Versatile electric Ford pickup has high-volt bonus

Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen here and in the Cruisin’ News, "Oregon, Nevada and California's classic auto news & marketplace."

Sacramento, California -- The last time I reviewed the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, it was helping me survive a nearly week-long power outage.

It charged my mobile phone, kept me up to date with the news via radio and transported me to buy food that would not go bad in the useless freezer.  It was an oasis in a desert devoid of electric power. A reliable companion.

This time around, in my week in a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning 4X4 SuperCrew, I found more time to appreciate the other features I was too stressed to examine the first time.  Simply said, it's a remarkable machine.

And while some pickup purists have been struggling with the idea of an electric truck, I can assure you that the Lightning can do anything that an internal-combustion driven truck can do ... and more, given its electric equipment.

It's rugged and powerful, and yes, it can provide power to your home in a pinch.

Of course, there's always the fuel mileage equivalent of 73 miles per gallon in the city and 60 mpg on the highway. Zero fuel bills feel good, no matter how you feel about electric vehicles.

I must point out that my tester was loaded, pushing the sticker price to a whopping $97,674.  Was I complaining?  Not for a second. I thoroughly enjoyed the extras and the long list of standard features that made up my Lightning.

This is one of the most versatile EVs ever built, in my view.  The very fact that Ford made the effort to produce an electric, full-size truck during a time of uncertainty over public acceptance of such vehicles is, in my mind, a feather in Ford's cap.

So, Mr./Mrs. Die-Hard Pickup Driver, have you test-driven one yet?  If not, you should.  You don't know what you're missing.