Ford F-150 Lightning Flash – The Value Sweet Spot
By Edward A. Sanchez — Oct. 3, 2023
Everyone will remember the story of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” with Goldilocks trying the three bowls of porridge, and then the three beds. For a while, it seemed the F-150 Lightning was stuck in the category of either “too expensive” or “not long enough range,” with the lineup lacking a compelling, reasonably-priced consumer-oriented offering. Dearborn seems to have gotten the memo with the introduction of the F-150 Lightning Flash.
The F-150 Lightning has been generally well-received by automotive media and owners alike. However, the recent price hikes have changed its value proposition from very compelling to competitive. It didn’t help that for non-fleet consumers, Ford limited the longer-range model only to Lariat and higher trim levels, meaning for a consumer-grade Pro or XLT model, it came with the smaller 98 kWh battery. If you wanted the 131 kWh long-range pack in the XLT, that tacked on a whopping $15,000 to the price tag, effectively making it the same price as a (short-range) Lariat.
While $71,990 (estimated $69,995+$1,995 destination) may stretch the definition of “affordability” to some, it is not an outrageous sum in this day and age for full-size trucks. But the content packaging makes it a compelling sweet spot for many buyers, effectively bridging the difference between the XLT and Lariat trims.
The Flash includes BlueCruise hands-free highway cruise capability, the 131 kWh long-range battery pack enabling an EPA-estimated 320-mile range, the 15.5-inch vertical display featured in the Lariat and higher trims, a B&O eight-speaker sound system with HD Radio, Tow Technology package, power tailgate with step, and heat pump climate system.
The Flash will be available for pre-order in early 2024, with deliveries estimated to start sometime after that (specific date unknown).
I’ve written before that I don’t believe EV pickups are yet ideal for towing, and I still believe that we’re not yet at the point where I can unreservedly recommend them for towing (mostly due to insufficiencies in charging infrastructure, and pull-through charging in particular). But for the “weekend warrior” types that their truck serves as the kids’ soccer and Taekwondo shuttle, backyard gardening supply hauler, and occasional trip to the lake with watercraft, they’ll work fine.
When the Lightning adopts the NACS connector, the Cybertruck may have some unexpected competition from Dearborn.
(Images courtesy Ford)
