Another Bonkers Car Review

[hmp10]

"Portie with Dawn" posts some fairly even-handed reviews about the Lucid Air and other EVs and is usually spot on with her observations. But she recently posted a bizarre review comparing the interiors of the Mercedes EQS, the Tesla Model S, and the Lucid Air. In the review, she claimed that, with the front seat pushed all the way back, the Model S has more rear legroom than the Lucid Air. She needs to track down who sold her that bad batch of dope.

Here is a comment I posted back to her:

I remained so perplexed by your observations -- particularly regarding rear legroom when pushing the front seats all the way back -- that I took a tape measure this morning to measure some distances in our Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Dream. With the front seat pushed all the way back, the bottom of the Model S front seat was 25" from the front firewall (measured 6" above the floor). The same measurement in the Lucid Air showed 27.5" to the firewall.

Then, with the front seats of both cars still pushed all the way back, I measured the distance from the rear bottom of the front seats (thus removing the variable of seat back recline angles) to the bottom of the rear seats in both cars. The Tesla was a smidge under 10"; the Air was 15". Thus, totaling the front and rear legroom in each car shows the Air has 7.5" more cumulative legroom than the Model S. That may not sound like much, but this is difference in legroom between a Mercedes S-Class and a Mercedes Maybach, and such a difference is considerable in terms of interior space in a car.

Put another way, with the front seats pushed all the way back in both cars, the front passenger in a Lucid Air has 2.5" more legroom length than in a Model S at the same that the rear passenger in a Lucid Air has 5" more legroom length than in a Model S. These differences are hugely consequential to differences in rear passenger comfort. They don't make much difference in front seat comfort, as the feet of a six-footer can't reach the firewall in either car with the seats pushed fully back.

However, it does mean that a Lucid front seat passenger can bring the seat further forward than in a Model S without being able to touch the firewall, thus further increasing the legroom available to rear seat passengers in a Lucid. With the driver's seats of both cars set to my programmed driving positions, my measurements showed a passenger behind me in the Air has over 9" more legroom than in the Tesla. This is why our friends ask that we bring the Lucid to pick them up.

 

[Lucken]

I think she was also emphasizing the high rear floor dimensions with the larger battery, resulting in a propped up leg position. This was discussed endlessly on the forum and most agreed it could be an issue.

 

[hmp10]

I think she was also emphasizing the high rear floor dimensions with the larger battery, resulting in a propped up leg position. This was discussed endlessly on the forum and most agreed it could be an issue.

She did bring that up, too, and I am one of the ones who was disappointed that Lucid was not able to place those battery modules somewhere else. However, the floorboard in our Model S is just as high as in the Air relative to the rear seat bottom cushion. And the fact that you can push your feet more forward in the Air means that the knee bend angle is a little less extreme in the Air. The only way this reviewer could have concluded the Tesla is roomier is that she is so extremely short that she was unable to touch the floorboard or front seat in either car and just made her assessment based on a casual visual impression. I am 5'7" and my knees hit the Tesla front seat when it is run all the way back. My knees are still inches away when the Air front seat is pushed all the way back.

My disappointment in the Air's legroom derived largely from arriving at Lucid showrooms already highly focused on checking out the rear seating position, as that was a particular bug-a-boo with the 2015 Model S we had at the time. Consequently, I had a strong reaction to not finding the rear seat on a par with that of a large German sedan as Lucid had advertised, due solely to the floorboard height.

Now that we have both cars, however, I really do understand that, the high floorboard not withstanding, the Air really is a vast improvement on even the updated Model S in terms of rear seat comfort. As we have taken friends for rides in the car, I've made a point of not asking them about their reactions to the rear seat in order to see if they volunteer anything. To a person, everyone who has ridden back there has brought up how spacious it is. (Several have also commented on how easy it is to crack your noggin' getting in and out.)

 

[PhotoEye]

The high rear floor will definitely be an issue for my 6'4" friends, who I accommodated easily in my Lexus LS460L. I am 6'2" and could not envision anything longer than a short trip into town with them.

But, I don't plan on riding in the rear very often. Pretty much planning to treat my DE more like a coupe.

 

[hmp10]

The high rear floor will definitely be an issue for my 6'4" friends, who I accommodated easily in my Lexus LS460L. I am 6'2" and could not envision anything longer than a short trip into town with them.

Zak Edson, Lucid's VP of Sales & Marketing, is 6'6". At the Miami Design Studio, he set the front seat to his normal driving position and then got into the backseat behind it. Although his knees were jacked up a bit, his knees were a couple of inches shy of hitting the front seat.

The 6'5" editor of "Throttle House" reviews also sat in the backseat of a Lucid Air and found it could accommodate him well enough. Doing the same thing in a Mercedes EQS (which is over 3" taller than the Air), he had to bend his head so far down that he could not look straight ahead.

But, I don't plan on riding in the rear very often. Pretty much planning to treat my DE more like a coupe.

That's what we ending up doing with both our Teslas, even though the Plaid has a notably better back seat than the 2015 Model S we had. It was to escape this situation that we ordered a Lucid Air.

While I still pine for the deeper footwells that will come with the smaller battery pack in the Air (but wouldn't trade away the power to get it), all our friends thus far have said they would have no problem spending considerable time in the back seat. I've done it a few times myself and, short as I am, found it perfectly fine. I would sometimes ride in the backseat of the Tesla so that a taller friend could have the front seat, and I hated every minute of it.

 

[PhotoEye]

Zak Edson, Lucid's VP of Sales & Marketing, is 6'6". At the Miami Design Studio, he set the front seat to his normal driving position and then got into the backseat behind it. Although his knees were jacked up a bit, his knees were a couple of inches shy of hitting the front seat.

The 6'5" editor of "Throttle House" reviews also sat in the backseat of a Lucid Air and found it could accommodate him well enough. Doing the same thing in a Mercedes EQS (which is over 3" taller than the Air), he had to bend his head so far down that he could not look straight ahead.




That's what we ending up doing with both our Teslas, even though the Plaid has a notably better back seat than the 2015 Model S we had. It was to escape this situation that we ordered a Lucid Air.

While I still pine for the deeper footwells that will come with the smaller battery pack in the Air (but wouldn't trade away the power to get it), all our friends thus far have said they would have no problem spending considerable time in the back seat. I've done it a few times myself and, short as I am, found it perfectly fine. I would sometimes ride in the backseat of the Tesla so that a taller friend could have the front seat, and I hated every minute of it.

I understand, agree, and accept all of the above. Just referencing my experience with the rear of the LS460L. I've slept back there a couple of times!

 

[hydbob]

"Portie with Dawn" posts some fairly even-handed reviews about the Lucid Air and other EVs and is usually spot on with her observations. But she recently posted a bizarre review comparing the interiors of the Mercedes EQS, the Tesla Model S, and the Lucid Air. In the review, she claimed that, with the front seat pushed all the way back, the Model S has more rear legroom than the Lucid Air. She needs to track down who sold her that bad batch of dope.

Here is a comment I posted back to her:

I remained so perplexed by your observations -- particularly regarding rear legroom when pushing the front seats all the way back -- that I took a tape measure this morning to measure some distances in our Model S Plaid and Lucid Air Dream. With the front seat pushed all the way back, the bottom of the Model S front seat was 25" from the front firewall (measured 6" above the floor). The same measurement in the Lucid Air showed 27.5" to the firewall.

Then, with the front seats of both cars still pushed all the way back, I measured the distance from the rear bottom of the front seats (thus removing the variable of seat back recline angles) to the bottom of the rear seats in both cars. The Tesla was a smidge under 10"; the Air was 15". Thus, totaling the front and rear legroom in each car shows the Air has 7.5" more cumulative legroom than the Model S. That may not sound like much, but this is difference in legroom between a Mercedes S-Class and a Mercedes Maybach, and such a difference is considerable in terms of interior space in a car.

Put another way, with the front seats pushed all the way back in both cars, the front passenger in a Lucid Air has 2.5" more legroom length than in a Model S at the same that the rear passenger in a Lucid Air has 5" more legroom length than in a Model S. These differences are hugely consequential to differences in rear passenger comfort. They don't make much difference in front seat comfort, as the feet of a six-footer can't reach the firewall in either car with the seats pushed fully back.

However, it does mean that a Lucid front seat passenger can bring the seat further forward than in a Model S without being able to touch the firewall, thus further increasing the legroom available to rear seat passengers in a Lucid. With the driver's seats of both cars set to my programmed driving positions, my measurements showed a passenger behind me in the Air has over 9" more legroom than in the Tesla. This is why our friends ask that we bring the Lucid to pick them up.

I reached out to her after taking delivery of my car to help get her views on her channel as I found her reviews to be pretty objective. She politely declined and said she would wait for an official test drive.

 

[hmp10]

Just referencing my experience with the rear of the LS460L.

True that. One of the few things that has irritated me about Lucid marketing was all the talk about the Air's rear seat being on par with large ICE sedans while eliminating all mention that this was the case only with the smaller battery pack. (In fact, Lucid marketing materials still sometimes banner the Dream Edition specs accompanied by a picture of the smaller battery pack which the Dream does not have.) While the larger battery pack still leaves the rear seat far more usable than a Tesla's, it falls well short of what you'd get in a full-size Lexus, MB, BMW, or Audi.

I have tried out the rear seat with the smaller battery pack at the West Palm Beach Design Studio. Now that rear seat really was a match for my personal favorite rear seat: a BMW 7 Series.

 

[hmp10]

I reached out to her after taking delivery of my car to help get her views on her channel as I found her reviews to be pretty objective. She politely declined and said she would wait for an official test drive.

What do you think happened with this review? I can't figure out how she concluded that the Tesla rear seat is more accommodating than the Air's.

 

[hydbob]

What do you think happened with this review? I can't figure out how she concluded that the Tesla rear seat is more accommodating than the Air's.

After watching SOOOO many reviews, I truly feel that people are purposefully tempering their reviews of the Lucid for fear of backlash. You are really in a unique position to directly compare the top 2 BEV sedans along with historical experience of other large sedans. Most reviewers just don't have the same experience or time, because they just can't do it or won't. Honestly, the best thing would be for one of your friends to buy an EQS AMG so you could compare all 3.

Also, she's like 5'1" so...leg room is really not that big an issue for her.

 

[manitou202]

All the social media around Lucid is crazy right now. Partly because it's a hot stock, and partly because of the competition with Tesla Fan Boys.

The amount of fake Lucid news in my twitter feed is insane. "Lucid is partnering with Apple", "Lucid delivered 577 vehicles", "Lucid's battery is bigger than they claim", "Lucid hasn't delivered any vehicles yet".......blah blah blah.