Air Touring 1 month review

[drmaverick]

After having driven my Touring now for about a month, I figured it was time to share my experiences, especially the negative ones in case someone has found out a solution or work around to the issue.

The positives first -

• This is probably the best driving car I have ever owned, Period! The ride and handling is exceptional. It’s not quite in the class of the Taycan GTS or even the 4S but it’s pretty darn good.
• Noise levels are soooo much better compared to my Tesla Model X. I can actually hear myself think..hehe.
• The fit and finish is excellent, no annoying rattles or squeaks yet though it’s only about a 1000 miles in .
• The seats are supremely comfortable, I have lower back issues and I haven’t noticed any worsening at least on moderate distances. It is fairly low to the ground and entry/egress can be challenge, especially if you’re taller, but I have gotten used to it. Unfortunately I do have to twist quite a bit to get in but that’s really not the car’s fault, I knew this going in. It’s still better than the Taycan and even the Taycan Cross Turismo , probably the Model S as well, but adaptive suspension might make it even better.
• Love having physical buttons for temp. and vol. control. Capacitive buttons for these should be out lawed!

I have long since realized that no car is perfect and this one too has it’s fair share of shortcomings. Fortunately some of these might be amenable to OTA updates, or at least I hope they would be.

• The mobile key is a joke, and only works about half the time. This is even more annoying in the face of inclement weather where you are left standing like an idiot waiting for the mobile key to be recognized. One work around to this I discovered quite by accident is to launch the app or widget before heading to the car door. Or just use the physical key but that kind of defeats the purpose.
• The software interface is a major let down, at least for me coming from a Tesla; aside from the convenience of having Carplay, the interface leaves much to be desired. The menus are strangely disconnected and I am still experiencing major lags especially on the music player, especially with Bluetooth and Sirius. More often than not, the car fails to recognize my phone and Sirius sometimes just doesn’t work. I have experienced lags with CarPlay as well though not quite as much as I thought I would.
• Although the 2 screens are 5K OLED and of very high quality, I really wish there was a way to split the screens to work independently. For eg I would love to be able to have my music interface on the bottom screen and maps on the top screen. Even if I was able to keep CarPlay on the top screen and navigation/maps on the bottom one, it would still beat whatever Lucid has going on here. It’s annoying and frustrating knowing that this really does seem like something that could be enabled with an OTA update.
• So far my mileage has been way off. I drive quite conservatively and so would have hoped for better economy but so far, that seems elusive.
• Dream drive pro is decent but Tesla’s autopilot is miles ahead. TBH I think BMW’s IDrive is the best I have used thus far.
• The base Surreal Sound system is weak. I was renting a Model 3 for a few months while I was waiting for this and although subjective, I personally found it way better. The sound was clearer and had a lot of depth and character. I expected much better from a $100000+ car.
• I don’t know if it’s me but the resolution on the camera’s is pretty bad, again I am comparing this to our 2020 Model X.
• This one really irked me and I am hoping someone has a solution; twice now the EA charging cable failed to dis engage after a charging session. No matter what I did it just wouldn’t budge. I somehow got it to release but am apprehensive of charging at EA anymore. Any ideas?
• Home-link refuses to link to my garage door opener. I have had no problems connecting it to Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Audi so it’s kinda annoying.

It seems like I have more negatives here than positives but I do genuinely love the car. It puts a smile on my face every time I get in it. Some of the gripes are hardware related and I doubt would change at least on the current generation Airs. Apparently the Gravity will have Interface 3.0 so fingers crossed some of the software changes make their way into the Air, although I only have the car for 18 months, so hoping I wont have to wait that long.

 

[borski]

The mobile key is a joke, and only works about half the time. This is even more annoying in the face of inclement weather where you are left standing like an idiot waiting for the mobile key to be recognized. One work around to this I discovered quite by accident is to launch the app or widget before heading to the car door. Or just use the physical key but that kind of defeats the purpose.

You don’t have to wake the car up, you just have to move your phone around. The phone puts Bluetooth into a sleep when it doesn’t sense movement, which is why it is almost always open by the time you’ve pulled out your phone. Literally shaking it in your pocket will do the same thing.

The software interface is a major let down, at least for me coming from a Tesla; aside from the convenience of having Carplay, the interface leaves much to be desired.

Taste is funny that way; I much prefer Lucid’s UX (from a design perspective) than Tesla’s word-heavy UX. But it might just take getting used to, either for me with Tesla or you with Lucid.

The menus are strangely disconnected and I am still experiencing major lags especially on the music player, especially with Bluetooth and Sirius. More often than not, the car fails to recognize my phone and Sirius sometimes just doesn’t work. I have experienced lags with CarPlay as well though not quite as much as I thought I would.

What do you mean by lags?

Although the 2 screens are 5K OLED and of very high quality, I really wish there was a way to split the screens to work independently. For eg I would love to be able to have my music interface on the bottom screen and maps on the top screen. Even if I was able to keep CarPlay on the top screen and navigation/maps on the bottom one, it would still beat whatever Lucid has going on here. It’s annoying and frustrating knowing that this really does seem like something that could be enabled with an OTA update.

Yes, this is on the wishlist and they’re definitely aware of the request.

 

[borski]

So far my mileage has been way off. I drive quite conservatively and so would have hoped for better economy but so far, that seems elusive.

Lots to read here about mileage - it will get better as you learn the car, and there are lots of settings you can tweak and techniques to obtain maximum efficiency - but fair warning, driving that way is boring.

Dream drive pro is decent but Tesla’s autopilot is miles ahead. TBH I think BMW’s IDrive is the best I have used thus far.

Autopilot isn’t bad. It’s FSD that scares the crap out of me. I actually really like Hyundai’s system.

I think Lucid’s is really good at what has been delivered so far, but needs more features, which it’ll certainly get over time.

The base Surreal Sound system is weak. I was renting a Model 3 for a few months while I was waiting for this and although subjective, I personally found it way better. The sound was clearer and had a lot of depth and character. I expected much better from a $100000+ car.

Can’t speak to this since I haven’t heard the base. But what SW version are you on? I do know they improved it significantly in a recent OTA.

I don’t know if it’s me but the resolution on the camera’s is pretty bad, again I am comparing this to our 2020 Model X.

Can you take a picture? I have not seen the same issue. They seem very high res to me.

This one really irked me and I am hoping someone has a solution; twice now the EA charging cable failed to dis engage after a charging session. No matter what I did it just wouldn’t budge. I somehow got it to release but am apprehensive of charging at EA anymore. Any ideas?

You need to unlock the car. This got me the first few times too. There is also a manual release in the frunk (it’s in the manual) but 99% you need to unlock the car, haha.

Home-link refuses to link to my garage door opener. I have had no problems connecting it to Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Audi so it’s kinda annoying.

What is the issue you’re having?

 

[Bad driver 20202]

After having driven my Touring now for about a month, I figured it was time to share my experiences, especially the negative ones in case someone has found out a solution or work around to the issue.

The positives first -

• This is probably the best driving car I have ever owned, Period! The ride and handling is exceptional. It’s not quite in the class of the Taycan GTS or even the 4S but it’s pretty darn good.
• Noise levels are soooo much better compared to my Tesla Model X. I can actually hear myself think..hehe.
• The fit and finish is excellent, no annoying rattles or squeaks yet though it’s only about a 1000 miles in .
• The seats are supremely comfortable, I have lower back issues and I haven’t noticed any worsening at least on moderate distances. It is fairly low to the ground and entry/egress can be challenge, especially if you’re taller, but I have gotten used to it. Unfortunately I do have to twist quite a bit to get in but that’s really not the car’s fault, I knew this going in. It’s still better than the Taycan and even the Taycan Cross Turismo , probably the Model S as well, but adaptive suspension might make it even better.
• Love having physical buttons for temp. and vol. control. Capacitive buttons for these should be out lawed!

I have long since realized that no car is perfect and this one too has it’s fair share of shortcomings. Fortunately some of these might be amenable to OTA updates, or at least I hope they would be.

• The mobile key is a joke, and only works about half the time. This is even more annoying in the face of inclement weather where you are left standing like an idiot waiting for the mobile key to be recognized. One work around to this I discovered quite by accident is to launch the app or widget before heading to the car door. Or just use the physical key but that kind of defeats the purpose.
• The software interface is a major let down, at least for me coming from a Tesla; aside from the convenience of having Carplay, the interface leaves much to be desired. The menus are strangely disconnected and I am still experiencing major lags especially on the music player, especially with Bluetooth and Sirius. More often than not, the car fails to recognize my phone and Sirius sometimes just doesn’t work. I have experienced lags with CarPlay as well though not quite as much as I thought I would.
• Although the 2 screens are 5K OLED and of very high quality, I really wish there was a way to split the screens to work independently. For eg I would love to be able to have my music interface on the bottom screen and maps on the top screen. Even if I was able to keep CarPlay on the top screen and navigation/maps on the bottom one, it would still beat whatever Lucid has going on here. It’s annoying and frustrating knowing that this really does seem like something that could be enabled with an OTA update.
• So far my mileage has been way off. I drive quite conservatively and so would have hoped for better economy but so far, that seems elusive.
• Dream drive pro is decent but Tesla’s autopilot is miles ahead. TBH I think BMW’s IDrive is the best I have used thus far.
• The base Surreal Sound system is weak. I was renting a Model 3 for a few months while I was waiting for this and although subjective, I personally found it way better. The sound was clearer and had a lot of depth and character. I expected much better from a $100000+ car.
• I don’t know if it’s me but the resolution on the camera’s is pretty bad, again I am comparing this to our 2020 Model X.
• This one really irked me and I am hoping someone has a solution; twice now the EA charging cable failed to dis engage after a charging session. No matter what I did it just wouldn’t budge. I somehow got it to release but am apprehensive of charging at EA anymore. Any ideas?
• Home-link refuses to link to my garage door opener. I have had no problems connecting it to Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Audi so it’s kinda annoying.

It seems like I have more negatives here than positives but I do genuinely love the car. It puts a smile on my face every time I get in it. Some of the gripes are hardware related and I doubt would change at least on the current generation Airs. Apparently the Gravity will have Interface 3.0 so fingers crossed some of the software changes make their way into the Air, although I only have the car for 18 months, so hoping I wont have to wait that long.

Welcome aboard & hope you enjoy & drive your Air in good health. I found your post fair & informative. I am not “blinded” by love for Lucid like some others are. I have owned 2 Lucid Air models. The Dream & the Stealth. Still have the stealth but it’s parked most of the time. I put over 25000 miles on my Dream and I would say that I was the first owner to hit that milestone. Had many issues with the car including everything you have listed. I was very close to few people at Lucid & tried very hard to get them to listen & get them to fix some of the problems but unfortunately NO ONE listened or cared. I have owned and still own other luxury EVs. I rate BMW i7 as more luxurious & with more comfortable ride. As you stated, Tesla MS has better software & Porsche Taycan & Audi Etron are better looking EVs. Lucid Dream & Stealth ARE NOT worth $170 K + but I am a sucker and paid for them as I had owned the other EVs & I wanted to drive them. Lucid is a nice SUB $100 K EV with some limitations. It is not appealing to younger generations and is designed for limited demographics. Enjoy your Air. Hopefully they continue building EVs & improve or fix the problems. I may trade in the stealth for Gravity when it comes out. Good luck. Pardon any typos as I didn’t proofread.

 

[hydbob]

Let's not start this up yet AGAIN. Thank you @drmaverick for your review.

 

[koflo]

Thank you for the review! As I’ve stated in the past, software, software, software!!! In a world with the EV leader in the market being so software driven, lucid isn’t ready for mass adoption.

 

[joec]

Thank you for the review! As I’ve stated in the past, software, software, software!!! In a world with the EV leader in the market being so software driven, lucid isn’t ready for mass adoption.

Not ready for mass adoption by software nerds who care more about watching Netflix than driving, sure.

And yes, that's a huge part of the current market. So they should aspire to grab those folks.

But the vast majority of auto sales right now are still going to ICE manufacturers. And at least a good chunk of those folks obviously don't care about fart sounds or autopilot. Otherwise, EV adoption would be a lot stronger than it is.

Appealing to those customers is anyone's game to win. Lucid's approach of appealing to people who like to drive is a solid one, since that's something the so-called "software leader" isn't going to get better at anytime soon.

Porsche is doing just fine with relatively tame tech in their cars.

But fair point. Lucid is still paying for some early poor decisions on the tech front. If they resolve that by year's end with Gravity, they'll be fine.

 

[hydbob]

Not ready for mass adoption by software nerds who care more about watching Netflix than driving, sure.

And yes, that's a huge part of the current market. So they should aspire to grab those folks.

But the vast majority of auto sales right now are still going to ICE manufacturers. And at least a good chunk of those folks obviously don't care about fart sounds or autopilot. Otherwise, EV adoption would be a lot stronger than it is.

Appealing to those customers is anyone's game to win. Lucid's approach of appealing to people who like to drive is a solid one, since that's something the so-called "software leader" isn't going to get better at anytime soon.

Porsche is doing just fine with relatively tame tech in their cars.

But fair point. Lucid is still paying for some early poor decisions on the tech front. If they resolve that by year's end with Gravity, they'll be fine.

This 100%. The Air was a proof of concept that Lucid has the chops to build a car that hang with the best of them. On the driving front, they have accomplished this goal.

 

[Steveinarizona]

This is probably the best driving car I have ever owned, Period! The ride and handling is exceptional. It’s not quite in the class of the Taycan GTS or even the 4S but it’s pretty darn good.

You are comparing it to much more expensive cars. Compare a grand touring to the Taycan.

 

[idiot900]

Agree in general with the review.

The screens are LCD (presumably with LED backlight) not OLED. Lucid's software sucks compared to a smartphone but it isn't awful by automotive standards IMHO.

If on 19" wheels, the tires are only 245 width and would have a handling impact compared to the wider tires that you can have on a Taycan. Would be curious of the opinions of someone who has pushed both Lucid on 21" wheels and a Taycan with the most similar tires.

 

[Bad driver 20202]

Let's not start this up yet AGAIN. Thank you @drmaverick for your review.

I understand you don’t want other people to post a different view than yours.

 

[idiot900]

You are comparing it to much more expensive cars. Compare a grand touring to the Taycan.

Would guess, all else equal, that the Touring handles *better* than a GT because of the the decreased weight.

 

[hydbob]

I understand you don’t want other people to post a different view than yours.

No I have no problem with that, it's just we've heard the same thing from you at least 2 other times. There's no need to repeat yourself in every single review thread.

 

[Lucken]

Agree in general with the review.

The screens are LCD (presumably with LED backlight) not OLED. Lucid's software sucks compared to a smartphone but it isn't awful by automotive standards IMHO.

If on 19" wheels, the tires are only 245 width and would have a handling impact compared to the wider tires that you can have on a Taycan. Would be curious of the opinions of someone who has pushed both Lucid on 21" wheels and a Taycan with the most similar tires.

I believe the 34” curved screen is actually OLED and not LCD (yes, they are actually 3 different screens, but still OLED). The large pilot panel is LCD.

 

[DeaneG]

@drmaverick, the Air's Homelink transceiver is mounted at the front of the car, near the "C" in LUCID. If you are having trouble getting your car to recognize an existing garage remote's signal, be sure to hold the remote near the "C" when teaching the car.

If it appears the car is learning the remote correctly, but the garage door opener isn't "learning" the car's homelink signal, position the car so that its front bumper is directly under the opener when teaching the opener. To safely do this, you'll want to disengage the opener from the garage door by using the door's emergency release.

I've had to use this method to teach a Model 3 and a Macan. Both cars have the Homelink transceiver near the front bumper.

 

[idiot900]

I believe the 34” curved screen is actually OLED and not LCD (yes, they are actually 3 different screens, but still OLED). The large pilot panel is LCD.

Interesting - thanks for the correction.

 

[drmaverick]

You don’t have to wake the car up, you just have to move your phone around. The phone puts Bluetooth into a sleep when it doesn’t sense movement, which is why it is almost always open by the time you’ve pulled out your phone. Literally shaking it in your pocket will do the same thing.


Taste is funny that way; I much prefer Lucid’s UX (from a design perspective) than Tesla’s word-heavy UX. But it might just take getting used to, either for me with Tesla or you with Lucid.


What do you mean by lags?


Yes, this is on the wishlist and they’re definitely aware of the request.

Thanks bruh, this is super helpful. I will give all of these a try today.

 

[borski]

I understand you don’t want other people to post a different view than yours.

None of us have any problem with @drmaverick review, because it was honest and candid. I also thought it was a great review.

The reason people have issue with your posts is because they are insulting and/or repetitive, not because they hold a different view.

This is your final warning. Keep insulting the mods and other users here, and you will get banned. Nobody is above the rules here, including the mods, and I absolutely do not care how close you are to anyone at Lucid.

You can have a different opinion without being insulting. If you can’t, then that is the problem. Now, let’s get back to discussing the review and the car, without the added benefit of insulting rhetoric.

Thanks and have a nice day.

 

[Bobby]

• Home-link refuses to link to my garage door opener. I have had no problems connecting it to Tesla, Mercedes, BMW and Audi so it’s kinda annoying.

I had a similar problem with mine originally. I went back and carefully read the directions where it says something like "make sure to use fresh batteries." I thought that there was no way that could be the problem, but I swapped out the battery in my garage remote and, voilà, it worked. Give it a whirl if you are still having issues.

 

[drmaverick]

Not ready for mass adoption by software nerds who care more about watching Netflix than driving, sure.

And yes, that's a huge part of the current market. So they should aspire to grab those folks.

But the vast majority of auto sales right now are still going to ICE manufacturers. And at least a good chunk of those folks obviously don't care about fart sounds or autopilot. Otherwise, EV adoption would be a lot stronger than it is.

Appealing to those customers is anyone's game to win. Lucid's approach of appealing to people who like to drive is a solid one, since that's something the so-called "software leader" isn't going to get better at anytime soon.

Porsche is doing just fine with relatively tame tech in their cars.

But fair point. Lucid is still paying for some early poor decisions on the tech front. If they resolve that by year's end with Gravity, they'll be fine.

I agree, there are way too many individuals who care more about farts and light shows than actual driving dynamics. I think what Porsche is doing with the Taycan (and hopefully the Macan EV due to be officially unveiled tomorrow !) is really smart. They know their customer base and tbh I would have gotten the GTA if I could afford it.

My issues with the software are more about just consistent results and intuitive interactions which I found missing compared to Tesla or even BMW. When I initiate an action I expect it to perform a certain action. If it doesn't generate the expected response or I have to dig through multiple menus to get there, it takes attention away from driving which is dangerous and counter productive. Also Apple CarPlay should be able to fill the bottom screen, especially if you're shorter like me and have to reach all the way forward to get to the top screen to initiate an action.