2023 Lordstown Endurance

Overview

The 2023 Lordstown Endurance sounds more like an English marathon than an electric pickup truck, but—believe it or not—it’s the latter. The Endurance is part of the onslaught of all-electric pickups that are on the horizon, but Lordstown Motors has endured (no pun intended) financial struggles and legal trouble. While the company claimed its EV pickup would be the first of its kind to hit the market, that’s no longer the case as rivals such as the Rivian R1T, the GMC Hummer EV, and the Ford F-150 Lightning have beaten it to the punch. So Lordstown has pivoted its business strategy and will target fleet buyers for its EV truck instead of selling to the common man. The electrified pickup is said to have a range of about 200 miles, produce 440 horsepower from its four electric motors, tow up to 8000 pounds, and cost around $65,000.

What’s New for 2023?

As the first vehicle built by Lordstown, which is an American startup, the 2023 Endurance will join a growing number of EV pickup trucks when it makes it to production.

Pricing and Which One to Buy

Lordstown has said that it’s targeting a starting price of around $65,000 for the forthcoming Endurance, but it hasn’t given a detailed list of the truck’s available features and options just yet.

EV Motor, Power, and Performance

We’re told the Endurance will make a combined 440 horsepower from its futuristic hub-motor system. This four-wheel-drive setup features an electric motor mounted directly in each of the truck’s wheels, which reduces the number of moving parts and—according to Lordstown—improves reliability and is less expensive to maintain. Acceleration is fairly brisk for a pickup truck and we estimate that the Endurance will hit 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. But that estimation puts it at the back of the pack. For context, the F-150 Lightning is capable of hitting the same metric in just 4.0 seconds. The Endurance rides on a suspension that includes a solid rear axle that’s supported by leaf springs, and it doesn’t provide as smooth of a ride as the Honda Ridgeline’s independent rear suspension or the coil-over setup found on the Ram 1500.

Towing and Payload Capacity

Lordstown has said that the Endurance will be able to tow up to 8000 pounds, but it hasn’t disclosed any details about its payload capacity. That’s a far cry from the five-figure tow ratings that are being touted by the Rivian R1T. It’s actually closer to mid-size, unibody pickups such as the Ridgeline.

Range, Charging, and Battery Life

The Endurance comes with a 109.0-kWh battery pack that Lordstown says is good for about 200 miles of driving per charge. While that number sounds plausible based on the current driving range of many EVs, it falls short of the R1T’s maximum estimate of 314 miles.

Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe

The EPA hasn’t released fuel economy estimates for the Endurance yet, but we expect to see ratings as high as 70 MPGe city. When we get a chance, we’ll take the Endurance on our 75-mph highway fuel economy route and update this story with test results. For more information about the Endurance’s fuel economy, visit the EPA’s website.

Interior, Comfort, and Cargo

Inside, the Endurance has a design that doesn’t reinvent the wheel. The dashboard has a lot of straight lines as well as vents incorporated into the middle section and a set of physical switchgear for the HVAC system. On top of the dash are a trio of digital displays for the gauge cluster, driver information, and the infotainment system. The Endurance has a four-door, crew-cab body. That provides passenger space that’s competitive with other similarly sized pickups. Overall, the theme inside the Endurance is simplicity which is on track with its work-truck mission, but we think some buyers might miss some of the luxury and convenience features that are offered on other similarly-priced offerings from Ford and GM.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The Endurance’s infotainment system is displayed on a 12.3-inch touchscreen on the dashboard while an easy-to-read digital gauge cluster is nestled behind the steering wheel. Neither Apple CarPlay nor Android Auto is included with the system—yet—and so far there is no in-dash navigation either.

Safety and Driver-Assistance Features

If you’re looking for advanced driver-assistance tech, you aren’t likely to find it here. The Endurance’s status as a basic, stripped-down work truck means features such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist aren’t high priorities. For more information about the Endurance’s crash-test results, visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Key safety features include:

• Standard front and rear parking sensors

Warranty and Maintenance Coverage

The Endurance offers a fairly standard warranty package that sees coverage for everything for three years or 36,000 miles with extended coverage for the battery and electric motors at eight years or 100,000 miles.

• Limited warranty covers three years or 36,000 miles
• Powertrain warranty covers eight years or 100,000 miles
• No complimentary scheduled maintenance

More Features and Specs

Source: www.caranddriver.com