2 Week Review

[hmp10]

Not having driven a Plaid, does it have driving modes besides normal and track? And do you feel the same even with the air in swift or sprint regarding getting the mass moving?

The Plaid has three driving modes plus Launch Mode, just as in the Air Dream. However, in the Tesla you can set suspension firmness and steering weight independently of the drive modes.

You can feel the additional weight of the Air over the Plaid in all three drive modes. It's subtle, but 450 extra pounds is enough to make its presence known. The Plaid tires are also considerably wider (20 mm in front and 30 mm in back), so the traction control probably doesn't have to cut power as much as in the Air to keep the tires hooked up from a standstill. When accelerating from speed, the Plaid's advantage seems to dissipate, both because the Air is tuned for mid-range acceleration and, perhaps, because traction control has to intervene less to maintain grip.

 

[Bill55]

After driving the Lucid Air Dream Performance for a month, I've now returned to driving the Tesla Model S Plaid daily while the Air is at the Service Center. My perspective on the two cars is becoming more evolved.

I'm going to leave out software features for now in comparing the two cars, as the Air's software is still half-baked, at best.

There are some things I like about the Plaid more (in descending order of significance to me):

- the Google satellite image displayed on a huge screen
- navigation routes overlaid on that satellite image
- a better front center console storage arrangement
- quicker acceleration and less feeling of getting a large mass underway
- more accessible wireless phone charging pads and charging for two front phones
- charge port opening upon approach of charge cable

There are more things I like about the Air more:

- a steering wheel
- signal and gearshift control stalks
- a much airier, roomier, and more luxurious interior
- vastly more rear legroom
- manual switches for volume and A/C control
- more comfortable and better-featured front seats
- a more compliant ride
- a more solid-feeling structure
- quieter
- front end more planted under hard acceleration
- manual air vent controls
- a dedicated one-touch panel for controlling lights, wipers, locks
- better exterior and interior fit and finish

As much as I like the Plaid, at the end of the day it is simply a lesser car than the Air Dream. You feel it when driving, riding in, and looking at the two cars.

Thanks for that comparison. I really enjoy driving the Air.

Unfortunately, I've yet to make it a week with being able to listen to Music both to and from work. I'm going to take a bluetooth speaker on my cross country trip as a backup. I will be flying back and forth after that trip, the car will sit mostly idle from mid March to late May/early June. For me to enjoy the car as a daily driver (not just driving), I need Homelink implementation to be better, Park distance / camera to be better, and the Audio controls to be much better and not freeze because I used the phone or switched sources. CarPlay would be nice as well.

In June if there is not significant improvement I will drive something else as a daily driver. The Air can be a conversation piece at the shop with some test drives to make people smile. Maybe we will do some brake mods, tires, rims, have some fun with it at the track. Eventually this car will be pretty good. Mirrors, Homelink, seat memory, seat heating/cooling, should have been physical buttons in my opinion, that's obviously not going to change.

An iPad uses about ~1 watt hour per day on standby and wakes instantly. 118kWh that equals over 300 years. I don't understand why the Lucid systems take so long to boot.

I do think by the time this car is produced in meaningful numbers, it will be pretty solid. I had Lucid service team out today to replace the front tire that had a slight deformity developing on the side wall. The crew was knowledgable, competent, and very intent on doing a great job. My experience with Customer care and service teams has been exceptional. We will see how well that scales.

I really like the traffic clear alert with 1.1.5. Very useful when I am 3 screens deep trying to do something with the audio and the light turns green.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

Thanks for that comparison. I really enjoy driving the Air.

Unfortunately, I've yet to make it a week with being able to listen to Music both to and from work. I'm going to take a bluetooth speaker on my cross country trip as a backup. I will be flying back and forth after that trip, the car will sit mostly idle from mid March to late May/early June. For me to enjoy the car as a daily driver (not just driving), I need Homelink implementation to be better, Park distance / camera to be better, and the Audio controls to be much better and not freeze because I used the phone or switched sources. CarPlay would be nice as well.

In June if there is not significant improvement I will drive something else as a daily driver. The Air can be a conversation piece at the shop with some test drives to make people smile. Maybe we will do some brake mods, tires, rims, have some fun with it at the track. Eventually this car will be pretty good. Mirrors, Homelink, seat memory, seat heating/cooling, should have been physical buttons in my opinion, that's obviously not going to change.

An iPad uses about ~1 watt hour per day on standby and wakes instantly. 118kWh that equals over 300 years. I don't understand why the Lucid systems take so long to boot.

I do think by the time this car is produced in meaningful numbers, it will be pretty solid. I had Lucid service team out today to replace the front tire that had a slight deformity developing on the side wall. The crew was knowledgable, competent, and very intent on doing a great job. My experience with Customer care and service teams has been exceptional. We will see how well that scales.

I really like the traffic clear alert with 1.1.5. Very useful when I am 3 screens deep trying to do something with the audio and the light turns green.

That's interesting, time for Lucid to disable sleep.

 

[borski]

Thanks for that comparison. I really enjoy driving the Air.

Unfortunately, I've yet to make it a week with being able to listen to Music both to and from work. I'm going to take a bluetooth speaker on my cross country trip as a backup. I will be flying back and forth after that trip, the car will sit mostly idle from mid March to late May/early June. For me to enjoy the car as a daily driver (not just driving), I need Homelink implementation to be better, Park distance / camera to be better, and the Audio controls to be much better and not freeze because I used the phone or switched sources. CarPlay would be nice as well.

In June if there is not significant improvement I will drive something else as a daily driver. The Air can be a conversation piece at the shop with some test drives to make people smile. Maybe we will do some brake mods, tires, rims, have some fun with it at the track. Eventually this car will be pretty good. Mirrors, Homelink, seat memory, seat heating/cooling, should have been physical buttons in my opinion, that's obviously not going to change.

An iPad uses about ~1 watt hour per day on standby and wakes instantly. 118kWh that equals over 300 years. I don't understand why the Lucid systems take so long to boot.

I do think by the time this car is produced in meaningful numbers, it will be pretty solid. I had Lucid service team out today to replace the front tire that had a slight deformity developing on the side wall. The crew was knowledgable, competent, and very intent on doing a great job. My experience with Customer care and service teams has been exceptional. We will see how well that scales.

I really like the traffic clear alert with 1.1.5. Very useful when I am 3 screens deep trying to do something with the audio and the light turns green.

What issues do you still have w/ Homelink and park distance/camera? The latest update fixed them both for me.

 

[Bill55]

What issues do you still have w/ Homelink and park distance/camera? The latest update fixed them both for me.

Homelink leaving the house. Back out of the garage touch top menu to open homelink, touch door, sometimes works with one touch, sometimes 2, 3, or the screen retracts, start over. After door starts to close touch screen to bring park distance/ cameras back up.

Homelink coming home. The geo function only occasionally works.Pull into driveway, then same sequence as above.

To me that is a poor implementation.

Park distance cameras. The graphics frequently completely cover the curb or other obstacle you want to park close to. The graphics representing obstacles are inconsistent going on and off on and off. The system goes full tone when you are still 18 inches from objects. When you get to 11 inches the screen frequently goes full red, no camera view at all. Also at 11 inches stops displaying distance and displays STOP. The system in my GMC is so much easier to use and get within 3-4 inches of a curb on the side or 5-6 inches on the front or back. I find the Lucid system significantly more difficult to use. The graphics including the car are not an accurate representation of where the car is. The blind spots of the camera are represented graphically by a “grey gradient“ that blends perfectly with pavement and curbs. I would rate every other car I’ve owned or rented with a park distance/ camera system as better. Honda Accord, Lexus GS, Mercedes SL, Chevy Silverado, GMC Yukon, Porsche 911, BMW 7. Most cars I don’t come away with an impression of the systems. I find the Lucid system to be finicky, noisy, with overly active graphics, and a bad representation of the physical world. What the display shows and where the car rear end actually is is off by 16” see pictures.

UI. Why does the bottom navigation go away on camera screen and get replaced by white and yellow text that is very hard to see and a thin white x surrounded by a fuzzy view of the image behind it. Awful.

It is better with 1.1.5. Still not very good.

 

[peacenow0]

My biggest concern in your review is the acceleration...you are the first person to comment about accelerating and the need to push down hard to get up to speed. Is that in smooth mode? When I push the acceleration hard down in smooth I'm literally pushed back hard into the seat.

I also have the same issue in the smooth mode.

 

[peacenow0]

I can’t begin to imagine the brakes won’t hold at a stop even when depressed. That would be a huge safety issue. I’m sure he’s talking about firmly pressing the brake and then lifting his foot off the pedal. As Harrison mentioned, he must not have activated the hold assist function.

As more reviews are posted, we get a better, more rounded picture of the car. As an example, unless I missed it in other reviews, I don’t recall reading about compromised visibility as the result of the thick A pillars in combination with the slope of the windshield.

I agree with the OP assessment of what I now know is referred to as the A pillars. I find my visibility greatly compromised especially when I’m at a full stop and don’t notice someone walked into that blind spot. I’ve started to drive, slammed on the brakes , and am shocked to now see someone about to walk in front of my car.

 

[hmp10]

I also have the same issue in the smooth mode.

I wouldn't call it an issue, but rather a feature. Smooth mode is called "smooth" for a reason. Electric motors produce their maximum torque at 0 rpm, and the Air produces truly prodigious torque. Smooth mode deliberately retards initial throttle response so as to make it easier to launch the car gently when keeping passengers calm and collected is the priority.

If you're wanting more punch off the line, Swift mode picks up the pace more quickly. Sprint mode, which unleashes an instant tsunami of torque, can make your passengers want to vomit . . . if that's the mood they've put you in.

 

[peacenow0]

I wouldn't call it an issue, but rather a feature. Smooth mode is called "smooth" for a reason. Electric motors produce their maximum torque at 0 rpm, and the Air produces truly prodigious torque. Smooth mode deliberately retards initial throttle response so as to make it easier to launch the car gently when keeping passengers calm and collected is the priority.

If you're wanting more punch off the line, Swift mode picks up the pace more quickly. Sprint mode, which unleashes an instant tsunami of torque, can make your passengers want to vomit . . . if that's the mood they've put you in.

Well I just don’t understand what the point of the feature is…I find it bothersome I can’t have decent normal pickup when I press the pedal. And, I do drive in swift BUT I don’t think I should need to press yet another button when I get in the car. I was told swift mode would save to my profile but of course it does not. But then again, my profile feature only works half the time anyway. I have to keep resetting or saving the seat and mirror positions.

 

[hmp10]

Well I just don’t understand what the point of the feature is…I find it bothersome I can’t have decent normal pickup when I press the pedal. And, I do drive in swift BUT I don’t think I should need to press yet another button when I get in the car. I was told swift mode would save to my profile but of course it does not.

I agree with hydbob. I find that Smooth mode can push me back into the seat with no problem. It's true I do have to get a little deeper into the throttle, but I see that as a fair tradeoff to make it easier to accelerate smoothly when I don't want to call passengers' attention to my habitual heavy foot. (Unless you've been driving Tesla Plaids or Bugatti Veyrons of late, I don't know what your frame of reference would be to conclude you don't get "decent normal pickup" from an Air Dream in Smooth mode. It will still blow away 95% of cars on the road at a stoplight if you're so inclined.)

I think you were misinformed about the driving mode being saved to your profile. I was told the car defaulted to Smooth mode at startup. As Smooth mode is the one that delivers longest range, I suspect Lucid didn't want someone to start a trip forgetting they were in a less-efficient mode and not realize it until they saw remaining range drop more than they had anticipated.

When I get into the car and have to buckle a seat belt, put on my sunglasses, park my phone, and close the garage door (all things I have to do in all my cars when getting underway), a quick tap to Swift mode on a very large icon is no big deal if I'm in the mood for more spirited driving.

 

[Bill55]

I agree with hydbob. I find that Smooth mode can push me back into the seat with no problem. It's true I do have to get a little deeper into the throttle, but I see that as a fair tradeoff to make it easier to accelerate smoothly when I don't want to call passengers' attention to my habitual heavy foot. (Unless you've been driving Tesla Plaids or Bugatti Veyrons of late, I don't know what your frame of reference would be to conclude you don't get "decent normal pickup" from an Air Dream in Smooth mode. It will still blow away 95% of cars on the road at a stoplight if you're so inclined.)

I think you were misinformed about the driving mode being saved to your profile. I was told the car defaulted to Smooth mode at startup. As Smooth mode is the one that delivers longest range, I suspect Lucid didn't want someone to start a trip forgetting they were in a less-efficient mode and not realize it until they saw remaining range drop more than they had anticipated.

When I get into the car and have to buckle a seat belt, put on my sunglasses, park my phone, and close the garage door (all things I have to do in all my cars when getting underway), a quick tap to Swift mode on a very large icon is no big deal if I'm in the mood for more spirited driving.

In 1.1.5 it still defaults to Smooth. Not savable to profile. I would agree with @hmp10 that I find smooth mode to still be exceptionaly quick. I do not feel that it requires that much of a press to pull away from just about anything on the road or to pass on the freeway. I would also, agree it's an easy press to go to swift. If I could, I would set my profile to default to swift. Even nicer would be if I could default Swift for driver only and default Smooth if there are passengers.

 

[borski]

Homelink leaving the house. Back out of the garage touch top menu to open homelink, touch door, sometimes works with one touch, sometimes 2, 3, or the screen retracts, start over. After door starts to close touch screen to bring park distance/ cameras back up.

Homelink coming home. The geo function only occasionally works.Pull into driveway, then same sequence as above.

To me that is a poor implementation.

Park distance cameras. The graphics frequently completely cover the curb or other obstacle you want to park close to. The graphics representing obstacles are inconsistent going on and off on and off. The system goes full tone when you are still 18 inches from objects. When you get to 11 inches the screen frequently goes full red, no camera view at all. Also at 11 inches stops displaying distance and displays STOP. The system in my GMC is so much easier to use and get within 3-4 inches of a curb on the side or 5-6 inches on the front or back. I find the Lucid system significantly more difficult to use. The graphics including the car are not an accurate representation of where the car is. The blind spots of the camera are represented graphically by a “grey gradient“ that blends perfectly with pavement and curbs. I would rate every other car I’ve owned or rented with a park distance/ camera system as better. Honda Accord, Lexus GS, Mercedes SL, Chevy Silverado, GMC Yukon, Porsche 911, BMW 7. Most cars I don’t come away with an impression of the systems. I find the Lucid system to be finicky, noisy, with overly active graphics, and a bad representation of the physical world. What the display shows and where the car rear end actually is is off by 16” see pictures.

UI. Why does the bottom navigation go away on camera screen and get replaced by white and yellow text that is very hard to see and a thin white x surrounded by a fuzzy view of the image behind it. Awful.

It is better with 1.1.5. Still not very good.

I agree Homelink sometimes needs two taps when leaving. I have had zero issues with geo though, that has worked perfectly every time.

Very interesting re: parking sensors. I measured mine and it’s 3 inches off and otherwise I have found it to be perfect, and I’ll take 3 inches of “safety grace” to be honest.

 

[peacenow0]

I agree with hydbob. I find that Smooth mode can push me back into the seat with no problem. It's true I do have to get a little deeper into the throttle, but I see that as a fair tradeoff to make it easier to accelerate smoothly when I don't want to call passengers' attention to my habitual heavy foot. (Unless you've been driving Tesla Plaids or Bugatti Veyrons of late, I don't know what your frame of reference would be to conclude you don't get "decent normal pickup" from an Air Dream in Smooth mode. It will still blow away 95% of cars on the road at a stoplight if you're so inclined.)

I think you were misinformed about the driving mode being saved to your profile. I was told the car defaulted to Smooth mode at startup. As Smooth mode is the one that delivers longest range, I suspect Lucid didn't want someone to start a trip forgetting they were in a less-efficient mode and not realize it until they saw remaining range drop more than they had anticipated.

When I get into the car and have to buckle a seat belt, put on my sunglasses, park my phone, and close the garage door (all things I have to do in all my cars when getting underway), a quick tap to Swift mode on a very large icon is no big deal if I'm in the mood for more spirited driving.

Ahhhh…. I think you have solved my dissatisfaction with the pick up. I didn’t drive the Plaid but I had the Tesla 100D. They are probably quite similar. In fact, the car before my 100D was the Tesla P90D and its pickup was the same as the 100D. I’m so not a car enthusiast so I miss some of the logic behind what’s going on. Thanks!

 

[SaratogaLefty]

I agree Homelink sometimes needs two taps when leaving. I have had zero issues with geo though, that has worked perfectly every time.

Very interesting re: parking sensors. I measured mine and it’s 3 inches off and otherwise I have found it to be perfect, and I’ll take 3 inches of “safety grace” to be honest.

Have you tried your sensors since you had the car wrapped? Did OC cut holes for the sensors? I know Hydbob said he was going to check the sensors after his car is wrapped but haven't seen anything on this subject from him??

 

[hydbob]

Have you tried your sensors since you had the car wrapped? Did OC cut holes for the sensors? I know Hydbob said he was going to check the sensors after his car is wrapped but haven't seen anything on this subject from him??

That's because my sensors are depressed so there is an air gap between the wrap and the sensor. I'm taking it back next week to have them cut out with a sensor circle put over the actual sensor bit. Will report back after that's done.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

That's because my sensors are depressed so there is an air gap between the wrap and the sensor. I'm taking it back next week to have them cut out with a sensor circle put over the actual sensor bit. Will report back after that's done.

Yeah you said that before. But I thought you were going to test them before they cut the holes to see if it really needed to be done? You mentioned you had taken measurements in your garage and you would be able to tell if you really needed to have the holes cut out.

 

[borski]

That's because my sensors are depressed so there is an air gap between the wrap and the sensor. I'm taking it back next week to have them cut out with a sensor circle put over the actual sensor bit. Will report back after that's done.

Yeah they cut out holes for them. (Perfectly, I might add)

Sensors work great, post PPF, and are 3 inches off (reads 12in when actually 15in, for example). I’m totally fine with that.

 

[hydbob]

Yeah you said that before. But I thought you were going to test them before they cut the holes to see if it really needed to be done? You mentioned you had taken measurements in your garage and you would be able to tell if you really needed to have the holes cut out.

Oh yea, I will, it's probably one of my sensors is slightly more depressed than the others, so it's throwing sensor errors right now.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I agree with hydbob. I find that Smooth mode can push me back into the seat with no problem. It's true I do have to get a little deeper into the throttle, but I see that as a fair tradeoff to make it easier to accelerate smoothly when I don't want to call passengers' attention to my habitual heavy foot. (Unless you've been driving Tesla Plaids or Bugatti Veyrons of late, I don't know what your frame of reference would be to conclude you don't get "decent normal pickup" from an Air Dream in Smooth mode. It will still blow away 95% of cars on the road at a stoplight if you're so inclined.)

I think you were misinformed about the driving mode being saved to your profile. I was told the car defaulted to Smooth mode at startup. As Smooth mode is the one that delivers longest range, I suspect Lucid didn't want someone to start a trip forgetting they were in a less-efficient mode and not realize it until they saw remaining range drop more than they had anticipated.

When I get into the car and have to buckle a seat belt, put on my sunglasses, park my phone, and close the garage door (all things I have to do in all my cars when getting underway), a quick tap to Swift mode on a very large icon is no big deal if I'm in the mood for more spirited driving.

I believe that DOT tests the cars in default configuration. So the range estimate is based on smooth, not swift. If it didn't default to smooth, the range computation would probably be less. That is one of the reasons that the official range is rarely achieved by anyone driving rapidly.

 

[JayZee#293]

I have had my Lucid Air Dream edition for 2 weeks - here are my initial observations

+
the build quality is very good and I like the exterior design very much (everyone comments about it very positively)
the Lucid drives and handles very nicely
the fit and finish of the interior is very nice and the use of materials is very refreshing
the shape of the dash is very nice (although the shape might hinder functionality)
the steering wheel is particularly nice in its feel and design (except for the right volume control knob which you have to keep moving up or down - it doesn’t fully rotate) and the flat bottom is hefty in a very good way
the front headlights provide excellent visibility (but you see 4 “black squares” in the upper part of the illumination which is annoying)

-
the A pillars are extremely think and because of the angle of the windshield create a large visibility problem
the sun visor is right in the middle of the windshield and greatly negates the visibility advantage of such a large piece of glass - it should either fold in 1/2 or be mounted on the side like the Tesla X
the front windshield also appears slightly distorted because of its steep rake and the reflections from the upper dash
the floor mats are too light in color and show dirt almost immediately
the key is too plasticky and light and is not befitting the car
the dash shows the range when you get in or out of the car but when you are driving it only shows the battery %
when you are stopped the car will often roll backwards - this is unacceptable - even if you press on the brake firmly to lock the brake this often lasts for only a second or so and the car will roll backwards
the wireless phone charger will fit an iphone 13 pro max only if it is not in a case
the passenger airbag warning light stays on all the time if no one is in the passenger seat - it is bright orange and basically at eye level as it is by the rear view mirror - this is extremely annoying at night
the multi speaker stereo system sounds slightly above average but once again certainly not befitting a car of this price
the interior of the door pull is plastic and not in keeping with the rest of the interior - it should be alcantara or another substantial and tactile material
when driving sometimes you have to depress the accelerator a lot for the car to get up to speed (it can be very laggy) - it makes you feel like the car is pulling a trailer
because the door is so large and the windshield so sloped it it hard to reach out and close the door upon entry - it could really use the Tesla X door closing mechanism

im going to address the software/infotainment in a subsequent post as I have a lot of comments - and very few of them are positive

I got 293 yesterday, this car has blown my mind. Amazing in so many respects I can overlook minor imperfections for now. Anybody putting out quality like this on their first run is bound to improve any and all “defects”. Yes I have my personal opinions too, and will express them when I have more time with the car.

***Dropping off for PPF and other items, here’s what I'm thinking:
1. Prep and Full car PPF
2. Tint front and rear side windows.
3. Clear xpel shield over windshield and back roof
4. Ceramic coat the PPF after applied
5. Ceramic coat any outside pieces other than sensors in front
6. Possible ceramic treat inside carpet and original floor mats which I replaced immediately with gray motor trend mats as suggested by hydbob

My terminology is a little off I’m sure. Am I forgetting anything on the protection front?