If not an Air, which EV would you buy?

[L-Dude]

If you couldn't drive your Air, what other EV would you consider buying and why?

 

[koflo]

I’ve thought about this a lot recently with my air going out of warranty. We already have a taycan in the house which is the only other desirable EV to me but it’s not a great replacement to the air.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t think the air has a replacement. It’s even harder when you have a dream edition performance model. There’s no car that has the packaging, luxury, and pure speed of this thing. I can comfortably fit 5 people in the car, with 2 sets of golf clubs in the trunk, luggage in the frunk, get a massage, and go 0-60 in 2ish seconds.

That’s just something no other car can do. So no matter how much I want a different car, I always end up going back to keeping the air. It’s an incredibly frustrating car to use at times but it’s extremely unique in what it can do.

 

[Ampere]

Later this summer (before the warranty expires) I'm trading my Air for a Mercedes CLA 250+ EV. (If I wanted all-wheel drive I could choose the CLA 350+, which has modest range penalty over the 250 and is only slightly more expensive.) The fully-loaded 250 costs just a little more than half of what I paid for my Air Touring and has about 95 percent of the same features. (With the 250, massage seats cost only $50 additional, you don't have to by an Air Grand Touring.) Most important to me, the CLA 250+ is only about 3/4 the size of my Air, since I prefer a smaller vehicle. It will *not* comfortably seat five people and the backseat is definitely more cramped than the Air. But there are only two people in my family and we rarely have passengers.

The CLA EV range is about the same as, or exceeds my Air. According to all reviews of the CLA (it's been available in the U.K. and Europe for about nine-months) it exceeds its EPA rating at real highway speeds. The CLA has true 800-volt charging, has dual ports for NACS and L2 charging built into the car, and a free supplied adapter for CCS. The CLA 250 takes twice as long from 0-60 as the Air, but the 350 requires barely a second longer. Then again, I've never driven my Air other than in "smooth" mode.

I won't make any claims whether Mercedes is any more reliable than Lucid, since I won't know until I own the CLA. What I do know is that there is a Mercedes dealer nine miles from my garage and not 135 miles away in Chicago. Regardless of what some members on this list claim about legacy automakers, Mercedes will be around for quite awhile. Admittedly, a Mercedes will be just as expensive to service as a Lucid.

Although I prefer the smaller size of the CLA, I'd keep my Air if I knew that Lucid would definitely be in business five years from now, that parts would be plentiful, and that it would bulk up and improve its service centers and open more of them. The idea of having my Air towed to Chicago after the warranty expires (or even before) deeply concerns me. Not to mention poassibly waiting weeks for a repair. Even a Chevy Bolt beats Lucid in this aspect.

 

[Cincy2]

For me, I made the decision to move to an Air GT after my wife and I owned three Tesla Model S's, a Model Y, two Mercedes EV (EQE and EQB), the Mercedes EQS in 2022 and lastly the Porsche Taycan GTS am driving now. They all had their strengths and weaknesses. Teslas had the straight line power and bomb proof software, the Mercedes SUV's were reliable and sturdy, the EQS was luxurious to the point of excess and the Taycan was just plain fun to drive although very limited in range. I'm not sure I would want any EV on the market right now except the Air GT. It has what I consider to be the best combination of style, speed, range, handling, and luxury of anything out there. The promised Vehicle to Home charging capability is the cherry on the sundae as I have a home solar system that needs more storage capacity.

 

[Macgreiner]

The other limitation to that question for me is What other vehicle manufacturer option exists that does not belong to a dealership model? The new Neuer Classe vehicles from BMW and even the existing EQS vehicles from MB are both compelling. But geeze, having to work through a dealership is a tough ask for those who know what it is like to not have to go through that performative art BS.

 

[Halodde]

I’ve thought about this a lot recently with my air going out of warranty. We already have a taycan in the house which is the only other desirable EV to me but it’s not a great replacement to the air.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t think the air has a replacement. It’s even harder when you have a dream edition performance model. There’s no car that has the packaging, luxury, and pure speed of this thing. I can comfortably fit 5 people in the car, with 2 sets of golf clubs in the trunk, luggage in the frunk, get a massage, and go 0-60 in 2ish seconds.

That’s just something no other car can do. So no matter how much I want a different car, I always end up going back to keeping the air. It’s an incredibly frustrating car to use at times but it’s extremely unique in what it can do.

On behalf of everyone here, you have our sympathies for it being so much harder that you have a dream edition performance

All in jest of course. Just jealous af

 

[Random715]

I have an 23 Air Pure and a 26 BMW iX xdrive 45. My air is a lot more fun to drive, but the bmw has a lot of quality of life features I prefer. The Apple key works flawlessly compared to digital key with lucid, not to mention working with my watch alone. The screen is also much larger and way better for Apple CarPlay.

I was going to wait for a gravity but life happens and back in September when I got the bmw I was told the only trim I could get for gravity was the GT, which would have been $20-30k more than the iX and they said I probably wouldn’t be able to get it till January out February of 2026. 2 weeks later I was told I could get a touring in another 2 weeks .

I’ll probably swap the air with a gravity in a year or 2 as a sedan unfortunately doesn’t work for well for our family anymore

 

[SaratogaLefty]

I love my Dream edition and fortunately I live relatively close to two service centers when I need them. Yes the backlog is heavy and the techs are definitely understaffed but hopefully that will improve before the introduction of the midsize vehicles. We do own a second EV and it is the 2023 Genesis GV60. My wife prefers a smaller footprint and the Genesis is about as large as she feels comfortable with driving. While the range is less (around 280-300 miles) it has been essentially flawless to own and we use it most of the time around town. Both cars have right around 24,000 miles each on them and both have performed very well for our needs. I plan to keep both for a long time. The Lucid is now out of warranty but there are rumors that Lucid will be offering an extended warranty sometime in the future. In any case the drivetrain is still covered for a long time forward. Given the current gas price fiasco that won't be going away anytime soon I can't believe more people aren't deciding to buy EV's now. Even here in the Bay area where PG&E is ripping us off with some of the highest electricity rates in the country EV's are everywhere. Hopefully the Cosmos/Earth will drive Lucid forward toward eventual profitabilty!!

 

[hmp10]

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t think the air has a replacement. It’s even harder when you have a dream edition performance model. There’s no car that has the packaging, luxury, and pure speed of this thing.

Same here when it comes to sedans. However, there are some things I like about Gravity Dream Editions even more than the Air DE.

But, bottom line, I just can't find any other EV I like better than Lucid products. I deeply resent the torment the software problems put us through. But as a driving machine, a comfortable passenger conveyance, and a roomy cargo hauler, Lucid simply cannot be beaten in any comparison of other cars in the same vehicle category.

 

[tarator]

BMW i3 when it comes out and if it is as good as it seems. Lucid is too big for me, and I hate SUVs.

 

[borski]

I’ve thought about this a lot recently with my air going out of warranty. We already have a taycan in the house which is the only other desirable EV to me but it’s not a great replacement to the air.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t think the air has a replacement. It’s even harder when you have a dream edition performance model. There’s no car that has the packaging, luxury, and pure speed of this thing. I can comfortably fit 5 people in the car, with 2 sets of golf clubs in the trunk, luggage in the frunk, get a massage, and go 0-60 in 2ish seconds.

That’s just something no other car can do. So no matter how much I want a different car, I always end up going back to keeping the air. It’s an incredibly frustrating car to use at times but it’s extremely unique in what it can do.

Yeah, same thoughts I’ve had. The only way I see replacing my Air DE is with something like a Longbow when they come out, because with the Gravity I have slightly less need for a “family car,” but honestly I’d probably keep both.

 

[prgarg]

Same here when it comes to sedans. However, there are some things I like about Gravity Dream Editions even more than the Air DE.

But, bottom line, I just can't find any other EV I like better than Lucid products. I deeply resent the torment the software problems put us through. But as a driving machine, a comfortable passenger conveyance, and a roomy cargo hauler, Lucid simply cannot be beaten in any comparison of other cars in the same vehicle category.

I used to feel the same way but then I saw the Cayenne EV. A bit more expensive and less cargo space, but comparable or superior in all other aspects.

 

[socktucker]

The other limitation to that question for me is What other vehicle manufacturer option exists that does not belong to a dealership model? The new Neuer Classe vehicles from BMW and even the existing EQS vehicles from MB are both compelling. But geeze, having to work through a dealership is a tough ask for those who know what it is like to not have to go through that performative art BS.

I went with an i7 myself. I love it, truly incredible. Not really a sport sedan like the Air tho. But build quality is superb, software excellent, etc. The various modes actually change the whole feel of the car.

I honestly WANTED the Air to be that car. But mine has just has constant problems and constant service hassles. I had planned on 7 years of ownership but I can’t even make it a month without it being back in service.

I hated the BMW dealer experience but the service was great.

 

[joec]

Until someone makes a smaller sedan in Air’s class of luxury and driving feel, I’m pretty stuck with Lucid.

If Lucid wants to make that car, I’m all ears, too, Lucid.

Gun to my head, have to pick something, I’d get a used newer year with improved range Taycan.

 

[hmp10]

I used to feel the same way but then I saw the Cayenne EV. A bit more expensive and less cargo space, but comparable or superior in all other aspects.

That has crossed my mind, but it doesn't have the 3rd row we sometimes need. Lucid still slays everyone on space utilization.

 

[The_Don]

That has crossed my mind, but it doesn't have the 3rd row we sometimes need. Lucid still slays everyone on space utilization.

Agreed. If I wanted a five seater I'd prefer getting something smaller than the Gravity/Cayenne for improved dynamics.

 

[Northpointe]

I won’t be in the market again for another 2-3 years and when I am I’ll be buying used. I think particularly with EV depreciation that’s the smartest move. So I’ll probably be looking at vehicles that are coming to market now as they’ll be coming off lease in a few years. That’s how I acquired my 2023 AGT last year.

When the Air came out there was a significant gap between Lucid and its rivals particularly as it pertained to driving performance, efficiency, and range. That gap is shrinking rapidly. The new small/midsize options from BMW and Mercedes are very compelling options.

Since I don’t buy new the dealership experience doesn’t mean much to me. But the real differentiator, as others have noted, is service. And that is currently the Achilles heel of Lucid. Because even though I’m 30 miles from a service center getting an appointment can take over a month and downtime can be just as long. If that isn’t resolved by the time I’m in the market I will absolutely look elsewhere for my next vehicle. Because that’s not only a short term issue but one that will dictate the long term viability of the company.

 

[martinjlm]

I just have to wind backward my path to arriving at an Air in the first place. My process started when I started considering what I would do when time came to turn in my Chevrolet Equinox EV at end of lease. My initial first choice was to grab a Cadillac Optiq V-Series. Turns out they are fairly high priced (mid 70s) and even though Cadillac was offering some nice lease deals on Optiq, V-Series trim is explicitly not included. So my next consideration was Chevrolet Blazer EV SS. Priced high '60s / low 70s. Again, even though GM offers great lease deals on Blazer EV, they explicitly exclude the SS trim. So then I started looking at used Plaid, Taycan 4S, and Air Touring / Grand Touring.

 

[TahoeMichael]

I used to feel the same way but then I saw the Cayenne EV. A bit more expensive and less cargo space, but comparable or superior in all other aspects.

I spent a little time configuring the Cayenne against the Gravity, and comparable configurations put the Cayenne at a different level entirely (in my opinion, of course). The most expensive vehicle I've previously purchased was ~$60K, and the Gravity doubling the cost feels like it delivers enough extra to justify the price increase. But the Cayenne's step up from the Gravity feels to me like more money than the virtues of the Cayenne merit. Of course, when you're talking luxury vehicles, it's very personal whether the premium price is merited.

 

[Lycra]

The other limitation to that question for me is What other vehicle manufacturer option exists that does not belong to a dealership model? The new Neuer Classe vehicles from BMW and even the existing EQS vehicles from MB are both compelling. But geeze, having to work through a dealership is a tough ask for those who know what it is like to not have to go through that performative art BS.

What do you mean? Is it difficult to get the Mercedes or BMW in the states!? The new i3 from BMW which order books are completely full until end of 2026 will be great. However it is different to lucid gravity which iam looking for due to 7 seater