Latest numbers from the Sapphire run: 1.8 - 3.7 - 226

[Bill55]

There is a 27-mile range difference between the Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid on the same wheels and tires (375 miles vs. 348 miles). But there are no differences in the bodywork of the two cars.

There are significant differences in aerodynamics-related features between the Sapphire and the Dream Edition: different wheels, wider tires, wheel well flares, larger front lip and rear wing to increase downforce (which increases drag). So I'm guessing there will be more of a range penalty between the Sapphire and the Dream than between the Plaid and the Long Range (especially without the aero wheel covers on the Sapphire).

I'm guessing the Sapphire (with aero wheel covers) will have a range hovering around the 400-mile mark -- i. e., a 45-50 mile range penalty against the Dream Edition Performance but still putting it on a par with the Long Range Model S with the smaller wheel/tire option on the S. And that would be pretty damn impressive and still leave the car a great road tripper.

If I'm wrong and the range penalty is less, that would move me from impressed to amazed.

Comparing with aero covers on the wheels for both cars (Sapphire and DE-P), with the Sapphire ride height being lower, I think the changes are going to be close to a wash at speeds they test range. I bet on about 5% decrease. Lucid has also indicated there are improvements to the battery. I think the EPA # will be 435 or better.

 

[Bill55]

You may be right. Few independent auto reviewers have actually ridden in the Sapphire yet, but a couple who did have commented that the ride was still compliant. I'm wondering if the reduction in front wheel diameter from 21" to 20" will offset a bit of the effect of the stiffened springs.

One thing that I've not seen mentioned thus far by the press about the Model S Plaid is tram lining. The Sapphire has the same width tires front and back as the Plaid from the same manufacturer (Michelin, although perhaps a different compound), and our Plaid tram lines noticeably on certain stretches of interstate that have no such effect on our Dream Edition with narrower tires.

Widder tires do tend to “hunt”. 265 vs 245 could be a break over point on some roads. The suspension has a lot to do with it. The Vette on 275 f / 325 r loves to hunt.

 

[AIR.LUCID]

Three motor Airs we're mentioned before March,

 

[Sapphire™]

Three motor Airs we're mentioned before March,
View attachment 4470

Imagine a quadruple? It doesn't bear worth thinking about!

 

[Overcharged]

One of the grail approaches for the future of e vehicles is to have a n e motor foe each wheel

 

[Bill55]

One of the grail approaches for the future of e vehicles is to have a n e motor foe each wheel

Rivian has 4 motors

 

[Sapphire™]

Rivian has 4 motorsView attachment 4475

"The electric super car's powertrain is divided into four sub-systems, each consisting of one motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Each system powers a wheel, making the Concept One all-wheel drive.

Rimac claims the powertrain enables a new approach to vehicle dynamics that it calls 'All Wheel Torque Vectoring'. Each wheel can independently accelerate or decelerate hundreds of times per second, helping to achieve the desired handling as selected by the driver from the cockpit."

Frankfurt: 190mph Rimac Concept One | Autocar

Croatian super car produces 1073bhp, can accelerate from 0-62mph in 2.8sec and hits 190mph

www.autocar.co.uk

*2011*.

 

[abbas2099]

they made the sapphire announcement early to gain positive publicity in hopes of drowning out the negative publicity of lowering 2022 production targets

I disagree.. i think it is about a pissing contest of Tesla Roadster vs Lucid Sapphire. The sedan has the same if not better performance than the Roadster for the same price.

 

[abbas2099]

Exactly. I waited three and a half years post deposit for my DE and knew for more than the last year and a half of that wait that Lucid had a tri-motor car in the works -- as did anyone who was paying attention to the company. I had the opportunity to wait for the tri-motor but chose to take the Dream Edition, see how I liked the brand, and then make a decision about moving to the tri-motor when it came out.

I think some of you are missing the point... if we all sat on a wealth of cash then yes, we could easily dump our present Lucid's and buy the Sapphire. I am happy you have a load of cars and can just swap them out on a daily basis but that statement doesnt hold true for most people here. I think most of bought a car thinking we can enjoy it for a while before Lucid would introduce newer models. I, for one, knew there was a tri-motor in the works but at the same time, I bought the second model. There was suppose to be a DE edition, then the GT. In the last four months, suddenly, there is a Sapphire, DE, GTP, GT editions. I am not upset as I do understand Lucid is a business but it would be nice to be able to enjoy your 'NEW' model for a couple of years before they introduce a new one.

 

[Bill55]

I think some of you are missing the point... if we all sat on a wealth of cash then yes, we could easily dump our present Lucid's and buy the Sapphire. I am happy you have a load of cars and can just swap them out on a daily basis but that statement doesnt hold true for most people here. I think most of bought a car thinking we can enjoy it for a while before Lucid would introduce newer models. I, for one, knew there was a tri-motor in the works but at the same time, I bought the second model. There was suppose to be a DE edition, then the GT. In the last four months, suddenly, there is a Sapphire, DE, GTP, GT editions. I am not upset as I do understand Lucid is a business but it would be nice to be able to enjoy your 'NEW' model for a couple of years before they introduce a new one.

Why can‘t you continue to enjoy your car just because Lucid introduces something new? 2013 C6 427 corvette was still enjoyable when the C7 Z06 hit the road, and will still be enjoyable when the C8 Z06 comes out… Not saying it wouldn’t be sweet to have that C8 Z06. I hope Lucid continues to innovate.

 

[joec]

Why can‘t you continue to enjoy your car just because Lucid introduces something new? 2013 C6 427 corvette was still enjoyable when the C7 Z06 hit the road, and will still be enjoyable when the C8 Z06 comes out… Not saying it wouldn’t be sweet to have that C8 Z06. I hope Lucid continues to innovate.

Totally agree. I would think having a DE, in particular, would still be quite a status symbol. It's the OG Air, and the OG Lucid. And it was a limited run. That's always going to be more special than anything they put out after.

If you're just chasing stats, I guess the Sapphire is cool. The problem with chasing stats, though, is there will ALWAYS be another car, whether from Lucid or someone else, in six months to a year that beats what you have.

Meanwhile, the DE is the car that will be remembered many years from now.

 

[Bill55]

If you're just chasing stats, I guess the Sapphire is cool. The problem with chasing stats, though, is there will ALWAYS be another car, whether from Lucid or someone else, in six months to a year that beats what you have.

That‘s true whether chasing stats or status. Any Air is a pretty cool car.

 

[abbas2099]

Why can‘t you continue to enjoy your car just because Lucid introduces something new? 2013 C6 427 corvette was still enjoyable when the C7 Z06 hit the road, and will still be enjoyable when the C8 Z06 comes out… Not saying it wouldn’t be sweet to have that C8 Z06. I hope Lucid continues to innovate.

Totally agree. I would think having a DE, in particular, would still be quite a status symbol. It's the OG Air, and the OG Lucid. And it was a limited run. That's always going to be more special than anything they put out after.

If you're just chasing stats, I guess the Sapphire is cool. The problem with chasing stats, though, is there will ALWAYS be another car, whether from Lucid or someone else, in six months to a year that beats what you have.

Meanwhile, the DE is the car that will be remembered many years from now.

Oh, I will enjoy my car! That is why I didnt get the DE cuz I knew something was down the pipeline but I know if I was a DE owner, I would be pretty pissed off. If most DE owners are like you guys, then they wont care and just upgrade but if someone wanted to have the top of the line and saved up to buy the car then they will be upset.

For alot of us, upgrading this car is not like upgrading your iphone every year.

 

[HC_79]

But there are things about the Sapphire that give me pause: the stiffer suspension,

This is why I never considered the performance models when looking at the Tesla's either. I have the feeling you get stiff suspension etc. for something that you'll let rip every now and then but be stuck with it when driving the car normally. My dad had an HSV Clubsport in Australia and whilst it flew around bends etc. and was fast the everyday driving of it was just stiff. Fine if they're not everyday cars but if you intend them to be used daily I think you do sacrifice some comfort for performance.

 

[emoylv]

Fellow early adopters:

Live for the moment and enjoy! Or for the rest of us, wait for Lucid to tell us our car is ready! In a couple years' time, this will all sound like Model A conversations. Surely, battery science will make a quantum leap; the weight will drop, hopefully precipitously. Range will improve. Charging rates will go through the roof with mind-numbing numbers. Use the advancements of the home computer as an example. I remember the "quantum leap" when the 8088 was replaced with the 8086. Now, we are on 12th generation i9s. It's called progress, the ultimate business model.

Remember: This is the LAST car you will EVER buy - until the next one. I'm less than 2 weeks shy of 73, and I don't think the Touring will be my last car.

 

[hmp10]

I think some of you are missing the point... if we all sat on a wealth of cash then yes, we could easily dump our present Lucid's and buy the Sapphire. I am happy you have a load of cars and can just swap them out on a daily basis but that statement doesnt hold true for most people here. I think most of bought a car thinking we can enjoy it for a while before Lucid would introduce newer models. I, for one, knew there was a tri-motor in the works but at the same time, I bought the second model. There was suppose to be a DE edition, then the GT. In the last four months, suddenly, there is a Sapphire, DE, GTP, GT editions. I am not upset as I do understand Lucid is a business but it would be nice to be able to enjoy your 'NEW' model for a couple of years before they introduce a new one.

How does the introduction of a new model impair your enjoyment of a car you recently bought and were enjoying . . . unless the point is to own the newest and coolest thing on the market regardless of what you already have?

 

[hmp10]

Widder tires do tend to “hunt”. 265 vs 245 could be a break over point on some roads. The suspension has a lot to do with it. The Vette on 275 f / 325 r loves to hunt.

Suspension does have a lot to do with it. My Audi R8s with 305mm tires on the rear hunted less on the same roads than the Model S Plaid with 295mm rear tires. (I don't remember what the front tire width was on the Audis, and I never drove my Corvette on the roads I now drive in Florida.) And the Audi suspension was a good bit better tuned than the Plaid's in terms of both ride compliance and handling.

 

[hmp10]

If you're just chasing stats, I guess the Sapphire is cool.

That's true for the buyers who are just chasing stats, of which there will be some. (Indeed, Lucid is probably depending on them to sell many of these cars.)

However, I do have to say something in defense of wanting the Sapphire's performance for daily use on public roads. Our Dream Edition Performance is astoundingly quick and has more power than anyone needs. But the one thing about the experience of driving the Plaid that truly stands out is its instantaneous response to the throttle. I've said it elsewhere, but where the Lucid seems to defy the laws of inertia, the Plaid seems to repeal them. There is a tipping point somewhere between the power-to-weight ratio of the Lucid DE and the Plaid that takes you into another realm of accelerative experience.

When you get into the throttle of the Lucid Dream P, the car responds with an instant thrust of prodigious power, but you nevertheless feel the mass of the car working against you. The Plaid almost gives the sensation of being utterly devoid of mass. It's really quite an eerie feeling, actually more enjoyable on an open road as that level of power coming on is actually scary in traffic and should not be called up (especially as the Plaid doesn't have a suspension that is as up to its task as the Lucid's is).

I have to admit that the prospect of having a car with the size, comfort, handling prowess, luxury -- and weight -- of a Lucid with the otherworldly sense of weightlessness of a Plaid is enticing well beyond anything on a stat sheet. And I think that is the Sapphire.

 

[NoseyReporter]

Just because engineers opted to go with a higher spring rate doesn't necessarily imply the car has a stiffer ride. Engineers also have the ability to play with shock valving and oil viscosity. There's definitely a limit to what can be done but the results can be very impressive.

As for tramlining, suspension geometry plays a large roll. Tread pattern alone is not a meaningful predictor of a cars tendency to tramline.

 

[borski]

That's true for the buyers who are just chasing stats, of which there will be some. (Indeed, Lucid is probably depending on them to sell many of these cars.)

However, I do have to say something in defense of wanting the Sapphire's performance for daily use on public roads. Our Dream Edition Performance is astoundingly quick and has more power than anyone needs. But the one thing about the experience of driving the Plaid that truly stands out is its instantaneous response to the throttle. I've said it elsewhere, but where the Lucid seems to defy the laws of inertia, the Plaid seems to repeal them. There is a tipping point somewhere between the power-to-weight ratio of the Lucid DE and the Plaid that takes you into another realm of accelerative experience.

When you get into the throttle of the Lucid Dream P, the car responds with an instant thrust of prodigious power, but you nevertheless feel the mass of the car working against you. The Plaid almost gives the sensation of being utterly devoid of mass. It's really quite an eerie feeling, actually more enjoyable on an open road as that level of power coming on is actually scary in traffic and should not be called up (especially as the Plaid doesn't have a suspension that is as up to its task as the Lucid's is).

I have to admit that the prospect of having a car with the size, comfort, handling prowess, luxury -- and weight -- of a Lucid with the otherworldly sense of weightlessness of a Plaid is enticing well beyond anything on a stat sheet. And I think that is the Sapphire.

Also, looks. The Sapphire just looks so damn good.