I think this might be goodbye

[sotek2345]

So - I have been nervous about both resale value and (EV) parts availability ever since Ford made the cancellation announcement, so when I saw our local Kia dealership had some nice deals on EV9s I went in to check one out. A few days later and I have a Blue EV9 GT-line on order. As long as the deal holds up when it arrives (est. 1-3 months), I will be saying goodbye to my Lightning. It has been a great journey and I still think the Lightning is the best utility EV truck on the market. For those interested here is how the pro/con comparison works out between them.

• Cargo - Lightning is the absolutely winner, and I will miss the bed and the frunk, but the EV9 should be able to handle 99% of my use cases.
• Maneuverability / Ease of Driving - EV9 is both 3 feet smaller and has a ~7 foot tighter turning radius
• Performance - Lightning is a bit quicker, but seat of the pants feel is pretty close. EV9 is better around turns.
• Range - Lightning by a little bit (320 vs 270 EPA), but the EV9 loses less at highway speeds and in the cold
• Charging - EV9 wins by a long shot
• Passenger comfort - EV9 wins, especially with the 2nd row captain's chairs.
• Onboard power - Lightning by a long shot, but I never really used the 240V outlet and the EV9 has a 110V one.
• Price - EV9 is a little cheaper (GT Line vs. Lariat ER)
• Software - From what I have used of it so far, the Kia's seems to have more features and is snappier. Also, more actual buttons. It does not however have a hands free mode like Bluecruise. I will miss that.

If I end up making the trade when it comes in, I will miss you all, and may still check in from time to time!

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[EV Engineer]

Enjoy.

I'd be interested in your use case.
In my opinion, the list you gave seems the F150 is superior in all facets that matter.

--I actually disagree on passenger comfort. The EV9 might be more comfortable for 4 passengers, but for 5 it's the F150. And for 6 neither are good although the kia can "work".

--Software,---who cares--- none are Tesla and it'll all be outdated in 5 years.

--charging --I have fast charged about 5 times in 10,000 miles. It's just not that frequent of a thing for me. But I agree South Korea is ahead of everyone including Tesla in this area. If you fast charge more than once a month Kia/Hyundai seem good value.

--Pro power onboard. Cargo, passenger room, styling, parts -F150 wins.

 

[sotek2345]

Sure - here is my use case, which breaks down into 3 major areas. I think it really comes down to having a 4 person family and doing more road trips than you.

Daily commuting / grocery shopping / etc. - both vehicles can do this easily, slight edge to the EV9 for maneuverability and parking

Road trips - I do a few of these for work every year, and we like to take road trip vacations (4 adult sized people) as a family that average between 700 and 1000mi round trip. Depending on the year, this can be 30% to 50% of my miles, so while it isn't once EVERY month, when we use it we use it a lot.

Hauling stuff - this is largely for the robotics team I coach, but also includes misc. home projects, moving the eldest kid into and out of college, etc. I have robotics gear in my bed about 6 months of the year. The EV9 has enough room behind the 2nd row for just about everything I would need, and the extra height (vs. under a tonneau cover) will come in VERY handy. For home projects, the EV9 won't be nearly as nice as the truck, but that is just a few times a year.

I agree the third row wont see much use aside from quick trips with more than 4 people if a 2nd vehicle isn't available for some reason. If we were a family of 5, the EV9 wouldn't make sense, but for 4 the seat cooling and reclining features are very nice.

 

[Maquis]

In summary, if you don’t need a truck, the EV9 wins.

 

[sotek2345]

In summary, if you don’t need a truck, the EV9 wins.

Yeah - I would agree with that.

 

[EV Engineer]

Sounds good. I agree if you are charging more than 1x a month or 1x on a road trip the lightning shows a big weakness.

It's good at charging but not great. One stop is reasonable for food / bathroom etc. But when you start stopping 2-3x for 30+ minutes it's big disadvantage.

I know it's a dead horse but a Ford Ranger I think would've done better from EV standpoint. Rivian's are too pricy and the aerodynamics of the F150 matched with the 150kWh charge curve it's just not a road warrior.

 

[mr.Magoo]

I don't quite understand the logic of buying a brand new EV (to begin with) and a Kia ontop of that if your main argument for getting something else (besides parts availibility) is resale / residual value !?

Even if your Lightning is completely worthless in 4 years and unless you're getting a killer deal on the that Kia, it will have dropped as much, or more than your Lightning will (between now and then).

Ford should keep parts until 2035 at least, sure, who knows if a light assembly will be $15,000 new - but it should be availible.

 

[sotek2345]

I don't quite understand the logic of buying a brand new EV (to begin with) and a Kia ontop of that if your main argument for getting something else (besides parts availibility) is resale / residual value !?

Even if your Lightning is completely worthless in 4 years and unless you're getting a killer deal on the that Kia, it will have dropped as much, or more than your Lightning will (between now and then).

Ford should keep parts until 2035 at least, sure, who knows if a light assembly will be $15,000 new - but it should be availible.

Yeah - the cost of the parts, and repair service, is what really concerns me. The resale thing was more about doing something soonish before it tanks. Honestly surprised it hasn't already.

 

[Lightning Rod]

Good luck.

 

[Altivec]

I don't quite understand the logic of buying a brand new EV (to begin with) and a Kia ontop of that if your main argument for getting something else (besides parts availibility) is resale / residual value !?

Even if your Lightning is completely worthless in 4 years and unless you're getting a killer deal on the that Kia, it will have dropped as much, or more than your Lightning will (between now and then).

Ford should keep parts until 2035 at least, sure, who knows if a light assembly will be $15,000 new - but it should be availible.

I agree with you. The biggest drop in value happens the first year. The hit that's going to be taken on the NEW Kia in the first year is going to surpass any future losses of the Lightning. You only lose value when you sell, with the biggest loss being if you sell during the first few years of ownership

The Lightning is well regarded in terms of a truck, and trucks are a huge market. As more people are willing to give EV's a try, a used Lightning is going to be a perfect choice. Where I live, after the announcement, people rushed to purchase remaining stock on the lots. What does that tell you. I don't think the gloom and doom on the lightnings value is going to be as bad as some people are making it out to be.

 

[TaxmanHog]

If I end up making the trade when it comes in, I will miss you all, and may still check in from time to time!

Congrat's on finding what works for your family, glad to have had the chance to meet you in Jersey!!

 

[RickLightning]

I have looked into the EV9, and found a large number of buyback, cars sitting at dealerships for months awaiting repairs due to lack or parts and remedies, and dealerships knowing even less about the vehicles than Ford dealerships.

Make sure you read through EV9 forums and FB groups.

 

[sotek2345]

I have looked into the EV9, and found a large number of buyback, cars sitting at dealerships for months awaiting repairs due to lack or parts and remedies, and dealerships knowing even less about the vehicles than Ford dealerships.

Make sure you read through EV9 forums and FB groups.

I have looked. The ICCU issue that seems to be the main problem seems to be fixed for the new model year. One of the biggest reasons I am staying away from a used one.

 

[RickLightning]

I have looked. The ICCU issue that seems to be the main problem seems to be fixed for the new model year. One of the biggest reasons I am staying away from a used one.

Yup, that was the big issue I saw.

 

[Quibbs]

There are a lot of compelling mid sized SUVs coming out soon. Volvo EX60, BMWix3, RIvian R2 and offerings from Mercedes. Of course those are all 60k+ (with maybe the Rivian coming in less). Both the BMW and the Volvo first iterations will not be much more over 60k and pretty loaded from what I read. If that is more than you want to spend then nevermind.

I think if you have time to wait I would maybe wait at least another year. I think we will see prices keep coming down on certain foreign EV made vehicles and the charging and range specs increased.

Someone might argue that something better is always just around the corner.
But my take is sometimes there are moments in time where it's more optimal jumping in than perhaps at other points.

Just my opinion.

Regardless, best of luck whichever way you end up going. I am sure the EV9 will be a fine vehicle.

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