This 2021 Lordstown Endurance vs. 2019 Ford F-150 Tug of War Was More Like a Tow of Tug

At least start both trucks at the same time, y’all.

byStef Schrader|
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It's starting to feel like everyone in the electric pickup space wants to play tug-of-war with the Ford F-150. First, there was Tesla's Cyber-Tug-Off last year, and now Lordstown put its prototype 2021 Endurance pickup up against a 2019 Ford F-150 Lariat EcoBoost. 

This time, the contest is at least a bit more transparent. Both trucks feature four-wheel-drive, with the Ford set to four-low for maximum grunt and the Endurance using its four in-wheel hub motors. Both are sitting on slippery wet grass. 

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However, other aspects aren't so even. The most glaring leg up Lordstown got in this was that the Endurance got an earlier start than the Ford. Slowing the video down shows that the Endurance starts moving its wheels faster than the Ford does. While it's tempting to chalk that up to electric motors' instant torque, the fact that the Lordstown starts moving before the Ford starts making noise is the other clue that this wasn't an even start.

The tow strap isn't hooked up to the center of the back of the F-150, either, whereas it is on the Endurance. 

YouTube | Lordstown Motors

The F-150 used had the 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 that makes 325 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, per Car and Driver. Meanwhile, Lordstown claims the Endurance makes 600 horsepower and can generate continuous torque of 2,200 pound-feet and peak torque of 4,400 pound-feet. (Please build more trucks so we can prove these numbers, though—thanks!) While that's a significant difference in numbers 

The company also didn't specify which tires the trucks were on, both of which can make a big difference in power delivery and grip. 

Lastly, whose truck was this and how well has it been maintained versus a fresh pre-production prototype? Was this a company-owned benchmark vehicle? A loaner from Ford? An employee's own truck? And who was driving both trucks? There are so many unknowns here to really believe that this is anything except a truck-punishing, wheel-spinning backwards tow for the Ford.

The Drive reached out to Lordstown Motors for clarification on these unknowns, and will update this story if we hear back. 

All in all, these tug of war stunts are cute, but do they actually mean anything? We chuckled at the proxy war that General Motors and Ford were fighting in The Drive's inbox over their pickups' towing capacities, but towing is something that people actually use pickups for. Does anyone outside of Whistlin' Diesel routinely do pickup tug of wars? 

If you're after that big "next Tesla" investment money, perhaps the smarter bet would be a straight tow-off. Truck-o a truck-o, see which pickup can haul more when speced out at similar price points. That's what work trucks are purchased for, after all: How capable are they for real work? Show us—preferably with an independent party to verify the claims, lest we have another Tuatara-style mess—that your truck's worth taking a chance on over those made by more established automakers. 

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