Let's talk about the Air's interior compared to competing luxury cars

[hydbob]

They tried to F-me over for my E-Cabriolet order, so expect that they will do the same to you. It's REALLY bad for customer satisfaction as MB customers tend to change vehicles often and this will sour them to the brand. I would proactively reach out to MBUSA and tell them your concerns and how other brands are ACTIVELY discouraging the gouging!

I sincerely hope they continue to do this to ALL their customers. Please continue to drive customers to Lucid.

 

[pam4_AGT]

They tried to F-me over for my E-Cabriolet order, so expect that they will do the same to you. It's REALLY bad for customer satisfaction as MB customers tend to change vehicles often and this will sour them to the brand. I would proactively reach out to MBUSA and tell them your concerns and how other brands are ACTIVELY discouraging the gouging!

@Tim-in-CA. I'm not trying to be a dick. But look at the sliver lining in all this. To me, anything that will speed up the death of the car dealership model in this country is a really good thing and I welcome it wholeheartedly. To me, there are only two options I would even consider - Tesla or a Lucid. Are there any other manufacturers that have a direct sale model?

 

[Tim-in-CA]

@Tim-in-CA. I'm not trying to be a dick. But look at the sliver lining in all this. To me, anything that will speed up the death of the car dealership model in this country is a really good thing and I welcome it wholeheartedly. To me, there are only two options I would even consider - Tesla or a Lucid. Are there any other manufacturers that have a direct sale model?

No Problem ... I have no skin in the game with a dealership. Ultimately, the dealership model will have to change to survive but will take multiple forces to do so. You can also buy direct from Rivian, your spot in line may be shorter with today's announced price increases.

 

[Yugi]

@Tim-in-CA. I'm not trying to be a dick. But look at the sliver lining in all this. To me, anything that will speed up the death of the car dealership model in this country is a really good thing and I welcome it wholeheartedly. To me, there are only two options I would even consider - Tesla or a Lucid. Are there any other manufacturers that have a direct sale model?

Rivian.

I hate dealership model too with Porsche as exception.

 

[MoniputerLM]

As far as pricing is concerned, Fletcher Jones Newport Beach, CA is charging a dealer premium of $25k for the EQS 450 and $50k for the EQS 580. Who in their right mind would be willing to pay that premium, before even taking into account future vehicle depreciation that happens to all cars from the day you drive it off the lot! As far as esthetics go,I test drove the EQS 450 a couple of weeks ago and the interior was a disappointment. Whatever happened to German teutonic restraint? At least with the EQS 450, the led screen was smaller but the interior still was embellished with cheap plastic and over designed. It’s NOTHING like a 500S! The much lower driving range is also a negative. Mechanically, the EQS 450 drives well and has good insulation but the interior is cheap and gaudy. The Europeans don’t get it that it’s not simply a matter of replacing a gas engine with an electric motor and batteries. EV buyers are looking for a completely different interior without the typical busy dials, knobs and switches. You see this same approach with the Taycans, interior looks like a conventional gas model except for a bigger screen.

I put a deposit on an AMG EQS this last weekend and the price is MSRP.

 

[Codyroo]

The Opposite. We accumulated most of the 4450 miles on the Tesla in 2021. 4 months x approx 1k miles. Since then we have driven the Lucid 2k miles and the Tesla around 300. We owned TESLA's since the first model S and we plan to keep it until the EA gets their reliability and availability close to the Supercharger network.

MikeTz - I'm not sure you answered his question. Recently, what kind of mindset or situation would you be in where you'd rather take out the Tesla rather than the Lucid? Would it be something like doing a long drive and wanting to have the luxury of the supercharger network? Going to a store where you need to haul an item that more easily fits into the Tesla? Etc

 

[pam4_AGT]

Rivian.

I hate dealership model too with Porsche as exception.

Ah yes.. I did not include Rivian in my admittedly short list (Lucid, Tesla) because they only sell trucks/SUVs.

 

[copper]

I put a deposit on an AMG EQS this last weekend and the price is MSRP.

Some dealers have taken deposits at MSRP and then reneged on the car when it arrived. The EQS has been especially bad supposedly because of the insane markups.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

Some dealers have taken deposits at MSRP and then reneged on the car when it arrived. The EQS has been especially bad supposedly because of the insane markups.

Yeah! Ask Jon Rettinger about his EQS experience! $50K markup when "his car" arrived after having agreement at MSRP!!

 

[pam4_AGT]

Some dealers have taken deposits at MSRP and then reneged on the car when it arrived. The EQS has been especially bad supposedly because of the insane markups.

Is this specifically because dealers are trying to f**k with EV sales - they hate EVs in general due to much lower servicing/maintenance costs?

 

[copper]

Is this specifically because dealers are trying to f**k with EV sales - they hate EVs in general due to much lower servicing/maintenance costs?

I don't think so, as the EQS got a lot of hype and is aimed squarely at S-class buyers.

My guess is dealers thought they could just turn the screws on rich customers, considering they've been marking up any top-end Mercedes that are on the lot. I had an opportunity to get an E63 AMG wagon with almost the exact spec I wanted...for a $35k markup, and that was a "discount"....

 

[MikeTz]

MikeTz - I'm not sure you answered his question. Recently, what kind of mindset or situation would you be in where you'd rather take out the Tesla rather than the Lucid? Would it be something like doing a long drive and wanting to have the luxury of the supercharger network? Going to a store where you need to haul an item that more easily fits into the Tesla? Etc

There is no simple answer. I try to evaluate a car on its ability to meet the needs of the owner. For my needs, both cars can perform well for near and long-distance travel. As I posted elsewhere both cars are delivering similar 3Mile/kWh numbers on identical trips. The extra battery size would suggest Lucid is the preferred long-distance travel vehicle. However, in my experience, the availability/reliability of the EA system is no match for Tesla's supercharger network. Having said that, if I did not have the choice option that I have, I would not hesitate to take the Lucid on the same trip. I May choose a more conservative charging scenario to get around DOA EA chargers, but that is due to my previous EV long-distance experience and may not be applicable to anyone else.

 

[Codyroo]

There is no simple answer. I try to evaluate a car on its ability to meet the needs of the owner. For my needs, both cars can perform well for near and long-distance travel. As I posted elsewhere both cars are delivering similar 3Mile/kWh numbers on identical trips. The extra battery size would suggest Lucid is the preferred long-distance travel vehicle. However, in my experience, the availability/reliability of the EA system is no match for Tesla's supercharger network. Having said that, if I did not have the choice option that I have, I would not hesitate to take the Lucid on the same trip. I May choose a more conservative charging scenario to get around DOA EA chargers, but that is due to my previous EV long-distance experience and may not be applicable to anyone else.

I think you answered it. Basically, there has not been a scenario that has presented itself where you would definitely say, "I need to take the Tesla on this drive and not the Lucid".

 

[AIR.LUCID]

I initially commented on a post comparing the Air to the EQS and noticed the distaste for the EQS' interior over the Lucid's simple interior. I would like to just repost that comment in this post since this aspect of the Air has been bugging me quite a bit. Essentially, I find that for how much the Lucid Air costs and the segment it is competing in the interior just does not cut it. Sure most of the materials are good but the visual aspect and experience isn't exactly there. Doug DeMuro did briefly comment on this stating that the Air definitely isn't as luxurious on the inside as its german competitors and I absolutely agree. I have personally sat in one for a good amount as well wondering if they just took the base model's interior and copied it to every trim. It felt like I was in a $70-80,000 car rather than a six figure car and this was the same price that my friends had in mind until I told them it was above $100,000. At that point, they were shocked since it didn't seem exciting to them from a visual standpoint. To put it best I am a fan of interiors in Bentleys, Mercedes S class, and the EQS. The Air is just overly simplistic for the money and I can't forgive how many promised features have been stripped without a drop in price especially standard luxury features such as powered doors and air suspension. Anyway, I will leave my comment from the other thread below and would like to know if I am alone on this or what you all think.

I'm very surprised that the Lucid's simplistic interior is being accepted over the EQS' interior. I'm personally finding it very hard to confirm my Grand Touring reservation due to the interior as I do not see how it is worth it for the money. The EQS offers much more for less in terms of interior technology and quality/looks. I believe it could be due to the target audience? The Lucid seems to appeal to an older audience hence why I think the EQS' hyper-screen and modern fashion sense is not appreciated by the Lucid audience. The quilted leather for instance is something I really like and many of my leather jackets from Boda Skins that I wear for example are quilted giving a modern twist to the classic leather biker jacket. I receive immense compliments for this quilted style of jackets with many people telling me how much they love the quilted design so this hate for quilted leather in a vehicle seemed strange to me. I have always found this beautiful and the seats of the Air appear overly bland to me especially for the money and many others I've shown them to have been unimpressed. Also, I appreciate the ambient lighting in the EQS and if one does find it distasteful why not disable them? Again, I truly am amazed by the reaction to the EQS' interior. I've noticed that the younger reviewers <40 tend to appreciate it. In fact, Kyle from Out of Spec Reviews really loves it despite the hideous exterior of the EQS. Doug DeMuro really likes the EQS' interior as well while stating that the Air definitely doesn't meet German rivals' level of luxury. I am personally a fan of the EQS' interior being a buyer at 21. I'm likely going to skip the Air and I may wait for the next EV that can offer great performance, a nice exterior, and a "gaudy" interior . In my eyes the Air's interior just took many bits from Tesla and the Porsche Taycan and combined them for something very underwhelming. The "cockpit display" is obviously copied from the Taycan while the overall simplicity mimics a Tesla which is what I wished to avoid with Teslas in the first place (alongside their quality issues of course). With all of this being said Lucid will continue to grow and change. I am sure this company's future is going to be great despite some hurdles. Despite this, I don't see myself being in one with the overly simplistic design choices and promised features that never made it and am probably canceling my order soon. I don't think range and performance is enough to justify the money although I really do want impressive performance in a car. I also don't really like the alcantara. Give me the option of leather and a full white or light colored interior instead of forcing black front seats and a black steering wheel. For me personally, if the Lucid Air Grand Touring had the EQS' interior that'd be the perfect car (alongside better paint options because the current ones definitely aren't that great). I think what they did was they played it safe by making the interior simple, probably did it to cut on costs, or it just made their job easier. Perhaps they truly think a six figure luxury sedan should look like an $70-80k from the inside. I don't like it and it does look like the base interior was just copied to all the trims. The best thing they could do is give buyers the ability to choose what they want like many of the established brands. Also, a side note but what's up with the cheap pedals especially in the $170k dream edition? Not only that but the cheap plastic door trigger that you'll be using for the lifetime of the car. So much for attention to detail.

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Seems strange to have digital analog dials

 

[DJ@SJ]

Rivian just demonstrated yesterday that it could screw over its customers without the help from dealerships.

 

[pam4_AGT]

I'm very surprised that the Lucid's simplistic interior is being accepted over the EQS' interior. I'm personally finding it very hard to confirm my Grand Touring reservation due to the interior as I do not see how it is worth it for the money. The EQS offers much more for less in terms of interior technology and quality/looks. I believe it could be due to the target audience? The Lucid seems to appeal to an older audience hence why I think the EQS' hyper-screen and modern fashion sense is not appreciated by the Lucid audience.

I'm really curious on knowing what this person's definition of "older audience" is.

 

[Steveinarizona]

I'm really curious on knowing what this person's definition of "older audience" is.

Someone who has graduated from Tik Tok?

 

[RichMalden]

I'm really curious on knowing what this person's definition of "older audience" is.

It is funny, I think it is the exact opposite of what he said. The young people like Tesla about as bare as you get. EQS is older crowd (55+) that are wowed by the electronics and what it can do (not really 70+) Even though I am older, I find the Lucid as the perfect happy medium between the 2. EQS is too Las Vegas for me and Tesla is just a little too sparse. Lucid feels like Scandinavian balance and simplicity. And while EQS may be flashy, I am not sure the materials and finish are quite as good as Lucid, certainly not better, just on par at best.

 

[Dortreo]

It is funny, I think it is the exact opposite of what he said. The young people like Tesla about as bare as you get. EQS is older crowd (55+) that are wowed by the electronics and what it can do (not really 70+) Even though I am older, I find the Lucid as the perfect happy medium between the 2. EQS is too Las Vegas for me and Tesla is just a little too sparse. Lucid feels like Scandinavian balance and simplicity. And while EQS may be flashy, I am not sure the materials and finish are quite as good as Lucid, certainly not better, just on par at best.

I’m curious how you define ”older.” I’m 56 with two kids almost out of college and do think of myself as older as well. And while I’m a tech nerd, I don’t think I could inhabit the interior of an EQS for more than a few minutes without having a seizure.

While there are obviously rabid Tesla fanbois, I wonder if Tesla is seen by many buyers as a basic EV meant to get you from Point A to Point B. The equivalent of a Camry/CRV. So, interior luxury is pretty meaningless to this crowd.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

It is funny, I think it is the exact opposite of what he said. The young people like Tesla about as bare as you get. EQS is older crowd (55+) that are wowed by the electronics and what it can do (not really 70+) Even though I am older, I find the Lucid as the perfect happy medium between the 2. EQS is too Las Vegas for me and Tesla is just a little too sparse. Lucid feels like Scandinavian balance and simplicity. And while EQS may be flashy, I am not sure the materials and finish are quite as good as Lucid, certainly not better, just on par at best.

I totally agree. In my experience the Mercedes S Class have traditionally been the choice of "older" drivers. Teslas do seem to appeal to a broad array of drivers here in the Bay Area, especially the younger crowd. I found the interior of the EQS to be way over the top and while I do like the "quilted" leather seats, the dash is just too distracting for my taste. Lets not even discuss the ugly exterior.