Coming from a Model Y, talk me in/out of a Lightning

[flyct]

My 23 Lariat does NOT have walk away LOCK yet.

As a backup have a center console safe and I keep a programmed key fob locked in the safe stored in a faraday bag. The faraday bag prevents it from communicating with the truck.

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[RickKeen]

Local towing under 140 miles round trip (110 miles in the smaller battery SR) is a dream with the Lightning. The torque and rear suspension makes a 6000 lb boat feel like its hardly even there.

Longer distance towing is a bit of a challenge due to the range being kind of short compared to the typical spacing of DC chargers and wanting to tow to places off the beaten path.

 

[Bills R Electric]

My wife has a Y and I have a gas F150 Lariat. The lightning prices seem good right now so I'm considering pulling the trigger on a lariat lightning. Anything I should know since I'm coming from the world of Tesla?

I just charged my Lightning Lariat at a Tesla station yesterday.
With the brand new Adapter Ford sent me, plugging in and charging is super smooth & quick.

One difference with the charging is speed though. The Lightning will charge a bit slower than your Model Y probably does. Not a huge negative, but if you charge a lot at DCFCs, you will notice the difference.

Others will probably mention the "software". Yes Tesla software is better. Period. I personally don't mind the Ford interface since I use Apple Carplay a lot.

You will love the Ford Frunk, and under back seat space....

 

[RickKeen]

Local towing under 140 miles round trip (110 miles in the smaller battery SR) is a dream with the Lightning. The torque and rear suspension makes a 6000 lb boat feel like its hardly even there.

Longer distance towing is a bit of a challenge due to the range being kind of short compared to the typical spacing of DC chargers and wanting to tow to places off the beaten path. But that is true of trying to tow with ANY EV Truck, except perhaps the Chevy with the larger battery.

 

[RickKeen]

I’m shopping for a replacement boat, it might get very interesting if I buy something far away and need to tow it home.

Pay somebody to haul the boat. There are guys who will tow stuff across the country for very economical prices.

 

[Bills R Electric]

Local towing under 140 miles round trip (110 miles in the smaller battery SR) is a dream with the Lightning. The torque and rear suspension makes a 6000 lb boat feel like its hardly even there.

Longer distance towing is a bit of a challenge due to the range being kind of short compared to the typical spacing of DC chargers and wanting to tow to places off the beaten path.

Agreed.
My boat and trailer about 7000lbs

In and out, and local towing is, as you say, a dream.

 

[PrimeRisk]

My wife has a Y and I have a gas F150 Lariat. The lightning prices seem good right now so I'm considering pulling the trigger on a lariat lightning. Anything I should know since I'm coming from the world of Tesla?

You've come to the right place! My primary driver is a '21 MYP and my work truck in a '24 Lariat Lightning!

They are two completely different vehicles with completely different characteristics and capabilities. Your literal Apples and Oranges.

What you'll love about the Lightning:

• The super fast acceleration. Not Model Y fast, but really fast
• It's a truck that can do truck things just like your current Lariat
• Low maintenance mechanically
• At-home plug-in convenience so you always leave home with a full "tank"
• You can get access to the Tesla Charging Network
• AirPlay / AndroidAuto built in and is works well

Things you won't like (mostly because you have a Tesla):

• Software updates are a complete mess with Ford. Look forward to having to take it to the dealership for some of them. That's assuming you get them...updates are few and far between.
• Depending on your area, you may find long wait times to get into service as only Ford Certified EV Techs will work on the Lighting and they are in high demand. Many dealerships will sell the Lighting and Mach-E, but will not even service them. Do NOT buy one from a dealership that does not provide service on them. (I live in Denver-Metro and have to drive to a different city to a dealership with a competent EV Tech.)
• BlueCruise is a complete joke compared to Tesla's AutoPilot or FSD. Really nothing more than TACC with lane keeping that will nag you to insanity.
• The lighting still has a CSS connector, so you'll have to buy an adapter to supercharge on the NACS (Tesla) network. If you don't want to buy a 2nd EVSE for your garage, well then you'll need a 2nd adapter for NACS Level 2 charging.
• Navigation: Another swing and a miss for Ford. Oh, and you have to pay for it after the trial or they brick it completely.
• Towing: If you need to tow with a brake controller, you'll have to buy the Max Tow Package, they've deleted it from every other level, even the Tow Tech Package and the dealer cannot install it after the fact.
• Connected Services: There are a bunch of them (BlueCruise, Navigation, Premium Connectivity, Alexa, and (maybe) the 360 Cameras). All come with trials, but then you have to pay or lose them. Ford won't reveal what they will cost in the future (other than BlueCruise).

If you need a truck to do truck things, the Lighting is the only way to go, just set your technology expectations low and you'll love it. If you don't really need a truck, then save yourself the money and migraines, buy yourself another Model Y.

All of this IMHO.

 

[PrimeRisk]

I just bought a Platinum for 58k with 2500 miles on it, I have been looking for a year and the deals are about as good as it gets right now

Wow, that's a smoking deal!!

 

[PrimeRisk]

I don't need to carry a fob either... I think it was the same update. Not sure why some people get updates and others don't. I am not in any special early access program either.

I don't carry the FOB either because it's bulky as heck, but I did have one day when the PAAK just crapped out. Rebooted the phone and everything...No go. Luckily i had setup the keypad and a the passcode to start the vehicle, otherwise I would have been stranded. I keep one fob hidden in the truck in a RF bag now.

 

[srspring551]

Defining reason to choose the Lightning: it has nothing to do with musk

 

[Hammick]

I’m aware of the limitation. Fortunately I can’t see a time when I would need to tow the current boat beyond a 20 mile radius from the house. I’m shopping for a replacement boat, it might get very interesting if I buy something far away and need to tow it home. Something within 300 miles is no big deal, but a round trip to Florida for something would be more adventure than I’d want with the battery limitations.

It can be done. I towed a teardrop trailer (Tab 400) from East Jersey to Kansas City with my Lariat ER. AND a Nucamp Avia from Louisville to KC. Neither trip was fast or fun but I never came close to running out of juice.

 

[Altivec]

I don't carry the FOB either because it's bulky as heck, but I did have one day when the PAAK just crapped out. Rebooted the phone and everything...No go. Luckily i had setup the keypad and a the passcode to start the vehicle, otherwise I would have been stranded. I keep one fob hidden in the truck in a RF bag now.

I've not had that happen, but didn't the keypad and start passcode do its job? Why did you find the need to put a hidden fob in the truck? I would really prefer not to do that and had a sense of security knowing I have those passcodes should PAAK crapout. Are you saying I shouldn't have that sense of security?

 

[PrimeRisk]

I've not had that happen, but didn't the keypad and start passcode do its job? Why did you find the need to put a hidden fob in the truck? I would really prefer not to do that and had a sense of security knowing I have those passcodes should PAAK crapout. Are you saying I shouldn't have that sense of security?

Others have reported issues getting the backup passcode working. I don't want to end up having to call for help or a tow if I get in this situation. It was a one-time event and I still have no idea what was wrong, but I dinked with my phone for 15 minutes after opening the door with the keypad and PAAK just would not work. Once I got back home I walked away from the truck and it locked automatically. I heard it honk and walked back to the truck and PAAK was fully functional again, so I wrote it off as just an anomaly. I didn't dig further into it as I had other issues going on with the modem randomly locking up, so I wrote it off, but it bothered me enough to put a FOB in the truck in case the anomaly came back.

I think you're pretty safe, but I'd never take a cross-country trip or go into the sticks without the FOB in my pocket as a backup.

My bigger concern is if you park your Lighting outside, you are vulnerable to have your truck rummaged through or even stolen by the Bluetooth relay vulnerability. This is why Tesla implemented Pin-to-Drive, but Ford seems to be ignoring it.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/bluetooth-vulnerability-paak-related.17746/

I have no knowledge of a Lightning being stolen via this exploit, but it is out there. I use Tasker to disable Bluetooth when my phone is charging face-down at night.

 

[Bwanapete]

I drive a ‘22 Lariat ER and a ‘23 Tesla MY. I have driven each as much as 70- miles in a day. I used to drive a ’13 Lariat Ecoboost and a ‘17 Tesla MS. I like both the Y and the Lightning very much. The Y is nimble and has extremely quick steering. The truck has Ford’s patented “dead fish” steering wheel feel. The truck would beat the Y in a drag race but both are way more than adequate. PAAK works well for both. I miss having “walk away locking. Car has it, truck does not. Both have hands-free cruise. The Y’s system has automatic lane changing, and I like that mostly. The truck’s hands-free keeps having dead spots, but the car’s is seamless. The truck is quieter at highway speeds. The truck’s sound system is better too but it took me a few days to figure out how to turn on its radio. Both are a joy to drive. Both have really good brakes. I greatly prefer the truck’s blind spot warning system. The truck’s auto headlights and auto wipers are better. The Y’s chargeport door is much better than the Ford’s. I like and use the Y’s dog mode and camp mode (I wish the truck had them). Glad I have both the Y and the Lariat. Ford seems to value me as a customer. Tesla doesn’t much care. I am likely to keep each vehicle for many years.

 

[astrand1]

I have a model Y and a Lightning Lariat. You will be disappointed with the Ford software in general. The navigation stinks, the road trip charging experience is sketchy and takes a lot more planning than Tesla. Only SOME Tesla chargers are open to the Ford. The DC charging speeds are slow, way below the competition. The phone app is not very useful. As can be expected, it uses about twice the energy as the model Y.

On the plus side, it is a great truck, just like a regular F150. Real world range is a tick better than the model Y if you keep it below 75.

I bought the Lightning because you can get it a good deal on them. For an extended range at $60k, it can't be beat.

I will push back on a few things you said. I don’t think the nav “stinks” it’s not nearly a smooth as Tesla but it’s ok. Once they add in the SC to the nav (which is coming) they will help out. For SC we really only can’t access V2 chargers. So it’s way more than “some” I’ve been across the country twice now and had no issue finding chargers and almost all were SC. To the OP using ABRP and getting a Bluetooth dongle for the OBD2 really makes planning much easier. You have to buy the premium access for ABRP but I’ve found it pretty decent. I love my lightning and it’s a great road trip vehicle. Prices are good. Go get one!

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