2022 Ford Explorer Timberline First Test: The Explorer for Explorers

Once upon a time, from 1995-1999, there was a two-door Chevrolet Tahoe. It was square 'n boxy with its stacked headlights and 1990s Chevy truck demeanor, riding on a GMT400-based platform shared with GM trucks of the era. The Tahoe name came about for the 1995 model year, essentially a rename and relaunch of the simultaneously discontinued full-size Blazer. As in, the death of the big Blazer resulted in the Tahoe. (On the GMC side, the Yukon replaced the full-size Jimmy a little earlier, for 1992.) The Blazer name lived on, of course, but not as a full-size.Interestingly, the debut of the Tahoe for 1995 brought with it the introduction of a four-door version (late availability, though, which is why the four-door Tahoe was eligible to win—which it did—Motor Trend's 1996 Truck of the Year award). That means the Tahoe technically debuted as a two-door 4x4 SUV, which, ironically, only lasted through the 1999 model year. (Yukon lost its two-door in 1997.) The four-door was 11 inches longer and had a wheelbase 6 inches longer than the two-door.In addition to the standard 250 hp 5.7-liter "Vortec 5700" V-8 engine, there was a diesel 6.5-liter "L56" V-8 option. According to our Of The Year writeup, the "torquey 6.5-liter/180-horse turbodiesel V-8 [was] optional in two-door, four-wheel-drive models." Yes, the rare two-door had an ever-rarer diesel option.Fast-forward nearly 30 years, and the Tahoe name persists in the form of a vibrant, technologically-advanced SUV that's as popular now as it ever was. It's pretty easy to spend $75,000 on a new one. That's crazy, but wanna know what's even crazier? It's possible to spend more than half that on one that dates back to the previous century. A pristine two-door 4x4 1999 Chevy Tahoe (with the 5.7-liter, not even the super-rare 6.5-liter) just sold for $42,900 at a Mecum auction in Harrisburg.What could it have been worth new? According to our article: "The two-door, 4x2 Tahoe starts at $22,886, the 4x4 version at $25,136, moving up to the four-door models at $28,264 for the 4x2 and $30,460 for the 4x4. That prices even a heavily optioned Tahoe a few thousand dollars less than a comparable Suburban, and about on par with fully equipped (yet lighter-duty) smaller sport/utes like the Explorer and Grand Cherokee."  Our Mecum example, with 86,770 miles on the odometer, sold for much more than new—even if pricing changed a tiny bit for a 1999 versus this 1996 data.Was this $42,900 two-door 1999 Chevy Tahoe Mecum specimen an anomaly, or are two-door Tahoe prices becoming outrageous? Our quick research leads us to think that this is probably the most expensive two-door Tahoe ever sold at Mecum. The handful of four-door Tahoes that have sold for more were much, much newer variants that have special reasons for demanding mega-money. Interestingly, the next-most-expensive two-door Tahoe was a custom slammed red one featured in Truckin Magazine that sold for $38,000 way back in 2014. (Two-door Tahoes, like this Classy Hoe, have been ever-popular in the custom truck world. ) After that, a lifted blue two-door went for $35,000, followed by a pair for $29,700, then a pair at $28,600. We could go on and on, but do we need to? All of these examples outpace what they were new.To be fair, not all two-door Tahoes are worth top dollar; don't go buy one as a sure-fire investment. A bulk of Mecum examples fall into the $10,000 range, with some two-doors even falling under $5,000. A rare diesel variant, which you'd think would demand top dollar no matter what, only went for $11,000.So has the two-door Tahoe turned classic, or did this buyer just throw down a modern man's salary on it for some reason known only to them? Perhaps it's a sentimental vehicle. There's no clear-cut answer. With each year that clicks by, old square-body GM trucks and SUVs become less available and more sought after. Arguably classic, arguably rare (1995-1999), the two-door Tahoe market seems to be taking on a life of its own.

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is a big deal. Ford made headlines around the world when it announced the new electric F-150, not just because it was electrifying the best-selling vehicle in North America, but because of how affordable it made the EV pickup. With the 2022 Rivian R1T and 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup starting at $68,645 and $110,295 respectively, the F-150 Lightning's $41,669 start price is seen as democratizing the electric pickup. With the release of the F-150 Lightning's configurator today, that affordable aura still appears to hold true—so long as you don't need to step up to the optional 300-mile Extended Range Battery.Maverick-Sized Upcharge on F-150 Lightning XLT Extended Range?All F-150 Lightnings come standard with a dual-motor all-wheel drive system good for 426 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque. That setup is paired with the 98-kWh Standard Range Battery, good for a Ford-estimated 230 miles of range (EPA figures are still pending), on the base F-150 Lightning Pro, Lightning XLT, and Lightning Lariat trims. The optional 131-kWh Extended Range Battery is available on the XLT and Lariat, and standard on the range-topping Platinum; it ups power to 563 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque, while range jumps up to a Ford-estimated 300 miles on the XLT and Lariat, and 280 miles on the top-level F-150 Lightning Platinum.According to Ford's configurator, that 70-mile range cushion will cost F-150 Lighting XLT buyers a pretty penny. Starting at $54,669 with the standard battery, opting for the Extended Range Battery adds $19,500—roughly the cost of an entire Ford Maverick—to the F-150 Lightning XLT's base price.In other words, that means the cheapest 300-mile F-150 Lightning will set you back $74,169. That's more than the MotorTrend Truck of the Year-winning Rivian R1T, which can both go further on a charge and charge quicker than the Ford. It's worth noting that the Hummer EV Pickup beats both the Rivian and Ford in charge speed and range, though the only versions available now start in the six-figures.To be fair, Lightning buyers get more than 33 extra kWh for their extra 20 grand. Although Ford nominally lists the battery upgrade as a $10,000 option, it is bundled with Equipment Group 312A (listed as a $9,500 option, despite the fact that you can't separate it from the Extended-Range Battery). While confusing to consumers at best and intentionally misleading at worst, opting for the combined equipment and battery package does net Lightning XLT buyers quite a bit of extra features, such as 20-inch wheels, Ford's latest Co-Pilot 360 Advanced Driver Assist System, power tailgate with tailgate step and work surface, heated front seats and steering wheel, and the 9.6-kW Pro Power generator, among other things.Upcharge on F-150 Lightning Lariat RevealedIt's a similar story on the premium F-150 Lightning Lariat, though the upcharge for the Extended Range model is far less steep. Starting at $69,169, opting for either the Extended-Range Battery or Equipment Group 511A (both are bundled together) adds $10,000 to the pickup's sticker, bringing the price up to $79,169. As mentioned, there is no upcharge on the $92,569 F-150 Lightning Platinum, as the Extended-Range Battery is standard on that pricey luxury model.Regardless of the surprising premium one pays for the F-150 Lightning's larger battery, Ford expects demand to be robust. It has just announced that it'll be increasing production capacity from 80,000 units per year to 150,000 per year, based on unprecedented demand. F-150 Lightning deliveries are expected to begin this Spring.

ford f-150-lightning Full OverviewThere's a learning curve that comes with driving and owning your first electric vehicle, and the slope gets particularly steep when you push an EV's battery to its limits. The first time a new EV owner drives far enough that they need to charge in the middle of a trip, they face two hard truths: EVs almost never achieve their advertised ranges when it really matters, and even the fastest charging stations are slow compared to a gas pump.Based on the more than 200,000 reservations for the Ford F-150 Lightning, a lot of Americans are going to learn those lessons behind the wheel of the blockbuster electric pickup truck. Either that, or they'll read this story and take our findings to heart. MotorTrend's real-world driving range and charging times for the F-150 Lightning are a cheat sheet for planning a long-distance drive with few surprises and headaches.What's the Range of the Ford F-150 Lightning?According to Ford, the Lightning can cover 230 miles with the standard battery and up to 320 miles in XLT or Lariat trim with the optional extended-range battery. The top-trim $92,669 Lightning Platinum, which is only offered with the larger battery pack, is rated for 300 miles of range due to its heavy standard 22-inch wheels and the additional weight of the extra equipment it carries.However, if you plan to use a Lightning for long-distance highway trips, those figures paint an unrealistically optimistic picture. Electric cars and trucks are more efficient in low-speed stop-and-go traffic than at highway speeds, and the official EPA range figure is based on a combination of city and highway driving. If you drive extended distances at more than 55 mph in any EV, you're all but guaranteed to come up short of the range number listed on the window sticker.How short? We developed the MotorTrend Road-Trip Range test to answer that question. This real-world test is run at an average speed of 70 mph to more accurately reflect what kind of range you can expect to cover on your longest drives, such as family road trips, weekend runs to the cabin, or sales calls to the farthest corners of your territory. The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum achieves a MotorTrend Road-Trip Range of 255 miles, or 15 percent less than its EPA-rated 300 miles. Of course, as with gas cars, your mileage may vary. Expect driving range to fall with extreme temperatures, higher speeds, or significant elevation changes. Alternatively, you can extend that range by driving slower, limiting air-conditioning and other accessory usage, and minimizing hard braking.How Fast Does the F-150 Lightning Charge?Ideally, every Lightning owner will have access to 240-volt charging at home or their workplace where they plug in to take care of most of their charging while asleep or at work. But if you don't have easy access to one of these Level 2 charging stations, or if you find yourself needing to recharge on a long road trip, you may find yourself relying on DC fast-charging stations, also called Level 3 stations. It's in these instances when charging time really matters.To measure how long you'll be waiting, we charged a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Platinum from 5 percent to 90 percent using an Electrify America fast-charging station and translated the energy delivered into miles of driving range at highway speeds.The Lightning added 74 miles after 15 minutes of charging and extended that to 133 cumulative miles after 30 minutes. With 45 minutes on the clock, the Lightning had gained 189 miles of range, and after an hour of charging, the electric truck had put on 214 miles of range.That's good but not great. With a maximum rated charging power of 150 kW, the Ford can't suck down electrons as quickly as its main rivals, the Rivian R1T and GMC Hummer EV electric trucks. EV nerds should note, though, that the Lightning momentarily exceeded its stated 150-kW max charging power when it peaked at 160 kW for a couple minutes near the beginning of the test.In all EVs, charging becomes slower as the battery fills up to protect the pack's longevity. The Lightning begins its first step down seven minutes into charging, leveling off around 115 kW for a sustained spell. The power delivery then takes a big step down as the charge nears 80 percent. For many drivers, this would be the point to unplug and carry on. If you're in a region with decent charging options, it's typically quicker to hop from fast-charging station to fast-charging station without ever exceeding an 80 percent charge on the road. That's one more thing you figure out very quickly if you do probe the limits of an F-150 Lightning or another EV.Looks good! More details?