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If not an Air, which EV would you buy?

LucidJim said:
Although I don't own a Lucid (yet), I am EV car shopping. I have a Subaru Solterra now, but I want to go back to a coupe/sedan. I love the Air specs but I rarely have more than one passenger (mostly drive solo) so ideally I'd like something just a bit smaller. I am looking for something on the more luxurious end so I'm not considering Kia, Hyundai, Ford, etc. I never thought I was that hard to please I'm finding something I really dislike with almost all of the EVs I've looked at so far!

Other than the Air, the BMW i4 xDrive (or i4 M60) is probably my front runner (besides the Air) right now. The new BMW i3 Neue Klasse looks enticing but I can't wait that long. I thought the Mercedes CLA 250+ hadn't started deliveries in the U.S. yet but it should be soon. Volvo ES90 is another one that's due later this year, if I'm not mistaken. I don't really like the looks of the Mercedes EQE or EQS. The Audi e-tron A6 (or S6) Sportback looks better but it has some other disqualifying features. Maybe I'll just get a short term lease on something and shop for my "ultimate" EV again in a couple years.
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I have a 2022 AGT which I have been very fortunate to have had only minimal problems. My wife has a 2023 BMW i4 M50. If you're looking for something smaller and don't want to wait for the Cosmos or the BMW neau klasse, the i4M50 or its replacement the M60 is the one I would go for. In four years of ownership, my wife is not brought the car in even once to the BMW dealership because everything works perfectly and it drives great. It won't have the range of my AGT, but it's definitely the car I would recommend if you want something smaller. This is the last year of the i4 as it will be discontinued for 2027. So if you cant wait for the neau klasse or Cosmos so you may be able to get a great deal on the i4 in the next few months before you can no longer order one as 2027 approaches.
 
I am different than most people (weirder?) in that I prefer a smaller vehicle. But I don't want to give up performance and luxury. That is a hard combination to find. I was on the waiting list for a RWD Pure for several years even though the Air is bigger than I like. I was excited when Lucid finally announced that it was releasing the specs for the Pure. Alas the specs came out but only for the AWD version. I waited a few months and nothing.

Then, suddenly, the Genesis GV60 Performance popped up in the Arizona market. It is small (length of a BMW X1, width of an X3) with almost 500 HP (10 pounds per HP) and more than 500 foot pounds of torque with lots of real buttons and Nappa leather seats and an Ultrasuede headliner. Road & Track recently described it as a "baby Bentley". I gave up on the Air and purchased the GV60P.

The cons: it doesn't handle like the Air and the range is only about 250 miles. But that range is more than adequate for me. The pros are the small size, the relatively stable software, the power (3.7 seconds 0-60; 12.4 seconds to quarter mile), and the ease of getting in and out.
 
Steveinarizona said:
I am different than most people (weirder?) in that I prefer a smaller vehicle. But I don't want to give up performance and luxury. That is a hard combination to find. I was on the waiting list for a RWD Pure for several years even though the Air is bigger than I like. I was excited when Lucid finally announced that it was releasing the specs for the Pure. Alas the specs came out but only for the AWD version. I waited a few months and nothing.

Then, suddenly, the Genesis GV60 Performance popped up in the Arizona market. It is small (length of a BMW X1, width of an X3) with almost 500 HP (10 pounds per HP) and more than 500 foot pounds of torque with lots of real buttons and Nappa leather seats and an Ultrasuede headliner. Road & Track recently described it as a "baby Bentley". I gave up on the Air and purchased the GV60P.

The cons: it doesn't handle like the Air and the range is only about 250 miles. But that range is more than adequate for me. The pros are the small size, the relatively stable software, the power (3.7 seconds 0-60; 12.4 seconds to quarter mile), and the ease of getting in and out.
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I'm with you on preferring a smaller vehicle. All the more why I'm excited for the Lucid midsize offerings. Back to the topic of the thread, I've already said I'd hope for like the Neue Klasse i3M in a station wagon form, but I'm also open to a Hyundai Ioniq 5N or a Rivian R3X
 
Steveinarizona said:
I am different than most people (weirder?) in that I prefer a smaller vehicle. But I don't want to give up performance and luxury. That is a hard combination to find. I was on the waiting list for a RWD Pure for several years even though the Air is bigger than I like. I was excited when Lucid finally announced that it was releasing the specs for the Pure. Alas the specs came out but only for the AWD version. I waited a few months and nothing.

Then, suddenly, the Genesis GV60 Performance popped up in the Arizona market. It is small (length of a BMW X1, width of an X3) with almost 500 HP (10 pounds per HP) and more than 500 foot pounds of torque with lots of real buttons and Nappa leather seats and an Ultrasuede headliner. Road & Track recently described it as a "baby Bentley". I gave up on the Air and purchased the GV60P.

The cons: it doesn't handle like the Air and the range is only about 250 miles. But that range is more than adequate for me. The pros are the small size, the relatively stable software, the power (3.7 seconds 0-60; 12.4 seconds to quarter mile), and the ease of getting in and out.
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My wife drives a GV60 Performance. It's s pretty nice!

Really my 2 biggest complaints with it are:

1. I can NOT seem to find a seating position that is comfortable for me
2. I have a really hard time driving it smoothly because the tip over on the accelerator is really sudden, and I find the brakes REALLY grabby, on top of that obvious point where it transitions from regen braking to physical brakes, so I can't seem to stop smoothly at all.

Everything else is just minor issues (eg. Keeps losing the scheduled charging times, keeps defaulting to outside air every time you get in, I keep forgetting to turn it off).

Overall it's a great vehicle!
 
Steveinarizona said:
I am different than most people (weirder?) in that I prefer a smaller vehicle. But I don't want to give up performance and luxury. That is a hard combination to find. I was on the waiting list for a RWD Pure for several years even though the Air is bigger than I like. I was excited when Lucid finally announced that it was releasing the specs for the Pure. Alas the specs came out but only for the AWD version. I waited a few months and nothing.

Then, suddenly, the Genesis GV60 Performance popped up in the Arizona market. It is small (length of a BMW X1, width of an X3) with almost 500 HP (10 pounds per HP) and more than 500 foot pounds of torque with lots of real buttons and Nappa leather seats and an Ultrasuede headliner. Road & Track recently described it as a "baby Bentley". I gave up on the Air and purchased the GV60P.

The cons: it doesn't handle like the Air and the range is only about 250 miles. But that range is more than adequate for me. The pros are the small size, the relatively stable software, the power (3.7 seconds 0-60; 12.4 seconds to quarter mile), and the ease of getting in and out.
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The BMW i4 is smaller than the Air, handles equally or better than the Air, and the range is 269 miles with equal acceleration to the GV60.
 
WildRide47 said:
The BMW i4 is smaller than the Air, handles equally or better than the Air, and the range is 269 miles with equal acceleration to the GV60.
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I test drove the I4 (and the IX) back in 2023 when I bought my GV60P. I thought they both drove very well, better than the Genesis. I just couldn't, even as a BMW driver, get past the completely unnecessary bugs bunny front end on the vehicles. My other problem, which the Genesis solved, is putting almost all the controls on the info screen and making them haptic. Avoiding the H word, I strongly dislike that kind of control. I want the functions I might use while driving to be available on a button/switch and a real one so that I know that I have activated the function by touch and do not have to look over to see if I actually activated the R%$$ haptic control.

It is a small item but to me an interesting one. When I first got the GV60P I set my seat up high so I could see better. After a while I was playing around with the controls and found one that was for letting the GV60P decide how my seat and steering wheel should be set up. I thought I would try it. Lo and behold, it put me much lower so I am in the car, not on the car and I actually liked it a lot. I now use that setting/position.
 
Steveinarizona said:
I just couldn't, even as a BMW driver, get past the completely unnecessary bugs bunny front end on the vehicles
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Sounds frivolous, but I had the same problem with the iX. I remember MKBHD saying in a video that it was a car that got hit with the ugly stick 😂
 
liggy said:
Yep. The new Alpina is a stunner but the front end would be a dealbreaker for me.

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The new I3 has returned to the BMW roots and, IMO, looks very good:

www.caranddriver.com

The 2027 BMW i3 Is BMW's Latest Power Play: An All-New, All-Electric 3-Series Sedan

The 2027 BMW i3 packs the acompany's latest and greatest EV technology, a claimed 440-mile range, and a new interpretation of traditional BMW styling.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
 
As I've written before, if you want much of the comfort and luxury, in a much smaller car, check out the Mercedes CLA 250+ or 350+ EVs, finally available in the U.S. The 250 does not accelerate like a Lucid Air Touring, but the 350 (dual motor version) comes close. BMW does not own the small luxury market with its Neue Classe. According to reviews, the CLA 250+ has range similar to the Lucid Air Pure. I am not a shill for Mercedes.
 
Steveinarizona said:
The new I3 has returned to the BMW roots and, IMO, looks very good:

www.caranddriver.com

The 2027 BMW i3 Is BMW's Latest Power Play: An All-New, All-Electric 3-Series Sedan

The 2027 BMW i3 packs the acompany's latest and greatest EV technology, a claimed 440-mile range, and a new interpretation of traditional BMW styling.
www.caranddriver.com www.caranddriver.com
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Wow - sounds really impressive, especially it gets 440 miles range. And there range is usually conservative compared to Lucid/Tesla. BMW could be crushing it with their new EV’s soon. Excited to see what happens when the 5 Series and X5 become those new generation EV’s.
 
Ampere said:
As I've written before, if you want much of the comfort and luxury, in a much smaller car, check out the Mercedes CLA 250+ or 350+ EVs, finally available in the U.S. The 250 does not accelerate like a Lucid Air Touring, but the 350 (dual motor version) comes close. BMW does not own the small luxury market with its Neue Classe. According to reviews, the CLA 250+ has range similar to the Lucid Air Pure. I am not a shill for Mercedes.
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According to what I'm reading and seeing I wouldn't be surprised if BMW does own the small luxury market with its Neue Klass 3 series. Excluding comparisons between the two cars BMW reliability is also miles better than Mercedes. Beside this new BMW Neue Klasse also looks pretty exciting with it's looks and engineering. I'm sure there are many out there like myself that are looking for a car like my Lucid AGT (that has many of its positive attributes) but would prefer something smaller. Will withhold final judgment until Lucid's Cosmos comes out to see how it compares to BMW's new 3 series Neue Klasse.
 
Ampere said:
As I've written before, if you want much of the comfort and luxury, in a much smaller car, check out the Mercedes CLA 250+ or 350+ EVs, finally available in the U.S. The 250 does not accelerate like a Lucid Air Touring, but the 350 (dual motor version) comes close. BMW does not own the small luxury market with its Neue Classe. According to reviews, the CLA 250+ has range similar to the Lucid Air Pure. I am not a shill for Mercedes.
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Mercedes has developed a terrible reliability record. Hopefully its EVs will do better than its ICE vehicles.

Configuring an EQE 350+ EV close to the Genesis GV60P comes to more than $100K. The CLA is less expensive but can't be configured similar to the Genesis.
 
Until today, I would have not bought anything else. Nothing was as comprehensively compelling across all metrics from performance, efficiency, space, range, design, and ingenuity as the Lucid AIR.

However as of today, I MAY buy that new BMW Alpina.

The styling and design is drop dead gorgeous to me. The efficiency and performance will be similar to the BMW Neue Klasse 3 Series.

All it took was Alpina to make the front end styling work.

 
Steveinarizona said:
Mercedes has developed a terrible reliability record. Hopefully its EVs will do better than its ICE vehicles.

Configuring an EQE 350+ EV close to the Genesis GV60P comes to more than $100K. The CLA is less expensive but can't be configured similar to the Genesis.
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The last time I had an M-B it was a W211 E class. One of the first delivered in Seattle. I thought it was pretty cool for a sedan.
Turned out that it was so terrible that I knew my Service Advisor on a first name basis. Sensotronic brakes were awful. Constant issues with the connection of the fiber optic cable to the brain in the trunk.

I’d literally have to pull over and pull fuses to get the car working properly.

Worst car I had ever owned.

I’m sure things are better now but I’m not favorably predisposed to the brand. To make matters worse the EQ cars are not especially appealing to me.

I do like the size of the CLAs but they aren’t at the top of my list to be sure.
 
WildRide47 said:
According to what I'm reading and seeing I wouldn't be surprised if BMW does own the small luxury market with its Neue Klass 3 series. Excluding comparisons between the two cars BMW reliability is also miles better than Mercedes. Beside this new BMW Neue Klasse also looks pretty exciting with it's looks and engineering. I'm sure there are many out there like myself that are looking for a car like my Lucid AGT (that has many of its positive attributes) but would prefer something smaller. Will withhold final judgment until Lucid's Cosmos comes out to see how it compares to BMW's new 3 series Neue Klasse.
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Plus the Mercedes 1st year I would stay away from, since they have to update it to actually charge on 400V DCFC.
 
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