2023 Lordstown Endurance
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Like many startups, Lordstown Motors crashed and burned, filing for bankruptcy in a move industry observers have been predicting since last fall. The flameout took on the air of a soap opera, as Lordstown is suing its one-time investor, Foxconn, which is best known as an iPhone maker. Liquidation is next. There's also an SEC investigation as to whether the company misled investors. As a refresher: Lordstown Motors was founded in 2018 and took over an old General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio, with ambitious plans to build an electric truck for fleet uses. Former President Trump applauded the plan for creating jobs, and then-Vice President Mike Pence even visited the factory. Cincinnati Bengals all-world quarterback Joe Burrow was a spokesman. There were many, many questions, but a lot of people wanted to buy into the feel-good story of an upstart EV maker taking root in the Rust Belt. The company seemed to have as good of a chance as any of the new EV makers to make a go of it. Perhaps someone will want Lordstown’s assets, and the Endurance work truck is the most valuable. I’m one of the few people who has driven the Endurance, and perhaps ever will. It’s decent. It’s OK. There’s something to work with there. It’s not as good as the Ford F-150 Lightning Pro, which I drove immediately after the Endurance at a group test -- but that’s a tough comp. Toyota and Nissan have tried and failed for decades to beat Ford (and GM and Ram) at trucks. It wasn’t realistic for Lordstown, and to be fair, the company wasn’t trying to do that. Lordstown just wanted to be in the conversation. And for a minute it was. The Endurance that I tested for about 50 minutes on a gray autumn morning felt respectable. It’s very basic, and the company was targeting a starting price of $63,500, before any tax credits. I didn’t find major fault with the truck. The price seemed high, which illustrates how hard it is to enter a segment. Ford simply needs to make an electric truck and can charge what it feels is appropriate. Lordstown needed to charge a certain price to stay in business. They didn’t. I drove the Endurance on rural roads west of Ann Arbor, Mich. The ride quality is fine. It feels like a traditional truck. It is a little stiff and reminded me of things like the Nissan Frontier or Jeep Gladiator, midsize trucks that are a little firmer than the sometimes cushier full-size segment. It also has the vibe of a midsize truck from 10 years ago -- just a basic truck with a purpose. The Endurance has four wheel-mounted motors, introducing significant unsprung mass. This could make the truck feel harsher, especially over bumpy roads, but I didn’t detect much of that. Given that it has a solid rear axle, the Endurance handled as I expected. The electric-powered rack-and-pinion steering is a little light on-center, …
Full Review
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Like many startups, Lordstown Motors crashed and burned, filing for bankruptcy in a move industry observers have been predicting since last fall. The flameout took on the air of a soap opera, as Lordstown is suing its one-time investor, Foxconn, which is best known as an iPhone maker. Liquidation is next. There's also an SEC investigation as to whether the company misled investors. As a refresher: Lordstown Motors was founded in 2018 and took over an old General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio, with ambitious plans to build an electric truck for fleet uses. Former President Trump applauded the plan for creating jobs, and then-Vice President Mike Pence even visited the factory. Cincinnati Bengals all-world quarterback Joe Burrow was a spokesman. There were many, many questions, but a lot of people wanted to buy into the feel-good story of an upstart EV maker taking root in the Rust Belt. The company seemed to have as good of a chance as any of the new EV makers to make a go of it. Perhaps someone will want Lordstown’s assets, and the Endurance work truck is the most valuable. I’m one of the few people who has driven the Endurance, and perhaps ever will. It’s decent. It’s OK. There’s something to work with there. It’s not as good as the Ford F-150 Lightning Pro, which I drove immediately after the Endurance at a group test -- but that’s a tough comp. Toyota and Nissan have tried and failed for decades to beat Ford (and GM and Ram) at trucks. It wasn’t realistic for Lordstown, and to be fair, the company wasn’t trying to do that. Lordstown just wanted to be in the conversation. And for a minute it was. The Endurance that I tested for about 50 minutes on a gray autumn morning felt respectable. It’s very basic, and the company was targeting a starting price of $63,500, before any tax credits. I didn’t find major fault with the truck. The price seemed high, which illustrates how hard it is to enter a segment. Ford simply needs to make an electric truck and can charge what it feels is appropriate. Lordstown needed to charge a certain price to stay in business. They didn’t. I drove the Endurance on rural roads west of Ann Arbor, Mich. The ride quality is fine. It feels like a traditional truck. It is a little stiff and reminded me of things like the Nissan Frontier or Jeep Gladiator, midsize trucks that are a little firmer than the sometimes cushier full-size segment. It also has the vibe of a midsize truck from 10 years ago -- just a basic truck with a purpose. The Endurance has four wheel-mounted motors, introducing significant unsprung mass. This could make the truck feel harsher, especially over bumpy roads, but I didn’t detect much of that. Given that it has a solid rear axle, the Endurance handled as I expected. The electric-powered rack-and-pinion steering is a little light on-center, …
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Retail Price
$60,375 - $60,375
MSRP / Window Sticker Price
| Engine | |
| MPG | Up to 49 city / 46 highway |
| Seating | 5 Passengers |
| Transmission | 1-spd auto |
| Power | 440 @ rpm |
| Drivetrain | four-wheel |
| Curb Weight | 6,450 lbs |
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