Decision time: Gen 2 R1T with 20% price voucher discount vs. F150 Lightning

[warm_puzzles]

Ford is purportedly offering $7500 off the sticker for an F150 Lightning right now.

That discount combined with the extra cab room for our 5-person family (kids are all 10 and under) + dog has us wondering whether we should abandon our Rivian voucher and instead get an F150?

The most obvious thing that gives me pause on going the F150 route from a price/value perspective is that in order to get a leather F150 interior you nee the Lariat trim, which starts at $72,500. So even with that $7500 Ford discount we'd be looking at ~$65k for a leather interior F150 vs $57,500 voucher price for the leather for a base Rivian.

I know there are other premium/comfort features you lose with an LXT over a Rivian, some of which matter more than others. What other advantages beyond the following list of pros that come with the Rivian should I weigh in our decision?

-4yr/50k warranty vs. 3yr/36k (although Ford has a better powertrain warranty)
-more range (270 vs. 240 base models)
-panoramic roof
-overall more premium interior
-power passenger seats
-more horsepower
-gear tunnel and rear bed trunk

Also, I have a better sense of what's standard vs extra with the Rivian. Am I right that I'd have to pay extra for a lot the cooler F150 features, like 220v Pro Power, BlueCruise, etc.?

Another not decisive but still a plus for Ford is Android/Apple Car Play.

I briefly test drove both and like both. Edge to Rivian here but this is not a big issue for me.

Please share your thoughts. Thank you.

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[CBRacerX]

No extra charge for Driver+ aids (HIghway Assist, etc) as you know. Ford tends to ala carte things these days but IDK the specifics. As for Rivian 220v source this is not yet supported but is coming at a future date - will cost extra and will likely only be for V2Home use case. So even at an extra cost that is a plus for the Ford.

Something else you need to know is that Rivan has “Vegan Leather” not cowhide.

 

[ndmiller]

You have to go test drive the lightning, plain and simple. Drive the R1T as well if you already haven't.

The F150 Lightning for the most part is an F150 turned into an EV with some EV features (i.e. Frunk). It's not a clean sheet design, but a proven one as the F150 is the best selling vehicle of all time many times over.

The Rivian is what an EV pickup would be if ICE vehicles never existed. The technology, features and thinking behind the R1T just makes you go hmmmm, that's neat a lot. Rivian is all in on EV's while Ford is kicking the can down the road.

I just did a soccer tournament weekend in the R1T and got "volunteered" to handle the game filming with a 25ft expanded tripod, a veo camera and sandbags to stabilize the tripod. My R1T was loaded as follows:

• Bed had tripod diagonal, sandbags, and costco collapsable sports cart.
• Gear tunnel had 2 folding chairs on left side, 2 stadium chairs on right side along with solar panel for fridge/bluetti combo.
• Frunk had ICEGO 20 fridge and bluetti solar generator battery (small one).

Everything was separate and I had 30-50% more space in each area. Inside just us and teenage girl with water and soccer bag. Gear tunnel for the total win. Bed is smaller than lightning (I think), but it's first time I actually used it. Got 2.5-3.0mkw all weekend except when I fell asleep waiting for game 2 on Saturday....Seats are comfortable.

I originally put down money on a lightning when they were announced and as the versions available diminished and pricing doubled, I bailed. My R1T has ~350 mile range which I think is similar to lightning?

 

[VSG]

I mean, if your main concern is hauling 5 people and a dog and all their stuff, then the answer is get a Toyota Sienna. Get two for the price of that F150.

I have never understood a lot of the cross-shopping that people do. A Model Y is not comparable to a R1S. A F150 is not comparable to a R1T. Not for any of *my* use cases. They are different vehicles for different needs., Which one is "better" for you depends upon you being honest with yourself about what you need and what you want.

 

[HaveBlue]

Both are trucks that haul but how you plan to use it matters. The rivian has a small bed but more off road oriented.
I'm a range kind of guy though both can fall back on Tesla.

 

[Rivdog]

You have to go test drive the lightning, plain and simple. Drive the R1T as well if you already haven't.

The F150 Lightning for the most part is an F150 turned into an EV with some EV features (i.e. Frunk). It's not a clean sheet design, but a proven one as the F150 is the best selling vehicle of all time many times over.

The Rivian is what an EV pickup would be if ICE vehicles never existed. The technology, features and thinking behind the R1T just makes you go hmmmm, that's neat a lot. Rivian is all in on EV's while Ford is kicking the can down the road.

I just did a soccer tournament weekend in the R1T and got "volunteered" to handle the game filming with a 25ft expanded tripod, a veo camera and sandbags to stabilize the tripod. My R1T was loaded as follows:

• Bed had tripod diagonal, sandbags, and costco collapsable sports cart.
• Gear tunnel had 2 folding chairs on left side, 2 stadium chairs on right side along with solar panel for fridge/bluetti combo.
• Frunk had ICEGO 20 fridge and bluetti solar generator battery (small one).

Everything was separate and I had 30-50% more space in each area. Inside just us and teenage girl with water and soccer bag. Gear tunnel for the total win. Bed is smaller than lightning (I think), but it's first time I actually used it. Got 2.5-3.0mkw all weekend except when I fell asleep waiting for game 2 on Saturday....Seats are comfortable.

I originally put down money on a lightning when they were announced and as the versions available diminished and pricing doubled, I bailed. My R1T has ~350 mile range which I think is similar to lightning?

Early rumors based on a MKB video suggested about 350, but the EPA rating came out at just 300 for the ER and that seemed to be about what people were getting in real world testing. I had 2 Mach E’s and was planning on buying a Lightning but dealer shenanigans put an end to that. The Ford is a bigger vehicle so if you NEED the space, that’s the better option. The cab is larger and the bed, even though it’s only 5.5 feet, is still much more usable than the Rivian for some people’s purposes. However, our gear tunnel and under-bed storage adds volume that the Ford doesn’t have, so it kind of evens out if you can actually use it to store what you need.

If both would fit your lifestyle similarly, it’s an easy win for the Rivian. Too many additional featured and capability.

 

[Voronbrg]

If you care about interior space, get the f150. It's HUGE compared to the r1t. And more useful. I cared more about the acceleration which is why I bought mine, cyberbeast (sold) and gen2 ascent quad preorder.

 

[Bobrobheimer]

I do construction and haul tools and materials regularly. I have been using a 6’ bed Tacoma with tall bed cap topper for the last few years. It’s been fine but I also have two kids under 10 and the cab is pretty tiny. I wanted a bigger truck but I also told myself next truck would be an ev. Test drove the lightning first and was pretty underwhelmed. Our other car that my wife drives is a Model 3 and I really enjoy most things about it - especially the user interface. From that perspective especially the Lightning is pretty boring. I also hate the ridiculously compromised ground clearance of the funky lower control arms design they have going. Anyway - I test drive the R1T just to be through and was surprised. Cab was bigger than I realized and although the bed is short a GFC camper topper and having switched to a tool trailer is gonna make it work pretty dang well I think. At least I think - since I just took delivery a couple days ago.

 

[mikehmb]

Are you talking about an R1T or an R1S? Because with 3 kids and a dog, the R1T is a genuinely terrible idea, unless you’re just optimizing for fun and not “having the entire crew in the car for an extended period of time”

 

[Schroederhc]

Agreed. R1S fits the described situation.

 

[usulio]

Agreed. R1S fits the described situation.

Well, the described situation didn't mention the "pickup" features either way. Not to pile on, but warm_puzzles, how often would you need the pickup bed? R1S plus a utility trailer might fit the bill...

 

[R1Tacoma]

I'd use the voucher almost entirely because it's the only time (as far as we know) that Rivian will ever offer anything like that but every Ford dealer will always offer *something*. If you don't end up loving the Rivian, just trade it for the Ford down the line.

 

[isakhnov]

You need to get what you would enjoy driving on a daily basis. For me, Lighting makes no sense, F150 is a platform for things like Raptor, not electrification. I have a Raptor and it is a great truck with all truckeness of it, and yes, huge back seats, reasonable bed size etc. R1T, on the other hand, is the most convenient daily driver for me that gets me to work, shooting range and any other needs with ease. I do find it hard to call R1T a truck, it is a lot more of a car then a truck.

 

[23R1TFGFE]

If you go with the Lightning, can I have the voucher? #kidding — good luck with your decision process (FWIW, I agree with others, drive the Lightning then decide).

 

[racekarl]

My neighbor has a Lightning and we've swapped trucks to compare. I will second what others have said that despite them both being "electric pickup trucks" they serve pretty different use cases and have relatively little overlap in terms of where they excel or fall flat.

This is a decision that ought to be driven (rimshot) by your anticipated realistic usage patterns rather than details like availability of trim packages, etc. Especially if, as you've said, how they drive isn't all that important to you.

There are things you can do in an R1T that would be difficult or perhaps even impossible in the Lightning, and the opposite is true as well. List out your realistic needs and if one or more of those hits a "difficult/impossible" weak spot of one of the trucks, there's your answer.

Also, FWIW the Rivian does not offer leather in any trim - it's pleather all the way down.

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