Advice on New Lightning - 2023 XLT or 2023 Lariat Extended Range

[DesertEV]

Good Evening and hope you all are doing well. Former Tacoma and Titan owner here. Buying a new 2023 Lightning this week. I'm looking at the 2023 XLT or the 2023 Lariat - both are extended range. Any advice on which one to go with? Pricing is about 8K between the 2. Would I be missing out on anything big if I go XLT? Also, any issues with the truck? I really appreciate it as I don't want to buy it unless I'm 100% confident in the purchase. I belonged to the TacomaWorld forum and loved the advice. Anybody ever had to charge one while camping with a generator? Just curious on what the results are there as well. Any issues while charging on the road or ever meet any bad actors at the charging stations? Really appreciate all your help. Thanks!

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[Zprime29]

The search feature here is wonderful and will provide many answers to your questions. In general, do you prefer buttons (go with XLT) or the touchscreen (go with Lariat)?

 

[Ry2023]

You really can’t go wrong either way …. The Lariat will have more luxury features and what not. I have never charged while camping at a site or with a generator but I have seen people do so on YouTube ….
With dc fast charging stations if you get yourself a good app, like PlugShare or Chargemap you can pretty much avoid any major ssues … I’ve yet to have one and I’ve taken quite a few long trips where I needed to charge. And as for bad actors I have seen a few people Ice a charging station (lv2) at a grocery store but that’s about it. The one thing I absolutely love is no one usually notices that it’s an electric pick up… most people won’t know until they see you plug in…
Either way I have no doubt you will enjoy either vehicle that you will get!

 

[DesertEV]

You really can’t go wrong either way …. The Lariat will have more luxury features and what not. I have never charged while camping at a site or with a generator but I have seen people do so on YouTube ….
With dc fast charging stations if you get yourself a good app, like PlugShare or Chargemap you can pretty much avoid any major ssues … I’ve yet to have one and I’ve taken quite a few long trips where I needed to charge. And as for bad actors I have seen a few people Ice a charging station (lv2) at a grocery store but that’s about it. The one thing I absolutely love is no one usually notices that it’s an electric pick up… most people won’t know until they see you plug in…
Either way I have no doubt you will enjoy either vehicle that you will get!

Thanks Rick. Appreciate the advice. I'm out here in El Paso and we have gone to the Gila National Forest which is about a 60 mile trek up the mountain. That's what I'm really worried about. Having the power to make it to camp site and then back to a charger.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

If you don't mind Fabric Seats and the Larger Touchscreen (and technically BlueCruise, which is currently complimentary but will be a subscription in the future), then the XLT is a no brainer at its current discount.

I traded my Pro SR in to get an XLT ER. The Leather was the only thing I miss. I prefer the smaller (still very large) screen with physical button controls. I figured for the amount I saved, I could always get Katskin. As for BlueCruise...I got a Comma 3X.

 

[Zprime29]

Thanks Rick. Appreciate the advice. I'm out here in El Paso and we have gone to the Gila National Forest which is about a 60 mile trek up the mountain. That's what I'm really worried about. Having the power to make it to camp site and then back to a charger.

My in-laws live in El Paso, have made that trek from Tucson in my Lightning numerous times. I've also taken it up to the top of Mt. Lemmon several times. From my house to the top is about 55 miles, elevation change of +5000ft. I can get there and back using just 30% of my battery. It's great fun coming down the mountain and putting 8% charge back into the battery.

 

[RickLightning]

Thanks Rick. Appreciate the advice. I'm out here in El Paso and we have gone to the Gila National Forest which is about a 60 mile trek up the mountain. That's what I'm really worried about. Having the power to make it to camp site and then back to a charger.

"make it to camp site"

Towing?

 

[invertedspear]

My opinions, reflected in the fact I'm in an XLT. I came from a MME-Premium with the big screen and bluecruise, so I have some experience with those features.

• Adaptive Cruise Control + Lane Keep Assist (in the XLT package you'd be getting) is better than BlueCruise, sure you have to keep a hand on the wheel, but you don't get constant alerts because it can't see your eyes.
• Constantly having to go through menu's on the touch screen is tedious and IMO dangerous while driving. The one wheel constantly changing contexts is annoying. Many buttons of the XLT is a superior setup.
• The Fabric seats aren't great with messy kids, you will want seat covers.

On the other hand

• I miss PAAK, a little bit. It was sometimes convenient.
• I miss driver profiles a lot. They would remember your seat and mirror positions as well as station presets. Great when sharing a vehicle with a spouse or others.
• I miss some of the entertainment features only on the big screen, would help keep the kids entertained to watch you-tube or play games while waiting at charger, totally alleviated this by sticking my ipad in front of the screen and connecting it to the sound system by bluetooth. Can stream and play whatever now.

 

[Adventureboy]

I got a Comma 3X.

How does Comma 3X compare to Bluecruise? Interesting dynamics in this space.

 

[Adventureboy]

I've driven both but I like the Lariat better for all the additional features. It seems worth the $8k to me to step up however that is very much a personal choice. I have the moonroof on my Lariat and love it. XLTs tend to have slightly lower depreciation rates if you look at it from a total cost of ownership perspective.
Are there differences in grants between the two in Tx? We lose our grants on anything above Pro SR and pay extra luxury taxes on the Lariat here.

 

[Motographer]

My in-laws live in El Paso, have made that trek from Tucson in my Lightning numerous times. I've also taken it up to the top of Mt. Lemmon several times. From my house to the top is about 55 miles, elevation change of +5000ft. I can get there and back using just 30% of my battery. It's great fun coming down the mountain and putting 8% charge back into the battery.

I'm looking forward to doing this on the way to Chattanooga from Nashville in the near future.

Chiming in as a new XLT 312A owner to say that the only Lariat feature I really wish I had is the panoramic roof; I came from a Honda Ridgeline RTL-E that had leather seats and the sunroof, and I didn't fully appreciate how much the open roof lightened up the interior until I didn't have it any more. I'm actually having a bit of buyer's remorse over not having done more searching for a deal on a Lariat, but I'd have had to go way out of state to get remotely close to the deals I've been reading about on here, and I was already pushing my budget.

The bigger screen looks cool, but I'm OK being able to adjust the climate control without taking my eyes off the road, and I'm not a huge fan of basic functions of a vehicle being reliant on a computer screen that may or may not brick itself at a moment's notice. I use Android Auto pretty much exclusively, and if my neighbor's Mach-E is anything to go by, the difference in screen real estate when using AA is negligible. I miss the leather seats a bit, but I also don't miss worrying about every single crease that appeared in them; not sure about Ford, but Honda's leather seats aren't the greatest quality, and I use neoprene covers on the rear seats to keep my dogs' hair and nails off them, so it's a moot point.

Overall if it were possible to get an XLT with some form of sunroof, that's what I'd have gone with, but that alone wasn't worth the extra $8k to me. It's still the most powerful vehicle I've ever driven, even as a mid-range trim it's packed with features. the frunk is even handier than the under-bed storage compartment on my Ridgeline was, the Pro Power Onboard is going to come in super handy when I'm using it as a support vehicle at motorcycle track days, I don't have to worry about fuel prices ever again, and the solace of cruising in nearly complete silence is something I didn't appreciate until I experienced it. By the time mine is paid off, there will hopefully be more trim options, at a lower price, with longer range and better tech, so I'm going to enjoy what I have and look forward to that.

 

[mefly2]

Buy the features that you want - otherwise the trucks are the same ...
ER - if you budget permits

 

[Schroederhc1]

If you don't mind Fabric Seats and the Larger Touchscreen (and technically BlueCruise, which is currently complimentary but will be a subscription in the future), then the XLT is a no brainer at its current discount.

I traded my Pro SR in to get an XLT ER. The Leather was the only thing I miss. I prefer the smaller (still very large) screen with physical button controls. I figured for the amount I saved, I could always get Katskin. As for BlueCruise...I got a Comma 3X.

Katzkin is a great choice upgraded my 2023 XLT ER.

 

[DesertEV]

I've driven both but I like the Lariat better for all the additional features. It seems worth the $8k to me to step up however that is very much a personal choice. I have the moonroof on my Lariat and love it. XLTs tend to have slightly lower depreciation rates if you look at it from a total cost of ownership perspective.
Are there differences in grants between the two in Tx? We lose our grants on anything above Pro SR and pay extra luxury taxes on the Lariat here.

Thank you for the great advice. There is a 7,500 rebate on the XLT and 5,000 on the Lariat. When you add the federal government giving you 7,500 upfront and + dealer discounts, both are great options.

 

[DesertEV]

Katzkin is a great choice upgraded my 2023 XLT ER.

Thank you. How much was that?

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