No matter which vantage point you are in, it’s impossible to resist the F-150’s sheer size.
Even taller drivers can climb into the driver’s seat via the running board and settle into a wide, plush and reclining driver’s seat, separated from the passenger seat by a center console wide enough to convert it into a handy picnic-office desk, if you need him.
The glass house around you feels huge but makes for a great view. The exterior mirror tips have a span of 2440 mm (Rolls Royce Cullinan, 2180mm). Extremity space is far more generous in the front row, and in the back you’ll find just 10mm less knee room than we measured in the BMW i7. You also get an adjustable pedal box to increase rider legroom like only an NBA Power Forward would require, and enough interior storage to make even the smartest MPV seem underpowered.
At least in terms of its cargo space, the Lightning is practical and far exceeds even the standards of its competitors. And so, in addition to the 1.7 meter long and 1.5 meter wide platform bed at the rear (with an electric tailgate that also serves as a step), there is a full-width storage compartment under the fold-up rear. Seat cushions big enough to hold grocery bags and the like.
The crowning glory is the Lightning’s powered “trunk,” which opens electrically to reveal 408 liters of storage space, right where the sizzling V8 would otherwise be. It has room for large suitcases, is waterproof and has drain holes so you can use the bottom cut-out to keep drinks cold while parking. And like the driver’s cab and the platform truck, it is equipped with a particularly large number of power sockets.
There are nine 120V sockets around the F-150 Lightning and one 240V socket in the flatbed. In all, the vehicle can deliver up to 9.6kW of power when parked at a work site or campsite: enough to power multiple power tools from the 131kWh battery.
Back in the cabin, the Lightning comes into its own with its 15.5-inch portrait Sync 4A touchscreen infotainment display and digital instruments. The interior materials look and feel a little plain in places, but they don’t make it too difficult to convince yourself that you’re traveling in a comfortable and very well-appointed modern luxury vehicle.
multimedia system
The upper trim levels of the F-150 Lightning come standard with the Sync 4A 15.5-inch portrait touchscreen infotainment system, which is also found on the model Ford Mustang Mach E, as well as the latest Ford Ranger Raptor.
When we tested it on these models, it received praise for its ease of use, although it does incorporate some on-screen controls that we’d rather see physical switching devices for. However, on the F-150 we tested, the system still had its North American settings for satellite radio and navigation, so we couldn’t fully explore it (hence the lack of a star rating).
The system offers wireless smartphone mirroring for Apple and Android phones, as well as wireless device charging. It took a few attempts to connect to an iPhone and experienced slight connection glitches after that, but for the most part it worked just fine.
