5 Features The Ford F-150 Lightning Offers That Tesla’s Cybertruck Likely Won’t

Tesla’s Cybertruck promises to offer a bold (polarizing?) design language along with Tesla’s much-respected EV architecture. However, the Cybertruck will very likely lack some pretty common features found on electric pickup trucks being delivered today, such as the Ford F-150 Lightning. Here is a rundown of some of the items that we suspect Tesla won’t be offering on its forever-promised and as-yet undelivered Cybertruck.

Related Story: Ford F-150 Lightning Solves Single Biggest Downside to Pickups

Hands-Free Driver Assist
Tesla has its share of driver-assist technology. You may have heard of Autopilot, Advanced Autopilot, and Full Self-Driving (FSD). These driver-assist systems have their fans and their detractors. What Tesla is not expected to have in the 2023 Cybertruck is hands-free driver assist. Ford’s hands-free BlueCruise works great. In places where using driver-assist technology makes sense, the vehicle takes the wheel. Not a fan? It’s your choice as to whether you enable it. Shouldn’t Tesla’s Cybertruck have this now commonplace technology? After all, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Ford, Lincoln, and other brands offer hands-free driver assist. When will Tesla catch up?

Related Topic: Let’s Stop Pretending Electric Vehicles Like Ford’s Lightning Won’t Work In Winter

Genuine Leather Interior Upholstery With Massage Seating
Those who spend high five figures for a truck deserve the option of authentic leather appointed with heating and cooling. They also deserve massage seating. Premium pricing should demand premium features. Tesla’s Cybertruck is expected to carry on Tesla’s tradition of offering synthetic seating material and no massage function. By contrast, the F-150 Lightning offers the option of Premium Nirvana Leather with Active Motion massage.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
Vehicles costing around $20K in America now come with standard wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. For example, the Hyundai Venue. Yet Tesla doesn’t offer this commonplace and much-loved technology in any of its vehicles. The Cybertruck is also expected to lack this basic phone mirroring technology. Perhaps you are not a fan of these features? Well, like in any modern vehicle, you can always opt not to use it. Change your mind, and it can be enabled in just seconds. The F-150 Lighting has both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay with wireless integration standard on all trims. In our testing, it worked seamlessly. It’s nice to be able to have your most recent browser searches pop up as suggested destinations and to have the full whammy real-time traffic powered by Google Maps at your disposal. Sure, Tesla outsources its nav to Google, but why not offer the full suite of services other brands do?

A Standard Full-Size Spare Tire
Trucks are the ultimate utility vehicles. Many owners use trucks for towing and for hauling a lot of heavy cargo. Unlike in a city runabout EV, an EV truck needs to be able to continue its journey if a tire is damaged and not rely on a tow truck to save its bacon. No Tesla has ever offered a spare tire. Yet, many EVs do come with spares. Will Tesla change course with the Cybertruck and offer a standard full-size spare tire like the one every Ford F-150 Lighting comes with at no added cost? Only time will tell.

Included Level 2 Charger
Every Ford F-150 Lightning comes with a 30-amp Level 2 charger. This can be handy for those charging on an outlet while traveling, who have not yet set up a home charger, or who are happy with 30-amp home charging. At the elevated prices of EVs today, shouldn’t a charger (EVSE if you’re a word snob) be included? Tesla has stopped including chargers as standard equipment. Will the Cybertruck come with a level 2 mobile charger standard? We doubt it.

If we’ve overlooked a feature the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning presently offers that is unlikely to be part of a possible future Tesla Cybertruck, please let us know in the comments section below.

Image of Ford BlueCruise and spare tire under the F-150 Lightning by John Goreham. Image of Ford F-150 Lightning dash courtesy of Ford.

John Goreham is an experienced New England Motor Press Association member and expert vehicle tester. John completed an engineering program with a focus on electric vehicles, followed by two decades of work in high-tech, biopharma, and the automotive supply chain before becoming a news contributor. In addition to his ten years of work at Torque News, John has published thousands of articles and reviews at American news outlets. He is known for offering unfiltered opinions on vehicle topics. You can follow John on Twitter, and TikTok @ToknCars, and view his credentials at Linkedin