Test Drive

[chazglenn3]

So, I finally got to take a proper test drive in a Lucid Air today. Washington state doesn't allow non dealership to engage in sales and marketing of vehicles, but through a loophole Lucid and Rivian are now able to offer "Educational Demo Drives". I booked myself for this morning and was given the choice between a 2025 Pure or a 2023 Grand Touring. Since I'm considering either a used Touring or Grand Touring, I opted for the GT. It only had 1521 miles on it. Initial impressions were that my Polestar 2 Performance drove better. Maybe the throttle response and regen braking are just mapped differently. I had the car for about 40 minutes. I found a nice quiet straight to try Swift mode on. Impressive! I'm going to need a few more "Educational Demo Drives" to be sure that I want to replace my Polestar with the Air.

 

[segbrk]

I haven't driven a P2, but thinking about the specs and my experiences driving Airs:
- Note that unless you're in Sprint mode, you're leaving half your advertised horsepower in the bag. It's a huge difference.
- The Air GT is an odd one. It is heavy and you feel it. I think it shines more at higher speeds, where it'll just keep putting down torque well above 90 like it's nothing.
- That RWD Pure is the opposite. If you like a more raw, aggressive feeling on the lower end, I think that'll do it for you.
- Whichever way you go in your next test drive, don't just turn on Sprint for a long straight section. Take it through some curves. For me at least the straight line performance is a fun trick. The handling in a curve is magic. The suspension tuning in Sprint makes it feel like you're in one of these, vacuum-sealed to the road:

 

[thyname]

I haven't driven a P2, but thinking about the specs and my experiences driving Airs:
- Note that unless you're in Sprint mode, you're leaving half your advertised horsepower in the bag. It's a huge difference.
- The Air GT is an odd one. It is heavy and you feel it. I think it shines more at higher speeds, where it'll just keep putting down torque well above 90 like it's nothing.
- That RWD Pure is the opposite. If you like a more raw, aggressive feeling on the lower end, I think that'll do it for you.
- Whichever way you go in your next test drive, don't just turn on Sprint for a long straight section. Take it through some curves. For me at least the straight line performance is a fun trick. The handling in a curve is magic. The suspension tuning in Sprint makes it feel like you're in one of these, vacuum-sealed to the road:
View attachment 31086

You are a very nice person…

I drove Polestar 2 extensively a few years ago. I really wanted to buy it. At that time, I went with Tesla Model Y Performance. Way better than P2 in every single way. And my Air Touring is a huge upgrade to it. So…

Having said that, it’s all subjective, we all have our preferences and the ways we perceive things. So, it’s whatever makes us happy. Maybe for the OP the Polestar next latest and greatest is the way to go. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This is what makes a MARKET

 

[chazglenn3]

My only issue with the Polestar 2 is that it's a bit smaller than I am used to. My last 8 cars were all Cadillacs. The Air is a great size for me. @thyname was the P2 you drove a long range, dual motor with the Performance Pack? I have ridden in many Model Y's and the ride always feels harsh to me. I certainly haven't given up on the Air at this point. My lease isn't up until October 2026 but I like to start my research early.

 

[thyname]

My only issue with the Polestar 2 is that it's a bit smaller than I am used to. My last 8 cars were all Cadillacs. The Air is a great size for me. @thyname was the P2 you drove a long range, dual motor with the Performance Pack? I have ridden in many Model Y's and the ride always feels harsh to me. I certainly haven't given up on the Air at this point. My lease isn't up until October 2026 but I like to start my research early.

Dual motor Performance. It’s been about three years. So. The Polestar dude was extremely nice. He let me take it to every single place I wanted. I literally covered everything I could in my driving 364 out 365 days in my year

Have you tried Polestar 3? It’s bigger than P2 and looks very nice from the outside

 

[Steveinarizona]

Having said that, it’s all subjective, we all have our preferences and the ways we perceive things. So, it’s whatever makes us happy. Maybe for the OP the Polestar next latest and greatest is the way to go. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. This is what makes a MARKET

I completely agree. I did think the Polestar 3 looked nice until I stepped into the showroom and looked inside. Entirely "minimalist". I am getting tired of companies marketing an allegedly luxury car and then cheap out by putting all the controls on the info screen. For example, if I am driving and want to adjust my seat that means taking my eyes off the road to find and make the adjustment.

Handling is very important but so are other features. But at least now there are many other manufacturers making and selling allegedly luxurious and powerful EVs such as Cadillac, Porsche, Audi, Genesis, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus not to mention new EV entrants Rivian and Lucid. We now have many choices we can choose between and it would be difficult to want such a vehicle and not find one that meets one's needs.

 

[chazglenn3]

Have you tried Polestar 3? It’s bigger than P2 and looks very nice from the outside

I'm not an SUV type of guy, otherwise the Polestar 3 seems very nice. My P2 is the 2024 refresh. The bias was switched from front to rear wheel drive. The front motor decouples now at highway cruise for increased efficiency and the motors were upgraded. From what I understand on the Polestar Forum, the upgrades really made a difference.

 

[thyname]

I'm not an SUV type of guy, otherwise the Polestar 3 seems very nice. My P2 is the 2024 refresh. The bias was switched from front to rear wheel drive. The front motor decouples now at highway cruise for increased efficiency and the motors were upgraded. From what I understand on the Polestar Forum, the upgrades really made a difference.

It sounds like you are all set with Polestar. Enjoy

 

[chazglenn3]

If only my lease residual wasn't so high. And the car wasn't too small.

 

[Leftlane]

There have been a lot of improvements in the last few years - why test drive a 23 GT instead of a new one? That seems like a silly offer from Lucid to have you drive a several years old demo/loaner car.

 

[chazglenn3]

That's just what they had available as far as GT "Educational Demo Drive" cars were concerned. They had a new Pure...it actually worked out for me as I'm looking to buy a used 2023 Touring or Grand Touring as the prices are right for those.

 

[Batteryman]

So, I finally got to take a proper test drive in a Lucid Air today. Washington state doesn't allow non dealership to engage in sales and marketing of vehicles, but through a loophole Lucid and Rivian are now able to offer "Educational Demo Drives". I booked myself for this morning and was given the choice between a 2025 Pure or a 2023 Grand Touring. Since I'm considering either a used Touring or Grand Touring, I opted for the GT. It only had 1521 miles on it. Initial impressions were that my Polestar 2 Performance drove better. Maybe the throttle response and regen braking are just mapped differently. I had the car for about 40 minutes. I found a nice quiet straight to try Swift mode on. Impressive! I'm going to need a few more "Educational Demo Drives" to be sure that I want to replace my Polestar with the Air.

I rented a polestar, my head was bobbing all over the place on speed bumps or rough roads. Trust me, the Lucid handles and drives much much better