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The Ford F-150 Lightning wowed the world when it launched this spring with a base price just north of $40,000. It’s a very capable pickup with 775 pound-feet of torque, even in its simplest form. Thing is, the base Pro trim is subject to a sequential price increase, and it now costs $59,014 after destination and pickup fees.
That’s a jump of about 40 percent from the F-150 Lightning’s initial starting price of $41,669. When I tested the Pro in May, it felt like a great value, vinyl seats and all. The package as a whole is less appealing now, especially since little has changed to improve the pickup. You can only buy the F-150 Lightning Pro with the standard range battery pack, meaning you get 240 miles of range; to get an XLT with an upsized pack and 320 miles of range, you’ll spend at least $83,369.
It’s not like Ford is the only manufacturer raising prices amid supply chain issues and inflation. Toyota is another mass-market automaker that jacks up starting MSRPs, particularly on its base models. This is a way of increasing profits as margins are always thinner on the more affordable trims. Meanwhile, for Ford, the most premium F-150 Lightning Platinum still starts at $98,319.
In a world where dealer markups are constantly running high, MSRPs aren’t the best way of knowing how much you’ll spend on a new vehicle. It’s all about settling with a dealer who will treat you right and, hopefully, minimize market adjustments so you get what you pay for.
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