sd250
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Warning, this is wordy so...
TL;DR: We've found that both the Rivian and the Lightning are fantastic trucks for our day to day use, and they're a lot of fun to drive. But our family prefers the Lightning when it comes to road trips. Highway efficiency of the Lightning was better than expected. Software needs improvement.
RIVIAN
So, a few months ago we took our Rivian R1T on its first road trip. It was a great experience, barring some lessons learned dealing with some faulty chargers. We did about 1000 miles, and learned what's enjoyable and what's a challenge with road tripping EV's.
The smoothness, quietness, and efficiency of the driving experience is fantastic (especially coming from a gas F250). But finding the right chargers along a trip takes more planning, and can be the difference between a fun or frustrating trip.
LIGHTNING
We had a chance to do another road trip and decided to use the Lightning this time. It was a similar route as before, but longer - 1500 miles total this time.
We avoided a few chargers that we knew were problematic the last time, so this time charging went really well.
With the Rivian's better aero we saw highway efficiency around 2.4 to 2.6 miles/kwh travelling 65-75mph.
With the Lightning's blockier form factor, I was concerned we would have to stop much more often. But it turned out to be a non-issue. The Lightning got between 2.2 to 2.4 miles/kwh travelling the same 65-75mph. Meaning we needed the same number of stops as the Rivian to cover the same distance.
At each stop the truck was steadily pulling around 125kw with initial peaks around 170kw - 30 to 40 minutes of charging was enough to get to the next stop.
Actually, we found the truck could go further than we could. Our family's need for rest stops ended up dictating where we stopped. 30 to 40 minutes to charge might seem long, but with bathroom breaks and getting food we found that the truck was usually done charging before we were ready to leave.
We also took advantage of the Lightning's generous on board power options. Everyone in the cabin was able to keep all their electronics running and charged (phones, laptops, tablets, etc). Which was a first - usually at some point on a road trip one kid has a device out of power and ends up grumpy because they have to wait to share charging options.
Having power at the tailgate was a real game changer. We were able to run a portable fridge during the whole trip, so we had all our favorite food and drinks handy. Also we powered up an electric grill to cook up hot food during rest stops. And best of all, we were able to run a coffee maker to keep the grown ups happy.
With the Rivian, we would be able to power up only one of those items at a time. With the Lightning it was no issue to run all of them at the same time.
And while the Rivian R1T is spacious and smooth, the Lightning is in a whole other class when road tripping with the family. It's a smoother and quieter ride for the passengers. And for our family of four, the extra in cabin space and the extra storage space in the Lightning made for a much more comfortable trip.
Oh, and BlueCruise is great. We're still on the 1.0 version, but we found it so useful on our road trip. It really helped reduce driver fatigue and worked very reliably on the highway. The only shortcoming was in stop and go traffic - it stops later that I would and accelerates later and faster than I would - making for a more jarring ride than I would want.
Problems?
The only complaint about the Lightning is the software.
The truck is fantastic, and even the software features offered are pretty amazing (Android Auto, BlueCruise, 360 camera, zone lighting, on board scales, trailer hitch cam, etc). The only things I want added are a Pet Mode, Camping Mode, and Dashcam.
The let down is in the software user interface. Ford really needs to take cues from Tesla and Rivian in terms of UX design for the in vehicle software and the FordPass app.
Why does the whole interface change depending on menu selection? There should be consistent button placement so the driver can find things quickly and without having to take away attention from driving.
Why does having something plugged into the truck bed but not powered prevent the truck from shifting into drive? (that was a weird one)
Why am I constantly nagged about power being supplied to the outlets if I choose to have a portable fridge plugged into the truck bed.
Why do informational warnings prevent me from driving or using the touchscreen until the warning is dismissed?
@Ford Motor Company , please please please improve the software user interface!
Summary
What did we learn from a year of Lightning ownership?
Fantastic hardware. The truck is capable, solid, and well built. No fit and finish issues found.
Remarkably efficient considering its size. 2.4-2.6 miles/kwh at highway speeds 65-75mph, and 2.7-3.2 miles/kwh in local driving below 55mph.
It makes for a great daily driver, and as it turns out it's a great road tripper too.
Pretty full featured software which has [slowly] improved. Would like to see them on more regular feature release cycles like Tesla and Rivian.
Really the only thing holding it back is the software UX design. I'm hopeful Ford makes progress in this area. I will say the interface improved significantly from initial build, but it still has a lot of room for improvement.
TL;DR: We've found that both the Rivian and the Lightning are fantastic trucks for our day to day use, and they're a lot of fun to drive. But our family prefers the Lightning when it comes to road trips. Highway efficiency of the Lightning was better than expected. Software needs improvement.
RIVIAN
So, a few months ago we took our Rivian R1T on its first road trip. It was a great experience, barring some lessons learned dealing with some faulty chargers. We did about 1000 miles, and learned what's enjoyable and what's a challenge with road tripping EV's.
The smoothness, quietness, and efficiency of the driving experience is fantastic (especially coming from a gas F250). But finding the right chargers along a trip takes more planning, and can be the difference between a fun or frustrating trip.
LIGHTNING
We had a chance to do another road trip and decided to use the Lightning this time. It was a similar route as before, but longer - 1500 miles total this time.
We avoided a few chargers that we knew were problematic the last time, so this time charging went really well.
With the Rivian's better aero we saw highway efficiency around 2.4 to 2.6 miles/kwh travelling 65-75mph.
With the Lightning's blockier form factor, I was concerned we would have to stop much more often. But it turned out to be a non-issue. The Lightning got between 2.2 to 2.4 miles/kwh travelling the same 65-75mph. Meaning we needed the same number of stops as the Rivian to cover the same distance.
At each stop the truck was steadily pulling around 125kw with initial peaks around 170kw - 30 to 40 minutes of charging was enough to get to the next stop.
Actually, we found the truck could go further than we could. Our family's need for rest stops ended up dictating where we stopped. 30 to 40 minutes to charge might seem long, but with bathroom breaks and getting food we found that the truck was usually done charging before we were ready to leave.
We also took advantage of the Lightning's generous on board power options. Everyone in the cabin was able to keep all their electronics running and charged (phones, laptops, tablets, etc). Which was a first - usually at some point on a road trip one kid has a device out of power and ends up grumpy because they have to wait to share charging options.
Having power at the tailgate was a real game changer. We were able to run a portable fridge during the whole trip, so we had all our favorite food and drinks handy. Also we powered up an electric grill to cook up hot food during rest stops. And best of all, we were able to run a coffee maker to keep the grown ups happy.
With the Rivian, we would be able to power up only one of those items at a time. With the Lightning it was no issue to run all of them at the same time.
And while the Rivian R1T is spacious and smooth, the Lightning is in a whole other class when road tripping with the family. It's a smoother and quieter ride for the passengers. And for our family of four, the extra in cabin space and the extra storage space in the Lightning made for a much more comfortable trip.
Oh, and BlueCruise is great. We're still on the 1.0 version, but we found it so useful on our road trip. It really helped reduce driver fatigue and worked very reliably on the highway. The only shortcoming was in stop and go traffic - it stops later that I would and accelerates later and faster than I would - making for a more jarring ride than I would want.
Problems?
The only complaint about the Lightning is the software.
The truck is fantastic, and even the software features offered are pretty amazing (Android Auto, BlueCruise, 360 camera, zone lighting, on board scales, trailer hitch cam, etc). The only things I want added are a Pet Mode, Camping Mode, and Dashcam.
The let down is in the software user interface. Ford really needs to take cues from Tesla and Rivian in terms of UX design for the in vehicle software and the FordPass app.
Why does the whole interface change depending on menu selection? There should be consistent button placement so the driver can find things quickly and without having to take away attention from driving.
Why does having something plugged into the truck bed but not powered prevent the truck from shifting into drive? (that was a weird one)
Why am I constantly nagged about power being supplied to the outlets if I choose to have a portable fridge plugged into the truck bed.
Why do informational warnings prevent me from driving or using the touchscreen until the warning is dismissed?
@Ford Motor Company , please please please improve the software user interface!
Summary
What did we learn from a year of Lightning ownership?
Fantastic hardware. The truck is capable, solid, and well built. No fit and finish issues found.
Remarkably efficient considering its size. 2.4-2.6 miles/kwh at highway speeds 65-75mph, and 2.7-3.2 miles/kwh in local driving below 55mph.
It makes for a great daily driver, and as it turns out it's a great road tripper too.
Pretty full featured software which has [slowly] improved. Would like to see them on more regular feature release cycles like Tesla and Rivian.
Really the only thing holding it back is the software UX design. I'm hopeful Ford makes progress in this area. I will say the interface improved significantly from initial build, but it still has a lot of room for improvement.
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