Plaid Owner, What Would Lucid Be Like?

[momo3605]

I am getting close to 100 miles more range out of my air than I did my Tesla.

Overall great review! THanks for getting into the details. I agree with mostly everything you stated from my review of the two. I am curious, what kind of lifetime efficiency do you average in your Air? And what was the lifetime efficiency you averaged in your Plaid? Same kind of driving patterns I assume?

 

[stealth]

Thanks for the tag in!

Yeah I transitioned from a MSP with FSD to a Lucid Air DE-P. I tended to lean into and maximized the software features and functions of the MSP so take my (maybe overcritical) thoughts with a grain of salt as others here may not fully agree with me. With that being said the TLDR is that the MSP is the best EV I have owned but not the best car. The packaging of what Tesla offers is really hard to beat at times. The Lucid Air is the best car I have owned and its not all that close but not the best EV. I'll elaborate more below and break down the categories I can think of:

Straight Line Performance and Acceleration:
Well this is where Tesla shines in terms of performance. I don't think I have to explain the mind numbing experience that is the Tesla Acceleration. The Lucid kicks but the calibration of the MSP's pedal is touchy so when you press your foot down you get the jolting, mind numbing experience. The Lucid DE-P can do this but conditions have to be ideal as there is no battery warm up time like the Plaid has with its Drag Strip mode and at the end of the day it still will be slower by just a hair. Not to mention, the Plaid sits on bags so it can lower its stance for launches. The Lucid has little wiggle room on lowering thus probably could do better if it had both a dedicated drag strip mode and a way to lower the front end slightly.

Another thing I will mention is that the Plaid has 3 motors, 2 in the back and 1 in the front. When you launch a vehicle the weight distribution shifts to the back of the car thus you depend on your back motors more to propel you forward. The Lucid DE-P only has 2 motors, 1 in back and 1 in front thus you lose a little more HP launching it then you would the Plaid (in theory).

Last thing I will mention here that is a positive for the Air is that the Plaid never felt great during these launches. The chasis doesn't seemed tuned to handle those types of launches thus it felt a little wobbly when launching like that. I didn't feel as in control as I do with the Lucid. The Lucid feels extremely planted and the brakes are much improved so slowing down quickly is much easier on the Air.

Overall the plaid wins this category but its close.
1 - 0 Plaid

Handling Performance, Comfort, and Ride Quality:
This is where the Plaid loses a lot of credibility. As I mentioned above, going fast in the Plaid was easy but doing it around bends felt very sloppy. I also was under the impression that since the Model S was on air suspension that the ride could be adjusted to feel cloud like and that I could tune it in software to stiffen up when I wanted to. In theory that's how it should be as the software is capable but in general the Plaid is a rough ride IMO, much rougher than the Air. I will give the Plaid points for allowing you to tinker with your suspension, ride height, and wheel stiffness as I think thats just a cool feature for EV nerds like myself. Lastly, seat comfort on the Plaid was pretty good but the amount of adjustments you can do is lacking for its price point. The seat never really hugged me like I wanted them to. They want to be a bucket seat so bad but aren't good at it.

The air handles extremely well. Highway off ramp curves that I was nervous to take going 50 in the Plaid, I take going 70 in the Lucid without any issues. Extremely curvy roads are cake in this car. This is the biggest pro of the car thus why I say its the best car I have owned. Realistically I think only the Taycan competes in the EV space with the handling here. Comfort wise, the air is extremely comfortable. It eats bumps like they aren't there and that is even on its roughest ride settings. You do not have all the nerdy nobs and dials here to adjust the dampers or the stiffness of the wheel. You have 3 presets that you can swap through and thats it. The good thing is that these profiles are pretty solid so I cant complain. my only complaint is that you have to switch profiles every time you get into the car unlike the Tesla that remembers your profiles. The seats on the air have thigh adjustment, head cushion adjustments, and side bolster adjustments that make the seats hug you much better. Without getting into the materials too much, the air's seats are also softer in my opinion plus you get massaging included! I always joke that there's no car that allows you to go 0-60 in 2.5 seconds while getting a massage!

Overall Air wins this hands down and its not close.
1 - 1 Tied

Dream Drive vs Autopilot (and FSD):
Dream Drive Pro is not all that pro yet. You get what autopilot does but have to pay for it (although at this time its mostly handed out for free). I would say autopilot is still better, especially with tricky situations like merge lanes on the highway. The Tesla handles these a little more smoothly. The Air seems to freak out a little bit and isn't confidence inspiring many times. At this time, Lucid really doesn't have a product that competes with FSD even if FSD isn't always the most reliable.

Tesla wins
2-1 Plaid

Tech and Software:
This is Tesla's bread and butter. As I have alluded to throughout this post, Teslas software is very good. Some people here will say that the UI is not as intuitive as the airs and I do agree that the Tesla Interface is a little more busy however, the amount of options and features that Tesla allows you to tinker with is pretty incredible. The fluidity of that screen is unmatched by any vendor. Google maps is native. Not only the amount of music streaming services but also the quality of the integration is much better on the Tesla side. The car just works from a software front and in my 3 years of Tesla ownership, I can't say I was ever disappointed in its software stability. You could also talk about the amount of fun apps and streaming services you get here but I dont think people use those much. Still would rather have them then not. The phone app as well is much better on the Tesla side, I cant even turn on my heated seats via the mobile app on the Lucid. Lastly, touches like dog mode or built in dash cam footage or sentry mode are all things that I do miss. Cameras are just better as well.

Unfortunately for Lucid, this is its biggest weakness. The software is stable enough and the screens are fluid enough but not close to Teslas infotainment in my opinion. Here maps is the default which isn't great, integration with music streaming services is kind of weak The UI is definitely intuitive but the reality is that part of it is because the feature set offered is pretty underwhelming. If you are a software nerd, the Air might leave something to be desired. I will say you get Apple car play (on a small screen) that is a pro. The screens are also gorgeous but at the time, the lack of features doesn't allow you to take full advantage of the displays. One small note, only one of the Lucid's phone holders is a charger as well. This is slightly annoying and most people buy a 3rd party accessory to fix this. Tesla's approach is better. Last thing here, ACC sensors are great to have back.

Tesla wins by a landslide.
3-1 Plaid

Range and Charging:
This one is hard purely because of the charging infrastructure that Tesla offers. I personally don't rely on public charging so this hardly effects me. I can tell you that from owning both cars, the delta between advertised range vs actual range is pretty similar on both cars. The difference is the Tesla doesn't offer a car with the amount of range that the Lucid does. I am getting close to 100 miles more range out of my air than I did my Tesla. Mix that with faster potential charging (even though the curve is not as great as the Teslas) and you have an amazing range vehicle in the air. If they were more aggressive with the charging curve then this would be a no brainer. This also may change a little if you live in a cold climate as the air does not have a heat pump.

I still give this to the air by a decent margin. Would be different if I relied on public charging more though.
3-2 Plaid

Material Choices and AC/Heating/Cooled Seats, Steering wheel:
Well this is an easy one. The Plaid is pretty simple in terms of materials. They did an amazing job at upping their game from their old pre-refreshed lineup but its not enough to compete with Lucid's interior. Real leather, a mix of materials, the two tone back seats, the adjustability, a real steering wheel, real stalks, real vent adjustments. I mean the list goes on but overall the Lucid makes you feel like you are in an expensive car. I love the interior as it strikes an amazing balance between too busy(think Mercedes or Audi) and too minimalist (Tesla). Not to mention the quietness of the interior is night and day in the Lucid.

AC, Heating, and cooled seats all are better on the Plaid but not enough to convince me that this category belongs to the Plaid. I still think its lopsided for Lucid here.
3-3 Tied

Fit and Finish:
This one may surprise people but I don't think the fit and finish, at least on a DE branded vehicle, is all that better on the Lucid. I do think that over time they have gotten much better so if you were looking at a 2024 then it would be a different story but I have had my fair share of fit and finish issues that are being addressed as we speak. Oh and on top of that this is the second attempt at fixing them. Oh and on top of that, they thought they fixed my broken frunk most recently but QC found another issue and pushed back my pickup date another 4 days. All that to say, I do think the fit and finish is better on the Lucid, especially with the later revisions but if you are looking at a DE-P you have to keep in mind that these cars were some of the first they created. You will have fit and finish issues as these cars were practically built by hand. I still think the machine as a whole though is much more confidence inspiring especially at higher speeds than the Tesla ever was. Its so much more quiet inside the cabin and you feel extremely planted on the road which I did not feel on my Plaid.

Lucid wins narrowly here for DE only cars. Wider for newer revisions.
4-3 Lucid
Service:
I never had an issue with Tesla service other than not being able to speak to a person. Typically their wait times were better than Lucids as well. However, Lucid does allow you to speak with real people and they do their damnest to make the customer happy. Unfortunately, I have had a lot of atypical experiences with the service of my personal vehicle which has left a little biased approach in my mouth.

I am going to give this one a tie.
5-4 Lucid

Conclusion:
Both are great cars and I think anyone that has owned either one is extremely fortunate. The Lucid drives so damn well but as an EV package (charging, tech, software mainly) they lag behind at times. The Tesla is the opposite. Kind of drives meh but its software package is superb along with the tech and charging. Its a great EV package. Since I have owned a Tesla for the last 3 years, it was time for something new and the Air is a great replacement. I hope that helps! Free to answer any questions along the way as well!

These detailed annecdotes, along with @momo3605 's YouTube video, are superb comparisons of the two vehicles. I would, in general, agree with all of points having toyed with a Model S and now owning an Air for five weeks. The last bit on Service - I would say that this would be highly contextual for you. Where I live in the DC Metro area, the Tesla service centers are absolutely abysmal, to the point of being negligent and baffling to me that any company could operate with such lacking customer service and support. Comparatively, the Lucid service center is close and they always pick up the phone, are professional and willing to help, even if it may take time to get things resolved. To further share my own experience - I refused delivery of my Tesla order in December seeing firsthand their gross apathy for customer service and afterwards that same day I went straight to the Lucid studio for a test drive.

 

[koflo]

Overall great review! THanks for getting into the details. I agree with mostly everything you stated from my review of the two. I am curious, what kind of lifetime efficiency do you average in your Air? And what was the lifetime efficiency you averaged in your Plaid? Same kind of driving patterns I assume?

This is a hard question to answer because when I owned my Plaid, I lived in Colorado with crappy winters. I now live in AZ and bought the Lucid. I only had the Plaid for about 2 months in AZ. So my Plaid numbers will always be worse than the Lucid's numbers given the temperature differences involved. I also didn't look at the mi/kwh usage before I sold the Plaid.

I would confidently say though that the Plaid got around 280-300 miles of real world range which is 40-60 miles off or around 82% of advertised range. My Lucid (currently in the shop so this is from memory) sits at 3.4 m/kwh which gives around 380 miles of real world usage or 84% of advertised mileage.

 

[koflo]

Incredibly detailed and a comparison that I agree with on all counts except service. I wonder if you could put this as a dedicated thread in the Car Comparisons forum, as many other people comparing the Air to a S will likely be wanting this same comparison?

I'll throw it in there as well. Great suggestion!

 

[momo3605]

These detailed annecdotes, along with @momo3605 's YouTube video, are superb comparisons of the two vehicles. I would, in general, agree with all of points having toyed with a Model S and now owning an Air for five weeks. The last bit on Service - I would say that this would be highly contextual for you. Where I live in the DC Metro area, the Tesla service centers are absolutely abysmal, to the point of being negligent and baffling to me that any company could operate with such lacking customer service and support. Comparatively, the Lucid service center is close and they always pick up the phone, are professional and willing to help, even if it may take time to get things resolved. To further share my own experience - I refused delivery of my Tesla order in December seeing firsthand their gross apathy for customer service and afterwards that same day I went straight to the Lucid studio for a test drive.

The service comparison is almost Apples and Oranges. Having owned both, the difference I think is that of a small company trying to make everything right, and that of a huge company at scale trying to automate service.

There are pros to both, the "soft" service of Lucid's is better. Being able to talk to someone quickly, empathize, understand your concerns, and then Lucid also trying to go the extra step to take care of smaller items for the brand image. Right now they tow your car on a flat bed to the service center, and drop off a loaner, which feels super lux, but I can imagine as they scale up and they have more service centers, that premium experience would go away for example

Teslas "pros" are that service is ultra fast, they can do a lot more than others with mobile service, you can book and schedule service from the app and usually they will have someone at your door in just a couple days. You don't get to develop a "relationship" with your service advisor. They just come, do their job, and they are gone. Generally I didn't have too much pushback, even in cases where issues were not consistently reproducible, mobile service guy would come, swap out the part, and peace out.

 

[xponents]

The service comparison is almost Apples and Oranges. Having owned both, the difference I think is that of a small company trying to make everything right, and that of a huge company at scale trying to automate service.

There are pros to both, the "soft" service of Lucid's is better. Being able to talk to someone quickly, empathize, understand your concerns, and then Lucid also trying to go the extra step to take care of smaller items for the brand image. Right now they tow your car on a flat bed to the service center, and drop off a loaner. I can imagine as they scale up, the

Teslas "pros" are that service is ultra fast, they can do a lot more than others with mobile service, you can book and schedule service from the app and usually they will have someone at your door in just a couple days. You don't get to develop a "relationship" with your service advisor. They just come, do their job, and they are gone. Generally I didn't have too much pushback, even in cases where issues were not consistently reproducible, mobile service guy would come, swap out the part, and peace out.

Generally this is the case as well and a good summary, but I do value Lucids more personal experience FAR more because it feels like they care instead of being another name in a list. However, for me, Tesla service is extremely slow. A friend I saw with a Model Y that needed a new bumper and some calibration(assuming he meant cameras/sensors?) was quoted a wait time of 5 months.

 

[hmp10]

We have a 2021 Model S Plaid (replaced our 2015 Model S P90D) and a 2022 Air Dream Edition Performance. When our Gravity arrives to replace our Honda Odyssey, we're getting rid of the Tesla and keeping the Air. The reasons:

- Air has better ride and handling
- Air is quieter
- Air has vastly more capacious rear quarters as well as roomier front quarters
- Air has much more supportive and adjustable front seats
- Air has birds-eye-view simulation which greatly facilitates parking in tight spaces
- I can play my USB music sticks in the Air when out of cell phone range
- Air fit and finish is better, and interior materials are superior
- Air is still rock solid while Plaid has developed squeaks and groans in rear quarters
- front end of Plaid goes loose under hard acceleration; Lucid remains more planted, thus allowing more use of its power
- hate the yoke and the tiny, black buttons that are hard to find when using turn signals, horn, or wipers
- Air has better range in real-world, 80-mph driving on road trips by about 100 miles (both cars on 21" wheels)
- and . . . I actually like the overall control suite (combination of software screens and manual switchgear) of the Air better than Tesla's overly screen-centric approach.

 

[stealth]

Generally this is the case as well and a good summary, but I do value Lucids more personal experience FAR more because it feels like they care instead of being another name in a list. However, for me, Tesla service is extremely slow. A friend I saw with a Model Y that needed a new bumper and some calibration(assuming he meant cameras/sensors?) was quoted a wait time of 5 months.

To echo this sentiment with my own experiences - at Tesla, I was very much just a number and they could have genuinely cared less if I accepted delivery or not; whereas with Lucid, thus far, I can see and recognize their effort to make their prospective and current drivers feel like valued customers.

... it is always that negative experiences leave more lasting impressions. Tesla could care less.

 

[momo3605]

Generally this is the case as well and a good summary, but I do value Lucids more personal experience FAR more because it feels like they care instead of being another name in a list. However, for me, Tesla service is extremely slow. A friend I saw with a Model Y that needed a new bumper and some calibration(assuming he meant cameras/sensors?) was quoted a wait time of 5 months.

That's fair, but that's a bigger bodywork type of issue, i assume if you needed a new bumper in your lucid, it would take that long too. (And probably any manufacturer) But for small things, like steering wheel rattles, or wireless charger not working, or re-aligning a broken frunk/trunk, that would be on the order of days.

I'll give you an example, my lucid service advisor has been going back and forth with me for the past month to replace my creaky steering wheel. In the last month, he has not even been able to SCHEDULE an appointment until he has the part in hand. After he gets the part, then he will look into availability of a service appt and schedule it. I've had a squeak in my steering wheel replaced by Tesla, and I never talked to anyone, they came in a week, and replaced it. All done. To get my frunk re-aligned, that took a month to get done too by Lucid.

But yes, to add to the sentiment, you are indeed just a number at Teslas scale, and no one cares about you. That sometimes works well, but sometimes it doesn't.

 

[xponents]

That's fair, but that's a bigger bodywork type of issue, i assume if you needed a new bumper in your lucid, it would take that long too. But for small things, like steering wheel rattles, or wireless charger not working, or re-aligning a broken frunk/trunk, that would be on the order of days.

I'll give you an example, my lucid service advisor has been going back and forth with me for the past month to replace my creaky steering wheel. In the last month, he has not even been able to SCHEDULE an appointment until he has the part in hand. After he gets the part, then he will look into availability of a service appt and schedule it. I've had a squeak in my steering wheel replaced by Tesla, and I never talked to anyone, they came in a week, and replaced it. All done. To get my frunk re-aligned, that took a month to get done too by Lucid.

But yes, to add to the sentiment, you are indeed just a number at Teslas scale, and no one cares about you. That sometimes works well, but sometimes it doesn't.

That should absolutely not be happening, Lucid has replaced many other steering wheels very quickly! Maybe @mcr16 could help?

I've had a squeak in my steering wheel replaced by Tesla...

Also, what steering wheel? All I see that can steer is a joke.. I mean a yoke

 

[hmp10]

I'll give you an example, my lucid service advisor has been going back and forth with me for the past month to replace my creaky steering wheel. In the last month, he has not even been able to SCHEDULE an appointment until he has the part in hand.

Interesting. We had a dime-size plug of the covering break off the upper left corner of our Model S yoke (a problem others have experienced with Tesla yokes and newer steering wheels) last fall. We scheduled an appointment online to replace the yoke but got a text the next day cancelling the appointment and saying no yokes were in stock. Instead of telling us when the part would be in stock or saying they would contact us when it was, we were told to check back "next quarter" to see if the part was available.

 

[momo3605]

Interesting. We had a dime-size plug of the covering break off the upper left corner of our Model S yoke (a problem others have experienced with Tesla yokes and newer steering wheels) last fall. We scheduled an appointment online to replace the yoke but got a text the next day cancelling the appointment and saying no yokes were in stock. Instead of telling us when the part would be in stock or saying they would contact us when it was, we were told to check back "next quarter" to see if the part was available.

To be fair, i just had a model 3. Given that their top 2 volume cars the 3/Y use the same interior components, There were probably a million of those steering wheels sitting in inventory haha

 

[AirDoll]

Incredibly detailed and a comparison that I agree with on all counts except service. I wonder if you could put this as a dedicated thread in the Car Comparisons forum, as many other people comparing the Air to a S will likely be wanting this same comparison?

I know you’re smart and know more about cars than quite a few on this forum, however when there’s a new member asking for comparisons on experience behind the wheel and with ownership you should probably leave it up to those with actual ownership experience. Maybe also at least disclose that it’s all hearsay and what you’ve “heard and read”, and that you’ve actually never even driven them, let alone own one.

There are people making decisions based on what they learn here and full disclosure is important IMO.

 

[Crued]

Thanks for the tag in!

That was awesome man; I hope you had that saved in a file and just copy pasted for people like me!

 

[Crued]

I went and looked at it. They would not let me drive it without a credit app despite having purchased my RSQ8 there. I was baffled and it made me walk out darn near with a middle finger in the air.

It is MUCH easier to get into than the the Tesla. Yes, it's low so it requires effort, but the cramped A to B pillar occupied by dash and wheel is not a concern. I was able to slip into it and appear far less fat than I do with my Tesla.

It was pretty comfy, had enough room for me, and I liked the electronics, for what I was actually able to interact with them sitting there in a dealership.

At this point it's all about how it drives, and I have to decide if I go out into the wild trying to find one or put the dealer (a highline used-only dealer) on notice that they better start talking some good numbers to spark my impulse button.

They couldn't tell me what it had vs. what it could have (options). I understand there are "Dream Drive Pro" and possibly an enhanced sound system, but they didn't know answers to either/any of those questions. Does the DE-P come with everything available at the time? And a '22, is that DD Pro? What about the sound system?

Thanks everybody for your input thus far, it's really helpful.

 

[Crued]

Interesting. We had a dime-size plug of the covering break off the upper left corner of our Model S yoke (a problem others have experienced with Tesla yokes and newer steering wheels) last fall. We scheduled an appointment online to replace the yoke but got a text the next day cancelling the appointment and saying no yokes were in stock. Instead of telling us when the part would be in stock or saying they would contact us when it was, we were told to check back "next quarter" to see if the part was available.

My yoke was peeling too. Tesla said I could wait for the newly designed yoke or they'd put one on under warranty. Mobile service came out, and it took less than an hour.

I love the yoke. It matches the way I hold a steering wheel. It's a bit awkward if you have massive turns, but you sort of just learn it. If I were buying a new Telsa, I would order with yoke!

 

[hydbob]

I went and looked at it. They would not let me drive it without a credit app despite having purchased my RSQ8 there. I was baffled and it made me walk out darn near with a middle finger in the air.

It is MUCH easier to get into than the the Tesla. Yes, it's low so it requires effort, but the cramped A to B pillar occupied by dash and wheel is not a concern. I was able to slip into it and appear far less fat than I do with my Tesla.

It was pretty comfy, had enough room for me, and I liked the electronics, for what I was actually able to interact with them sitting there in a dealership.

At this point it's all about how it drives, and I have to decide if I go out into the wild trying to find one or put the dealer (a highline used-only dealer) on notice that they better start talking some good numbers to spark my impulse button.

They couldn't tell me what it had vs. what it could have (options). I understand there are "Dream Drive Pro" and possibly an enhanced sound system, but they didn't know answers to either/any of those questions. Does the DE-P come with everything available at the time? And a '22, is that DD Pro? What about the sound system?

Thanks everybody for your input thus far, it's really helpful.

The DEP is fully loaded. Just go to a Lucid Studio and drive a GT and it'll be 95% of a DEP.

 

[koflo]

That was awesome man; I hope you had that saved in a file and just copy pasted for people like me!

I do have a file saved now! Haha Glad you enjoyed the write-up! I know someone already answered but the DE-P would be fully loaded with SSP and DDP. Last thing I will mention is that I got a KILLER deal on my DE-P but for a point of reference I paid $90k before tax and transport to get it locally to me. I think realistically they should be selling for the $95k-110k range. Anything less than that I would consider a pretty good deal.

 

[rdevillers]

Thanks for the tag in!

Yeah I transitioned from a MSP with FSD to a Lucid Air DE-P. I tended to lean into and maximized the software features and functions of the MSP so take my (maybe overcritical) thoughts with a grain of salt as others here may not fully agree with me. With that being said the TLDR is that the MSP is the best EV I have owned but not the best car. The packaging of what Tesla offers is really hard to beat at times. The Lucid Air is the best car I have owned and its not all that close but not the best EV. I'll elaborate more below and break down the categories I can think of:

Straight Line Performance and Acceleration:
Well this is where Tesla shines in terms of performance. I don't think I have to explain the mind numbing experience that is the Tesla Acceleration. The Lucid kicks but the calibration of the MSP's pedal is touchy so when you press your foot down you get the jolting, mind numbing experience. The Lucid DE-P can do this but conditions have to be ideal as there is no battery warm up time like the Plaid has with its Drag Strip mode and at the end of the day it still will be slower by just a hair. Not to mention, the Plaid sits on bags so it can lower its stance for launches. The Lucid has little wiggle room on lowering thus probably could do better if it had both a dedicated drag strip mode and a way to lower the front end slightly.

Another thing I will mention is that the Plaid has 3 motors, 2 in the back and 1 in the front. When you launch a vehicle the weight distribution shifts to the back of the car thus you depend on your back motors more to propel you forward. The Lucid DE-P only has 2 motors, 1 in back and 1 in front thus you lose a little more HP launching it then you would the Plaid (in theory).

Last thing I will mention here that is a positive for the Air is that the Plaid never felt great during these launches. The chasis doesn't seemed tuned to handle those types of launches thus it felt a little wobbly when launching like that. I didn't feel as in control as I do with the Lucid. The Lucid feels extremely planted and the brakes are much improved so slowing down quickly is much easier on the Air.

Overall the plaid wins this category but its close.
1 - 0 Plaid

Handling Performance, Comfort, and Ride Quality:
This is where the Plaid loses a lot of credibility. As I mentioned above, going fast in the Plaid was easy but doing it around bends felt very sloppy. I also was under the impression that since the Model S was on air suspension that the ride could be adjusted to feel cloud like and that I could tune it in software to stiffen up when I wanted to. In theory that's how it should be as the software is capable but in general the Plaid is a rough ride IMO, much rougher than the Air. I will give the Plaid points for allowing you to tinker with your suspension, ride height, and wheel stiffness as I think thats just a cool feature for EV nerds like myself. Lastly, seat comfort on the Plaid was pretty good but the amount of adjustments you can do is lacking for its price point. The seat never really hugged me like I wanted them to. They want to be a bucket seat so bad but aren't good at it.

The air handles extremely well. Highway off ramp curves that I was nervous to take going 50 in the Plaid, I take going 70 in the Lucid without any issues. Extremely curvy roads are cake in this car. This is the biggest pro of the car thus why I say its the best car I have owned. Realistically I think only the Taycan competes in the EV space with the handling here. Comfort wise, the air is extremely comfortable. It eats bumps like they aren't there and that is even on its roughest ride settings. You do not have all the nerdy nobs and dials here to adjust the dampers or the stiffness of the wheel. You have 3 presets that you can swap through and thats it. The good thing is that these profiles are pretty solid so I cant complain. my only complaint is that you have to switch profiles every time you get into the car unlike the Tesla that remembers your profiles. The seats on the air have thigh adjustment, head cushion adjustments, and side bolster adjustments that make the seats hug you much better. Without getting into the materials too much, the air's seats are also softer in my opinion plus you get massaging included! I always joke that there's no car that allows you to go 0-60 in 2.5 seconds while getting a massage!

Overall Air wins this hands down and its not close.
1 - 1 Tied

Dream Drive vs Autopilot (and FSD):
Dream Drive Pro is not all that pro yet. You get what autopilot does but have to pay for it (although at this time its mostly handed out for free). I would say autopilot is still better, especially with tricky situations like merge lanes on the highway. The Tesla handles these a little more smoothly. The Air seems to freak out a little bit and isn't confidence inspiring many times. At this time, Lucid really doesn't have a product that competes with FSD even if FSD isn't always the most reliable.

Tesla wins
2-1 Plaid

Tech and Software:
This is Tesla's bread and butter. As I have alluded to throughout this post, Teslas software is very good. Some people here will say that the UI is not as intuitive as the airs and I do agree that the Tesla Interface is a little more busy however, the amount of options and features that Tesla allows you to tinker with is pretty incredible. The fluidity of that screen is unmatched by any vendor. Google maps is native. Not only the amount of music streaming services but also the quality of the integration is much better on the Tesla side. The car just works from a software front and in my 3 years of Tesla ownership, I can't say I was ever disappointed in its software stability. You could also talk about the amount of fun apps and streaming services you get here but I dont think people use those much. Still would rather have them then not. The phone app as well is much better on the Tesla side, I cant even turn on my heated seats via the mobile app on the Lucid. Lastly, touches like dog mode or built in dash cam footage or sentry mode are all things that I do miss. Cameras are just better as well.

Unfortunately for Lucid, this is its biggest weakness. The software is stable enough and the screens are fluid enough but not close to Teslas infotainment in my opinion. Here maps is the default which isn't great, integration with music streaming services is kind of weak The UI is definitely intuitive but the reality is that part of it is because the feature set offered is pretty underwhelming. If you are a software nerd, the Air might leave something to be desired. I will say you get Apple car play (on a small screen) that is a pro. The screens are also gorgeous but at the time, the lack of features doesn't allow you to take full advantage of the displays. One small note, only one of the Lucid's phone holders is a charger as well. This is slightly annoying and most people buy a 3rd party accessory to fix this. Tesla's approach is better. Last thing here, ACC sensors are great to have back.

Tesla wins by a landslide.
3-1 Plaid

Range and Charging:
This one is hard purely because of the charging infrastructure that Tesla offers. I personally don't rely on public charging so this hardly effects me. I can tell you that from owning both cars, the delta between advertised range vs actual range is pretty similar on both cars. The difference is the Tesla doesn't offer a car with the amount of range that the Lucid does. I am getting close to 100 miles more range out of my air than I did my Tesla. Mix that with faster potential charging (even though the curve is not as great as the Teslas) and you have an amazing range vehicle in the air. If they were more aggressive with the charging curve then this would be a no brainer. This also may change a little if you live in a cold climate as the air does not have a heat pump.

I still give this to the air by a decent margin. Would be different if I relied on public charging more though.
3-2 Plaid

Material Choices and AC/Heating/Cooled Seats, Steering wheel:
Well this is an easy one. The Plaid is pretty simple in terms of materials. They did an amazing job at upping their game from their old pre-refreshed lineup but its not enough to compete with Lucid's interior. Real leather, a mix of materials, the two tone back seats, the adjustability, a real steering wheel, real stalks, real vent adjustments. I mean the list goes on but overall the Lucid makes you feel like you are in an expensive car. I love the interior as it strikes an amazing balance between too busy(think Mercedes or Audi) and too minimalist (Tesla). Not to mention the quietness of the interior is night and day in the Lucid.

AC, Heating, and cooled seats all are better on the Plaid but not enough to convince me that this category belongs to the Plaid. I still think its lopsided for Lucid here.
3-3 Tied

Fit and Finish:
This one may surprise people but I don't think the fit and finish, at least on a DE branded vehicle, is all that better on the Lucid. I do think that over time they have gotten much better so if you were looking at a 2024 then it would be a different story but I have had my fair share of fit and finish issues that are being addressed as we speak. Oh and on top of that this is the second attempt at fixing them. Oh and on top of that, they thought they fixed my broken frunk most recently but QC found another issue and pushed back my pickup date another 4 days. All that to say, I do think the fit and finish is better on the Lucid, especially with the later revisions but if you are looking at a DE-P you have to keep in mind that these cars were some of the first they created. You will have fit and finish issues as these cars were practically built by hand. I still think the machine as a whole though is much more confidence inspiring especially at higher speeds than the Tesla ever was. Its so much more quiet inside the cabin and you feel extremely planted on the road which I did not feel on my Plaid.

Lucid wins narrowly here for DE only cars. Wider for newer revisions.
4-3 Lucid
Service:
I never had an issue with Tesla service other than not being able to speak to a person. Typically their wait times were better than Lucids as well. However, Lucid does allow you to speak with real people and they do their damnest to make the customer happy. Unfortunately, I have had a lot of atypical experiences with the service of my personal vehicle which has left a little biased approach in my mouth.

I am going to give this one a tie.
5-4 Lucid

Conclusion:
Both are great cars and I think anyone that has owned either one is extremely fortunate. The Lucid drives so damn well but as an EV package (charging, tech, software mainly) they lag behind at times. The Tesla is the opposite. Kind of drives meh but its software package is superb along with the tech and charging. Its a great EV package. Since I have owned a Tesla for the last 3 years, it was time for something new and the Air is a great replacement. I hope that helps! Free to answer any questions along the way as well!

Thanks for this detailed review and comparison.

 

[Lucken]

You thought getting in and out of a Model S was difficult? Wait ‘til you try getting in and out of a Lucid Air.

My partner is a man “of size”, though currently on a crusade to make himself “less of size”. He’s slowly and gradually succeeding, but I digress.

My partner loathes, just loathes, my Lucid, except when I have him drive it. His biggest problem with it is getting in and out. The car is very low slung, and my partner is long-waisted. Watching him wedge himself into the front seat, and prying himself out again is an exercise in witnessing self-harm. He grabs the roof railing from the inside, bends down, then grunts, hisses like a goanna, swears, and turns red in the face; he crams his neck under the roof, does a half turn, plops down in the seat, swings his legs in, then slams the door. He absolutely hates it.

Consequently, when my partner and I go running around, and we choose to take one of my cars, I leave my Lucid Air at home. We use my 2018-build Tesla Model X100D instead. Which, as you would expect, creaks, rattles and roars with a cacophony of road and wind noise that only a Tesla can. My partner is far happier in that. I’m not.

I think other posters will chime in with responses more germaine to your question.

At 5’7” and normal weight, getting in & out of the Lucid is easy. It took awhile, but I finally found a benefit of being short!