To Order or Cancel?

[xfyrdudex]

Hi All, new member here. Been a long time Tesla owner with several of those cars. Have been ready for a change for quite some time. Never kept cars more than 3 years and while that's still the case, I feel like I've been looking at the same car for nearly 9 years now as Today's Tesla looks nearly the same as did my first 2013 Model S.

Hoping to hear from some actual owners that might have also come from a Tesla on how they feel about the Lucid. Happy you made the change to Lucid? Or after having done so, miss the Tesla?

Received confirmation that I can now place my actual order for the Lucid and have it in about 2+ months. I'm one that's put reservations on several new EV's just to have the option since the world we live in today now requires you to know what you want for a vehicle 2+ years in advance.

Aside from being ready to look at something different, not a fan of the direction Tesla went with the Model S refresh. Hate that yoke thing and not having any physical controls for the simple things we use every day. The Model S however has always been appealing due to its air suspension, which I truly appreciate after having tried a Model 3 for 4-5 months a few years ago. Was a bit surprised that the Lucid doesn't offer air suspension. The 500 mile range however, is certainly appealing with the Lucid, not that I'll need it 98% of the time, but nice to have when you do need it.

Anyway, have to make a decision on this thing. If anybody has any random pros or cons about why I should or shouldn't order the Lucid, would love to hear them. Especially from existing owners.

How's the demand on these things? I know with many EV's right now, manufacturers can't build them fast enough. But, this being a $150K car, assume it's not through the roof as it appears to be for Rivian's trucks or several Tesla models.

Thoughts on resale value? Right now, my Tesla appears to be worth almost what I paid for it nearly 3 years ago, which is just silly, but seems to be the world we live in right now. Don't assume I can expect anywhere close to the same with the Lucid?

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I guess the fact that I'm not jumping at the opportunity immediately, after waiting quite some time since placing the deposit, is my reasoning for asking. If it really blew me away, I wouldn't be asking. Certainly a nice car. More luxurious than the Tesla. But, is it one of those "fall in love with" type of cars where you're so thankful to have finally gotten it?

OK, I'll stop rambling. Thanks again for any feedback!

 

[hydbob]

Hi All, new member here. Been a long time Tesla owner with several of those cars. Have been ready for a change for quite some time. Never kept cars more than 3 years and while that's still the case, I feel like I've been looking at the same car for nearly 9 years now as Today's Tesla looks nearly the same as did my first 2013 Model S.

Hoping to hear from some actual owners that might have also come from a Tesla on how they feel about the Lucid. Happy you made the change to Lucid? Or after having done so, miss the Tesla?

Received confirmation that I can now place my actual order for the Lucid and have it in about 2+ months. I'm one that's put reservations on several new EV's just to have the option since the world we live in today now requires you to know what you want for a vehicle 2+ years in advance.

Aside from being ready to look at something different, not a fan of the direction Tesla went with the Model S refresh. Hate that yoke thing and not having any physical controls for the simple things we use every day. The Model S however has always been appealing due to its air suspension, which I truly appreciate after having tried a Model 3 for 4-5 months a few years ago. Was a bit surprised that the Lucid doesn't offer air suspension. The 500 mile range however, is certainly appealing with the Lucid, not that I'll need it 98% of the time, but nice to have when you do need it.

Anyway, have to make a decision on this thing. If anybody has any random pros or cons about why I should or shouldn't order the Lucid, would love to hear them. Especially from existing owners.

How's the demand on these things? I know with many EV's right now, manufacturers can't build them fast enough. But, this being a $150K car, assume it's not through the roof as it appears to be for Rivian's trucks or several Tesla models.

Thoughts on resale value? Right now, my Tesla appears to be worth almost what I paid for it nearly 3 years ago, which is just silly, but seems to be the world we live in right now. Don't assume I can expect anywhere close to the same with the Lucid?

Thanks in advance for any feedback. I guess the fact that I'm not jumping at the opportunity immediately, after waiting quite some time since placing the deposit, is my reasoning for asking. If it really blew me away, I wouldn't be asking. Certainly a nice car. More luxurious than the Tesla. But, is it one of those "fall in love with" type of cars where you're so thankful to have finally gotten it?

OK, I'll stop rambling. Thanks again for any feedback!

This is the biggest question for you, have you actually trst driven one?

 

[hmp10]

I can't answer your questions about demand and resale value, but I do have some perspective. We had a 2015 Model S P90D that we traded for a Model S Plaid last August. I also bought my brother a 2018 Model 3 that I have driven a fair bit. And we took delivery on December 31 of a Lucid Air Dream Performance. (We're keeping the Plaid and also have a Launch Edition Rivian R1S on reservation.)

My take:

The Plaid is quicker.
Tesla software is vastly faster and smoother than Lucid's (at this point, anyway).
I love the big Tesla screen with Google Earth map display and miss it in the Air.
The Model S interior is considerably improved over the earlier generation (except for that ghastly yoke and those bizarrely laid out haptic control buttons).
The Model S backseat is an embarrassment for a car of that size.

The Lucid is vastly quicker than any car needs to be and bested only by the Plaid.
The Air interior is an order of magnitude better than the Plaid in terms of roominess, comfort, materials quality, fit & finish.
The Air backseat seems to defy spacial metrics in a body shell of that relatively compact size.
The Air is quieter (except for motor whine under acceleration).
The Air's ride is considerably more compliant while dynamic maneuvers are more precise. (Its front end also stays better planted than the Plaid under hard acceleration.)
The structural solidity of the Air is noticeably better than any Tesla.
Lucid's exterior panel gaps are considerably tighter than Tesla's.

We only use the Plaid as a two-passenger car or when we need both EVs at the same time. Anytime we're picking up anyone, we invariably use the Air. And even when it's only the two of us going somewhere, we are finding ourselves now defaulting to the Air without even discussing it. In fact, it takes a discussion to decide to take the Tesla, mostly occasioned by worry about how fast we're running up the odometer on the Air. (We live in a semi-rural area, and almost anywhere we go is a 20-50 mile round trip.)

 

[Pragmatic]

I never understood the use of air suspension on the Tesla other than as a gimmick. Air suspension is only useful if the weight of the vehicle varies greatly during normal operation, such as buses, trucks or extremely light vehicles that carry a lot of weight. With its battery weight the Tesla is none of these. There is nothing inherently smoother about an air suspension. Its only advantage is allowing a lower spring rate vehicle to ridie level when loaded. Other than some specialized air springs with multiple chanmbers they do not change the spring rates when carrying heavier loads.
So, on a vehicle where the maximum load carried is a small percent of the unladen weight, there is little to no ride advantage gained through the use of air suspensions.

 

[hmp10]

I never understood the use of air suspension on the Tesla other than as a gimmick. Air suspension is only useful if the weight of the vehicle varies greatly during normal operation, such as buses, trucks or extremely light vehicles that carry a lot of weight. With its battery weight the Tesla is none of these. There is nothing inherently smoother about an air suspension. Its only advantage is allowing a lower spring rate vehicle to ridie level when loaded. Other than some specialized air springs with multiple chanmbers they do not change the spring rates when carrying heavier loads.
So, on a vehicle where the maximum load carried is a small percent of the unladen weight, there is little to no ride advantage gained through the use of air suspensions.

I've posted about this elsewhere, but a major trucking logistics company did a study several years ago comparing air suspensions to coil spring setups. They found that coil springs responded more quickly to changes in road surface and that freight suffered less damage with coil spring suspensions than with air suspensions.

Air springs were first developed before World War II for aircraft, as air springs have greater load bearing capacity than coil springs. From there they spread to the trucking industry for the same reason. However, the inherent hysteresis lag of air springs makes them less suitable for precise control of wheel movement, which is why racing engineers largely avoid them.

I suspect many automakers have been drawn to air suspensions because it might be easier to tune in the compliant rides they want with the necessary level of vehicle control they require, given modern programmable electronic controls. However, all the compliance of an air suspension can be had with a coil spring, along with more precision in wheel control -- especially with adaptive dampers -- if the system is properly engineered.

It's interesting that the original Tesla Model S that Peter Rawlinson engineered had a coil spring setup. Tesla introduced an air suspension option only in 2015, after Rawlinson's departure. At the time, most of the auto press found no improvement in ride or handling with the air suspension and largely recommended that buyers forgo that option.

Rawlinson came from Jaguar and Lotus. The man knows whereof he speaks when it comes to sophisticated suspensions.

 

[copper]

All valid questions. I spent a lot of time going over this as well - I have a Model S LR on order that will be delivered week after next, which is when my GT goes into production. I plan on cancelling the Tesla if I can't flip it since I've made my mind up on the Air.

What clinched the decision for me was (a) the Air is a vastly better drivers car in almost every way, (b) the range of the Air is both usable and far exceeds anything else on the market, and (c) the interior space and build quality for a new carmaker is far and away better than I could have expected. There are of course teething troubles as they enter the market, but funny enough much less than I would have expected for a brand new carmaker. They're really doing well so far.

The downsides are (a) the Supercharger network for Tesla is extremely compelling, especially in areas of the US with less non-Tesla charger coverage and (b) the Tesla software is very responsive, even if it isn't alway intuitive. You get the benefit of a decade's worth of work on the car's software, even if it hasn't really been updated all that much and feels long in the tooth despite the interior and exterior refreshes. There is also the build quality out of the factory where often you're sending the car back to panel gaps fixed - things that should never happen in a new car.

If you want to really enjoy every mile in one of the best driving cars around, get the Air. If you want to just have a get-it-and-not-worry-about-charging car and are far less concerned about driving perfection, luxury or build quality, get the Tesla.

I for one want to have fun and really love the space and range, so the decision ended up being easy.

 

[Alex]

It's interesting that the original Tesla Model S that Peter Rawlinson engineered had a coil spring setup. Tesla introduced an air suspension option only in 2015, after Rawlinson's departure

Actually, Tesla has had Air Suspension on the Model S since day 1. I had a 2012 Model S performance with air suspension. I sold the car a year ago and the air suspension held up nicely. With some of the features, such as GPS based ride hight, that Tesla introduced, the air suspension became even more useful.

 

[hmp10]

Actually, Tesla has had Air Suspension on the Model S since day 1. I had a 2012 Model S performance with air suspension. I sold the car a year ago and the air suspension held up nicely. With some of the features, such as GPS based ride hight, that Tesla introduced, the air suspension became even more useful.

Right you are. When I ordered my 2015 Model S P85D, I thought I remembered the air suspension had just been added as an option along with the dual motor that model year. But I looked it up and, although different sources give the air suspension as first becoming available as an option alternatively in 2012, and 2013, and 2014, your own experience nails it to the outset of production. (The confusion about dates of introduction might revolve around the addition of geo-location to the air suspension in 2014 before making the air suspension standard in 2017. Maybe what I'm remembering was the renaming of the air suspension as the Smart Air Suspension in 2014, which is when I ordered the car.)

(My P85D became a P90D when a weld joint broke in the battery pack, taking out the rear drive unit along with the pack. Tesla upgraded and rebadged the car to a P90D as part of the repair.)

 

[bhramabull]

All valid questions. I spent a lot of time going over this as well - I have a Model S LR on order that will be delivered week after next, which is when my GT goes into production. I plan on cancelling the Tesla if I can't flip it since I've made my mind up on the Air.

What clinched the decision for me was (a) the Air is a vastly better drivers car in almost every way, (b) the range of the Air is both usable and far exceeds anything else on the market, and (c) the interior space and build quality for a new carmaker is far and away better than I could have expected. There are of course teething troubles as they enter the market, but funny enough much less than I would have expected for a brand new carmaker. They're really doing well so far.

The downsides are (a) the Supercharger network for Tesla is extremely compelling, especially in areas of the US with less non-Tesla charger coverage and (b) the Tesla software is very responsive, even if it isn't alway intuitive. You get the benefit of a decade's worth of work on the car's software, even if it hasn't really been updated all that much and feels long in the tooth despite the interior and exterior refreshes. There is also the build quality out of the factory where often you're sending the car back to panel gaps fixed - things that should never happen in a new car.

If you want to really enjoy every mile in one of the best driving cars around, get the Air. If you want to just have a get-it-and-not-worry-about-charging car and are far less concerned about driving perfection, luxury or build quality, get the Tesla.

I for one want to have fun and really love the space and range, so the decision ended up being easy.

I can understand your frustration coz I just got my Model X LR delivered after exactly 11 months and I have arranged to sell it already. Not surprising though, there are quite a few issues with the fit and finish and just like almost everyone else, I would have sent it back to the service center right off the bat, had it not been sold

 

[MikeTz]

I've posted about this elsewhere, but a major trucking logistics company did a study several years ago comparing air suspensions to coil spring setups. They found that coil springs responded more quickly to changes in road surface and that freight suffered less damage with coil spring suspensions than with air suspensions.

Air springs were first developed before World War II for aircraft, as air springs have greater load bearing capacity than coil springs. From there they spread to the trucking industry for the same reason. However, the inherent hysteresis lag of air springs makes them less suitable for precise control of wheel movement, which is why racing engineers largely avoid them.

I suspect many automakers have been drawn to air suspensions because it might be easier to tune in the compliant rides they want with the necessary level of vehicle control they require, given modern programmable electronic controls. However, all the compliance of an air suspension can be had with a coil spring, along with more precision in wheel control -- especially with adaptive dampers -- if the system is properly engineered.

It's interesting that the original Tesla Model S that Peter Rawlinson engineered had a coil spring setup. Tesla introduced an air suspension option only in 2015, after Rawlinson's departure. At the time, most of the auto press found no improvement in ride or handling with the air suspension and largely recommended that buyers forgo that option.

Rawlinson came from Jaguar and Lotus. The man knows whereof he speaks when it comes to sophisticated suspensions.

There is an advantage the air suspension has over the coil springs. The ability to raise/lower the car. The Plaid raises the suspension as it approaches the entrance to our house. The house is on a street with heavy traffic making it somewhat of a problem having to slow down the Lucid and enter the driveway at an angle to avoid scraping the front end.

 

[hmp10]

There is an advantage the air suspension has over the coil springs. The ability to raise/lower the car. The Plaid raises the suspension as it approaches the entrance to our house. The house is on a street with heavy traffic making it somewhat of a problem having to slow down the Lucid and enter the driveway at an angle to avoid scraping the front end.

True, and that's been discussed earlier on this forum. But the lack or height adjustment really is about the only disadvantage of the coil springs on this car. Air suspension systems also have higher failure rates than coil spring suspensions.

 

[Disco Marathon]

I'm in the same boat as the OP - have a 2020 MS LR+ and an order in for the Air GT. I have test driven an MS refresh, but not the Air (see below). We're a single-car family, so this will be our daily driver. We have two small kids, and we take a lot of driving vacations in the range of 150 - 400 miles. As for the substantive issues.....

Favoring Tesla/Disfavoring Lucid:

+ Adjustable ride height. Raising the suspension by 1.5" has come in handy a few times - camping, snow, steep incline driveways, huge trenches in the street (Philly is notorious for terrible road surface)
+ Tow hitch. Super handy for carrying bikes or skis. I've asked around, and no OEM has plans to develop one for the Air any time soon. I understand the Air will have a roof rack, which is great for extra cargo. Not as great for 4 bikes.
+ Cargo capacity. With the hatchback and one seat folded down, we can fit so much stuff in this car. When going on multi-family vacations, people are amazed at how much stuff we can pull out of the car on arrival.
+ Software. I can't speak from first-hand experience, but everything I've read suggests that the Air's software is slow and also buggy and also doesn't have all of the Tesla-like features yet - Sentry, separate controls for steering, suspension, acceleration, and regen breaking, etc.
+ I can't get a test drive of the Air. Lucid isn't going to do test drives out of its NYC location, and its North Jersey location does not have any test drive cars, yet. Only show room cars. Even when the North Jersey location does get cars, it will take me 2 hours to get there from Philly. Woof.

Favoring Lucid/Disfavoring Tesla:

+ The Tesla is noisy. Way too noisy for a premium car.
+ The Tesla is bumpy. As noted above, Philly roads are terrible. A passenger recently said to me "Why does this car handle potholes like a Mini Cooper" (no offense to Mini Coopers).
+ The interior (even in the refresh) is not premium. The "ventless" heating/cooling thing is pretty cool, and Tesla finally brought back cooled seats with the refresh. But the design is spartan and the finish materials don't have a premium feel to them and the yoke is silly and not having buttons is also silly.
+ Actual range does not seem close to 400 miles. We get about 75% of the range as advertised. On two recent vacations, each 300 miles to destination, we were unable to make the trip without stopping to charge.

Will update this post as I get more information about test drives.

Please keep the feedback coming, this is a great thread!

 

[hydbob]

I'm in the same boat as the OP - have a 2020 MS LR+ and an order in for the Air GT. I have test driven an MS refresh, but not the Air (see below). We're a single-car family, so this will be our daily driver. We have two small kids, and we take a lot of driving vacations in the range of 150 - 400 miles. As for the substantive issues.....

Favoring Tesla/Disfavoring Lucid:

+ Adjustable ride height. Raising the suspension by 1.5" has come in handy a few times - camping, snow, steep incline driveways, huge trenches in the street (Philly is notorious for terrible road surface)
+ Tow hitch. Super handy for carrying bikes or skis. I've asked around, and no OEM has plans to develop one for the Air any time soon. I understand the Air will have a roof rack, which is great for extra cargo. Not as great for 4 bikes.
+ Cargo capacity. With the hatchback and one seat folded down, we can fit so much stuff in this car. When going on multi-family vacations, people are amazed at how much stuff we can pull out of the car on arrival.
+ Software. I can't speak from first-hand experience, but everything I've read suggests that the Air's software is slow and also buggy and also doesn't have all of the Tesla-like features yet - Sentry, separate controls for steering, suspension, acceleration, and regen breaking, etc.
+ I can't get a test drive of the Air. Lucid isn't going to do test drives out of its NYC location, and its North Jersey location does not have any test drive cars, yet. Only show room cars. Even when the North Jersey location does get cars, it will take me 2 hours to get there from Philly. Woof.

Favoring Lucid/Disfavoring Tesla:

+ The Tesla is noisy. Way too noisy for a premium car.
+ The Tesla is bumpy. As noted above, Philly roads are terrible. A passenger recently said to me "Why does this car handle potholes like a Mini Cooper" (no offense to Mini Coopers).
+ The interior (even in the refresh) is not premium. The "ventless" heating/cooling thing is pretty cool, and Tesla finally brought back cooled seats with the refresh. But the design is spartan and the finish materials don't have a premium feel to them and the yoke is silly and not having buttons is also silly.
+ Actual range does not seem close to 400 miles. We get about 75% of the range as advertised. On two recent vacations, each 300 miles to destination, we were unable to make the trip without stopping to charge.

Will update this post as I get more information about test drives.

Please keep the feedback coming, this is a great thread!

Just as a small correction, the Lucid does have regen and various preset modes which adjust steering, suspension, and handling.

 

[Disco Marathon]

I thought of one more ding for Lucid - delivery. Picking up from the local Tesla store was a piece of cake. I have no idea how I'm going to take delivery of the Air. We live in a densely-populated part of the city. It would be bad for traffic, and also super embarrassing/not great for neighbor relations, if Lucid rolls up with a flatbed and throws a giant delivery party in front of our house. Probably going to find a quiet parking lot somewhere, maybe down by the stadiums.

 

[Disco Marathon]

Just as a small correction, the Lucid does have regen and various preset modes which adjust steering, suspension, and handling.

Are they each independently adjustable? I thought I read somewhere in this forum (maybe a running list of grievances, intended for Lucid?), that there are only preset modes, like "Comfortable" which = comfort steering + comfort suspension + easy acceleration + moderate regen. You can't adjust each of them on their own.

 

[pam4_AGT]

It would be bad for traffic, and also super embarrassing/not great for neighbor relations, if Lucid rolls up with a flatbed and throws a giant delivery party in front of our house

Screw the neighbors. If they were delivering to my house, they better show up with a cheer-leading team and a mariachi band.

 

[Easyrider949]

I'm in the same boat as the OP - have a 2020 MS LR+ and an order in for the Air GT. I have test driven an MS refresh, but not the Air (see below). We're a single-car family, so this will be our daily driver. We have two small kids, and we take a lot of driving vacations in the range of 150 - 400 miles. As for the substantive issues.....

Favoring Tesla/Disfavoring Lucid:

+ Adjustable ride height. Raising the suspension by 1.5" has come in handy a few times - camping, snow, steep incline driveways, huge trenches in the street (Philly is notorious for terrible road surface)
+ Tow hitch. Super handy for carrying bikes or skis. I've asked around, and no OEM has plans to develop one for the Air any time soon. I understand the Air will have a roof rack, which is great for extra cargo. Not as great for 4 bikes.
+ Cargo capacity. With the hatchback and one seat folded down, we can fit so much stuff in this car. When going on multi-family vacations, people are amazed at how much stuff we can pull out of the car on arrival.
+ Software. I can't speak from first-hand experience, but everything I've read suggests that the Air's software is slow and also buggy and also doesn't have all of the Tesla-like features yet - Sentry, separate controls for steering, suspension, acceleration, and regen breaking, etc.
+ I can't get a test drive of the Air. Lucid isn't going to do test drives out of its NYC location, and its North Jersey location does not have any test drive cars, yet. Only show room cars. Even when the North Jersey location does get cars, it will take me 2 hours to get there from Philly. Woof.

Favoring Lucid/Disfavoring Tesla:

+ The Tesla is noisy. Way too noisy for a premium car.
+ The Tesla is bumpy. As noted above, Philly roads are terrible. A passenger recently said to me "Why does this car handle potholes like a Mini Cooper" (no offense to Mini Coopers).
+ The interior (even in the refresh) is not premium. The "ventless" heating/cooling thing is pretty cool, and Tesla finally brought back cooled seats with the refresh. But the design is spartan and the finish materials don't have a premium feel to them and the yoke is silly and not having buttons is also silly.
+ Actual range does not seem close to 400 miles. We get about 75% of the range as advertised. On two recent vacations, each 300 miles to destination, we were unable to make the trip without stopping to charge.

Will update this post as I get more information about test drives.

Please keep the feedback coming, this is a great thread!

Your current car is only 2 yrs old, why not just wait until the Lucid Gravity is out in 2024 or look at the EQS SUV in ‘23 or ‘24. Those vehicles would seem to fit your lifestyle better. Just a thought.

 

[cplewes]

I'm in the same boat as the OP - have a 2020 MS LR+ and an order in for the Air GT. I have test driven an MS refresh, but not the Air (see below). We're a single-car family, so this will be our daily driver. We have two small kids, and we take a lot of driving vacations in the range of 150 - 400 miles. As for the substantive issues.....

Favoring Tesla/Disfavoring Lucid:

+ Adjustable ride height. Raising the suspension by 1.5" has come in handy a few times - camping, snow, steep incline driveways, huge trenches in the street (Philly is notorious for terrible road surface)
+ Tow hitch. Super handy for carrying bikes or skis. I've asked around, and no OEM has plans to develop one for the Air any time soon. I understand the Air will have a roof rack, which is great for extra cargo. Not as great for 4 bikes.
+ Cargo capacity. With the hatchback and one seat folded down, we can fit so much stuff in this car. When going on multi-family vacations, people are amazed at how much stuff we can pull out of the car on arrival.
+ Software. I can't speak from first-hand experience, but everything I've read suggests that the Air's software is slow and also buggy and also doesn't have all of the Tesla-like features yet - Sentry, separate controls for steering, suspension, acceleration, and regen breaking, etc.
+ I can't get a test drive of the Air. Lucid isn't going to do test drives out of its NYC location, and its North Jersey location does not have any test drive cars, yet. Only show room cars. Even when the North Jersey location does get cars, it will take me 2 hours to get there from Philly. Woof.

Favoring Lucid/Disfavoring Tesla:

+ The Tesla is noisy. Way too noisy for a premium car.
+ The Tesla is bumpy. As noted above, Philly roads are terrible. A passenger recently said to me "Why does this car handle potholes like a Mini Cooper" (no offense to Mini Coopers).
+ The interior (even in the refresh) is not premium. The "ventless" heating/cooling thing is pretty cool, and Tesla finally brought back cooled seats with the refresh. But the design is spartan and the finish materials don't have a premium feel to them and the yoke is silly and not having buttons is also silly.
+ Actual range does not seem close to 400 miles. We get about 75% of the range as advertised. On two recent vacations, each 300 miles to destination, we were unable to make the trip without stopping to charge.

Will update this post as I get more information about test drives.

Please keep the feedback coming, this is a great thread!

I'm in the same boat as the OP - have a 2020 MS LR+ and an order in for the Air GT. I have test driven an MS refresh, but not the Air (see below). We're a single-car family, so this will be our daily driver. We have two small kids, and we take a lot of driving vacations in the range of 150 - 400 miles. As for the substantive issues.....

Favoring Tesla/Disfavoring Lucid:

+ Adjustable ride height. Raising the suspension by 1.5" has come in handy a few times - camping, snow, steep incline driveways, huge trenches in the street (Philly is notorious for terrible road surface)
+ Tow hitch. Super handy for carrying bikes or skis. I've asked around, and no OEM has plans to develop one for the Air any time soon. I understand the Air will have a roof rack, which is great for extra cargo. Not as great for 4 bikes.
+ Cargo capacity. With the hatchback and one seat folded down, we can fit so much stuff in this car. When going on multi-family vacations, people are amazed at how much stuff we can pull out of the car on arrival.
+ Software. I can't speak from first-hand experience, but everything I've read suggests that the Air's software is slow and also buggy and also doesn't have all of the Tesla-like features yet - Sentry, separate controls for steering, suspension, acceleration, and regen breaking, etc.
+ I can't get a test drive of the Air. Lucid isn't going to do test drives out of its NYC location, and its North Jersey location does not have any test drive cars, yet. Only show room cars. Even when the North Jersey location does get cars, it will take me 2 hours to get there from Philly. Woof.

Favoring Lucid/Disfavoring Tesla:

+ The Tesla is noisy. Way too noisy for a premium car.
+ The Tesla is bumpy. As noted above, Philly roads are terrible. A passenger recently said to me "Why does this car handle potholes like a Mini Cooper" (no offense to Mini Coopers).
+ The interior (even in the refresh) is not premium. The "ventless" heating/cooling thing is pretty cool, and Tesla finally brought back cooled seats with the refresh. But the design is spartan and the finish materials don't have a premium feel to them and the yoke is silly and not having buttons is also silly.
+ Actual range does not seem close to 400 miles. We get about 75% of the range as advertised. On two recent vacations, each 300 miles to destination, we were unable to make the trip without stopping to charge.

Will update this post as I get more information about test drives.

Please keep the feedback coming, this is a great thread!

If you are in Philly you can now get a test drive if you scoot down 95 to the D C showroom at Tysons corner. It's been a long wait on the east coast . I'm driving tomorrow

 

[hydbob]

Are they each independently adjustable? I thought I read somewhere in this forum (maybe a running list of grievances, intended for Lucid?), that there are only preset modes, like "Comfortable" which = comfort steering + comfort suspension + easy acceleration + moderate regen. You can't adjust each of them on their own.

Not independently just the preset modes you mentioned

 

[Bbq9]

I thought of one more ding for Lucid - delivery. Picking up from the local Tesla store was a piece of cake. I have no idea how I'm going to take delivery of the Air. We live in a densely-populated part of the city. It would be bad for traffic, and also super embarrassing/not great for neighbor relations, if Lucid rolls up with a flatbed and throws a giant delivery party in front of our house. Probably going to find a quiet parking lot somewhere, maybe down by the stadiums.

I am pretty certain they would deliver it wherever you want. Those that had home delivery had a v positive experience