View Thread: Test Drive: 2003 Ford SVT F-150 Lightning


kak
While the shiny red pickup looked like a sharp custom, nothing other than the small SVT badge on the tailgate prepared me for the raw power of Ford's F150 Lightning. An intercooled, supercharged 5.4 litre Triton V8 makes this truck live up to its name. Turn off the traction control and the sticky rear tires go up in smoke. Drive it with finesse and the Lightning will reward you with impressive performance.

How about 0 to 60 times in 5.8 seconds, quarter mile time of 13.9 seconds, and 0.85 g's on a 100 foot skidpad. Those are specifications normally delivered by sports cars. Braking is equally impressive, stopping this 2120 kg truck in only 136 feet from 60 miles per hour. Performance like that propels the SVT Lightning to the front of the line in sports pickups, a position challenged only by the new Dodge Ram SRT-10.

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/03lightning.htm

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/images/03lightning_1.jpg

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/images/03lightning_3.jpg

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/images/03lightning_2.jpg

scubie02
Damn, its kind of ugly though. The new ones should be better in the looks department though. Is this as fast as they have been? I was thinking they were faster than that. There's some guy on C&D that brags all the time about how he's never been beat in his lightning, but numbers like that don't add up to that unless he's never raced anything very fast...

kak
I think this is a really awesome truck! :)

mustangdriver
I like it too! There is a red one here in Arlington. If it weren't for the near single digit gas mileage I would love to drive one.

I'm kind of surprised it got a good review in Europe though. Big gas-guzzling American vehicles don't always do well over there in reviews. I specifically remember the "CAR" review of the Viper. Pretty ugly :D

silverTA2002
I really like the Lightnings. In fact, if I bought a pickup, it'd be the F150 Harley Davidson edition (effectively a 4 door lightning). I wish it looked like the Lightning though.

I raced a red one twice a few weeks ago. I beat him from a stop, and then from a roll.

They're really fast for a truck, but not unbeatable by any means.

I've only had my car a year, but I've been beaten probably 5 or 6 times. This guy must not have raced very many cars. In fact, a modified 5.0 beat me last night.

mustangdriver
I didn't think the Harley edition had a high output engine in it? I guess I never really looked though.

scubie02
Originally posted by silverTA2002
I really like the Lightnings. In fact, if I bought a pickup, it'd be the F150 Harley Davidson edition (effectively a 4 door lightning). I wish it looked like the Lightning though.

I raced a red one twice a few weeks ago. I beat him from a stop, and then from a roll.

They're really fast for a truck, but not unbeatable by any means.

I've only had my car a year, but I've been beaten probably 5 or 6 times. This guy must not have raced very many cars. In fact, a modified 5.0 beat me last night.

Oh, I like Ford trucks (heck, I own a ford truck now and have owned 2 others in the past) and I'm not saying its not fast for a truck. But its pretty similar to any garden variety mustang or wrx, etc, yet the guy over at C&D always sneers at these cars and says how he always blows them away, which is just hard to believe gievn its times. Ah well--don't let anyone over there know you beat a lightning, they way they talk you'd think it was as fast as...a neon or something...

Anyway, I just never really saw the point in fast trucks. I mean, I can respect that they are and on some level think its neat, but part of me that is practical is always thinking "geez, you won't be doing much off roading or hauling heavy stuff with that sucker..."
which to me is what you want a truck for. If I want to go fast and have handling, I'd chose a car. A truck should be all about clearance, 4wd, and taking abuse. But thats just me. Obviously people like them.

Sub Urban
She's a beauty!

Ford ZX2 1999
Originally posted by kak
I think this is a really awesome truck! :)

Me too! :D

If only I had some money... I'd go out and buy one! {Ah, the life of the college student... :(}

98CivicHX
As someone else said, "I think I'm finally starting to get this truck thing". :D

RedLine
Nice, but not as nice as the SRT-10. But nice just the same.

mustangdriver
Yeah, but it's proven successful over the years. The Dodge isn't in showrooms yet is it?