![]() The only quicker trucks are the mighty Ram TRX with its supercharged Hemi V-8, which reached 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds, and the 835-hp, 7135-pound Rivian R1T, which spat in the eye of physics with a 3.3-second 0–60-mph rip. Consider this: The 450-hp 2021 Raptor needs 5.2 seconds to reach 60 mph. Our testing saw an extended range, 6855-pound F-150 Lightning Platinum absolutely blitz to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds flat. That drops to a claimed 41 minutes (to charge from 15 to 80 percent) on a 150-kW Level 3 charger.ĭear God and ghost of Henry Ford, this thing is quick. Ford claims it takes eight hours to recharge the battery from 15 to 100 percent using the 80-amp home charge station that comes with extended-range trucks. Go for the high-zooty Platinum model, and that figure drops to 300. Ford claims a range of 230 miles for the standard Lightning and 320 miles for the extended-range in XLT and Lariat trims. Ford built 28,124 second-gen Lightnings.īecause the extended-range batteries discharge more efficiently than the standard pack, the base Lightning is rated at 452 hp, while the higher-capacity model gets 580 hp. Unique 18-inch wheels came wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 tires. The truck’s body was heavily reworked compared to the standard F-150, with new fascias, fog lamps, air deflectors, and rocker moldings. Upgraded front and rear shocks and four-wheel ABS and disc brakes rounded out the major upgrades. A Detroit Locker rear differential helped keep things tidy during the truck’s 5.2-second 0–60-mph runs. The 5.4-liter V-8 engine, which came fitted with an intercooled supercharger, provided 360 hp and 440 lb-ft when it debuted, later bumped to 380 hp and 450 lb-ft for 2001. Truckish capability suffered, but the Lightning’s performance improved dramatically. Its payload capacity was a measly 800 pounds when it debuted. It came exclusively in the regular-cab, short-bed configuration and was no longer as capable at typical tasks like towing as its counterparts. R&T ArchiveĪfter a three-year absence, the F-150 SVT Lightning returned in 1999 as a far more aggressive sport truck than its predecessor. It was offered only in black, red, or white exterior paint. ![]() Distinctive 17-inch wheels, bucket seats, color-matched bumpers, a front air dam, and Lightning decals make the first-gen truck easy to identify. The performance upgrades didn’t come at the cost of capability: The Lightning’s tow rating matched that of standard F-150s. ![]() The Lightning even used a version of the F-250’s beefier frame. Custom shocks and a set of front and rear anti-roll bars helped keep the power under control. Other performance tweaks included an aluminum driveshaft, a limited-slip differential, and 4.10 gears out back. That hot-rodded engine made 240 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque, sent to the rear wheels via the F-350’s four-speed automatic-that’sġ0 more horsepower than the 454 SS. SVT outfitted it with better-breathing GT40 heads and a set of shorty stainless-steel headers. Under the hood of every Lightning sat a 5.8-liter V-8 engine, although not one you’d find in any other Ford. In 1992, Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) division unveiled the F-150 Lightning in direct response to Chevrolet’s performance-oriented Silverado 454 SS. Between the frame rails, where conventional F-150s put engine, transmission, driveshaft, exhaust system, and fuel tank, there’s a tray of batteries and electric motors between both the front and rear pairs of wheels. It uses a conventional-style steel ladder frame, but instead of the rear leaf springs and solid axle used on full-size Ford trucks since 1917, there are independent control arms and coil springs at each corner (the current F-150 Raptor also uses coils). Under that mild-mannered costume, however, is a Kryptonian thing. If an observer doesn’t know the Lightning’s discreet styling cues, it swims anonymously amid the traffic stream. This isn’t Tesla’s someday Cybertruck doorstop moon buggy or the ludicrously large Hummer EV bent on domination. The aluminum cab and body pieces port from Ford’s best-selling F-series more or less intact. The new Lightning is appreciated within a line of personal-use, occasionally high-performance pickups: from the cushy 1955 Chevrolet Cameo to Dodge’s rowdy 1978 Lil’ Red Express and on to the insane turbocharged 1991 GMC Syclone, the 2004 V-10-powered Ram SRT-10, and the two Fords that previously wore the Lightning name-where some utility is forsaken for looks, luxury, acceleration, and audacity.ĭeceptively, the new Lightning wears F-150 skin.
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