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Anyone switch from a Tesla and regret it?

Kev12345

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It’s clear to me Theo has never owned a tesla. This thread is about people that switched from tesla to lightning. The ease of use of tesla when it comes to charging is unparalleled.
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FordLightningMan

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I have both a Model 3 Performance and a XLT SR Lightning. I had an Audi that was traded in when I bought the Lightning. I am a first time truck and first time Ford owner, so keep that in mind with my feedback.

Pros
- The ride is very smooth and quiet. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a boat with the amount of rocking, but it's a lot more gentle and less stiff than the M3P. My M3P also had some loud whistling that needed service to fix, everything is in place (no gaps catching wind) on the Lightning keeping it quiet.
- Getting up to passing speeds quickly feels great, having instant power helps navigating between lanes on the highway, unlike other large vehicles I've driven in the past.
- The one pedal driving is better than in the Tesla, I would go as far as saying it is fantastic. The amount of times I've needed to step on the actual break is less than when I'm in my M3P, it's calibrated perfectly.
- My herniated disc and sciatica likes stepping up into truck.
- My bad back is due to a car crash, where some idiot ran into me at a red light. If I was in a Lightning that day, my back would be perfectly fine, it seems solid and very safe. Now when I'm in my M3P, it feels like a death trap.
- I have a ton of wood to move to my family's camp site this weekend, I'm very excited to finally have a vehicle that doesn't have me begging to use family and friends trucks.
- My mother-in-law doesn't drive and my friends are all too lazy to drive. All of them have complimented how roomy the back of the truck is, they don't want to go in the M3P anymore.
- The cameras and sensors on the truck are excellent. Despite being so large, parking is easy where spots are large enough to accommodate the truck.
- The Tesla doesn't have oncoming traffic beeps, this feature on the truck makes backing out of my driveway a breeze.
- I know some people don't like the driver aids, but for a new truck driver, those green lines saying I'm in my lane on the dash were very informative. The truck is almost made for first time truck owners.
- Having physical knobs and buttons again is great. It's a pleasure to change the fan speed or move a vent in half a second without needing to take my eyes off the road.
- This may differ for each person, but my dealer experience was great. Everything felt more personal and better than my Tesla buying. There was one small dealer mistake with commercial plates I still need to fix, but compared to my recent negligent servicing requests from Tesla, I'll take the dealer model all day.

Cons
- My back does not like how soft the seats are, I can't quite get it positioned where I'm truly comfortable. The M3P is a pain to get in and out, but I feel much better once I'm in place. I don't know if the higher trims' seats are stiffer, but I wish the XLT had more support and adjustability.
- I live in the burbs and the truck is an excellent commuter vehicle in the area. Also, on highways it is great. However, is more challenging when I go into the city and am navigating down small side streets. I will prefer driving the Tesla in situations where I'll be parallel parking or in tight areas.
- I don't understand why the tires need to chirp if you floor the truck, it seems as though the power isn't being distributed to the wheels efficiently. It's a real pleasure to launch my M3P from time to time, but the truck feels off when you launch, so I don't feel compelled to do it.
- My favorite car wash only allows vehicles up to 17 feet long. I have to figure our where the heck I can take the truck, besides a manual washing bay near me.
- I'm going to get my Line-X 79 miles from my house. With primarily highway driving, I don't think my SR will do the trick in one charge. There is not a single charger between me and Line-X, rather I will need to drive 25 miles past Line-X to top up. This is a 50 minute detour round trip I wish I didn't have to make, but I assume charging will improve.
- The features missing in a $53k vehicle are pretty glaring. Manual passenger seat, manual folding mirrors, no sensor to open the door by touch, no heated seats, etc. I know these features were available at higher trims, but the truth is there are very few vehicles at this price range without these fairly basic features. It has been an adjustment not having these comforts and I'm not sure I'd buy any vehicle again in this price range without more basic features.
- The infotainment, even with Android Auto, is far worse than the Tesla (or my Audi even). It just feels like something from 2015, not 2022.
- The sound system isn't very good.
- The battery charging by location and not a master setting is not user friendly and it took me quite a bit of time to figure this out when I first got the truck.
- The key fob doesn't work from any distance... except the one time I accidentally hit the alarm button in my pocket. Then I couldn't shut off the alarm without walking 100 feet closer to my truck. The controls to start the vehicle from a phone are slow, it takes a while to get the truck awake and then a further while to start it. PAAK on the Tesla is nearly perfect, this was a big adjustment.

Overall, I'd be in a much worse situation if I was a one vehicle household. If you told me today I had to pick one or the other, it would be an agonizing decision. Both vehicles do so much right! ...but then the both do some very stupid things. There truly would be a perfect vehicle if I could take only the best parts from each! Since that's not possible, it almost feels like a necessity to have both.
 

GDN

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This isn't a fair question to really ask - I tried asking and it just becomes frustrating. They are different vehicles, different purposes to some degree, you have to decide which fits your lifestyle.

I had an AWD 3 and loved it. Best car for handling and brought the most smile to my face enjoying the driving, stereo and computer interface. There were tweaks I might have made to the interface, but it is what it is and it was a great thing. Elon/Tesla know how things roll and created an interface that just did what you want it to when you need it too. Garage door being geofenced is one noteworthy. Voice response nailing your request most every time. Simplicity.

If you like those same things, the truck won't replace them. The truck is solidly built, has a good ride (not great, way too soft in the front end to call it great) it has awesome cooled seats. It is fast for a truck. However, it has completely slow computer interface. Nothing you can do to it will make you like it as well as you did the Tesla. It is slow, the voice response is abysmal and in 6 weeks has returned more bad addresses/Points of Interest responses than the Tesla did in 4 years.

So - I can't say I regret it, but I miss it at times. The good news is there is still another Model 3 in the garage that belongs to my partner. It is only RWD, vs the AWD so not quite as fun to drive, but still very proud and happy to be a Tesla owner too.
 

beatle

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This isn't a fair question to really ask - I tried asking and it just becomes frustrating. They are different vehicles, different purposes to some degree, you have to decide which fits your lifestyle.
True that. We're comparing pears and grapefruits here. I just sold my Lightning today, but not for distinguishing EV or tech differences between Tesla and Ford. It's because the Lightning is a much different vehicle than my Model S (and Ridgeline) and I've learned over the past 5 weeks and 2k miles that I'm just not a guy that daily drives a full size truck. The Lightning does not fit in my parking garage at work or many others in the city which is kind of a big deal. I've also found I really need a truck a lot less in the past couple years. I used to put 4-6k on my Ridgeline - mostly hauling motorcycles around to tracks and trails, but I've only put 1.5k on it in the past two years since I sold most of my bikes. I also tend to like taking corners quickly all the time, and while the Lightning might be the "best handling F150" it's still not a cornering machine. To its credit, that spongy ride was supremely comfortable. I've never arrived after a 6 hour drive as refreshed as I did in the Lightning. If I could only have one vehicle, it would probably be the Lightning, but I do have room for both a midsize beater gas truck and a fast electric highway cruiser, so that's what I'll stick with for now.
 

GDN

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True that. We're comparing pears and grapefruits here. I just sold my Lightning today, but not for distinguishing EV or tech differences between Tesla and Ford. It's because the Lightning is a much different vehicle than my Model S (and Ridgeline) and I've learned over the past 5 weeks and 2k miles that I'm just not a guy that daily drives a full size truck. The Lightning does not fit in my parking garage at work or many others in the city which is kind of a big deal. I've also found I really need a truck a lot less in the past couple years. I used to put 4-6k on my Ridgeline - mostly hauling motorcycles around to tracks and trails, but I've only put 1.5k on it in the past two years since I sold most of my bikes. I also tend to like taking corners quickly all the time, and while the Lightning might be the "best handling F150" it's still not a cornering machine. To its credit, that spongy ride was supremely comfortable. I've never arrived after a 6 hour drive as refreshed as I did in the Lightning. If I could only have one vehicle, it would probably be the Lightning, but I do have room for both a midsize beater gas truck and a fast electric highway cruiser, so that's what I'll stick with for now.
Wow - that is a shock. I'm glad you've been able to drive and evaluate, but surprised it is gone. I fully understand what you note.
 

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bryan995

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We have a model Y and now the lightning. The Y is superior in basically every single way except for the size and the fact that it is not a truck.

Cybertruck is going to be amazing.
For now - the F150L is an OK option :)
 

Ken

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very interesting thread. I've been debating off and on dropping my Lightning purchase and getting a Y instead. Before the latest tax rebate passing the Y was not that much cheaper than my Lariat ER post rebate so I though the truck was a better deal. I think I'll still get one in a year or so after I've had the truck for a bit. I wish ford had partnered with tesla and made the cybertruck into a F-150 instead of a stainless steel doorstop
 

GDN

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very interesting thread. I've been debating off and on dropping my Lightning purchase and getting a Y instead. Before the latest tax rebate passing the Y was not that much cheaper than my Lariat ER post rebate so I though the truck was a better deal. I think I'll still get one in a year or so after I've had the truck for a bit. I wish ford had partnered with tesla and made the cybertruck into a F-150 instead of a stainless steel doorstop
If the Lightning had Tesla's tech in it, no one would touch this vehicle for 10 years. However, Ford has delivered a "decent" product tech wise but it will be eclipsed quickly. Their next gen in a couple of years will be interesting to see.
 

805Badger

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We've switched from a Model S and an Model X to a Rivian and a F150L and have zero regrets at all. We are very happy with our upgrades.
 

Kev12345

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a better comparison would be a current Tesla vs mustang mach e. we can compare lightning at the end of 2023 if Tesla can ever get their truck built.
 

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GDN

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a better comparison would be a current Tesla vs mustang mach e. we can compare lightning at the end of 2023 if Tesla can ever get their truck built.
But I'm not sure there have been many, if any, leave a Tesla for a Mach E.
 
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JSJ

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There’s no way I would sell my Y for a Mach-e. I actually chose an Ioniq 5 over the Mach-e then switched to the Y when that came in. If it wasn’t for how useful trucks are, I wouldn’t be selling my Y for the lightning. I’ll definitely be trading the lightning in for a cyber truck if/when the time comes. Yeah, it’s ugly, but 14,000 towing capacity, 500 mile range, 2.9 0-60 plus Tesla’s tech and supercharger network (which still probably won’t be open to other EVs by then).
 
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sotek2345

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But I'm not sure there have been many, if any, leave a Tesla for a Mach E.
We didn't leave Tesla for our Mach-e, but we definitely chose the Mach-e over the model Y. Mach-e is much better looking (like not even close), Actually has a ln instrument cluster, and supports Android Auto. Easy choice.

Also, I don't have to drive 3+ hours away to test drive one or get any service.
 


 


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