The F-150 Lightning Is not what I expected - Anyone else feel the same?

[240vPlug]

Greetings all! I stopped by a dealer lot and took at look at a 2023 F-150 Lightning Lariat with extended range battery and I was shocked by the quality of the interior (or lack thereof). The sticker on the truck was $90,000 and the interior was full of plastic and fake wood trim. My Tesla Model Y interior felt noticably more upscale.

The lariat in particular as well as the pro models are in a completely different market now due to the price increases. While the Lariat extended range only saw a price increase of $8,500 the effective increase was $16,000 due to losing the Federal EV tax credit with a starting MSRP of 85k and change.

The F-150 Lightning are all special order trucks and they are starting to pile up on dealer lots as customers cancel their orders. The truck looks good on YouTube videos but seeing it in person was disappointing especially for the price. The wife says it looks like a 50k truck.

For the Pro and guy who is buying a 40k truck is not going to make the jump to a 60k truck. For the lariat, if I am going to spend close to 100k on the truck why would I not go a few thousand more and get a platinum? Both Pro and Lariat were value propositions and even though price increases were different they were mostly the same and the net effect is everyone who ordered one pre increase is very likely to cancel.

Ford marketed this is a practical truck. It would appear customers aren't seeing the practicality. What is Ford thinking?

 

[oldsport]

i def agree the lightning is very plain... very boring...
u d have to be an f150 fanboy to be impressed...
the design is geared towards a work truck but w such a low battery range it s not practical...

no one can make money on ev except tesla...

 

[cmaster]

Honestly, I thought the opposite. My Tesla Model S interior was lackluster compared to other EVs, especially the Ford F150 Lightning, Rivian

 

[oldsport]

on the surface tesla s are plain but plain by design... whereas o ev s are plain by force...

tesla pros - battery tech superchargernetwork price...

just can t beat tesla...

 

[240vPlug]

Wife has a Rivian R1S on order prior to the price increase. I am going to try to test drive a used example of an R1T. The Rivian Interior look higher quality. My complaint with the F150 is they had this material that looks like stitched cloth but its actually plastic feeling. A lot of hard plastics etc. inside. I would expect that on the base model but the Lariat ER model I was looking at had an MSRP of over $90,000. I don't know that I agree its a 50k truck but I would have expected it to be about 25k cheaper. Tesla has QC issues but the material on the interior seems of higher quality.

 

[oldsport]

w the lightning, if u want leather and a 300mi range - it s 100k or forget it...
now idk what the cybertruck will be like but for 100k u would surely get leather 500mi range and so much more...
idk if rivian is even profitable selling anything but their products are competitive...

 

[Cosmacelf]

The Rivian is a nice vehicle (I have an R1S), premium interior and frankly, it is a steal at the current price since they are selling it at a loss.

The fact that Teslas are the range/performance/value leaders in their market segments isn't exactly new. They've held that crown since the company started, and I have seen no indications from the industry that this will change anytime soon.

 

[E90alex]

What exactly were you expecting? It’s not a luxury vehicle.

Teslas materials quality is not any better than Ford. The minimalist design gives it the feeling of premium/luxury at first glance but Tesla has just as much if not more cheap feeling plastics and arguably worse interior build quality than Ford. Neither are luxury brands after all, despite both having vehicles that can cost up to and over $100k. Price ≠ luxury.

Ford does need to keep the price in check though because it has increased substantially since launch whereas Teslas has dropped prices dramatically. Granted there is no competition in the EV truck space other than Rivian at the moment, which is just as expensive.

Cars and trucks in general have gotten way more expensive. Even ICE F150 can get close to $100k.

 

[gaswalla]

The Lightning was very impressive to me - quick, very functional, lots of space in the cabin and the frunk. Lots of knobs and buttons -yes, but that is what a lot of consumers are looking for - an experience they are familiar combined with the benefits of driving electric. For me, I'll take the Tesla approach, but that can be a big step for many. Pricing of the Lightning does seem steep though - I agree

 

[oldsport]

i think once cybertrucks come out the factory, lightning ford fanboy will regret their purchase... let s say we take the cheapeast interior design say m3, then combine that w battery and motors from tesla... price it around 50k (bc the cybertruck are cheap to produce by design) then even i would be willing to pick one up even if my family will laugh at me for bringing home an ugly duckling...

 

[nativewolf]

We love ours. I know they have a refresh coming in 2 years but I hope it still has buttons and knobs- so much easier with gloves and dirty hands. Practical as all get out. Drunk awesome, bed is very easy to access. You can buy it now.

 

[strider]

Um, you do realize that EVERY surface inside a Tesla is plastic right? If you think that Vinyl seats are upscale then you should never get into an actual upscale vehicle. One buys a Tesla for the technology - the rest of the "car" parts are vastly inferior to the legacy manufacturers.

But back to the F-150. I am being asked to order mine this week but I think I am going to pass. The 2025 will be a whole new design and I expect big improvements. I think Ford's biggest problem right now is that they are dependent on 3rd parties for batteries and they have been raising prices on them.

IIRC they are working to being battery production in-house and that should help them control costs.

 

[strider]

w the lightning, if u want leather and a 300mi range - it s 100k or forget it...
now idk what the cybertruck will be like but for 100k u would surely get leather 500mi range and so much more...

You will for sure NOT get leather in a $100k CT. My $130k Tesla has vinyl seats.

 

[cmaster]

You will for sure NOT get leather in a $100k CT. My $130k Tesla has vinyl seats.

I hate vinyl seats. lol....had a vinyl couch in the living room...it sticks to skin capturing the moisture and make you smell bad

 

[oldsport]

You will for sure NOT get leather in a $100k CT. My $130k Tesla has vinyl seats.

my bad... leatherette was my intention... my mx leatherette feels good to me... certainly better than cloth...

 

[SO16]

Evidently others seem to be holding off as well…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1648656609692864513

 

[E90alex]

Evidently others seem to be holding off as well…

https://twitter.com/x/status/1648656609692864513

The problem is reservations have not been open again since initial debut in 2021. People with those reservations wanted to order the truck at the original pricing so it’s understandable they don’t want to pay the more expensive price.

There are likely buyers willing to pay the new price but they can’t buy one because it can’t be ordered if you didn’t have an original reservation. So they have to hope on an cancelled order in a configuration they want or pick one up used. Ford should be opening up orders to public again in a few months, or so they say.

 

[240vPlug]

The Tesla interior, regardless of what the materials are, feel much more upscale than the F150 Lighting Lariat that I looked at. It is a nice truck but it is way overpriced IMO. I expect the interior to at least feel upscale in a vehicle that is pushing 100k. Ford put their dealers in a terrible position...I feel bad for them....or maybe its payback for all the markups?

 

[cbdream99]

I sat in one before, and I am not impressed with the materials but the slow response on the touch screen and the angle was what drove me away. I got the invitation to order but canceled it.

 

[etekberg]

I have been able to order for about 3 or 4 months now and haven't. I was really excited about an 80kwh crew cab truck for $45k. Not so much at $65k. Can't even order one of those anyway, gotta go with $70k, and I'm just not interested at that price.