8 areas where the Tesla Cybertruck will outperform the Ford F-150 Lightning
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- The Tesla Cybertruck’s stainless steel body provides superior durability and a rugged, futuristic look, making it more resistant to dings and scratches than a Ford F-150 Lightning.
- The Cybertruck’s armored windows make it an ideal vehicle for taking on zombies, providing superior protection against major impacts. The Ford F-150 Lightning does not currently offer this feature.
- The Cybertruck’s built-in air compressor adds additional benefit, allowing for easy tire inflation and other tasks. While the Rivian R1T also offers this feature, the Ford F-150 Lightning doesn’t have an integrated solution like the Cybertruck.
The Tesla Cybertruck will be an unusual sight among its electric pickup rivals, and Tesla hopes a slew of unique features will be enough to push it ahead of its rivals. The electric pickup truck segment has become very competitive, and one of the best offerings is the Ford F-150 Lightning. It’s an electric pickup in its own right, but when the Tesla arrives, its unique qualities and features could still give it an edge.
Let’s explore the areas where the Cybertruck outperforms the F-150 Lightning.
1. Durable stainless steel body for added durability
The Cybertruck doesn’t look like the EV pickup trucks you’re used to seeing, and the main reason for that is the material Tesla chose to build it. The truck’s body is made of stainless steel, which forms what Tesla calls the truck’s “exterior.” No paint is applied, meaning door dings and scratches could be a thing of the past if you own a Cybertruck.
There’s a running joke that the Cybertruck looks like a stainless steel kitchen appliance on wheels (and there’s some merit in memes), but it also looks very futuristic and rugged. It’s a vehicle that will be able to absorb the impacts of a heavy hammer on its body panels with minimal issues; The Ford F-150 Lightning’s doors wouldn’t fare well against a sledgehammer.
This was demonstrated by Elon Musk introducing the Cybertruck years ago, when they used a sledgehammer to hit the door of a Ford pickup truck. The Ford door was completely destroyed, while the Cybertruck basically laughed at the sledgehammer blows. The durability of the Cybertruck’s stainless steel body is great, but it will be interesting to see how hot the stainless steel body panels get under the sweltering summer heat.
2. Zombie Apocalypse’s armored windows
Does your Ford F-150 Lightning have armored windows from the factory? no. But the Tesla Cybertruck does, so it’s the perfect vehicle for a zombie apocalypse.
Everyone remembers Elon Musk’s embarrassing fiasco when demonstrating the Cybertruck’s armored windows, but the Cybertruck’s production model should fulfill Tesla’s promise of a truck equipped with super-strong glass that can withstand major impacts.
It’s not clear if the Ford F-150 Lightning will ever be available with its own armored glass, but until it does, the Tesla Cybertruck is shaping up to be the undisputed king of ultra-safe civilian vehicles when it goes on sale. .
The Cybertruck will have a built-in air compressor that you can use to fill up your truck’s tires after going off-road or even pump some air into a basketball that has gone a little flat. Onboard air is a really nice feature, and one that the F-150 Lightning lacks, though it’s not unique in the electric pickup truck segment.
The feature-rich Rivian R1T already offers an integrated air compressor, and it’s neatly integrated into the truck bed as well. Both Rivian and Tesla have advanced air suspension, and as a byproduct, both are capable of delivering compressed air.
Ford offers an air compressor kit that you can equip the F-150 Lightning with, but it’s not a sleek, all-in-one solution like Tesla promised or like what Rivian has already implemented on the R1T.
4. 500 mile range for long trips
The Ford F-150 Lightning has a range of up to 320 miles, which is impressive considering it’s one of the heaviest electric cars currently on sale. But the Tesla car will certainly outperform the Lightning when it launches, as it has a range of about 500 miles.
This impressive range will instantly make the Cybertruck one of the best EVs for overlanding when it hits the market, and should also help reduce any range anxiety you might have. It wasn’t long ago that EVs were dismissed as impractical due to their limited range, but with EVs like the Cybertruck crossing the 500-mile range barrier, this knock against EVs is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
5. Crazy acceleration
The Ford F-150 Lightning is no slouch when it comes to acceleration, especially considering it’s a massive pickup truck. Ford’s electric car will go from 0 to 60 mph in a very quick 3.8 seconds, but Tesla says the Cybertruck will complete the race in less than 2.9 seconds.
That’s faster than many purpose-built sports cars such as the BMW M3 Competition xDrive (3.4 seconds) or the Audi RS6 Avant Performance (3.3 seconds). It’s almost scary to imagine that the massive (and extremely heavy) Cybertruck has the potential to gain speed at such a frenetic pace; Hopefully, Tesla will outfit the production Cybertruck with brakes capable of doing the job of stopping its massive pickup truck.
6. We guarantee a unique, eye-catching design
The Tesla Cybertruck will have amazing performance, and should be incredibly capable and practical. But what’s most polarizing about it is its design. It’s safe to say that the Cybertruck may be the most anticipated new car release in decades, mostly due to its controversial design.
The Ford F-150 Lightning, on the other hand, looks almost like a regular F-150, which isn’t a criticism (the F-150 is a beautiful truck), but it’s by no means exciting.
The Cybertruck definitely wins when it comes to design, simply because it’s bold and elicits reactions (sometimes bad reactions, but it still gets people excited and talking).
7. Great towing capacity
The F-150 Lightning is an absolute beast of an electric pickup truck that can tow up to 10,000 pounds. Of course, you won’t be able to tow something this heavy for very long before the battery dies (dragging cuts the available range by about half of what you’d normally get), but it’s still a nice feature. .
Not only does the Cybertruck best the F-150 Lightning when it comes to range, it also bests the F-150’s 10,000-pound towing capacity with a staggering 14,000 pounds of towing capacity. This means the Cybertruck will be able to tow heavier payloads for longer, which is great if you plan to use the Cybertruck as a workhorse truck.
8. Minimalist interior design inspired by science fiction
The F-150 Lightning’s interior is typically Ford, meaning it’s highly functional and practical but low on styling points. The Cybertruck will feature a minimalist interior that looks like it was taken from the set of Tron, or perhaps even from the latest Blade Runner movie.
The only downside to the Cybertruck’s interior is that it looks like a yoke will be standard, which may upset some people who aren’t huge fans of Tesla’s attempt to reinvent the steering wheel.
The Cybertruck promises to be different from anything else on the road
The Tesla Cybertruck is shaping up to be the pickup truck of this century, and by all accounts, the production model appears to maintain the essence of the truck introduced a few years ago. It has a lot of great features that make it stand out from the competition, which includes the Ford F-150.
Tesla has had plenty of time to develop the Cybertruck, but other manufacturers have out-marketed it with their own products. It will be interesting to see how the second-generation Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning respond to the Cybertruck challenge.