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for Ford Lightning Copley News Service A little more power, a little better burnouts, a handful of body style tweaks -- and the 2001 SVT Lightning is different from the 2000 model.
Ford's Special Vehicle Team has a simple mission statement: "We polish the Ford oval." And, that they do with performance, substance, exclusivity and value, says SVT chief John Coletti. "We're not building garage queens," he says. As obvious as the power is the value. The asking price of $32,300 includes most of the important comfort and convenience features. The only factory option is a soft tonneau cover for $150. The Lightning is built from a regular cab F-150 pickup and perked up with a supercharged 5.4 liter V-8, the bigger four-wheel disc brakes from the Super Duty F-Series and a lowered and firmed up suspension. The 2001 model is credited with 380 horsepower and 450 foot-pounds of torque. That's 20 more hp than the 2000 and a boost of 10 in the torque field. It is -- almost -- an obscene amount of power. By comparison, the Corvette has 350 hp and 360 foot-pounds of torque. The 10-cylinder Dodge Viper pulls 450/460. More horsepower is always appreciated by the muscle-car -- or truck -- enthusiast, but controlling 360 or 380 horsepower is almost irrelevant if you can't hold the truck to the road. That's where the Bilsteins make history for this truck. On a recent media preview, I tested both years of Lightnings. Moving from the 2001 model to 2000 the difference was jarring -- literally.
Not that the 2000 was a buckboard, but the Bilsteins give more compliance over bumps and trimmed the wheel hop at highway speeds and in cornering. Switching to the monotube gas-charged Bilsteins is a simple upgrade for owners of older Lightnings. Tires, too, are important in harnessing horsepower, and new for 2001 is the next generation of rubber compound in the Goodyear Eagle F1-GS tires. Unencumbered by traction control or an electronic stability program, the Lightning is the burn-out king. When driving it through a slalom course, it's a challenge not to break the tires loose. And it's a great show for cruise night. Step lightly on the brake and heavily on the throttle and the gravitational churn of the torque easily breaks fat Goodyear F1s loose and spins up great clouds of white smoke. On the rural test drive, I knew I was going the right way when I pulled up to an intersection and there was a dissipating cloud of tire smoke from the previous Lightning whose driver couldn't resist frying the hides.
The "shorter" and therefore more aggressive gearing improved 0-60 performance from 6.2 to 5.8 seconds. To help hold it all together, the drive shaft was beefed up from 3.5-inch steel to 4.5-inch aluminum. Inside, the Lightning has a suitable high-performance appearance with all the expected conveniences of a $30,000 vehicle, including the black textured leather seats with graphite gray cloth trim, 40/60 split bench seat and white-faced gauges. New this year are sun visors with extenders and lighted vanity mirrors.
Safety equipment -- Front air bags with a passenger side deactivation switch and anti-lock braking system. Standard equipment -- Includes dual side-exit exhaust with ceramic-coated tips, six-way power driver's seat with lateral bolstering, a six-disc CD changer, power windows-locks-mirrors, cruise control, engine oil and transmission oil coolers, remote keyless entry, tinted sliding rear window and Class III towing package.
Base MSRP -- $32,460, including destination charge. New this year for 2001 SVT owners -- cars or trucks -- are a couple of solidarity programs:
In this type of Ford-monitored program, the warranty coverage will not be voided if an owner breaks a car while participating in a track event. "We'll cover these things on the side, with a separate budget," Coletti says. SVT is also working with a number of companies to offer benefits, such as discounts for tires or other aftermarket equipment. Owners can renew for $40 a year and any SVT owner from previous years (1993-2000) may join the club for $40.
PLUSES -- Smoother and faster than ever, but no problem to control. Turn signals in outside mirrors; supercharger fail-safe detects a stress point and disengages the blower to prevent self-destruction. MINUSES -- Fuel consumption and tire wear will be directly related and pricey to maintain; it's time to add traction control and a stability program. News Index | Features Index |
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AutoWord Copyright© 2001 Copley News Service |
The most appreciable change, though, was a little switch to Bilstein shock absorbers.
Within minutes of driving last year's truck I could feel the difference. There was greater sensitivity to road surfaces and more jiggle and jolt.
Acceleration and horsepower are key bragging rights to SVT ownership. And to boost the 0-60 times, the engineers replaced the 3.55:1 rear gear set with a 3.73. (The The SVT Mustang Cobra needs this rear-end, too, but would come at the expense of a gas-guzzler tax.)