C8 or Lucid Air - time to decide

[JillyBean]

New C8 Z06 are going 100K over sticker. I expect mine which I got at msrp to be here in spring.

 

[Gullotta]

Congrats! Beautiful car!

 

[MoniputerLM]

 

[Team Geezer]

View attachment 6692

So how did I know it would be Red Mist Metallic?

 

[noobzilla]

I've always liked the sporty looks of Corvette. Would you get it in EV if that was available? Or combine the Lucid and C8 you get the new Tesla Roadster

 

[victoryroad]

I respect anyone's choice of car but I cannot find any similarities between a C8 to an AGT except perhaps that both can be polarizing. If the OP is conflicted perhaps he should get both. Maybe the Tesla Roadster suggested above, if it ever is produced would solve the OP's dilemma.

 

[MoniputerLM]

Totally different cars and driving experiences, other than my DE-P is just as fast as my Z51 C8!

 

[hmp10]

Obviously your Corvette was not a C8. Comparisons to the Lucid are ridiculous on too many counts.

Dang! I was really trying not to say apples and oranges. But Lucid has a few deliveries to go before it earns any real street cred.

I was not comparing the two cars in the sense of saying the C8 is equivalent to the Air. What I meant in terms of providing a different "vibe" was that , unless you are putting either car on a race track, they will both provide ripping acceleration and all the handling finesse you can use on public roads. The subjective feel will be very different (thus "vibe"), but the objective performance numbers will be similar.

This was what I experienced when I traded my 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder for my first Tesla (a Model S P90D). Although they were very different cars in terms of driving feel, they were eerily comparable in objective performance ability. In fact, the Tesla was a bit quicker than the Audi and, although the Tesla gave up something in ultimate cornering grip (due largely to tire size differences), its lower center of gravity made up for that in any maneuvers I could attempt on public roads.

 

[Bill55]

I assume you mean the C8 corvette: The C8 is a totally different car - it’s a two seater sports car. The Air is a luxury sedan that has the capability to drive like a sports car when you want it to or a luxury sedan when you want that option. The C8 is the third car that you drive occasionally because of its limited utility. The Air is a great daily driver with loads of functionality. The C8 is a gas guzzler - with loud exhaust - the air is relatively silent. The air is probably quicker if acceleration is your thing and drives great in twisty corners but I don’t think it will do as much on the skid pad as a C8 and if you want to race the car the C8 is the more logical choice: For me I would never buy a C8 because of its limited functionality. I don’t know what your other cars are and that could be a factor also. You won’t be disappointed in the driving experience of the air unless your looking for a true high performance sports car that you want to push to the limits.

I drove a C7 Z06 as a daily driver for about a year and a half. With the magnetic suspension and San Diego weather it was a lot of fun. On road trips the engine is practically at idle in 7th gear at 90. With 285s up front and 335s in the back there was a lot of tire noise. The acceleration in Lucid will make you laugh even more so than the C8. Comparing braking and handling, just like noise, there is a clear winner.

 

[Team Geezer]

View attachment 6692

Back at ya! Gone but far from forgotten.

 

[limtless]

I know a bunch of you guys have experience with both. I put a reservation on both vehicles last November and I just got a call about the C8. Love, love, love the looks and style of both vehicles, but obviously they're very different. Will the Air "scratch that itch" that a C8 was made to scratch, or are they so different that you really can't even compare?

They are not the same in anyway. BEV vs ICE, 2 seat vs 5, 2 door vs 4, convertible vs roof. I have never got to drive the Air yet sadly. I sold my HTC this summer, make a list of your wants and needs. What do you value and what are you looking for. It's your money, buy the car that makes you happy.

 

[MoniputerLM]

I drove a C7 Z06 as a daily driver for about a year and a half. With the magnetic suspension and San Diego weather it was a lot of fun. On road trips the engine is practically at idle in 7th gear at 90. With 285s up front and 335s in the back there was a lot of tire noise. The acceleration in Lucid will make you laugh even more so than the C8. Comparing braking and handling, just like noise, there is a clear winner.

I love driving the Corvette but not in Houston traffic when I can look under the semi next to me and how that he sees me!

 

[Mr_rhythm]

OP here - whatever my next car is is really a fun car that I don't need. Either would be a daily driver for me when I fly solo, obviously with the Lucid better for going out with friends or family and the Corvette better for going on a date with my wife. I love to drive and want something that is a willing dance partner, but I'm no speed racer and won't be wringing out the last ounce of performance the car has available. Hence the dilemma. I'm keeping my current vehicle as a backup regardless, especially being in the Southeast and the questionable support this area has received from the Miami service center. So I was just looking for perspectives and I appreciate all that y'all have shared. It's been quite a fun thread to read through. I'm up next if I'm ready to pull the trigger on the C8 and should be getting my notification in the next few months for the build of the Pure. I'm practical by nature so being impractical is hard, especially with kids. Decisions, decisions.

 

[MoniputerLM]

Take the EV angle out of the equation, and look at it this way: if your choices were between a Corvette and a BMW B7 Alpina, which would you get? If you would choose the BMW for its space, comfort, relative quiet, and aura of sophistication -- coupled to its performance -- then the Lucid is for you.

I've owned a Corvette, so I don't mean to sound snooty here, but Corvettes -- perhaps unfairly these days -- convey a sense of brutish and rather crude performance on the cheap, whereas an Air conveys a pursuit of cutting-edge technology. Unless you're buying a car for the race track without an eye to everyday practicality, the difference in the driving experience of the Corvette and the Air on public roads is more about vibe than anything else.

The C8 Corvette is "cutting-edge technology"! The drive modes alter the shocks, brakes, steering, exhaust sound and the displays; has a great HUD and Android Auto. My 2021 is a Z51 convertible with almost every option and cost $95,500, which I think is a great bargain.

I love my Vette, my first one by the way, but it's a completely different car compared to the Lucid, other than speed.

 

[hmp10]

The C8 Corvette is "cutting-edge technology"! The drive modes alter the shocks, brakes, steering, exhaust sound and the displays; has a great HUD and Android Auto. My 2021 is a Z51 convertible with almost every option and cost $95,500, which I think is a great bargain.

I love my Vette, my first one by the way, but it's a completely different car compared to the Lucid, other than speed.

I did say the perception of a Corvette as "performance on the cheap" is perhaps unfair these days, as by all accounts the C8 is a remarkable car and a true performance bargain. However, electromagnetic shock damping variance, electronically-altered drive modes, HUD displays, and Android Auto have been around for several years now among various brands. I wouldn't exactly call them "cutting edge" technologies at this point.

I also explained in Post #28 on this thread what I meant by comparing the C8 to the Lucid Air. They certainly deliver very different driving "vibes". But the objective measures of power, acceleration, and handling they can deliver on public roads (as opposed to racetracks) are actually surprisingly similar. Even back in 2015, when I traded my Audi R8 V10 Spyder for a Tesla Model S P90D, I was astonished by how quick the Tesla was compared to the Audi and how much its lower center of gravity and front-rear weight distribution kept its handling on public roads competitive against the lesser weight and much wider tires of the mid-engined Audi.

The C8 has advanced the performance game since the 2011 Audi R8. But the Lucid Air had advanced the game even further against the 2015 Tesla.

This thread started with someone confronting the dilemma of whether to take delivery on a C8 over a Lucid Air. The point I was trying to make was that they both deliver superb objective performance metrics. Their differences are very real . . . but they lie more in the realm of the subjective driving experience.

 

[MoniputerLM]

I did say the perception of a Corvette as "performance on the cheap" is perhaps unfair these days, as by all accounts the C8 is a remarkable car and a true performance bargain. However, electromagnetic shock damping variance, electronically-altered drive modes, HUD displays, and Android Auto have been around for several years now among various brands. I wouldn't exactly call them "cutting edge" technologies at this point.

I also explained in Post #28 on this thread what I meant by comparing the C8 to the Lucid Air. They certainly deliver very different driving "vibes". But the objective measures of power, acceleration, and handling they can deliver on public roads (as opposed to racetracks) are actually surprisingly similar. Even back in 2015, when I traded my Audi R8 V10 Spyder for a Tesla Model S P90D, I was astonished by how quick the Tesla was compared to the Audi and how much its lower center of gravity and front-rear weight distribution kept its handling on public roads competitive against the lesser weight and much wider tires of the mid-engined Audi.

The C8 has advanced the performance game since the 2011 Audi R8. But the Lucid Air had advanced the game even further against the 2015 Tesla.

This thread started with someone confronting the dilemma of whether to take delivery on a C8 over a Lucid Air. The point I was trying to make was that they both deliver superb objective performance metrics. Their differences are very real . . . but they lie more in the realm of the subjective driving experience.

I was comparing the C8 technology, comfort and ride quality to older Vettes.

I don't understand the buying choice between a Vette and a Lucid. Apples and Oranges. If it's a matter of funds, then which one will be the most fun in the long run? I know people that have Vettes and/or Ferraris as daily drivers but my Vette is a weekend, top-down tool around town car.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Team Geezer]

I did say the perception of a Corvette as "performance on the cheap" is perhaps unfair these days, as by all accounts the C8 is a remarkable car and a true performance bargain. However, electromagnetic shock damping variance, electronically-altered drive modes, HUD displays, and Android Auto have been around for several years now among various brands. I wouldn't exactly call them "cutting edge" technologies at this point.

I also explained in Post #28 on this thread what I meant by comparing the C8 to the Lucid Air. They certainly deliver very different driving "vibes". But the objective measures of power, acceleration, and handling they can deliver on public roads (as opposed to racetracks) are actually surprisingly similar. Even back in 2015, when I traded my Audi R8 V10 Spyder for a Tesla Model S P90D, I was astonished by how quick the Tesla was compared to the Audi and how much its lower center of gravity and front-rear weight distribution kept its handling on public roads competitive against the lesser weight and much wider tires of the mid-engined Audi.

The C8 has advanced the performance game since the 2011 Audi R8. But the Lucid Air had advanced the game even further against the 2015 Tesla.

This thread started with someone confronting the dilemma of whether to take delivery on a C8 over a Lucid Air. The point I was trying to make was that they both deliver superb objective performance metrics. Their differences are very real . . . but they lie more in the realm of the subjective driving experience.

"electromagnetic shock damping variance, electronically-altered drive modes, HUD displays, and Android Auto have been around for several years now among various brands. I wouldn't exactly call them "cutting edge" technologies at this point."

None of which the Lucid has. I guess it's years behind.

 

[Team Geezer]

"electromagnetic shock damping variance, electronically-altered drive modes, HUD displays, and Android Auto have been around for several years now among various brands. I wouldn't exactly call them "cutting edge" technologies at this point."

None of which the Lucid has. I guess it's years behind.

I could also mention Apple Car Play, Performance Data Recorder (PDR), Dash Cam ....... .

 

[EricM]

Having had a ‘22 C8 HTC Z51 without magnetic ride and a ‘23 C8 HTC Z51 with magnetic ride, I can say that magnetic ride is a must-have option on a Z51 car. If you decide to go for a C8, make sure your dealer has an allocation for MSRC when you order.

 

[borski]

I could also mention Apple Car Play, Performance Data Recorder (PDR), Dash Cam ....... .

You’re right, the car sucks; buy the ‘vette.