a truck for my job and I don’t carry around heavy things. But I do know people who do that kind of stuff. Some of them own a Lightning and consider it to be perfect for the type of work that they do. Others find that it’s not yet suited for their needs. To each their own. Me, on the other hand, loved the fact that I didn’t need to fill up a god-damn gas tank. Because you see, when you’re a freelance automotive journalist such as myself, you essentially absorb all expenses. And boy do I save when driving EVs, especially when they’re trucks!
Thanks to my home level 2 charger and the fact that I live in the province of Quebec where hydroelectricity is cheap and abundant, the Lightning only costs me about eight bucks to charge over night. And I had plenty of range at my disposal for my daily tasks, avoiding from dealing with the public charging grid.
The 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is fast off the line. Very fast! Gun the accelerator pedal and you’ll be flying at freeway speeds in no time, while the entire rig feels smooth as silk, quiet and refined. Handling is impressive too thanks to the fact that this thing rides on a fully independent rear suspension, unlike its gasoline counterpart which still relies on leaf springs. The Lightning therefore has carlike ride and handling. This actually makes it sporty and surprisingly fun to drive. There’s something rather amusing about launching a full-size pickup truck off a highway offramp.
During the week I had the Lightning, after 820 km and temperatures ranging between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius, I averaged 33.0 kWh/100. This translates into a real-world range estimate of just under 400 km, a considerably lower number than what Ford advertises. Then again, I wasn’t exactly feathering the throttle. Had I been a bit more gentle with it, I’m confident that I could have pulled better range figures.
But what I really love about the Lightning is that it looks and feels like a normal F-150. Inside, it’s business as usual as the world’s best-selling full-size truck hands you all the tools required for your daily grind.
There’s a flat surface to set your laptop, plugs all over the cabin to connect devices, storage solutions for days, massive rear head and legroom, a frunk that actually holds a serious amount of cargo and a power generator in the bed to power your tools. It’s just a well thought out truck.
Hell, even that massive infotainment tablet is quick to react, easy to use and gives you handy information like where your energy went, with full history on charging performance and how you’ve consumed electricity.
So there you have it. An electric truck that’s currently on the road, ready to sell, drive and work. The 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning is still the only full-size truck that offers this, making both Ram and GM look like idiots. What I want to know at this point is how the Tesla Cybertruck will compete and how Ford plans on resisting the attack. What a time to be alive!
Clavey's Verdict
Review of the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat by William Clavey
Full-Size Electric Trucks
- Fast and smooth.
- Now with more trims and a lower price.
- The same old F-150 we all know and love, but as an EV!
- Pricing can get spicy.
- Small battery sacrifices towing rating.
- Still not suited for all truck buyers.
8.5 / 10
Clavey’s Corner is located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Prices and trim levels discussed in this article reflect the Canadian car market.
Special thanks: Ford Canada
Photography: Guillaume Fournier
Contact the author: [email protected]
William, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Ford have done an excellent job on an initial entry EV pick up truck, but I have to disagree with your assessment that General Motors (Silverado) and Stellantis (Ram) look like idiots. Perhaps you don’t understand, but a company needs to be profitable in order to be in existence. Ford are currently losing, by all accounts, $36,000 per unit US dollars. I much prefer General Motors and Ram’s approach to the business to wait until cost can come down and to roll out at a time when the infrastructure is much better suited to meet customer’s needs (currently not the case).
I respect your review of the Ford product, but I think your assessment that General Motors and Stellantis are idiots is completely wrong. Your statement is the idiotic one.
If it’s costing these companies so much money to sell EVs, it’s because of years of bad planning. The writing has been on the wall for years that internal combustion engines will eventually need to be phased out, yet, none of these American giants (who sucked billions from taxpayers during bailout programs) have prepared for it. Funny how Tesla isn’t complaining that it’s losing money when selling EVs.