A few questions

victoryroad

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2022 Lucid Air GT
New here and not an owner. Hope to get answers from forum members to a few questions.

Love the design, quality, efficiency, and range relative to Tesla or others. The Air Grand Touring checks most of the boxes for me and the MT article is very helpful and persuasive, but a few simple questions to which I cannot find answers on the company site or through a search:

How do the safety ratings compare to Tesla S? Will it have sentry and dog modes? Do the rear seats fold down? What is the 60-0 stopping distance? Is the window glass dual pane? How does its version of current driver assistance compare to Tesla's Autopilot? The site says a "few years" for full self-driving capability, but what does Lucid's version offer now, i.e. self-parking, for example? Will Lucid offer remote service and loaner cars in the event of a lengthy repair? Seems like windshield replacement could be a major production in the event of a rock chip or worse. No fold-down rear seats and stopping distance greater than Tesla S are deal breakers for me.

In Boston, so no design studios nearby as far as I know. Hope that will change soon. The deposit means little until I actually see the vehicle. Very patient and prefer to buy after models have been in use for a year or so to work out any obvious problems. Have owned and tracked recent Porsche Turbo S from the factory, Panamera GTS's, Audi A8's, BMW 650 convertible, etc. but my next vehicle will definitely be an EV. I do not want a car that attracts unwanted attention like the cars mentioned. Just want a safe, comfortable, reliable, and zen driving experience. Not a stoplight racer and do not speed on public roads, but do appreciate dynamic capabilities and long-range cruising comfort, so seat comfort is essential and cabin noise must be relatively low. The suspension gets good reviews from MT, but steel coil springs and adjustable dampers may not be optimal for cruising, although time will tell. The final question is Lucid's access to capital to scale and maintain good service and spare parts availability.
 
Hi @victoryroad, I’m a fellow Bostonian with an AGT on order. I’m sure it’ll do great over the numerous potholes here in our fair Commonwealth.

I don’t think the Lucid has been crash-tested officially yet but Motortrend did a review of the AGT with braking 60 to 0 of 115 ft.

@hmp10 knows a bit more about the glass than I do. @hydbob has posted on the ownership experience. I think he’s posted a picture with the seats folded down. Unfortunately, most ADAS functions are inoperable waiting for a software update. I think their ADAS is an off-the-shelf version from Continental. It’s too early to tell how good it’ll be when all the software works.

Boston should be getting a Lucid Studio in the Seaport district in Q1 of 2022. The only New England Lucid I’ve heard of is located somewhere in CT.
 
How do the safety ratings compare to Tesla S?

No official data yet like NHTSA or IIHS

Will it have sentry and dog modes?

Has something similar to dog mode where it keeps cabin temp for 45 minutes. Sentry mode in the works, but won't be out this year supposedly.

Do the rear seats fold down?

Yes in a 60/40 split.

What is the 60-0 stopping distance?

No idea, but this is one of the best braking cars I've driven given its weight, but that's just anecdotal.


Is the window glass dual pane?

No, NVH is louder than dual pane cars, but IMHO, it's close.

How does its version of current driver assistance compare to Tesla's Autopilot? The site says a "few years" for full self-driving capability, but what does Lucid's version offer now, i.e. self-parking, for example?

DreamDrive is not totally active yet. Will report back after next OTA update which should enable all the level 1 and 2 stuff. It does have auto park now, haven't tested yet. A little scared to, maybe I will soon and take a video. After using Tesla full self drive, I never want it on. Hopefully the LIDAR will help Lucid do better.

Will Lucid offer remote service and loaner cars in the event of a lengthy repair?

Right now they don't have loaners but will comp you a rental for a lengthy repair. Mobile service is great and they will valet your car to and from service center if need be.

Seems like windshield replacement could be a major production in the event of a rock chip or worse.

Yes, was told the windshield was larger than Model X, and getting it replaced right now would be tough. But it's so dang nice.

I do not want a car that attracts unwanted attention like the cars mentioned.

Everyone is looking at my car now, I've been follower and have had my picture taken more times that I can count. But it's because it's new and the first one in my area.

Just want a safe, comfortable, reliable, and zen driving experience. Not a stoplight racer and do not speed on public roads, but do appreciate dynamic capabilities and long-range cruising comfort, so seat comfort is essential and cabin noise must be relatively low. The suspension gets good reviews from MT, but steel coil springs and adjustable dampers may not be optimal for cruising, although time will tell.

The car is sublime to drive. BUT, only if you like a car where you can feel the road and want to be connected and have responsive drive. Its all a personal choice, but the steel coils and chassis setup and driver feedback is wonderful. It's very comfortable and definitely a GT. The difference between smooth and sprint is quite noticeable, so it's definitely a plus to be able to get GT comfort when needed and also being able to get sports car handling when wanted.

The final question is Lucid's access to capital to scale and maintain good service and spare parts availability.

Only time will tell on this. Part of the reason I decided to move forward was their access to capital, PIF so I wasn't worried about the company going under.
 
Great response hydbob. After reading your answers I have a question:

* You mention that car is sublime to drive, "BUT, only if you like a car where you can feel the road and want to be connected and have responsive drive". When reviewers write something like that it often means the ride is quite firm as opposed to 'forgiving' over rough roads where a more compliant ride would soften road irregularities. I found my Jaguar I-Pace was like that. Sure it was connected with the road, but I found the ride rather uncomfortable over less than perfect roads...and in N.Y. we've got more than a few of those. ;) So can the ride be softened if you want it that way with the proper settings?

* Be careful with auto park. I tried it once with my Tesla and it managed to scrape my right rear wheel. That was the last time I ever used it. The version of self-driving in my MS was scary enough that it was another feature I seldom used.
 
How does its version of current driver assistance compare to Tesla's Autopilot?

Tesla has de-contented its Autopilot and moved some of its features into the FSD suite, apparently hoping to get more people to pay the $10,000 option fee. Currently, Autopilot is little more than lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control -- pretty much the same features that came standard on my 2018 Honda Odyssey.

Is the window glass dual pane?

It depends on what you mean by dual pane. Lucid's website says the windows are laminated, which means two panes sandwiched around a plastic membrane. However, they are not dual panes separated by a gas space, such as in some Mercedes and BMW cars. Lucid's original plans to use acoustic glass were abandoned, reportedly when their NVH numbers came in below the Mercedes S Class numbers they were targeting.

The suspension gets good reviews from MT, but steel coil springs and adjustable dampers may not be optimal for cruising, although time will tell.

Air suspensions have some downsides. Besides more mechanical complexity (and higher failure risk), they experience hysteresis lag which slows their response to pavement or handling inputs. When engineered correctly, coil suspensions can provide comfort on a par with air springs while offering more handling precision. The only thing coils can't match air springs on is ride height adjustment.

(A major truck fleet management company commissioned a study on air springs vs. coil springs. It found that coil springs responded more quickly to changes in road surface and, perhaps counterintuitively, that there was less freight damage with coil springs.)

Peter Rawlinson, Lucid's CEO, was chief engineer at Jaguar and head of advanced engineering at Lotus, two companies renowned for suspension engineering. I have a feeling he knew what he was doing in putting coils under the Air.

The final question is Lucid's access to capital to scale and maintain good service and spare parts availability.

Lucid has the cash on hand to finance all its operational needs through 2022. Its stock issuance contained provisions for future capital raises if needed to augment revenues as production volume builds. Nothing is ever guaranteed in this arena, but Lucid is on a far sounder financial footing at this stage of its evolution than Tesla was at a similar point.
 
Great response hydbob. After reading your answers I have a question:

* You mention that car is sublime to drive, "BUT, only if you like a car where you can feel the road and want to be connected and have responsive drive". When reviewers write something like that it often means the ride is quite firm as opposed to 'forgiving' over rough roads where a more compliant ride would soften road irregularities. I found my Jaguar I-Pace was like that. Sure it was connected with the road, but I found the ride rather uncomfortable over less than perfect roads...and in N.Y. we've got more than a few of those. ;) So can the ride be softened if you want it that way with the proper settings?

* Be careful with auto park. I tried it once with my Tesla and it managed to scrape my right rear wheel. That was the last time I ever used it. The version of self-driving in my MS was scary enough that it was another feature I seldom used.
The ride is not stiff at all. Smooth setting will get you a ride similar to a Lexus GS, Sprint will get you something similar to a Porsche Cayman with Swift somewhere between. Best comp I can think of right now.
 
Thank you for your replies. Very helpful, especially the comment about Tesla de-contenting autopilot.

I had dual pane glass in my Panamera GTS and Audi A8 and Tesla now has it. There is a noticeable difference in cabin noise with dual pane glass in those cars and I trust that the AGT has tolerable cabin noise at normal highway cruise speeds. If I got 19's it would not be a concern, but 21's are a different matter and I want 21's.

I missed the 115' 60-0 stopping number in the MT review. Not great, but it is a ~5000 lb vehicle.

Forgot to ask but is there a feature to deactivate the interior motion detector, which I assume that Lucid has, when the car is locked? I had it in my 991 Turbo S and now my Audi, which allows me to leave my dog in the locked car. Also, I need dog mode for more than 45 minutes in the warm weather, so maybe there will be a way to program that feature for a longer interval than 45 minutes.

Sounds like the AGT driving modes cover the range of suspension damper settings that would be quite livable. Aside from his engineering expertise, Mr. Rawlinson has attended to every other aspect of the build from dynamic to aesthetic and quality perspectives.

Thanks for the photos of the rear seats folded down. A bit disappointing that they do not lie flatter, but not a deal-breaker for me.

My assumption on mobile service is that Lucid will assiduously attend to owner service requests.

Finally, too bad the website is not more illuminating on many of the questions that I posed. I trust that Lucid has gotten that feedback from many to date and will reply with more content.
 
Unsure about the interior detector option, didn't see it anywhere as an option.

The NVH to my ears, is slightly quieter than our previous Porsche Cayenne S both in the rear and front seats. But NVH is so subjective due to the different fequencies.
 
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