BMW I7 versus Lucid Air Grand Touring!

[borski]

You can’t really argue with the difference in luxury, tech and hands free driving.

The issues were around

a) how they edited it, showing a feature on the i7 and not showing the same exact feature on the Air, implying it didn’t have it.

b) define “luxury”; I think the Air is more luxurious, as it feels less “old money” luxury and more “new money” luxury, focused on materials that feel nice but aren’t full of chrome, and everything clearly had tons of thought put into it, which he credits to the i7 but implies the Air was just slapped together

c) when you say “tech,” you mean software. That’s fine, but unclear; the i7 does not have better “tech” unless you count two things: a massive screen for the theater mode (which I find to be a gimmick since it requires nobody in the passenger seat) and the hands free driving.

I agree the hands free driving is cool. I haven’t actually tested that yet, since on my test drive I didn’t turn it on.

 

[hellolucid]

i7 is an ugly car.

 

[AlignTrex]

I think I’m in the minority here who thinks it was a fair review. They own the GT, so I think they didn't have any kind of hidden agenda. Honestly, I can’t really argue with any of it and didn’t think he bashed Lucid anymore than he bashed BMW for the exterior styling, lack of a true EV chassis and clunky menu layouts.

You can’t really argue with the difference in luxury, tech and hands free driving. Personally, I’ll take lucid’s cool looks and performance, but I can see why he sees the BMW as being more premium. Every comparison I’ve seen has gone about the same way.

This is Lucid forum. You are in minority here of course.

 

[hmp10]

If it were so well engineered, why is there no frunk? That seems to me POOR engineering.

This subject is covered very well by "Engineering Explained", in which it is pointed out that no one approaches Lucid in component packaging efficiency. He actually pegs the German BEV manufacturers for "lazy engineering" in this regard:

 

[Tesla2.0]

This subject is covered very well by "Engineering Explained", in which it is pointed out that no one approaches Lucid in component packaging efficiency. He actually pegs the German BEV manufacturers for "lazy engineering" in this regard:

This video is so brilliant! I absolutely love it! I love the phrase “The others are just lazy engineering on space concept”.

My theory is the German engieers always have many more models to think about as design time allocation. Lucid Air is attempting to be timeless design like Model-S. Get it right in space concept engineering for first time around.

I absolutely love this video and made me proud I have best overall thought out engineered product.

 

[Tesla2.0]

I had a look around an i7 at an EV event recently. The amount of wasted space, particularly under the hood, is staggering.

They simply didn’t bother. BMW was rushing to get in EV market on ICE platform after seeing Toyota and Honda got eroded market share.

The stopping distance of the i7 is very impressive for the weight!

This I agree. And can be critical too. It also can be Air is just too aerodynamic Cd to slow down. There is also another video of Air lost to Corvette is distance brake for U-turn drag.

I too would give up the frunk to stop 20+ feet shorter! Brakes/rotors are important. Just saying.

I like that 20+ feet shorter braking, but U will keep my frunk too. That frunk without software to get in is like a perfect a “safebox” to store things.

 

[MoniputerLM]

Serious question: why don’t you?

That’s not meant as a jab, honest!

But if you prefer the i7 and all the “things it does better” (of which there are definitely some!) why not buy it and sell the Air?

What things does the Air do that keeps you with it over the i7, and what things do you prefer about the i7? Just curious.

I have already said that I don't like the i7 but I do think that it and other EVs have features that the DE lacks and yes, I think Lucid made mistakes.

Read my many posts and you will see what "I" think is lacking in my DE.

But after 20 months, I still have the DE, still drive it and hope that in a year or so the software will be where it should be and Lucid will still be in business.

Also, I still don't understand why people tell me to sell the car? It's my money and my car. Just curious...

 

[Tesla2.0]

I think that the i7 is butt ugly and would never buy one, but the video and the Edmunds conclusions seem well balanced and accurate, at least to me.

I too also think it is balanced in many ways. But there are some pros of Air the presenter left out.

I think the presenter’s personal taste has something to do with how it is presented. Most older Asian like gawdy type of luxury. For that German automakers nail it to cater that area of demographic.

I think I’m in the minority here who thinks it was a fair review. They own the GT, so I think they didn't have any kind of hidden agenda. Honestly, I can’t really argue with any of it and didn’t think he bashed Lucid anymore than he bashed BMW for the exterior styling, lack of a true EV chassis and clunky menu layouts.

You can’t really argue with the difference in luxury, tech and hands free driving. Personally, I’ll take lucid’s cool looks and performance, but I can see why he sees the BMW as being more premium. Every comparison I’ve seen has gone about the same way.

I agree with you on fairness. But I do think the presenter has certain partialness base on his taste.

I also think it is really just matter of perspective.

There are old fashion luxury they want substance — more gold, crystall, wool, leather, lavish options of screens and speakers.

Then there is modernism type of luxury —— simplicity, elegant, zen-like noisy in line visually.

I personally belong to the 2nd category. Therefore in design language, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla and Polestar wins me. Lexus, BMW, Porsche not so much. And MB and Range Rover is a mixed bag to me.

 

[xponents]

I think it was a fair review. A lot of people don’t care about driving or efficiency, they just want the most luxurious interior possible(massaging rear seats, TV, maybe some people want “old luxury”). The i7 caters to that, and in my opinion is a great car. In fact, we are considering one over a lucid right now, as both are a similar price with dealer discounts.

In conclusion, don’t forget that reviewers are still human. They can have their own tastes! The only thing I wish is that the Lucius features and strengths were more accurately covered. Both are great cars. Both are very different in their approaches and audience.

 

[quantum]

Money, Money, and more Money. A LOT of people have their retirements tied up in Tesla stock or mutual funds that have Tesla stock. Tesla needs to remain profitable and overvalued otherwise, good luck to everyone who has any retirement account.

Exactly! Just go to twitter/youtube you will a lot of nonsense hate against Lucid. I blame the CEO of a certain EV company for his comments last year, instigated his loyal followers. It's shameful these journalists don't have a clue what they are talking about....and they call themselves automobile journalists.

I mean just look at the size of that thing....the Lucid is mileas ahead in packaging, EV technology, handling, efficiency and elegant. Yet he brags about a few screens.

 

[borski]

I have already said that I don't like the i7 but I do think that it and other EVs have features that the DE lacks and yes, I think Lucid made mistakes.

Fair enough! I’ll look at your other posts.

But after 20 months, I still have the DE, still drive it and hope that in a year or so the software will be where it should be and Lucid will still be in business.

Also, I still don't understand why people tell me to sell the car? It's my money and my car. Just curious...

Not my goal - wasn’t saying sell the car. Was genuinely curious as to what kept you in it, not suggesting you should take your money elsewhere. Just trying to understand which things you prefer on the Air over other options, particularly the i7 and all the things it does better, as you see it.

It really wasn’t intended as a job, I promise. It’s hard to word that question in a way that doesn’t sound like that, but I genuinely intended it as a curiousity of what it is that keeps you in the Air.

 

[Tesla2.0]

Exactly! Just go to twitter/youtube you will a lot of nonsense hate against Lucid. I blame the CEO of a certain EV company for his comments last year, instigated his loyal followers. It's shameful these journalists don't have a clue what they are talking about....and they call themselves automobile journalists.

I mean just look at the size of that thing....the Lucid is mileas ahead in packaging, EV technology, handling, efficiency and elegant. Yet he brags about a few screens.

There are people walk away from the other brand because that CEO talked too much about politic or instigate issues with his opinions. He actually wants to create headlines with his publicity stunt and controversies. He was all about marketing and understand how to manipulate journalists, a very calculated human being for sure.

 

[quantum]

I too also think it is balanced in many ways. But there are some pros of Air the presenter left out.

I think the presenter’s personal taste has something to do with how it is presented. Most older Asian like gawdy type of luxury. For that German automakers nail it to cater that area of demographic.



I agree with you on fairness. But I do think the presenter has certain partialness base on his taste.

I also think it is really just matter of perspective.

There are old fashion luxury they want substance — more gold, crystall, wool, leather, lavish options of screens and speakers.

Then there is modernism type of luxury —— simplicity, elegant, zen-like noisy in line visually.

I personally belong to the 2nd category. Therefore in design language, Lucid, Rivian, Tesla and Polestar wins me. Lexus, BMW, Porsche not so much. And MB and Range Rover is a mixed bag to me.

But reviewers should not be biased! He said the GT now costs 10k more than the 140k they paid.......big fat lie! He is evaluating 2 EV's , but conveniently just mentions on the fly that Lucid has better range and performance. All he was more interested in was butt comfort. Conversion of a ICE to EV means you are making compromises and not utilizing maximum efficiency that Lucid does. BMW lenght 5391 mm, Lucid lenght 4975mm - Lucid is more than 40cm shorter.

This is from Edmunds itself....

"The extra weight means it doesn't handle quite as well as the 7 Series. The steering doesn't provide as much feedback, and the car itself tends to lean more when turning. We found the ride to be a hair stiffer than the 7 Series, too, though it's far from harsh. The suspension absorbs bumps, but it doesn't mute them as well as the EQS. It's a little more engaging than the non-AMG EQS, but the i7 is no sport sedan.

BMW's latest infotainment system packs a lot more features than the outgoing system, but the interface and layout aren't very intuitive. We have to take our eyes off the road for longer than we'd prefer to do things like change the temperature or change the station.

There's a lot to like with the i7, but it doesn't advance the flagship EV experience in any significant way."

Edmunds should be ashamed for green lighting this video- its a purely personal opinion of the reviewer, not an unbiased evaluation of pros and cons of each vehicle.

 

[digiboxer]

Ok, I had no interest in watching the video until I read these comments and wanted to see how biased Edmunds is, so I watched it to the very end.

I think that the i7 is butt ugly and would never buy one, but the video and the Edmunds conclusions seem well balanced and accurate, at least to me.

100% agree. And I've driven the I7. The quality is really, really good. I just could never own a car that looks like that

 

[Steveinarizona]

I think this entire threat can be summed up by the saying "Different strokes for different folks". But I think it is great that now there are so many EV choices out there.

 

[xponents]

I think this entire threat can be summed up by the saying "Different strokes for different folks". But I think it is great that now there are so many EV choices out there.

The fact that you posted that like 5 seconds ago and you already have three reactions should easily sum up the thread.. lol

 

[hellolucid]

Just watched the full video. it's not as bad as i thought it would be. the only part i disagreed with him is the luxurious interior of BMW vs Lucid. I thought Lucid had some nice interior and materials. maybe BMW has higher quality stuff? in any case he himself admitted that he lost some finger nails while adjusting the window on BMW because of the metal speaker grill. that should have been a huge negative for a 6 figure car but he didn't ding them for that.

it seems like they filmed the video a while back because the range estimate is now very accurate with the most recent software update.

coming back to the rear seats, I don't know about the theater mode in BMW. is it very practical? if you have 4 passengers in the car only 2 people can watch it. i suppose if you have only two people in the car and you're waiting for a charge at a station, you could jump over to the back seat and watch a show.

 

[Tesla2.0]

coming back to the rear seats, I don't know about the theater mode in BMW. is it very practical? if you have 4 passengers in the car only 2 people can watch it. i suppose if you have only two people in the car and you're waiting for a charge at a station, you could jump over to the back seat and watch a show.

The passenger front seat can also fold all the way down and automatically move forward as bench ottoman while rear seat recline. The is car for executives love being driven than enthusiast driving themselves. Asian market has big segment for luxury auto with chauffeur service.

 

[Tesla2.0]

TikTok - Make Your Day

Another example of recline seat. This Chinese brand Immotor LS7 EV actually shamelessly took supply chain of Model-X windshield, Model-S yolk, Taycan’s pilot panel, BMW i7 theater mode without drop down TV screen.

Starting price tag? $45K USD. Now you can see Tesla stock is in tremendous selling pressure with price cuts in China now.

 

[EVCar]

The Economist recently coined the phrase "The EV obesity epidemic," which aptly describes so many entries in this segment.
Will be a long time before meaningful carbon reduction can be realized.
As long as consumers continue to open their wallets, auto companies will keep going in the same direction, epidemic or not.