2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum in Atlas Blue Metallic

Consumer Guide Test Drive

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum

ClassElectric Vehicle

Miles driven: 204

Battery capacity: 131 kWh

EPA-estimate MPGe: 73 city/60 hwy/66 combined

EPA-estimated driving range: 300 miles

CG Report Card
Room and ComfortA
Power and PerformanceA
Fit and FinishB+
Fuel EconomyA
ValueC+
Report-card grades are derived from a consensus of test-driver evaluations. All grades are versus other vehicles in the same class. Value grade is for specific trim level evaluated, and may not reflect Consumer Guide's impressions of the entire model lineup.
Big & Tall Comfort
Big GuyA
Tall GuyA
Big & Tall comfort ratings are for front seats only. "Big" rating based on male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, "Tall" rating based on 6'6"-tall male tester.
Drivetrain
Engine Specs580 horsepower
Engine TypeElectric motors
Transmission Automatic
Drive All-wheel drive

Consumer Guide range estimate (ideal conditions): 290-300 miles

Base price: $90,874 (not including $1695 destination charge)

Options on test vehicle: Max Recline driver/front-passenger seats ($345); Toughbed spray-in bedliner ($595)

Price as tested: $93,509

 

Quick Hits

The great: Lightning-quick acceleration, especially for a big pickup; innovative features take full advantage of pure-electric powertrain’s capabilities and packaging advantages; spacious cabin

The good: Pleasant ride quality for a big truck; Lighting retains almost all of the strengths and clever available features of the familiar conventional Ford F-150 pickup

The not so good: Big price jump for extended-range battery and premium trim levels; limited availability, at least for now; towing a trailer will cause driving ranges to drop; disadvantages of America’s current EV-charging infrastructure

More F-150 Lightning price and availability information

 

John Biel

Ford’s new pure-electric F-150 pickup is called the Lightning. With it comes the thunder: Starting prices range as high as $92,569 with delivery.

Ka-BOOM!

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
Ford commits to the pure-electric-vehicle market in a big way with the introduction of the new-for-2022 F-150 Lightning–an EV version of its best-selling F-150 full-size pickup truck.

You could have gotten one for less (fleet-oriented Pro, $41,669; XLT, $54,669; Lariat, $69,169) but that was the cost of entry for the deluxe Platinum model that Consumer Guide tested. With just two inexpensive options—at least by modern standards—the test truck stickered for $93,509.

Frankly, what we say here about Ford’s intriguing, if costly, new version of its historically popular full-size pickup is now purely as recap. Already by June, when our test took place, the manufacturer was informing visitors to the 2022 Lightning website, “Due to high demand, the current model year is no longer available for retail order.” If you had not yet acted on your desire to be the first on your block to own one, here’s what you missed:

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2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
Despite the dramatic changes to its underpinnings to convert it to a battery-electric vehicle, the F-150 Lightning carries over many components from its regular internal-combustion-engine siblings–including the interior. The biggest change here is the available 15-inch vertically oriented touchscreen, borrowed from the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The F-150 Lightning was introduced as a SuperCrew four-door crew-cab model with a 5.5-foot bed on a 145.4-inch wheelbase. Though clearly identifiable as a Ford half-ton pickup, it features unique styling details and many new features unavailable on other F-150s. The standard powertrain is a pair of electric motors that deliver a combined 452 horsepower, or 580 with an available extended-range battery that is standard in the Platinum. All-wheel drive is standard—the two motors each drive an axle—and rear suspension is independent instead of the live rear axle with leaf springs used in other F-150s.

On its roomy inside, the inaugural Lightning boasts an available 15.5-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s bigger than anything else you’d find in the rest of the 2022 F-150 lineup. Since the electric motor and batteries don’t require as much underhood space as an internal-combustion engine, the Lightning has room for a front-mounted trunk. This 14.1-cubic-foot “frunk” is roomy enough for two golf bags.

Guide to Electric Vehicle Charging

2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
The fully digital gauge cluster doubles as a state-of-charge indicator when the vehicle is parked. Warm weather during our test necessitated extensive use of the air conditioning, so our indicated ranges were a bit off the EPA estimate.

The 580-horse powerplant makes the Lightning the most powerful F-150 ever, says Ford (a 0-60-mph time of 4.4 seconds is claimed). Power delivery is eye-opening. It’s strong, immediate—and quiet, maybe the most radical departure from the usual F-150 driving experience. The EPA-estimated driving range with the 131-kWh extended-range battery is 320 miles—90 more than the base battery pack is expected to deliver—but the extra features of the loaded Platinum model reduce its EPA driving-range estimate to 300 miles. In this driver’s 113.5-mile turn in the tested truck (with 81 percent city-type operation), he started with an indicated range of 287 miles, on a charge of 97 percent, and had an indicated 176 miles of range (and 62 percent of charge) “in the tank” when he relinquished the keys, which suggests a pretty accurate range projection. Note, however, that the “juicier” battery trades range and power for some payload capacity—a Lightning can carry 2000 pounds with the base battery, or 1800 with the extended-range unit.

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2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
Like all full-size crew-cab pickups, the F-150 Lightning’s back seat offers plenty of headroom and legro0m, even for extra-tall passengers. The Platinum trim level comes standard with an enhanced under-seat storage set-up–the panel shown here flips up to create lockable, partitioned storage bins.

Ride from the all-coil suspension is fairly cushy, though it can still get tossed in back a little bit with an empty bed. Steering has nice heft. There’s a little bit of a wallowy, light-in-the-nose feel without a hefty fossil-fuel engine up front. Platinums come standard with Ford’s BlueCruise semi-autonomous hands-free driver-assistance system. We had limited opportunities to test the system, as it requires approved divided two-lane highways (which Ford calls “Blue Zones”) to operate. BlueCruise isn’t quite as sophisticated as the enhanced version of Cadillac’s Super Cruise: It won’t make lane changes and it seemed more apt to disengage and require the driver to take the wheel again in certain driving conditions. Nonetheless, when this reviewer did use it, it seemed to track very well in the lane. It might ping-pong the first couple of drifts toward the lane markings but then it got its bearings and followed the road quite well.

The interior look and feel is like any F-150 with the same trim save for the massive Sync4A screen. (It was standard on Lightning Lariats as well.) The vertically oriented capacitive-touch device has enhanced voice recognition and incorporates access to the full range of systems and features, including things like the four drive modes and the dual-zone automatic climate control. There is a physical audio-volume dial on the screen face. This centralized control requires a lot of tapping but the choices within desired functions are plainly displayed, which reduces the confusing guesswork found in some infotainment systems.

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2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
A couple of the Lighting’s clever cargo-area touches: Like other F-150s, the Lighting has carpentry aids such as molded-in ruler markings and pockets for clamps built into the tailgate. The front trunk (which Ford has cheekily named the Mega Power Frunk) includes four 120-volt household power outlets and a couple USB ports.

What separated the ’22 Platinum from the Lariat that’s a long step down started outside with 22-inch alloy wheels with a bright machined surface and Ebony Black-painted pockets, a twin-panel moonroof, and rain-sensing windshield wipers, all standard. Interior distinctions consisted of power tilt and telescoping with memory for the heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel; heated rear seats; genuine wood accent trim; 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen “Unleashed” audio system; and partitioned, lockable storage under the rear seat. Added tech features—with an emphasis on towing aids—were Pro Trailer Backup Assist, trailer-reverse guidance, an onboard scale with “Smart Hitch,” Active Park Assist 2.0, and Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 with a raft of safety monitors and adaptive cruise control.

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Frunk Capacity, Charge Cable, 12-Volt Battery
The Mega Power Frunk is about the size of a compact car’s trunk, and it can support up to 400 pounds of cargo. An underfloor storage bin is deep enough to house the Lightning’s charging cable, and the bin’s lid doubles as a partition panel to keep groceries and other cargo items from rolling around. The bin’s floor includes drainage slots (so it can be used as a cooler for tailgating parties, among other things) and the accessory battery resides behind an access panel.

Other standard items found in some or all other Lightnings included Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity; in-dash navigation; a Wi-Fi hotspot; wireless charging; and the high-level 9.6-kW version of the Pro Power Onboard system that can take advantage of the electric powertrain to enable uses like running power tools, plugging in a crockpot for tailgating events, or even powering a home during a power outage. The leather-upholstered seats were heated and ventilated in front, and had a memory function for the 10-way-adjustable driver’s seat. Ride height—ground clearance is 8.4 inches—makes the standard running boards welcome for shorter passengers. The Interior Work Surface function folds out of the large center console to make the interior handier for using laptop computers—and benefits from the fold-down shifter handle. Also, the power tailgate includes Ford’s retractable step-and-handhold feature.

With the 2022 Lightning, Ford managed to get a jump on the emerging EV pickup market, leveraging the popularity of its existing F-150 to do it. If you didn’t know how it was powered—or what it cost—you could easily take it for one.

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2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum
The Ford F-150 Lightning is an ambitious-yet-familiar electric vehicle that offers plenty of real-world benefits beyond the green-vehicle credentials of its pure-electric powertrain. It’s very expensive in top-line trim, but so are the various luxury versions of conventional combustion-engine trucks.

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2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Gallery

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