- Joined
- Sep 7, 2024
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 35
- Cars
- 2025 Lucid Air Pure
As I was making the one hour forty-five minute drive to the airport this morning to drop off my daughter for a flight, I passed the 6000 mile point, and it got me thinking about the car I was driving. I submit this review primarily for those considering the purchase, as I have enough time reading this site to know that anything but sweet music can elicit great defensiveness from some here. I will use the time-honored Naval Aviation approach to debriefing, and so will talk in terms of "goods" and "others.
I preface my review by stating some entering conditions. First, I was well aware that I was buying not only a new car, but a new kind of car from a new manufacturer. The competition was a new Mercedes EQE, and the Lucid range, horsepower, and frunk put me over the top. (Spoiler alert--the car has delivered on all three!) I was aware that there was no service reputation yet established and I was aware that the service location was two hours away (Tysons, I live on the Eastern Shore of MD and the nearest Mercedes dealer is an hour away). I leased the car because of my lack of confidence in the long-term viability of the manufacturer, and then bought a slug of stock to have some skin in the game.
I have Dream Drive Pro, the base sound system, massaging seats, and 19" wheels.
GOODS
I preface my review by stating some entering conditions. First, I was well aware that I was buying not only a new car, but a new kind of car from a new manufacturer. The competition was a new Mercedes EQE, and the Lucid range, horsepower, and frunk put me over the top. (Spoiler alert--the car has delivered on all three!) I was aware that there was no service reputation yet established and I was aware that the service location was two hours away (Tysons, I live on the Eastern Shore of MD and the nearest Mercedes dealer is an hour away). I leased the car because of my lack of confidence in the long-term viability of the manufacturer, and then bought a slug of stock to have some skin in the game.
I have Dream Drive Pro, the base sound system, massaging seats, and 19" wheels.
GOODS
- This is the single most comfortable automobile of any kind that I have ever owned. The seats are lux. Occasionally when charging away from home, I bring a laptop into the backseat. The room back there is incredible.
- This is the quietest automobile I've ever owned or driven. I chose the Pure because I had too much motor noise from the forward motor of the next model up. Road noise is minimal.
- This is the fastest car I've owned or driven, and I have taken it out of "Smooth" exactly twice. Not much of a speed demon, but the dependable power is wonderful.
- Having never owned an EV before this, I have nothing to compare (like v like) its range to. What I WILL compare my view (today) to is the "anxiety" I had when I decided to purchase an EV.
- I have the LUCID charger attached to the side of my house and of the 1275 or so KW hours I've charged since taking delivery Sep 13, 75% have been from my home charger.
- I simply do not have "range anxiety" anymore given the game changing nature of the home charger and the limited number of "road trips" I have/will take. I maintain the charge between 30 and 80%, and only charge to 100% when facing a journey in excess of 200 miles.
- It is very difficult to conceive of ever buying another internal combustion engine automobile.
- It is a beautiful piece of machinery. I used to drive a Jag F-Type convertible that got a lot of looks (beside mine). This gets at least as many.
- The trunk and frunk are unbeatable. So much room. I rarely use it, but I covet it nevertheless.
- I rarely use the massage function, but my wife and two daughters immediately activate it when they are my passengers.
- Seat heating and steering wheel heating are superb.
- I am fascinated, intrigued, and grateful for the ability of this car to be upgraded "Over the Air". The upgrade to DDP was notable, as was the improvement of the sound system.
- DDP is average at best. I am glad I bought it, as I have hope for the future. But as of now, it is incredibly inconsistent, When it is working well, it is (again) an average feature. The mechanical tumbler for clunky (same for the volume control tumbler), and I am surprised at the amount of time on a three lane highway between Annapolis and Washington that HA is unavailable. The recent "Out of Spec" video review of DDP is spot on.
- I've raised this issue here before, and I find the whole "what do you need DDP for, just drive the car" answer unsatisfying. I spent real money for capability, and I wish for that capability to be realized.
- Mirror and wheel adjustments are done on the pilot panel. Yes, I understand "set it up and don't change it". But I have had occasion to manipulate both, and mechanical means would be nice.
- I would like to be able to see the percentage charge remaining on the glass cockpit. This is available in the detailed directions on the pilot panel.
- Fast Charging is disappointing. As indicated above, a quarter of my charging has been done (exclusively) at the (one year free) EA "super chargers". Between station imposed limits and car-imposed (curve) limits, the very best I've gotten out of a "350 KW" is 210 KW.
- I have replaced "Range Anxiety" with "Service Anxiety"
- I live 90.2 miles from my nearest Service Location (Tysons). I knew this when I bought the car. I saw it as a potential source of anxiety then, but a low level one as I figured I'd see it again in a year for the annual service.
- This anxiety has been driven by two problems.
- Frunk tolerances out of spec causing trim to be displaced above the passenger headlight when opened.
- Recurring failure of the wiper system and the high beam assist function.
- I noticed the former within a week of taking delivery (late September) and because of a good deal of travel/inability to pin down a mutually agreeable service window, I simply didn't use the Frunk for a while.
- When I took it in to be repaired (after being turned down for mobile repair), I was told that I'd need to leave the car and there were no loaners available. I should have nailed this down before making the two hour trip, but after discussing with the service manager (and in the colder weather, the disappearance of the issue), a mobile repair was scheduled for 23 December.
- On 20 Dec I got a call informing me that "due to the end of the quarter", my 23 December mobile service would have to be postponed. Because of early Jan business travel, it is now scheduled for 13 December. I was instantly confused by the "due to the end of the quarter" explanation, but didn't fight it.
- The latter issue is of concern and is the primary driver of "Service Anxiety".
- The first time it occurred (Wiper Failure, Contact Customer Care) notice (a month into ownership). I sat in my driveway and worked with customer care over the phone. It was a very positive experience--but it did not resolve the problem. We did a soft boot, then (at the technician's direction), the much bally-hooed "two button" boot, and it did not resolve the problem. I was told to make a service appointment, which struck me as a suboptimal solution as I
- Live two hours away and
- Cannot be sure that the date of said service would not be a rainy day.
- So, I shut things down to think about it. An hour or so later, I went out to the car to run an errand and the warning had disappeared. But the seed of doubt was planted.
- Since then the warning has reappeared several times, each time in concert with the "high beam assist" failure warning. They come as a pair.
- The problem reappeared this morning on the way home from the airport. Nice weather, so no biggie.
- I pulled over, exited the car and walked away (including deactivating my Android App), and then returned to the car and fired it up. Problem remained.
- After an hour of driving, pulled into the grocery store lot for some vittles, was in there for fifteen minutes max, and both problems were gone when I returned.
- Since then the warning has reappeared several times, each time in concert with the "high beam assist" failure warning. They come as a pair.
- I have since called Tysons Service (left a message) to request the mobile team on 13 January ALSO work on the wiper/high beam problem.
- None of this would be an issue if I had bought your average car from your average local dealer. But I didn't do that.
- So I have wipers and lights driven by software that likely needs massaging from a location two hours from me that appears not to have loaner vehicles. The NATURE of the problem, wipers, makes the scheduling/pulling off of a service call dicey--hence the desire for the mobile call.
- The first time it occurred (Wiper Failure, Contact Customer Care) notice (a month into ownership). I sat in my driveway and worked with customer care over the phone. It was a very positive experience--but it did not resolve the problem. We did a soft boot, then (at the technician's direction), the much bally-hooed "two button" boot, and it did not resolve the problem. I was told to make a service appointment, which struck me as a suboptimal solution as I
- This anxiety has been driven by two problems.
- I live 90.2 miles from my nearest Service Location (Tysons). I knew this when I bought the car. I saw it as a potential source of anxiety then, but a low level one as I figured I'd see it again in a year for the annual service.
