New Video Review EV Nomads

dawktah LucidGT

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The driver side mirror is REALLY set wrong! If you're going to set a driver's side mirror like that you might as well take a sledgehammer to it, its not serving any purpose.

I'm only in 5 minutes of the 40 minute video. So far, very nice. Holy smokes 7 minute mark!

 
As they were returning to the lot, Brandon said he saw another Dream there. I wonder how many this guy snagged?
 
This seemed like a particularly solid, unbiased review, even though it could have been edited much much tighter. I don't think they needed to spend that much time on the massaging seats or include so much dead space, but OK.

Is there no setting for the degree of regen or did he just not see it?

Before he commented that he was surprised, considering the class of car, that it wasn't quieter inside, I again felt the noise I was hearing was greater than what I hear in other high end BEV car reviews. Road noise was particularly obvious. This has been consistent from one review to another. It's hard to imagine that everyone's mic setups were so poor when the same setups are used in other car reviews. He mentioned the glass canopy could be a factor, so it will be interesting to see if the metal roof is any quieter.

He also mentioned motor whine was a 'little annoying' at slower speeds. I don't think that would bother me since I don't find that sound objectionable, but I won't know until a test drive.

I had to chuckle a bit when he mentioned how impressive the activation of the side view cameras were in the instrument panel when making turns. My wife's Hyundai Sonata has that feature too.

Otherwise acceleration and drivability seemed excellent.
 
What I found odd was what Brandon posted in the comments section of his video:

"For an over $150k car, the overall package left me wanting better - I think Lucid’s best move would be to license their miniaturized powertrain tech to other OEMs that are more experienced at the building cars part."

In the review, he didn't note a single problem with build quality. He found the car was perfectly calibrated in acceleration and braking. He found Sprint mode to put the car on a performance par with the Tesla Model S Plaid. He found the suspension was both planted and compliant, commenting particularly on how smooth it was on cobblestones and in construction areas. He found the seating and the ride very comfortable. He almost obsessed on how great the massaging seats were when most other premium cars don't even have them. He didn't find a squeak, rattle, or out-of-place element. He liked the dual screens.

The ONLY negative he noted was that it was a bit noisier inside than he expected, although still noting that it was a pretty quiet car.

And from all this, his final conclusion was that Lucid is not really up to building the car to sit atop its advanced drivetrain?

Give me a break. (I wonder how happy the guy is who lent him the car and wants someone to pay him $230,000 for it.)
 
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I wonder if part of it, even though he didn’t mention it, is that he thought more should be included for the Dream price. There are certain surprising omissions that have been discussed here.

I didn’t read his comments, so I totally missed those.
 
Is there no setting for the degree of regen or did he just not see it?
Each drive setting has 2 regen settings. One of the DE owners that post here stated that if you hold the drive setting for 2 seconds, the regen option for that drive setting shows up - a shortcut versus going through the menus.
 
The reviewer, Brandon Flash, posted this comment on Reddit:

"I had high hopes as one should for a $170k and it felt like an $80k car. Grand Touring should have software improvements to nav and general interface speed through updates and will be a better value. It currently feels more like an engineering exercise than a fully polished car."

This is very much at odds with more seasoned reviewers who have been astonished at how mature Lucid's first effort is.

To reach this conclusion after posting a video in which his ONLY real complaint was noise level indicates either an incompetent reviewer who cannot project his thoughts and support his conclusions in his video. . . or someone with an agenda. For instance, why does he think only the Grand Touring will have software improvements to nav and general interface speed? Does he not even understand that any updates will be rolled out across the model lineup?
 
What I found odd was what Brandon posted in the comments section of his video:

"For an over $150k car, the overall package left me wanting better - I think Lucid’s best move would be to license their miniaturized powertrain tech to other OEMs that are more experienced at the building cars part."

In the review, he didn't note a single problem with build quality. He found the car was perfectly calibrated in acceleration and braking. He found Sprint mode to put the car on a performance par with the Tesla Model S Plaid. He found the suspension was both planted and compliant, commenting particularly on how smooth it was on cobblestones and in construction areas. He found the seating and the ride very comfortable. He almost obsessed on how great the massaging seats were when most other premium cars don't even have them. He didn't find a squeak, rattle, or out-of-place element. He liked the dual screens.

The ONLY negative he noted was that it was a bit noisier inside than he expected, although still noting that it was a pretty quiet car.

And from all this, his final conclusion was that Lucid is not really up to building the car to sit atop its advanced drivetrain?

Give me a break. (I wonder how happy the guy is who lent him the car and wants someone to pay him $230,000 for it.)

Sounds like a Tesla fan boy review. Tesla Plaid with obvious defects was pointed out by Doug DeMuro, I am still looking forward to his review. Quirks and Features!
 
The reviewer, Brandon Flash, posted this comment on Reddit:

"I had high hopes as one should for a $170k and it felt like an $80k car. Grand Touring should have software improvements to nav and general interface speed through updates and will be a better value. It currently feels more like an engineering exercise than a fully polished car."

This is very much at odds with more seasoned reviewers who have been astonished at how mature Lucid's first effort is.

To reach this conclusion after posting a video in which his ONLY real complaint was noise level indicates either an incompetent reviewer who cannot project his thoughts and support his conclusions in his video. . . or someone with an agenda. For instance, why does he think only the Grand Touring will have software improvements to nav and general interface speed? Does he not even understand that any updates will be rolled out across the model lineup?
It's odd that he didn't come across that way in the video itself which I thought, based on what I saw and 'heard', was generally measured. However with that said and to be fair, there was some noticeable lag on the interface. That's not that unusual and something I experienced on my 2017 MS.

Someone did mention he seemed like a Tesla fanboy, but he seemed to strongly deny that. Of course if it was true, few would admit it.

In the end, with all the time they've had, I do think the interface should have been more complete. He mentions that many features were grayed out with no explanation as to why.
 
The reviews are picking up the pace. This one just went up from Car.com and reached a very different conclusion from Brandon Flash. Where Flash said the Air felt more like an engineering exercise than a ready-for-market product, Cars.com said that the Air was "fully fledged" and an incredible first effort -- much the same that most other long-established reviewers have said.


Of particular interest was his claim that knees are jacked up more in the back of a Mercedes EQS than in the Air, despite the 10" longer wheelbase of the EQS and the lack of any front storage under the hood.
 
The EV Nomads channel has 2.3K subscribers. This is basically the review from some random guy driving a Lucid.
 
He's also putting his nonsense out over Reddit and other social media sites, though. I think it's funny that the guy who lent him this car for the test is trying sell it for $230,000. So much for that clever plan.
 
I couldn't help but notice the huge rail relative to his seating position. It must have been interesting seeing him getting in or out (maybe that's why they didn't show it ;)). Even the exterior shot with him looking out the window was kind of funny.

However as hmp10 said, a very different take from the previous review. I'd like to see a thorough review from Kyle.

It's amusing that the EQS' hood is 'nailed shut'.
 
They grayed out features are part of the ADAS system which will be implemented in the next software update. As it currently is you CANNOT engage dream drive or cruise control yet.

I've driven the car for almost 400 miles now and everytime I get in I'm excited to take it out on the road again.
 
everytime I get in I'm excited to take it out on the road again.
Can't get any better endorsement than that.

notice the huge rail relative to his seating position
Agree - it's not just their size but how low they are (as the reviewer pointed out to reduce drag). The window looks tiny, like on a sports car.

Even though cars.com said the Air was a first effort, I'm glad he compared it to what established manufacturers are putting out. I'm tired of reviewers saying the Air is a really good car as the first product - it makes me wonder if they are applying a different standard, cutting Lucid some slack. I much prefer when a reviewer says the car is what they expect (or better) from an established company.

If Brandon thought the DE was an $80k car, does he think the MS Plaid with it's QA issues, lower quality interior (as one reviewer stated - tupperware plastic) is a $50k car?
 
Regen mode is either high or standard and you can access it 2 ways.
 

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The article hits some points I don't remember hearing in the video. Most of the article is the same as the video but here is what stood out as extra:
" This is basically the next-generation electric car that the Tesla Model S should have become by now but hasn’t. "
" But how is it to drive? What’s it like inside? Is it as good as offerings like the luxurious, tech-laden, Mercedes-EQ EQS? Yes, it is. It might even be better. "
" Pop into the plush driver’s seat, and gaze around at the cabin that Lucid has crafted — a mix of Tesla-style minimalism, Volvo-style materials and Mercedes-level opulence. "
" It’s rich, drum-tight in terms of its construction, beautiful to look at and pleasing to use. That’s the definition of a luxury car, in my opinion. "
" The backseat is immediately identifiable as superior to the EQS. "
" The Air drives much more like a normal car than the EQS and might prove to be a better step into something electric for someone interested in trading in their conventional S-Class than Mercedes’ own EV. "
" I’m always skeptical of a startup company’s first cars — they’re rarely well done, frequently fraught with bugs, assembly issues, squeaks and rattles, and odd design choices. The Lucid Air exhibits none of these quirks. If any other automaker had produced this, it would be an award-winning triumph. That it came as the first car from a brand-new startup company is even more astonishing. If its first car is this good, I can’t even imagine how good Lucid’s next one is going to be. "
 
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