Speculation My honest opinion after test driving the car, and some of my thoughts

[redditrabbit]

I tried a Pure today. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. This is totally personal preference: the pedal is quite heavy and so is the steering wheel. I drive a small sedan that has medium weight controls. So it caught me my surprise. The vehicle feels unwieldy. I’m not sure if this is what can turn down many people, but I personally am not too sure about getting an Air due to this reason.
2. The software is not as sophisticated. I know it’s just a startup and it’s their first car. But I have tried Audi, Model 3 and S. And I gotta say the software is still years behind. This is not to say that it’s not usable or useful. But it’s just a user experience preference. I’m more accustomed to the tablet like experience.
3. The interior space is definitely smaller than I imagined. The roof is quite slanted and the floor high. the sales rep guy in the shotgun seat must have had his knees quite bent. But i think the footwell helped the rear space.

So it seems you will like the car more if you have strong hands and feet and care less about the ‘tablet like’ software experience as the other cars.

I’m not bashing the car or the company. Just some personal opinion. Lucid certainly has quite the EV technology - 410 miles for the lowest end Air. 1234 HP for sapphire. I’m a fan of the aesthetics and an investor for the potential. If it came out with a mid tier, more spacious and light-weight control car, hopefully with a more sophisticated software experience, I might give it a try.

 

[hydbob]

I think this is the first review I've read that says the interior space is lacking

 

[Neurio]

Yeah, how much more spacious could it be? Full size interior with a mid size exterior. Unless your 6'8", I guess..

 

[xponents]

Its a very fair review.. but how tall are you?

 

[hydbob]

Also what midsized car is more spacious than this one?

 

[AZAirGT]

I tried a Pure today. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. This is totally personal preference: the pedal is quite heavy and so is the steering wheel. I drive a small sedan that has medium weight controls. So it caught me my surprise. The vehicle feels unwieldy. I’m not sure if this is what can turn down many people, but I personally am not too sure about getting an Air due to this reason.
2. The software is not as sophisticated. I know it’s just a startup and it’s their first car. But I have tried Audi, Model 3 and S. And I gotta say the software is still years behind. This is not to say that it’s not usable or useful. But it’s just a user experience preference. I’m more accustomed to the tablet like experience.
3. The interior space is definitely smaller than I imagined. The roof is quite slanted and the floor high. the sales rep guy in the shotgun seat must have had his knees quite bent. But i think the footwell helped the rear space.

So it seems you will like the car more if you have strong hands and feet and care less about the ‘tablet like’ software experience as the other cars.

I’m not bashing the car or the company. Just some personal opinion. Lucid certainly has quite the EV technology - 410 miles for the lowest end Air. 1234 HP for sapphire. I’m a fan of the aesthetics and an investor for the potential. If it came out with a mid tier, more spacious and light-weight control car, hopefully with a more sophisticated software experience, I might give it a try.

While I value your opinion, here are a few counter points in my view. Like any new thing, car or otherwise, you get the feel of the complete experience after spending more time with it. If you look at where Lucid is today in its lifespan I believe it is way ahead of where Tesla was in the comparable time line. For Lucid to build their first model with such an high level of engineering and very good build quality is quite remarkable. Every vehicle has its quirks, likes and dislikes. Lucid has addressed a lot of shortcomings via software updates that make it better with every update. I’m a bit surprised about the interior room comment. The Air has more room than my previous Audi A8 L in my opinion. I also would challenge you assessment of Audi’s software being better. The software in my Audi e-torn SUV was frustratingly not good as is with many VW Group vehicles. I hope you’ll consider giving it another shot.

 

[borski]

Literally has more space than any car in its class lol. I can stretch both front seats all the way back and the rear seat *still* has best-in-class legroom lol.

The “heavy” feeling is what you’ll hear people refer to as “tight” steering and suspension. It gets you feedback from the road much more readily, but it isn’t as “smooth” as a Lexus for that reason. Different strokes!

 

[DeaneG]

I also wasn't overly impressed on a couple of test drives, and would have preferred an SUV for my use case. Wound up buying the car anyway for its range. I've come to really like it - a league apart from our previous Model 3 performance, so much more of a complete car. Having lived with Tesla's software development for four years (finally got GPS waypoints after three years, almost two years after adding fart noises), I can live with Lucid's.

I am used to driving sports cars, and so am comfortable with the Air's relatively precise, weighted control effort.

 

[MountainAir]

It's interesting to see what stands out to different people, positive or negative. The steering wheel struck me as surprisingly meaty at first. Then I had an opportunity for an extended test drive and went up into the twisty mountain roads west of Denver. The car handled incredibly well. I'm no expert, but it was easily the most fun car I've ever driven. Now the wheel in our Bimmer seems too thin. I can see the point about the UI. It is on the simplistic side. That actually seems like a positive to me. I'm definitely hoping for more features, but personally, I hope Lucid sticks with the simple look and structure.

The comment on space struck me. I'm 6'4" and found all models to be very comfortable, front and back. I've only sat in a Pure/metal roof in the show room for a few minutes. I can see how that could potentially make it seem more cramped, but I was surprised that it didn't bother me. Still happy that mine will come with a glass top though!

 

[Keith58]

I also wasn't overly impressed on a couple of test drives, and would have preferred an SUV for my use case. Wound up buying the car anyway for its range. Have grown to really like it - a league apart from our previous Model 3 performance, so much more of a complete car. Having lived with Tesla's software development for four years (finally got GPS waypoints after three years, almost two years after adding fart noises), I can live with Lucid's.

I’m glad to hear you like it more than the 3 performance. That’s what I unloaded to make room in the garage for this. Which one do you have and how do you think the start of the pants acceleration compares?

 

[Lucken]

I tried a Pure today. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. This is totally personal preference: the pedal is quite heavy and so is the steering wheel. I drive a small sedan that has medium weight controls. So it caught me my surprise. The vehicle feels unwieldy. I’m not sure if this is what can turn down many people, but I personally am not too sure about getting an Air due to this reason.
2. The software is not as sophisticated. I know it’s just a startup and it’s their first car. But I have tried Audi, Model 3 and S. And I gotta say the software is still years behind. This is not to say that it’s not usable or useful. But it’s just a user experience preference. I’m more accustomed to the tablet like experience.
3. The interior space is definitely smaller than I imagined. The roof is quite slanted and the floor high. the sales rep guy in the shotgun seat must have had his knees quite bent. But i think the footwell helped the rear space.

So it seems you will like the car more if you have strong hands and feet and care less about the ‘tablet like’ software experience as the other cars.

I’m not bashing the car or the company. Just some personal opinion. Lucid certainly has quite the EV technology - 410 miles for the lowest end Air. 1234 HP for sapphire. I’m a fan of the aesthetics and an investor for the potential. If it came out with a mid tier, more spacious and light-weight control car, hopefully with a more sophisticated software experience, I might give it a try.

Yes, 1&2 are purely subjective. I certainly disagree with you on your first point. Your second point is harder to argue with as the software is not as polished as the legacy guys, but yikes, I couldn’t disagree with you more on point 3. The interior space is smaller than you imagined? I suppose if you imagined a football field, yes.

As for your conclusion, at 5’7” I never thought of myself as having ‘strong hands and feet’, but I still like the car.

 

[DeaneG]

I’m glad to hear you like it more than the 3 performance. That’s what I unloaded to make room in the garage for this. Which one do you have and how do you think the start of the pants acceleration compares?

I had a 2018 'stealth' performance: performance internals (acceleration) but with 19" wheels and without the brake package. Kept it for four years. It was my third EV.
My Model 3's acceleration was slightly more edgy or nervous at low speeds. Certainly a lot of fun, 3.5 seconds 0-60. I have the Air Grand Touring model, numerically quicker at 3.0 seconds. It's not quite as crisp from a rest than the 3 but pulls harder at any speed I have attempted. In the Air I often have to remind myself to back off, as it's so easy to exceed sane speeds.

The Model 3 drives more like a twitchy sports car, with rough suspension to match. The Air is a Grand Touring type car with a better ride, but at the same time, better handling. It's a great drive - something I somehow didn't pick up on my two test drives. Maybe I didn't push the car hard enough then.

 

[Keith58]

I had a 2018 'stealth' performance: performance internals (acceleration) but with 19" wheels and without the brake package. Kept it for four years. It was my third EV.
My Model 3's acceleration was slightly more edgy or nervous at low speeds. Certainly a lot of fun, 3.5 seconds 0-60. I have the Air Grand Touring model, numerically quicker at 3.0 seconds. It's not quite as crisp from a rest than the 3 but pulls harder at any speed I have attempted. In the Air I often have to remind myself to back off, as it's so easy to exceed sane speeds.

The Model 3 drives more like a twitchy sports car, with rough suspension to match. The Air is a Grand Touring type car with a better ride, but at the same time, better handling. It's a great drive - something I somehow didn't pick up on my two test drives. Maybe I didn't push the car hard enough then.

Thanks! I enjoyed my test drive but have to admit I wasn’t blown away. What did it for me was the overall design of the car and the amazing quality of the interior. When I sat back in my Tesla I was just so disappointed by the acres of white vinyl. Hearing that you find the car to be sporty and, in someway is equivalent to the three, is great. I took my test drive with my chairman of the board and did not really feel like I could have a lot of fun.

 

[DeaneG]

..I took my test drive with my chairman of the board and did not really feel like I could have a lot of fun.

I didn't fully appreciate the Air until I took it on a long road trip and found myself going way faster than I should through the mountains. It hauls ass and rarely needs a stop to charge.

 

[NNPCdude]

I'll recommend another test drive. Make it back-to-back with equivalent cars for a good comparison. I've had 3 test drives in different states and with each I notice something new - mostly positive. The Air has a low roofline, by any measure it has a larger capacity than all other cars in its class.

 

[EVCar]

Lucid is frequently mentioned in the same breath with EQS and i7, so here's my take on the interior space:
Compared to the EQS, Lucid's rear space in the GT feels bigger for my family, including a 6-foot plus son.
The Pure probably feels even bigger with the additional footwell space.
Haven't driven the i7, so I don't know how that compares.
The EQS front seats feel more like a lounge chair whereas Lucid feels slightly smaller but more body conforming.
For objective comparisons, data on physical dimensions are everywhere on the net now, but how one integrates with the space feeling while driving/riding the car probably counts more.

 

[joec]

If you want small, try the Lincoln MkZ I’ve been driving as a rental this week. I literally could not fit in the back seat, the leg room is so tiny. And that’s supposed to be a mid-sized sedan. Looks like a Porsche 911 back there.

Model S I can get in the back, but it’s not what I would describe as comfortable. Head room or leg room wise.

Lucid objectively has the best interior space of any car its size.

I understand what you mean about it feeling “big” to drive, though. I’ve driven mostly small cars my whole life. And the weight. You definitely notice it on your first drive. It is not a light car. But you quickly get used to that, and then you end up loving it. At least I did.

 

[Iggy]

IDK. Interesting review.

I just test drove one yesterday for the second time. Probably deciding between a Lucid or Tesla. Not sure yet.

I don't get the size comments. The Lucid is a huge car. It drove like a mid sized luxury sedan to me. But, the interior space felt like a 7 series. Pretty sure the measurements are too. Maybe he's talking about trunk space? It did look a little small to me to my eye.

I would like to decide soon. For the current owners...How's the Dream Drive doing? I don't really care about FSD, but I would like a solid semi driving experience. I like Tesla Auto pilot and the Mercedes/BMW new hands free experience. I heard Lucid is still behind here and folks are waiting for updates. Any comments?

 

[DeaneG]

...For the current owners...How's the Dream Drive doing? I don't really care about FSD, but I would like a solid semi driving experience. I like Tesla Auto pilot and the Mercedes/BMW new hands free experience. I heard Lucid is still behind here and folks are waiting for updates. Any comments?

Dream Drive is a work in progress. It's usable now for lanekeeping on fairly straight roads. Definitely a hands-on system, as is Tesla's. Lucid's traffic-aware cruise control function works very well.
If you do choose Tesla, avoid paying anything for "Full Self Driving". IMO it's a marketing scam and will be so for many years. Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot works very well.

 

[Worldwide Beagle]

My third test drive was the best. No wife, no salespeople. I was more confident. My second E-tron GT drive was worse than the pleasant first, especially after driving a Lucid. EVs are the first cars in my life I have done multiple test drives - the experience is that different