The F-150 PowerBoost has taken Ford’s Lightning one step further

It’s not surprising that Ford hit the pause button on its Lightning earlier this fall. Don’t get me wrong, the Lightning is an excellent product. The problem is what we’ve seen across the board with EVs: the price increase feels high compared to buying a conventionally powered F-150. Mind you, with America’s most popular truck, the price already covers a significant spread, from just under $40,000 for a standard single-box XL with rear-wheel drive, to $80,000 for a Platinum-finish F-150 with 4WD. So the price is barely the only reason why buyers don’t buy the Lightning, but it’s an important reason.

Another reason could be that Ford offers its hybrid PowerBoost F-150a truck that offers more power than Ford’s own V-8 (420 horsepower and 570 pound-feet), and about the equivalent fuel economy of the average five-passenger crossover. Because this is a hybrid, the PowerBoost also delivers a range of almost 800 miles between refills. Plus, you also get some of the portable battery benefits of a full electric car.

Here’s what I found during my week with the F-150 PowerBoost, and how this could be the truck that killed the Lightning.

The electrified professionals

Leveling up the F-150 and its too many qualities, my loaner was a SuperCrew 4X4 with a base price of $63,360. Moving from the V-8 to the PowerBoost hybrid technically costs $1,900 more. But it also comes with an additional $7,725 in upgrades, including a premium B&O sound system and Ford’s BlueCruise Level 2+ driver assistance technology. Now you’re over $70,000, which is hardly a bargain.

The power is the point

What you get, however, is a much more powerful truck, which is also 21 percent more fuel efficient.

Ford F-150 V-6 PowerBoost Hybrid V-6 vs. 5.0-liter V-8

The above figures reflect the total system output. The 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 in the PowerBoost is complemented by a 47-horsepower electric motor that sits between the engine and the 10-speed automatic transmission. The way you get 578 foot-pounds of torque from this system is via an astonishing 221 foot-pounds coming from the electrical side of the ledger. What that feels like is bravado. The PowerBoost isn’t exactly crazy fast, but it takes just five seconds to reach 60 mph. Although the real benefit of PowerBoost is the easy acceleration from 40-70 MPH. Even the best turbocharger has some throttle lag, but the PowerBoost launches you forward. Acceleration is direct and easy. You will burn less gas because you simply never accelerate deeply.

The other kind of power

Because you drive around with a 1.5 kWh battery, Ford has included a 2.4 kW output system. That’s decent; It includes an in-dash wall plug that provides enough power to run a portable tire inflator, charge a laptop, or top off a GoPro battery. But for an extra $850 I’d definitely get the 7.2 kW system, and that’s where the PowerBoost really challenges the Lightning’s usability. Ford says the combined power of 7,200 watts (four plugs in the tailgate) provides enough energy to simultaneously run a plasma cutter, TIG welder, compound miter saw, 1.5-hp compressor, angle grinder and work light.

Power backup for your home

Interestingly, the system allows the F-150’s V-6 to cycle on and off to expand the battery, and with a 30-gallon fuel tank you essentially turn your F-150 into a very large portable generator. This wouldn’t be Lightning silent, but the hope is that you’ll only need a system like this during a power outage. Even on a job site, it’s unlikely you’ll rely on your truck all day to power saws, nail guns and drills. Most of the time you would be charging the batteries of those portable tools. But if the grid goes down, this versatility is certainly a bonus.

Pro Access tailgate

It seems like designers haven’t been able to resist tinkering with the tailgate ever since the pickup truck was invented. Ford engineers cut the center out of the F-150’s gate so it could swing open instead of folding flat. Yes, they could have just added a second hinge (which was done by Ford itself on previous wagons, by the way), but instead the Pro Access tailgate has a slightly different function.

This allows you to get much closer to the bed when loading and unloading, as a drop-down tailgate requires you to reach forward to grab or lift the table saw and slide it on board. Additionally, the fact that the door swings within the frame of the truck reduces the chance of a large gate opening into a car parked right next to you, or into traffic.

Head scratcher for short bed

I understand why trucks with big cabs and small beds are a thing. Typically they are purchased for transporting people, not equipment. So my loaner’s 5-foot bed makes perfect sense. The cabin is huge (see next) and a great place to do the “business” of transporting a crew or a family. However, the bed of this truck also came with a folding hard tonneau cover. Once folded, that bed topper blocks the inner third of the bed from supporting anything high. Tonneaus provide safety and make a truck more aerodynamic, but with a short bed truck they can also degrade usability. I was able to carry this mountain bike to the trailhead because I have a tailgate cover, but I was quite tempted to just put the bike in the cabin. Which, no, you wouldn’t think that would be necessary with a ‘truck’.

You buy this Ford for interior use

If there’s one particularly good reason to own a modern full-size truck, it’s for the cab, not the bed. Consider that the F-150 in SuperCrew configuration has a massive 43.5 inches of legroom in the second row. That’s more than in the front seats from virtually every car or crossover on the market. All that space means that all kinds of people – from parents with young children to empty nesters with lots of chores that require interior space – find the big truck formula a no-brainer.

Why the F-150?

There’s serious loyalty in big trucks. The Maverick proved there’s still room to attract new buyers in the mid-range, but most major customers rinse and repeat. Manufacturers continue to adapt their offerings. For example, Ford sells a so-called Mobile Office package that allows you to fold down the center armrest to create a workplace for using a laptop. To be honest, I don’t get it. The rear of the F-150 SuperCrew should just have fold-down aircraft trays. That way you can slide into the backseat and look forward (not sideways) and tap on a laptop much easier than you can on the center console.

TopSpeed’s opinion

Claiming that the PowerBoost is superior to the Lightning is a bit like telling you that the price of everything isn’t going up: don’t believe your lying eyes. This means that according to most metrics, not only fuel costs, but also maintenance costs own an electric F-150 will cost you less. The problem is that the MSRP for the same trim as the electrified F-150 is higher, and Ford admitted as much when they announced they had to completely rethink the production costs of electric cars. Chinese brands have already surpassed all others because, like Tesla, they had not changed their ideas about converting gasoline cars to electric cars.

Meanwhile, the hybrid PowerBoost provides coverage until Ford resolves this cost equation. Just like Scout’s upcoming EREV hybrid is the way many buyers are betting. That’s just smart. Certainly, a breakthrough in EV costs is a matter of when, not if. But that “when” won’t come in 2026, at least for Ford.