The Blue Oval has been on a roll in recent comparison tests, with the Ford Bronco beating out the Jeep Wrangler, the Ford Maverick taking out the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Ford F-150 beating the Toyota Tundra, and the Ford Mustang Mach 1 prevailing over the new Nissan Z, as well as the Toyota Supra. Now that the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning has launched, it only has two real competitors at the moment – the Rivian R1T and GMC Hummer EV, both of which have received plenty of positive press over the past few months. In fact, MotorTrend crowned the R1T as its 2022 Truck of the Year, but it still wasn’t good enough to beat out the Ford F-150 Lightning in that rag’s recent comparison test.
In all fairness, this was no landslide by any means – in fact, MotorTrend says that this comparison test was the closest in its long and illustrious history. That’s particularly interesting because aside from the fact that both are EV pickups, they take a very different approach to that segment, with the R1T landing as a pricier (in some cases) adventure vehicle that’s incredibly quick on-road and capable off the road, though it’s smaller, more expensive, and a bit more polarizing than the Ford F-150 Lightning.
In terms of numbers, the F-150 Lightning Lariat equipped with the extended range battery in this particular test generates 580 horsepower, 775 pound-feet of torque, and offers up 320 miles of range. The R1T, on the other hand, makes 835 horsepower, 908 pound-feet of torque, and travels up to 314 miles on a single charge. As such, the R1T is obviously quite a bit quicker and it handles better to boot, but the F-150 Lightning is positioned are more of a truck – not a sports car with a bed. The Rivian is more capable off the pavement as well, thanks to its four hub motors and available all-terrain tires.
In this particular test, the Lightning is actually more expensive than the R1T, as tested – $80,839 versus $76,875, though Rivian has since raised its prices, and it would cost $96,250 to buy this exact same truck today. Otherwise, picking between these two trucks really boils down to personal preference and use case. Regardless, MotorTrend picked the F-150 Lightning for a number of valid reasons, even if this victory was by the slimmest of margins.
“In the Rivian’s favor, it’s the better tow rig, more engaging on pavement, and more capable off of it,” MT concludes. “But the Ford drives nearly as well empty, tows almost as well, and has a far more functional bed and a roomier, more comfortable cabin. After carefully considering both trucks, the Ford F-150 Lightning offers up 90 percent of the capability of the R1T, similar charging performance, a better bed, and a more practical cabin – for slightly less money.”
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Comment
No wonder Ford sold a chunk of shares it owned in Rivian. It should sell the rest of them.