2022 Rivian R1T vs. F-150 Lightning : The Closest Finish in Motortrend History

[Coast2Coast]

If it's a matter of the size of the bed or the size of the cab, everyone agrees the Lightning is "better", but most everyone says size matters a small percentage of the time. Except for that, maybe most of the time, the Rivian is better. Size does matter...sometimes.

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[ERguy]

If it's a matter of the size of the bed or the size of the cab, everyone agrees the Lightning is "better", but most everyone says size matters a small percentage of the time. Except for that, maybe most of the time, the Rivian is better. Size does matter...sometimes.

Out of curiosity, what features matter most of the time to you?

0-60 time? Most of us aren't launching our vehicles as fast as possible every time a light turns green.

Ground clearance? What percentage of driving is done off road for most people with trucks?

Off road capabilities?

I really can't think of anything more useful on a regular basis than bed size, cargo space, cabin noise, and ride quality for most people who use trucks for truck stuff.

Interior passenger space is super important all the time for people using their trucks as a family hauler.

I do think a lot of people buying Rivian's do like the smaller size, but those aren't the people who traditionally use trucks for truck stuff.

There is a reason 1/2 ton pickups outsold compact pickups by a wide margin over the last 20 years. As far as trucks are concerned, size matters a lot.

It's not just size though. V2H is huge! 30 amp outlets in the bed can be used for running some serious equipment in the job site. The external lighting on the Fords is super useful.

The R1T excels at having fun... So I ordered a Rivian for the fun aspects.

Many of us who actually use full size trucks cannot replace them with a smaller truck, so I am going to keep both.

 

[Coast2Coast]

Yes, size matters some of the time. If you've got a big family, the Lightning's bigger cab is a plus. If you're hauling a lot, the Lightning's bigger bed is a plus. But for a majority of truck owners, they rarely make full use of their trucks' cabs or beds. It happens, but not very often, on average.

In my case, I've got a supercharged, four door, long bed Tacoma. When it came time to get a R1T, after waiting nearly four years, I decided to keep the Tacoma and switched to a R1S. I already had more than enough truck for my needs and I rarely made full use of those needs.

To return the point of the thread, MT compared a full-size Lightning to a mid-sized R1T. Full-size and mid-trucks are not comparable, but MT went ahead and did it, presumably because they're the two EV pickups generally available. That doesn't make it okay - an apples-to-apples comparison - and while MT recognized this at the outset, it didn't at the close of the piece.

There was no need to pick a "winner" & it was disingenuous to do so, IMO, even if MT qualified it by saying "it was the closest comparison ever".

Finally, if MT was going to compare the Lightning & R1T, why not make it more meaningful than size matters? What are market share trends for full-size versus mid-size pickups, for work versus lifestyle trucks, for ICE versus EV trucks, for $55K trucks versus $80K trucks, for body-on-frame vs unibody trucks, and then use market share data to compare the positioning of the Lightning and R1T? That would be an article worth reading.

 

[Slice]

I'm a builder and will be using the R1T as my work truck. I also have an Isuzu dump truck for hauling. Sure the bed is bigger on the F-150 but it's still only 5.5' which isn't that great for construction.

The power outlets offered by Ford are nice but the concept of powering a construction project from a truck isn't practical for me. The Rivian is plenty big for hauling smaller loads and towing my mini excavator.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

Many of us who actually use full size trucks cannot replace them with a smaller truck, so I may going to keep both!

I think this is what I have resorted to. The F150L is only costing me $30,000 OTD after all incentives. I don't see how I can in my right mind sell that.

Ford did a really good job on a number of things. That includes:
- A frunk that's far more usable, both in terms of size as well as in terms of ergonomics
- The rear seats that fold up are phenomenally more useful if you are a large dog owner
- All the storage, so much storage
- For me, physical buttons. This one is personal and despite nearly a decade of multiple Tesla ownership, I still prefer tactical HVAC controls
- CarPlay is a + for me
- Home backup, even without the inverter it has 7.2kW of 98kWh battery. That's $306/kWh for nee which isn't far off from a battery alone.
- If I crash it, body repairs won't take months. I still remember going 8 months I went without my Model X after being rear ended 3 months after I purchased it.

The best part of it all though is not even Rivian comparison. It's the fact that they made a like for like F-150L price competitive with a like for like F-150 ICE. That to me is 1000x more impactful than the launch of Rivian considering how many F-150's they sell on an annual basis.

That said, the F-150L is too large for me. I want something more in line with my Ridgeline. That's the R1Ts size. The cabin size, the bed size. I want the trick suspension, the gear tunnel, the powered cover warts and all and have since 2019. I placed an order for one but never intended to keep it, but Ford's done such a good job at such a good price that it looks like I'm going to end up with 2 trucks.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Things I never thought I would have said. I miss the turning radius

Truth be told I miss the turning radius on the Hummer. It was still a pain in the ass to park though, strictly because of how important it was to be in the center of the parking spots.

 

[AxelR]

Got in for the S, switch to the T because it seemed more useful, realized the 5.5 bed on the Raptor is not big enough for a lot of things, switched from the T back to the S.
I gotta say that the more time goes by waiting, the more I wonder about my choice to get a Rivian altogether, but as I said some time ago, I haven’t waited 3.5 years to walk out now (no comments ).

 

[Tbrou16]

MT should’ve compared the F150 Lightning to the F150 ICE truck, then compared the R1T to something like a Jeep Gladiator. But since that would prove EV’s are better for everything except long range trips, then they wouldn’t want to bite the ICE hand that feeds them.

 

[Zybane]

wouldn’t want to bite the ICE hand that feeds them.

As a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Diesel owner with an R1S on order, the Jeep is going to be way better off roading. The Jeep is also going to be much more suitable for overlanding trips as the range is far far higher, especially if I fill my supplemental diesel tank.

 

[Tbrou16]

As a Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Diesel owner with an R1S on order, the Jeep is going to be way better off roading. The Jeep is also going to be much more suitable for overlanding trips as the range is far far higher, especially if I fill my supplemental diesel tank.

I don’t really see the R1S as an off road vehicle, more like a Wagoneer

 

[Zybane]

I don’t really see the R1S as an off road vehicle, more like a Wagoneer

Ya, especially now that the R1S "Max Pack", which is why I originally reserved, is all but dead.

Remote camping with just the "Large Pack", especially in cooler weather really isn't going to be tenable.

 

[Titanium91352]

I think the comparison of the R1T and the F-150 falls short in many areas. Suffice it to say, if you do rely on a work truck for work, the R1T is not your vehicle of choice no matter what the drive chain is. It is in my opinion overkill in the performance, style, and finish category and lacking in the practical and size categories.
For those who want a EV work truck today, not sure the Lightning meets that requirement either. To think you will balance the work schedule or customer geography by your need to charge repeatedly makes no sense to me at all. People who use a truck for work are not Amazon that have a defined travel route. They are working individuals that need to keep a schedule, and adapt to the needs of customers. To think they will A. Find a charger that works, B. Spend their valuable work time sitting at a charger station and C. juggle travel time doesn't make sense to me. Until there is sufficient range, a real EV work truck doesn't exist yet.
I would propose the Rivian R1T is more comparable to a Raptor. I own both and I think there are a lot more comparatives to the two then a straight F-150. I bought my Raptor for limited use as a truck when I need it. A good looking vehicle that still grabs people's attention. The ability to supercharge which I did through Ford, and no fear of meeting a customer at a fancy restaurant or at the job site because they both look cool. So in the end, my driveway has two vehicles which are quite similar in many ways and deliver on Style, Performance, and Practicality. As much as the F-150 is a popular vehicle, I would not own one as my daily driver but when Ford released the Raptor, I was sold. Now that I have my R1T, I use it as my daily driver and once in a while, fire up the Raptor and have some fun. I originally was going to sell the Raptor but.....if I can, will hold onto it for a while.

 

[Quattro Powers]

https://youtu.be/VIfyLvd0mIE

 

[Budman]

If it's a matter of the size of the bed or the size of the cab, everyone agrees the Lightning is "better", but most everyone says size matters a small percentage of the time. Except for that, maybe most of the time, the Rivian is better. Size does matter...sometimes.

For me size matters everyday. My Rivian just barely fits in my garage. I have about 3 inches of clearance front to back. A full size pickup would not fit in my garage and that is a deal breaker. For me, the size of the bed in the Rivian is exactly the right size.

 

[Sharpobjects4321]

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-f150-lightning-electric-truck-towing-test/

"We had been warned to expect the range to be cut in half when towing, but the effect of towing these travel trailers proved even more significant. With the smallest and lightest trailer, we measured a range of just 115 miles. That figure fell to 100 miles with the middleweight camper and sank to a mere 90 miles with the 7,218-pound Grand Design trailer."

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