Currently have a Touring for 24 hour test drive

[Birdman]

Hi - I have been spending the past couple of weeks watching lots of Air videos and browsing these forums, reddit etc. There are some good Lease deals (although less good here in Canada than I understand what you have on offer in the US) on the Touring and I took a short test drive last week of a Touring model. Currently there are only a couple of available models still in stock and because I am looking at a short term lease (24 months) and trying to avoid having to get Winter tires, I am "forced" to get one with the 19" which come with all seasons (which I might be able to get away with in the winter) whereas the 20 and 21" are summers so would be a non-starter without switching to winters. They do have one available so I took an overnight test drive and I have a very similarly spec'd test model in my driveway. Black with glass roof, 19", leather, 14 way ventilated seats, comfort package, although this test drive model has DD Pro and Sound Pro and is a '23 model (or early '24?) with the prior gen processor whereas the actual car I would get if I decided to go ahead has only DD Premium and "basic sound" but would be a 2025.

I will take it out for a longer more extended drive tomorrow before I return it. I got a very informal insurance quote from my broker, wow! Double what they would charge for a new Model Y. I get that it is a higher price point, but double! Interior is very comfortable - only has the single tone leather (I think it's a dark grey) but very tasteful and comfortable. Rear seat is cavernous. The motor whine is extremely intrusive, did I read somewhere it has been toned down a little on the '25 models? Perhaps you get used to it. Nice to have car play although the screen is quite small - seems unreasonable that you can't push that screen down to the main screen below.

I like the different regen profiles - I one pedal drive my Model 3 and the High regen on the Air may even be a little "stronger". Acceleration is of course excellent and it seems to handle very flat but on a quick drive back home seems very comfortable, quiet (except for the whine) and composed. I confess I am not a huge fan of the black with the silver roof, but that is all they have available.

I don't have my phone / app set up so I am just using the "key fob" - not clear to me yet whether I have to actually unlock the fob or I can just use it as a proximity key and walk up to the car get in and drive and then walk away and it will lock without having to actually press the button to lock it.

From a software - technical perspective, I feel a little like I felt when I got my Model 3 back in 2018 when they were first coming out. I almost feel like I would be starting over.

Thx

 

[DeaneG]

The motor whine is markedly reduced on the '25 Touring.

CarPlay can't be moved to the lower screen due to Apple requirements that it be in the line of sight.

For the key fob, go into the car's settings, and turn on Passive Lock and Passive Unlock.

I had to reboot my 2018 Model 3 much more often than my Air GT. I'd say Lucid's software is about where Tesla's was in 2020. Mostly functional but occasionally needs a reboot. Notable improvements are planned, though it's hard to say if this means three months from now, or a year.

The Air is far more comfortable for longer drives than the Model 3, and handles better. Take it for a drive in a canyon.

 

[FooFighter]

The software in the Lucid has really started to sour my ownership experience. Just speaking for myself.

I had a 2018 Model 3 as well and also a 2021 Model Y and a Rivian. None of them had this much software glitch than my Air.

The NVH of the Lucid is wayyyyy better than those 3 cars but the software can be very frustrating. I thought I could overlooking the software issues but not really. I noticed I actually value software more than hardware. I would sacrifice some NVH for a better experience. Again just my opinion.

 

[Birdman]

Thanks for the replies. Drove down to work today (down Avenue Road for those that know Toronto). Very smooth, quiet and comfortable. Leagues ahead of my 2018 Model 3 in terms of NVH.

Some quick thoughts. - The whine is a real pain - I can see getting used to it but good to know the 2025 is less noticeable. I get the point about CarPlay and that makes sense, but good to know NOT to expect it ever being moved down to the larger screen. It is very small on the main screen. CarPlay also disconnected and wouldn’t reconnect to my phone for the last 10 minutes of the drive. A bit of a pain.

I found the AC not to be particularly strong or cold. Not a warm day here but I had the fan on high and temp relatively low. Seems ok but I question how it will do on a hot and humid summer day with the glass roof. I assume you can pre-condition the car from the remote app?

When in traffic or at a red light, when the car ahead of me moves, I receive a notice in the main screen “traffic clearing ahead” or something like that. The demo I am driving has DD Pro I believe but the car I would get only has DD Premium (one level down). Is this “traffic clearing ahead” notification in the main screen only a feature of DD Pro or also Premium?

 

[segbrk]

I found the AC not to be particularly strong or cold. Not a warm day here but I had the fan on high and temp relatively low. Seems ok but I question how it will do on a hot and humid summer day with the glass roof. I assume you can pre-condition the car from the remote app?

Yes, it's not the strongest, but preconditioning from the app 10-15 minutes before departure does wonders. The max A/C mode is also useful, but it's still not an arctic blast like some other cars.

 

[DeaneG]

...When in traffic or at a red light, when the car ahead of me moves, I receive a notice in the main screen “traffic clearing ahead” or something like that. The demo I am driving has DD Pro I believe but the car I would get only has DD Premium (one level down). Is this “traffic clearing ahead” notification in the main screen only a feature of DD Pro or also Premium?

"Traffic Drive-Off Alert" is included with both DD Premium and Pro. You can see the differences on Lucid's "Design Yours" configurator.

 

[FooFighter]

Thanks for the replies. Drove down to work today (down Avenue Road for those that know Toronto). Very smooth, quiet and comfortable. Leagues ahead of my 2018 Model 3 in terms of NVH.

Some quick thoughts. - The whine is a real pain - I can see getting used to it but good to know the 2025 is less noticeable. I get the point about CarPlay and that makes sense, but good to know NOT to expect it ever being moved down to the larger screen. It is very small on the main screen. CarPlay also disconnected and wouldn’t reconnect to my phone for the last 10 minutes of the drive. A bit of a pain.

I found the AC not to be particularly strong or cold. Not a warm day here but I had the fan on high and temp relatively low. Seems ok but I question how it will do on a hot and humid summer day with the glass roof. I assume you can pre-condition the car from the remote app?

When in traffic or at a red light, when the car ahead of me moves, I receive a notice in the main screen “traffic clearing ahead” or something like that. The demo I am driving has DD Pro I believe but the car I would get only has DD Premium (one level down). Is this “traffic clearing ahead” notification in the main screen only a feature of DD Pro or also Premium?

There’s a little bit of motor noise on my Touring but not to the level that it bothers me. Maybe you should try driving another one?

I also have a lot of connection issues with WIRELESS Apple CarPlay. My work around is to do it WIRED. It’s a much more reliable connection.

Keep in mind that the DD Premium is basically a TACC. It doesn’t even have lane keeping(?). It will not steer for you on the highway.

 

[Birdman]

Thx for the quick replies. Again good to know that DD premium is just TACC and not even staying in the lane. Interesting for a car at this price point. (It is totally irrelevant but my wife’s small half the price Lexus SUV does a great job of staying in the lane on the highway and following the curves).

 

[borski]

Thx for the quick replies. Again good to know that DD premium is just TACC and not even staying in the lane. Interesting for a car at this price point. (It is totally irrelevant but my wife’s small half the price Lexus SUV does a great job of staying in the lane on the highway and following the curves).

To be super clear, DreamDrive Pro does a great job of steering on the highway, following curves, etc., especially as of the latest update. It's just the lower-priced DD Premium that doesn't.

 

[Birdman]

To be super clear, DreamDrive Pro does a great job of steering on the highway, following curves, etc., especially as of the latest update. It's just the lower-priced DD Premium that doesn't.

Understood. Thx for all the quick support and useful information. I have been learning a lot about the car in a very short period of time. This is a very helpful community. Thx

 

[Batteryman]

Software not as responsive as Tesla, but everything else is much better…..Tesla FSD doesn’t work anyway and Lucid is a drivers car….drive it, you will love it! Best sport sedan ever made!