![]() Unfortunately, a week of snowstorms that coincided with the Lightning's arrival prevented us from obtaining a skidpad number. Work the brakes hard, though, and they fade more than we like. Top speed also crept up 3 mph to 142.Īlthough the brakes remain the same four-wheel-disc setup, our test truck needed 12 fewer feet to come to a stop from 70 mph than did the '99 model, which needed 197 feet. The quarter-mile now whooshes by in an amazing 13.8 seconds at 104 mph, faster than an SVT Mustang Cobra and only a few ticks behind the $55,675 Mustang Cobra R, which performs the feat in 13.0 seconds at 111 mph. Sprints to 60 mph now take 5.2 seconds, 0.6 second quicker than in the previous Lightning. 3.55:1-and that means acceleration times have improved dramatically. The Lightning runs $32,460 - only $1460 more than last year's model - and for that money, you get more horsepower than in any other production vehicle sold in the U.S.įor power freaks, the good news is the new Lightning has a shorter final drive-3.73:1 vs. The horsepower now stands at a massive 380 at 4750 rpm, and torque is 450 pound-feet at 3250 rpm. ![]() Thanks to a 90mm mass airflow meter (10mm larger than last year's), a larger intake-air opening in the fender well, and a higher-flowing intake manifold, SVT engineers have netted 20 more horsepower and 10 more pound-feet of torque from the supercharged V-8. Others thought that making a pickup go fast, despite its speed-sucking flaws, such as major weight and a raised center of gravity, was a complete waste of effort.įord and SVT didn't try to convince the world that the Lightning made sense and produced a total of only 8966 of these hot-rod trucks in 19. It could roar to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and still tow a 5000-pound burden and carry 800 pounds of stuff. That new vehicle used the same two-wheel-drive standard-cab layout-although at a higher $31,000-plus sticker-and knocked some of us off our feet. After 1995, the Lightning went on a four-year hiatus until a new model based on the current F-150 debuted in 1999. Twelve thousand of those Lightnings, priced at just under $22,000, were sold between 19. Performance was good for a pickup-0 to 60 in 7.2 seconds, 15.8 seconds in the quarter at 86 mph-but nothing special in carland. Small in pickup-speak means a two-wheel-drive regular-cab body, into which Ford slipped a 240-hp, 5.8-liter V-8. Introduced in 1993, the original Lightning followed a tried-and-true Detroit formula: Install a big engine in a small body. ![]() We expect the Lightning evokes a similar reaction from you, and for 2001, the Lightning either gets dumber or better-it's got more horsepower, a shorter final-drive ratio, and subtle trim changes, including a new grille and front bumper, and clear lens covers for the taillights. Case in point: At our 10Best eliminations for 2001, where we grade each vehicle on a 100-point scale, Patrick Bedard gave the Lightning a three.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |