Consumer Reports rating of the Touring in Aug 2023 issue.

[Bobby]

I don't understand when people refuse to acknowledge Teslas as luxury cars. A Tesla M3 competes more with BMW 3 series, Mercedes C class, Audi A4 in all dimensions, price, and categories than a Honda civic. Do you not consider 3 series, C class, and A4 luxury cars?

The Tesla Model 3 is a fine car. It’s very popular, and I am completely jealous of the software capabilities that our Lucids lack. That said, it is definitely not a luxury car. The materials, ride, noise levels, and fit and finish are quite inferior to the other vehicles you mentioned.

 

[DougB]

You are not the typical CR reader nor the typical car buyer. For most people cost is a definite issue. If one is fortunate enough to not worry about cost, CR is probably not the best resource for a car purchase.

You miss my point. A vehicle should be judged by its intrinsic merits (quality, performance, etc). Cost should not affect or dictate the CR overall numerical score (in my opinion).
I relied on CR to purchase my last three new cars (1993 Ford Probe GT, 2003 Camry XLE, 2019 Prius Prime plugin) the latter for the wife.
After retiring (2018), I decided to replace my trusty 20 yr old Camry with my first Luxury sedan. I spent 4 years debating between ICE, Hybrid, or EV, looking at Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Tesla, et al. When Lucid came out with its 500+ range and recieved multiple accolades, it was no contest. I also wanted a vehicle that stood out, unique, like no other. Lucid fit the bill. In my residential suburban community, there are literally 100's of Teslas. Commonplace, boring, ubiquitous. Glad I didn't go that route.
Like I said, I'm glad I got my Lucid GT a year before the CR ratings came out. I might have been negatively influenced to get a less superior luxury sedan.

 

[Amster]

What I have found with CR car ratings is that one has to unpack the rating and look at the various components. For example, CR gave the Lucid, along with the EQS, the highest road test score. What took it down was predicted reliability.

It is true that many readers will simply look at the final score and say no. That is unfortunate. I am currently driving a Genesis GV60. Some reviewers have knocked it down saying it is simply a more expensive Ioniq 5. But that misses the point for me. My keys are small, luxurious and performance. Finding all three together is very difficult. But my point is that one has to determine what is important to a particular buyer/lessee.

CR currently has only fully rated 7 luxury EVs and it rates them as BMW I4, Tesla Model 3, followed by EQS and Lucid Air (one point separating them), Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan and Polestar 2, in that order. Only the first two didn't get bad reliability scores. Note that the Lucid did blow by the Porsche.

CR definitely has a different take on cars. It seems like what they rate highest on is reliability, so any new model is automatically downgraded because there's not predictive reliability associated with it. Of the last four cars I've purchased, one they liked and I still have it ten years later. The other three, including the Lucid, they gave the thumbs down to. And their comments are often kind of strange. I bought a Toyota Yaris the first year it came out, almost 20 years ago. When CR rated the Yaris later that year, they slammed it for not having bluetooth and some other nicer features along with unknown reliability because it was a new model. It was the low end of the compact market. Why on earth would someone expect bluetooth, which wasn't standard on cars back then, to be an included feature? It turned out to be a nice, reliable car for a decade until I could afford something nicer.

 

[Rogue]

Meh. Use multiple sources. When you see comments that are subjective, the real answer is to either
A) Aggregate opinions from a variety of trusted sources to base a decision (think pre-test drive Lucids)
Or...
B) Go test drive the bloody vehicle.
Only one opinion ultimately matters: yours.

Well known reviewers of products should strive for more objective measures to avoid this situation. When you isolate subjective and objective analysis, consumers can make a more informed opinion. 100% nothing wrong with giving an opinion based on subjective measures, but there should be clear disclaimers separate from the objective portions and overall score. Others certainly do this better, if not fully objective.

Car and Driver* did this for the Hyundai Ioniq 6 vs Model 3. Objective, measurable review was executed with detailing of subjective thoughts as clearly separate. Then they rated/preferred the Ioniq 6 over the Model 3 as a preference (opposite of my preference, divided primarily along priorities and subjective opinion).

As a side note: In general, there are a LOT of non-luxury cars that absolutely nail target audience and design purpose. Most of us on the forum bought the Lucid. This does not mean Camrys, Ioniq 6s, Avalons, RAV4s, etc. (cars I've recently driven owned by others) are not nice cars in their own right. My only exception is the Model 3 (hated the car )**, measured in objective methodologies and focused on different priorities.

*May have the source wrong on the review, but the point remains the same.
**All this seems far and away from OP's initial point: Give us objective measures and ratings to make informed decisions, not a 2¢ subjective opinion bordering trivial or petty such as mine about the Model 3. See what I did there?

 

[Genghis]

I drove a Model 3 for three years. It’s a fine car. Just as a Honda Civic is. (I think folks are unduly dissing the Civic here.) They are nice cars.

The Model 3 is not in Mercedes C class or BMW 3 series territory in terms of luxury. They are just not comparable cars. No shame in that. That’s not what Model 3 is about.

Model S is certainly closer to luxury. But the materials just don’t match the feel of the German brands (or even Lexus, Infinity, etc.) That’s okay. Teslas offer unique qualities that none of those cars can match. They are some of the best EVs available.

I don’t know why people get all caught up in these comparisons as if they automatically mean people are saying Teslas suck or something. Or why that even matters on a Lucid forum.

I think this is a key point in the current argument. Today's Civic with all available options is a nice car. It's not the $20k beater from the 80's, 90's, and even 00's that many of us probably associate as. However, it is nowhere I would consider luxury car in terms of options, performance, interior, build, etc.

My view is M3 is a good car and has a lot of great tech, but it is nowhere I would consider luxury. If you want to see for yourself, ride in a friend's and look at the build quality, interior options and materials, panel gaps, etc. Again, really nice car and great tech options but nowhere I would consider luxury compared to Lucid and even luxury ICE cars. My 2¢.

 

[Volund]

I had a Model 3 for a month and a half and it felt exactly like my Hyundai Elantra, road noise, drive and comfort, and feeling every bump on the road.

And definitely don't consider it luxurious, but I liked how quiet the motor was, and the speed, as any other ev was nice.

That's about it, hated how I had to touch the screen for every little thing including temp controls and vent direction changing. Which is about the same as every other Tesla. But too simplistic was not for me.

 

[idiot900]

Consumer Reports is usually a pretty good publication, but they also once rated Michelob Ultra as “very good” for flavor

https://www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/living/food/cr-rates-hot-dogs-light-beers-70619.shtml

 

[Daniel2022AT]

It is a relevant topic because a.) Lucid’s CEO described the next phase of the product plan is to compete with the 3 and Y, and b) as a 80% market share first-mover in the EV market, Tesla will be a relevant benchmark for years to come. Kudos to Tesla.

No one is saying anything sucks. It is just about market segmentation. Different product features for different price points and everyone is free to pick their preferred spot in the market map.

It is OK for people to have opinions. I have posted on Twitter I think it is a big mistake for Lucid to chase volume by going down market below $70k. Lucid makes specialty cars not mass market cars like GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, VW, and Tesla. So I disagree with the CEO. It’s just an opinion.

 

[invalidname]

It is a relevant topic because a.) Lucid’s CEO described the next phase of the product plan is to compete with the 3 and Y, and b) as a 80% market share first-mover in the EV market, Tesla will be a relevant benchmark for years to come. Kudos to Tesla.

No one is saying anything sucks. It is just about market segmentation. Different product features for different price points and everyone is free to pick their preferred spot in the market map.

It is OK for people to have opinions. I have posted on Twitter I think it is a big mistake for Lucid to chase volume by going down market below $70k. Lucid makes specialty cars not mass market cars like GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, VW, and Tesla. So I disagree with the CEO. It’s just an opinion.

What's wrong with going down market below $70k? It's possible to still make compelling luxury vehicles in a more affordable price range between $50k-$80k, especially by end of this decade.

Consumerreports and 'Murica would love a $50k-$80k Lucid SUV

 

[Steveinarizona]

That's about it, hated how I had to touch the screen for every little thing including temp controls and vent direction changing. Which is about the same as every other Tesla. But too simplistic was not for me.

One of many reasons why I would never buy a Tesla.

 

[Daniel2022AT]

What's wrong with going down market below $70k? It's possible to still make compelling luxury vehicles in a more affordable price range between $50k-$80k, especially by end of this decade.

Consumerreports and 'Murica would love a $50k-$80k Lucid SUV

A.). It confuses brand identity and ultimately depreciates brand equity. B.) Competing on price, which means competing on cost, is a battle it will never win, going up against the $200 billion global behemoths - Toyota, VW, GM, Ford, Hyundai, where economies of scale win. It will lengthen not shorten time to breakeven.

 

[JillyBean]

Have a couple friends that had C class and BMW three series cars. Now they have model threes and seem quite content with the car overall.

 

[Halodde]

I don't subscribe to CR so I don't think I have access to the review. But it's interesting that CR rates it so low when Motortrend raved about it. Probably the difference between a car company review and the more general CR who reviews everything under the sun. I'd lean more towards putting valve on the Motortrend review than on the company that reviews dishwashers and laundry detergent

 

[chinesejpl]

I think the CR report is justified. I happily own an AGT but I can say that I would not recommend it to my friends or family if they didn't live near a service centre due to poor reliability. My car has been to the SC almost every 2 months. Not for major issues but lot of issues nonetheless (trunk stop and go close, 2 front seats that needed to replaced and maybe a 3rd needed, multiple sensor errors, etc). This is about the same experience I had with my model X which was one of the first to arrive in Canada. It's what I know I pay for being an early adopter.

When CR gave the model S a 98 in 2014 that car was at least 2 years into production so they had time to mature. Lucid is not in the same boat as they need another year or 2 to nail down manufacturing

I agree with CR - drive of the lucid is great but reliability suffers. With that said, other legacy car makers EVs also have poor reliability... Our eqs SUV is in the shop right now as its 12v battery died and rendered the car undrivable, which stranded my wife!

 

[DougB]

I've had my 2022 Grand Touring almost 16 months and there have been no major reliability issues. Not sure why some of you have been so unfortunate.
Consumers Reports should have given the Lucid Air GT a starting score of no less than 80 (just based on its looks, range, power, storage, and luxury) and from there, add more for such amenities as self-cinching doors, comfortable message/heated/cooled seats, interior ambient lighting, superb headlights, multiple cameras & lidar, superior sound system, rear seat legroom...... I could go on and on. The score should be in the 90's.

 

[efesese]

The cheap plastic might refer to the steering wheel parts that make it creak and the AC vents.

 

[Rob Stark]

A.). It confuses brand identity and ultimately depreciates brand equity. B.) Competing on price, which means competing on cost, is a battle it will never win, going up against the $200 billion global behemoths - Toyota, VW, GM, Ford, Hyundai, where economies of scale win. It will lengthen not shorten time to breakeven.

Most Americans don't think there is brand placement gap between $50k and $80k. Or even $150k. This is where luxury automotive brands compete.

Lucid already competes with $200B behemoths. VW Group's Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Toyota's Lexus, GM's Cadillac, Ford's Lincoln, Hyundai's Genesis, Tata's Range Rover and Jaguar.

Cadillac is currently selling the Celestiq which starts at $340k. Escalade IQ will overlap Gravity almost exactly. Lincoln's Aviator EV will arrive about the same time as Gravity as will Genesis GV90. 2025 Range Rover EV.

And then there is Tesla.

A dispassionate analysis would suggest you never start an automotive OEM company. That is why I cheer on The Crazy Ones.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

The cheap plastic might refer to the steering wheel parts that make it creak and the AC vents.

The cheapest parts on the Lucid are the turn signal / shifter stalk and vent controls. Both feel like cheap plastic. Fortunately, I don't futz with the vents, but do touch the turn signals on each drive. Perhaps I should take some pointers from BMW drivers and not use them! LOL ... everything else feels like quality IMHO and much better than my Model S.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Doesn’t CR think the greatest car on earth is the Camry? I think their angle has always been in favor of joyless vehicles that are forgettable to own because they don’t leave you on the side of the highway but also never make you happy when you get into the car. I’d forgotten I’d been meaning to cancel my CR subscription, they’ve never liked a single thing I’ve owned.

 

[flfy]

Re: Lucid Air Rating CR Aug 2023 Issue

I have been a subscriber and ardent acolyte of Consumer Reports since the early 1990’s. I also have owned a Lucid Grand Touring for more than a year (since Aug 2022). So it’s no wonder that I have been anticipating your take on my Lucid GT with high expectations, since this vehicle is like no other, the best EV money can buy; best range, most power, eye-catching stunning elegant appearance; a luxury sedan with a muscle sports car handling all wrapped up in one. With the Tesla S receiving 99 out of 100 back in 2014, imagine my chagrin when the superior Lucid received a mediocre overall score of 66 (Road-Test Score 94 notwithstanding).

In the past, I’ve been relying on CR to guide my vehicle purchasing decisions. But in this case, it’s a good thing I purchased before your dismal ratings or I might have been dissuaded otherwise.

First, you tested the lower-trim Touring (as opposed to the Grand Touring awarded 2023 Luxury Car of the Year). Many readers might miss the distinction and misconstrue this report as representative of all Lucid Airs in general. For instance, your review mentions “cheap-feeling plastic trim”, which may be the case with the Touring, but the Grand Touring has beautifully stitched felt, leather & alcantara.

You also state “the controls are perplexing and far from user-friendly” which is far from the truth. I am a 75 year old who is not very tech savvy, but I learned the simple controls in a couple of days. Temperature and volume controls are physical buttons. The most-often used features are readily accessed with one tap on the touchscreen. The Settings for EV-specific information “buried within menus” needs occasional use and should only be accessed when the vehicle is parked. For me, outward visibility is not obstructed and adjusting the mirrors through a visual touchscreen is much easier than those mechanical buttons on the doors.

In my opinion, CR got it wrong this time and its testers deducted points from the Lucid Air based more on subjective grounds than objective.

Doug Barnett, Union City, California (SF East Bay)

I have read consumer reports on cars for years and have never understood their approach. I'll go back to the old volvo 544 (1960's) which they rated very poorly. I compared the rating to the car I had and in no case was the rating or description representative of what I was driving. (which after 150,000+ miles with no repairs or problems) I compared their ratings and comments with my Lucid air pure and came to the conclusion we have a luddite doing the rating and justifying their view.