In the meantime, I've been driving a nearly identical truck to mine but with a normal gas engine under the hood. It's the same cab, same trim, four-wheel-drive, with the only real difference being a slightly longer bed (6.5')
Is the grass really greener on the other side?
Well... no. This isn't a bad truck. In fact, it absolutely blows away the Tundra I had last week on every single level. But after running half a tank of gas through it I definitely miss my EV.
First, the ride: My truck has coil springs and IRS. This has a solid axle with leaf springs. The difference is definitely, definitely noticeable.
Second, the powertrain: My truck quietly cruises around at warp speed with zero drama. This thing is constantly bumping, shifting, screaming, etc. etc. It's not a bad powertrain by any means, but driving gas vs. EV back to back in the exact same vehicle is a stunning contrast. It's also not AWD, which means plenty of one-wheel-peels and traction control activation when driving in the rain with an empty bed.
Third, equipment: As far as I can tell, this is an XLT with no options. Mine is an XLT with lots and lots of options, on top of the normal upgrades the Lightning gets. I'm guess I'm getting old, because I miss my center console, I miss my running boards, I miss my cameras, I miss my giant screens, I miss my radar cruise, I miss my fancy tailgate, etc. These are all the definition of first-world problems, but it's nice to know that I do, indeed miss the extra stuff I paid for when it's gone.
Fourth, the frunk: I really, really, really, really miss the Lightning's trunk. Without it, I'm forced to leave all my crap in the back seat.
And finally, the big one... fuel mileage. I'm averaging 18.1 mpg with almost exclusively city driving. That's not bad at all--in fact it beats a lot of smaller trucks--and based on the indicated range I'd use something like a tank of fuel per week with normal driving before any trips to Orlando, the FIRM, etc. which add another 1-200 miles per week depending on my schedule.
FuelEconomy.gov says the cost to fill this tank is $82-$129 depending on the size (I don't know which tank this has). Annoyingly, it does not seem to refuel itself when parked in my driveway overnight.
For comparison's sake, here's my charging history from the Lightning the past few months. This isn't perfect data, as sometimes my wife uses my charger, sometimes I charge press cars, and sometimes I top off at public chargers, but it's a decent illustration of how much my truck costs to drive around vs. the gas version. You can see the offical side-by-side metrics here: https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=46169&id=45317
