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To Order or Cancel?

My first 2013 Model S had air suspension. the 2019 Raven version is much improved over the 2018 and prior versions. It rides very nice. Fully automatic. Will stiffen or soften based on the conditions of the road. The GPS tracking is also a nice feature as I do end up in many situations where being able to raise the car up to clear steep driveways is quite useful. Definitely something I would miss with the Lucid.

And yes, I did get to drive one. Ride was quite nice, but didn't get much freeway time with it on the test drive, plus was heavy traffic at the time on the freeway, so never got it up to speed. Plenty of city driving.

Lucid is certainly a better looking car, at least in my own personal opinion. Could just be because it's new and different and the Tesla is now dated. It is a step up in terms of luxury and quality, but certainly doesn't rise to the level of Mercedes EQS Luxury. The auto up/down frunk, combined with the size of the frunk are appealing for the Lucid as well.

No need for a Plaid version of the Tesla. 0-60 in 3.1 seconds is still far more that I ever need. So, the comparison would be between the LR version and the Lucid Grand Touring, which I think are similar in acceleration, but the Tesla is about $35,000 less. But, I hate the interior of the refresh Model S. Hate the controls even more. The Lucid again, is certainly a step up, but it didn't "Wow" me.

As someone noted above, Tesla's never reach their range estimates in real world driving. Assuming the Lucid won't be a true 500 miles either, but would appear that it is better. However, as I originally noted, this is something I'll only benefit from a couple of times a year. The rest of the year, I never get close to 500 miles or even 200 miles per day. My Model S charges to 315 miles at 90%. I average about 220 miles out of it.

For me, the biggest thing the Lucid has going for it is that it's not a Tesla! However, the parts that I appreciate about the Tesla that I know would be a sacrifice in the Lucid are:
1. Far inferior Auto-Pilot system. Assuming that will change over time as Lucid improves their system.
2. Interface of Tesla has had a 9 year head start on Lucid. Again, Lucid will improve, but at this point, Tesla's interface is far superior.
3. Supercharging network is really nice for long distance trips. I hear of too many issues with public chargers. Often not working, or charging at notably lower than maximum rates and certainly less availability than what Tesla currently has. Another thing that will improve over time as more chargers are built out.
4. I will definitely miss the adjustable air suspension capability. Can't be improved upon on the Lucid.
Additional items have no impact on me, but might carry some weight for others deciding would be Tesla's movie and video game capabilities. I don't use either, so this has no impact on my personal decision making.

Things against the Tesla....
1. Tesla's yoke, lack of stalks and shifter are huge turn offs for me.
2. Tesla's customer service used to be incredible. It's certainly gone downhill over the past 3-4 years.
3. Tesla's build quality for a $100K+ car is questionable.
4. Tesla's minimalist interior feels too cheap for a $100K+ car and simply is not appealing, for my own personal tastes.
5. While I love the vertical 17 inch screen in my current car, not a fan of the horizontal screen in the refreshed version. Stuff to the right side is just too far away to try and pick up at a quick glance while driving.
5. For me personally, have never loved the look of it. Add that to it now being 9 years dated and it falls way behind the Lucid.
But, as noted above, the Tesla does come at about a $35,000 discount compared with the Lucid. So, while it's not quite up to snuff for a $100K+ car, is the Lucid really a 35% better car overall to justify that much of a price premium? Range benefit, probably worth about $10,000. Superior build quality and luxury, another $15,000 to $20,000. Inferior interface and auto-pilot, about a $10,000 hit for the Lucid. Lack of Air Suspension, about a $3,000 hit to the Lucid. Supercharging network is difficult to put a price on, but certainly has some value for Tesla.

I really want to love the Lucid and it has a lot of great things going for it. And while I really, really want to be done with Tesla's, their continued improvements do make it difficult for other EV manufacturers to keep up. I'm still trying to talk myself into getting the Lucid, but if had to decide that this second, my thinking is to stick with the 2019 Model S I have, since I like it better than the refresh and as much as I hate to wait, possibly wait another year or two and see how Lucid does going forward. Primarily to see if any of the things in my list above that go against it, improve (auto pilot, interface, etc). Has anyone heard if Lucid has any plans to add an air suspension option in the future?
 
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Bbq9 said:
I am pretty certain they would deliver it wherever you want. Those that had home delivery had a v positive experience
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Never a flatbed. Always an enclosed carrier (at least for the DE).
 
Easyrider949 said:
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.
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Appreciate the suggestion! Never had an SUV before, and also now seemed like a good time to sell a used Tesla. I hear of folks getting close to what they paid for it. And hopefully some of the downsides with the Lucid are just temporary (like software).
 
xfyrdudex said:
My first 2013 Model S had air suspension. the 2019 Raven version is much improved over the 2018 and prior versions. It rides very nice. Fully automatic. Will stiffen or soften based on the conditions of the road. The GPS tracking is also a nice feature as I do end up in many situations where being able to raise the car up to clear steep driveways is quite useful. Definitely something I would miss with the Lucid.
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We had a 2015 Model S P90D with air suspension and now have a 2021 Model S Plaid with air suspension. We also have a Lucid Air Dream Performance. It's true that you lose the ability to raise or lower the car with the Air coil spring setup. However, I can assure you that in every other regard the Lucid's suspension is superior to the Tesla's. The Lucid is more compliant, dynamic maneuvers at all speeds are more precise, the front end stays better planted under hard acceleration, and there is less transmission of surface-induced thrumming into the cabin.

We obviously like Teslas in our household, but I pressed to add a Lucid Air in order to deal with the problem of trying to transport adult friends in the backseat of the Model S. (Though the 2021 redesign somewhat improved the situation in the Tesla, it is still a very cramped space for adults. We test drove Model X's several times but always found its second row lacking in comfort as well as simple amenities such as armrests, cupholders, and storage pockets.) We now find ourselves defaulting to the Air more and more often even with only one or two people in the car.

The Plaid is just the tiniest bit peppier off the line when you're in the mood for that kind of driving. In fact, the Plaid seems to have repealed the laws of inertia where the Lucid only flouts them. But in almost every other aspect of driving and riding -- steering, handling, structural solidity, space, comfort, cabin openness, materials quality, road noise -- the Air is simply a better car.
 
It's a tough call and I actually cancelled my GT and opted for the MS LR. I had put deposits on both a long time ago and the Tesla MS LR was booked at $79k (Its now $99k) so it was a no brainer to take the Model S LR and use it and see if I like it. I had a 2016 Model S and I liked the car but the 90D only gave me around 260 miles on a full charge and in reality that is less than 200 real world miles. The new LR gives me 400 miles and in reality I did get 320 miles on a full charge so its a big improvement.

I hated the Yoke but after driving with it for 5-6 weeks I have gotten used to it and it really does not bother me anymore. The blinker buttons on the steering wheel actually bother me more than anything else.

I have since put another deposit on the GT and might decide to sell the MS LR since I can make a huge profit on it since I bought it at the old pricing but what scares me with the GT is all the bugs users are experiencing and there would not be a service center close and it would be a 2 hour drive for any issue if I have to being it into service.
 
tmilone103 said:
tmilone103 said:
It's a tough call and I actually cancelled my GT and opted for the MS LR. I had put deposits on both a long time ago and the Tesla MS LR was booked at $79k (Its now $99k) so it was a no brainer to take the Model S LR and use it and see if I like it.
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I'm thinking about doing the same thing with the Rivian R1S. After a PR fiasco, Rivian has backed off from driving their ~$20K price increase through to early reservation holders. Once we got the Air, I had decided to forget about the Rivian and wait to see what the Lucid Gravity is like. But now that I can get the Rivian at the original price, it may have some significant resale margin in it.


tmilone103 said:
I hated the Yoke but after driving with it for 5-6 weeks I have gotten used to it and it really does not bother me anymore. The blinker buttons on the steering wheel actually bother me more than anything else.
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I, too, have sort of gotten used to the yoke on the Plaid, although I still don't like it. However, I do worry about what would happen in an emergency maneuver. As Jason Camissa noted, you could not catch a spin-out with that yoke. Florida is full of highway medians that require U-turns to go left, and it's hard enough to come smoothly out of a U-turn into fast-moving traffic. And I will never get used to those bizarrely-placed turn signal buttons or the horn button that requires a search when you need it.


tmilone103 said:
I have since put another deposit on the GT and might decide to sell the MS LR since I can make a huge profit on it since I bought it at the old pricing but what scares me with the GT is all the bugs users are experiencing and there would not be a service center close and it would be a 2 hour drive for any issue if I have to being it into service.
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We're almost three hours from the nearest Lucid Service Center. But, between the mobile service team and Lucid's towing the car into the Service Center when needed, that has been no problem at all. One of the best things in the first three years we had a Tesla was that the lack of a local service center meant that all our repairs were done without our having to leave the house. Now that Tesla has opened a service center in the neighboring town, we now have to take the car in for work that once would have been done with by a mobile service tech right in our driveway. It's actually got me hoping that Lucid is not too quick to build a service center closer to us.
 
Like many of the posters here, I’ve been grappling with the question of whether to replace my current pre-refresh Model S with a Lucid Air. I’m an AGT reservation holder and recently had the opportunity to drive the AGT, the updated MS and the Mercedes EQS. All three have appealing features. But, in the end, I think I like my old MS better than any of them.

I hate the yoke, stalkless design and capacitive buttons of the refreshed MS. The EQS, while quiet, refined and functional, has a gaudy interior that doesn‘t appeal to me and has a smaller trunk than the MS.

The Lucid Air was the car I really, really wanted to like. I admire Peter Rawlinson and many of the senior people on the design team, and (as an old engineer myself) am very impressed by the battery and drivetrain technology. But I was disappointed after my test drive. In terms of comfort, the AGT was about the same as my old MS, with comparable seats, ride quality and noise. The UX was much worse of course, but Tesla has had a 10 year head start. In comparison, the EQS was noticeably quieter than either the MS or AGT in my opinion. It could be that the Air is quieter than the MS at highway speeds, but we never went above 50 mph in my test drive, so I cannot say.

Since many of the UX issues will presumably be addressed through OTAs (although we Tesla owners know that this can take years or never happen), my main concerns were with physical design issues that cannot be updated via software. The ones that concerned me most were:

1) The AGT I drove made a very noticeable mechanical grinding or thinking noise every time it started moving from a full stop. I hope this was a defect of this particular vehicle, rather than a feature of the car. No Tesla I have ever driven has made such an unrefined noise.

2) The trunk space in the Air is less than 16” tall at the rear of the car and decreases to less than 14” in the space right behind the rear seats. This is less than the height of a paper shopping bag and much less than the space I’m used to in my MS lift back. I guess it’s okay if you only carry small items or can lay suitcases on their side, but it won’t fit the equipment I normally carry. As a result, this is almost a dealbreaker for me.

3) As John Rettinger pointed out, the cup holders are situated right behind the center screen. He showed that an enormous thermos blocks almost the entire screen when in one of the cupholders. But even a normal water bottle obstructs access to the bottom row of virtual buttons. Worse, the console in the Air has far less storage space than either the MS or the EQS, so there really isn’t anywhere else to put your drinks to open up the screen.

4) Finally, (and I know this one may seem petty, but we are talking about a $140K car here), the key fob can open either the trunk or the frunk but not both. Somehow, Lucid copied the Tesla fob but not the feature to control both the frunk and trunk. After all the detailed attention to the EV technology and design, this is a careless oversight.

Although I would have liked more range, I think the Tesla supercharger network is easily worth 150 miles of range. I’m certain I can road trip more comfortably with my limited range MS on the supercharger network than I could with a 500 mile AGT on Electrify America. So, with some disappointment, I’m going to stick with my current car for the time being and see what else the industry comes up with. I would love to see Lucid succeed. But the AGT has too many problems for me to help by becoming a customer right now.
 
Michman said:
Like many of the posters here, I’ve been grappling with the question of whether to replace my current pre-refresh Model S with a Lucid Air. I’m an AGT reservation holder and recently had the opportunity to drive the AGT, the updated MS and the Mercedes EQS. All three have appealing features. But, in the end, I think I like my old MS better than any of them.

I hate the yoke, stalkless design and capacitive buttons of the refreshed MS. The EQS, while quiet, refined and functional, has a gaudy interior that doesn‘t appeal to me and has a smaller trunk than the MS.

The Lucid Air was the car I really, really wanted to like. I admire Peter Rawlinson and many of the senior people on the design team, and (as an old engineer myself) am very impressed by the battery and drivetrain technology. But I was disappointed after my test drive. In terms of comfort, the AGT was about the same as my old MS, with comparable seats, ride quality and noise. The UX was much worse of course, but Tesla has had a 10 year head start. In comparison, the EQS was noticeably quieter than either the MS or AGT in my opinion. It could be that the Air is quieter than the MS at highway speeds, but we never went above 50 mph in my test drive, so I cannot say.

Since many of the UX issues will presumably be addressed through OTAs (although we Tesla owners know that this can take years or never happen), my main concerns were with physical design issues that cannot be updated via software. The ones that concerned me most were:

1) The AGT I drove made a very noticeable mechanical grinding or thinking noise every time it started moving from a full stop. I hope this was a defect of this particular vehicle, rather than a feature of the car. No Tesla I have ever driven has made such an unrefined noise.

2) The trunk space in the Air is less than 16” tall at the rear of the car and decreases to less than 14” in the space right behind the rear seats. This is less than the height of a paper shopping bag and much less than the space I’m used to in my MS lift back. I guess it’s okay if you only carry small items or can lay suitcases on their side, but it won’t fit the equipment I normally carry. As a result, this is almost a dealbreaker for me.

3) As John Rettinger pointed out, the cup holders are situated right behind the center screen. He showed that an enormous thermos blocks almost the entire screen when in one of the cupholders. But even a normal water bottle obstructs access to the bottom row of virtual buttons. Worse, the console in the Air has far less storage space than either the MS or the EQS, so there really isn’t anywhere else to put your drinks to open up the screen.

4) Finally, (and I know this one may seem petty, but we are talking about a $140K car here), the key fob can open either the trunk or the frunk but not both. Somehow, Lucid copied the Tesla fob but not the feature to control both the frunk and trunk. After all the detailed attention to the EV technology and design, this is a careless oversight.

Although I would have liked more range, I think the Tesla supercharger network is easily worth 150 miles of range. I’m certain I can road trip more comfortably with my limited range MS on the supercharger network than I could with a 500 mile AGT on Electrify America. So, with some disappointment, I’m going to stick with my current car for the time being and see what else the industry comes up with. I would love to see Lucid succeed. But the AGT has too many problems for me to help by becoming a customer right now.
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That grinding noise is the physical brake being engaged and disengaged on hold mode. It doesn't exist with that mode turned off. Just a design choice by lucid to use the physical brake instead of motor brake like the Teslas.

As far as I knew and heard, the Tesla doesn't have a powered frunk? So I don't understand how the key fob would work with that? Lucid designed the key fob to work with the frunk, which made sense to me. If you can pull out your key to open the trunk, you can push a button to open the trunk under the lip. The frunk control on the remote makes more sense to me since there is no exterior button for that.
 
xfyrdudex said:
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!
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I will answer your question based on what appears to be your primary motivation: You are tired of Teslas and ready to try something new and fresh. If that is your primary motivation, then the answer is a very clear "Yes you should move on to a Lucid Air." I know this from experience, because I was (still am) in the exact same boat. I have driven MS's since taking delivery of the first one (a P85) in Colorado in 2012, followed by a P85D and a P100D (my current Tesla). To me, I still very much love my older P100D. I like the way it drives, I have learned to live with the little quality issues (so much crappy plastic spread throughout, windows that don't seal properly, software that has become slow and glitchy). Plus, it was a $160,000 car and it's paid for, so why not just stick with it, right?

The problem is that, in Denver where I live, Teslas have become ubiquitous. They are EVERYWHERE. Stop at a stoplight and there is a 50-50 chance that there is a Tesla in front, behind, or next to you. Go to the mall to the Supercharger and all 24 bays are filled, always. And they all look pretty similar, and are in only a few colors. What was once quite fun --having the only bizarre car in town that no one had ever seen before-- has become the opposite: Now I just have the exact same car as everyone else. Dropping the kids off at school, I am typically in a line of 3-4 Teslas, all exactly the same color as mine (grey). I was never the type to drive the world's most common car, so it has become disappointing to drive the same car as all my neighbors, 2 of my partners, etc. I sense that the OP feels the same way.

Replacing an older, paid-for MS with a new Air was a good solution for me. I took delivery of my DE three weeks ago, and have put 450 miles on it. It is a better driving car than my old P100D, but really not that much better. It's different. From a standstill, the P100D is more instantaneously responsive. From 20 mph onward, the Lucid is a monstrous train that will get you to 160 mph before you can take another breath. Nobody in the U.S. needs that, by the way. Which is why, to me, the Tesla instant-on craziness is actually more useful. You can squirt from 0-45 instantly just by thinking about it and with no effort or input to the controls. The Lucid is a little different, more purposeful. The "go pedal" is heavier, you notice the effort you put into it. The car is still crazy quick and will instantly move around anything in front of you, but it's not as "squirty" as Tesla if that makes sense. The steering is more weighted (lightening at parking lot speeds, which is nice), the car feels more substantial and ironically, less "airy".

In the Lucid, you feel you are driving something special. The materials on the door panels and dash and center console are superior to Tesla's (even the Plaid), the seats have massage function and heating/cooling, there are power window shades on the side and rear windows. Everywhere I go (as of right now), people take pictures and stop and look and ask questions. That happened with my original MS back in 2012. If you don't like attention, don't get a Lucid Air for a few more years.

The Supercharger network, if you take long trips, is also a huge consideration. I don't take long trips (ski areas are 90 miles away, anything beyond that = air travel!) but I use the Superchargers quite a bit. EA still kinda sucks as they seem to place them in the sketchiest parts of town and they are pretty randomly located still. So EA can't compete with Tesla's supercharging network.

Day-to-day living with the Lucid Air is, thus far, not quite as "jump in and go" as it is in the Tesla. You have to think about using the Lucid. Going to the store? Better get out your phone and open the app a few minutes before you leave, or else when you get out to the garage the Lucid will sit there "waking up" while you are locked out, waiting for it to wake up. It's only 20-30 seconds, but when you want to just go somewhere, that becomes noticeable. It's inexcusable that Lucid sent a car to market like this, and if they don't fix it soon, they will never sell in volume. Once you're underway, you can't use the rear-camera while driving (which I always did in the Tesla). The roof glass is not really all that different and it doesn't open, which I miss already. The stereo is superior but harder to reach because the UI is not well thought-out. The massage seats are nice. I don't particularly care about back-seat space, but in the Lucid Air it is truly HUGE. What I do care about, and have always adored in the MS, is storage space in the trunk. This is a problem in the Lucid. The trunk opening is very narrow, like many sedans. You can't fit anything tall in there. It is very deep, especially if you put down the back seats, but you could never fold up a double stroller and throw it into the trunk like you could in a MS. A bike? Out of the question. If you have lots of small bags, the Lucid may actually have more total room because the frunk is much much larger than the MS frunk.

So, OP, should you replace your MS with a Lucid Air? You have to decide what is most important to you. Do you want something different or do you want something that will hold a bike in the trunk? The Lucid is refreshing, new, luxurious, comparably fast, and handles better than the MS. It also costs more, and storage in the rear trunk is challenging compared to the MS.

Interestingly, the answer for me comes down to the following observation: I don't miss driving the MS. Today I brought it to work, and I actually found myself missing the Lucid and longing to drive it. That says a lot.
 
Mountain Man said:
I will answer your question based on what appears to be your primary motivation: You are tired of Teslas and ready to try something new and fresh. If that is your primary motivation, then the answer is a very clear "Yes you should move on to a Lucid Air." I know this from experience, because I was (still am) in the exact same boat. I have driven MS's since taking delivery of the first one (a P85) in Colorado in 2012, followed by a P85D and a P100D (my current Tesla). To me, I still very much love my older P100D. I like the way it drives, I have learned to live with the little quality issues (so much crappy plastic spread throughout, windows that don't seal properly, software that has become slow and glitchy). Plus, it was a $160,000 car and it's paid for, so why not just stick with it, right?

The problem is that, in Denver where I live, Teslas have become ubiquitous. They are EVERYWHERE. Stop at a stoplight and there is a 50-50 chance that there is a Tesla in front, behind, or next to you. Go to the mall to the Supercharger and all 24 bays are filled, always. And they all look pretty similar, and are in only a few colors. What was once quite fun --having the only bizarre car in town that no one had ever seen before-- has become the opposite: Now I just have the exact same car as everyone else. Dropping the kids off at school, I am typically in a line of 3-4 Teslas, all exactly the same color as mine (grey). I was never the type to drive the world's most common car, so it has become disappointing to drive the same car as all my neighbors, 2 of my partners, etc. I sense that the OP feels the same way.

Replacing an older, paid-for MS with a new Air was a good solution for me. I took delivery of my DE three weeks ago, and have put 450 miles on it. It is a better driving car than my old P100D, but really not that much better. It's different. From a standstill, the P100D is more instantaneously responsive. From 20 mph onward, the Lucid is a monstrous train that will get you to 160 mph before you can take another breath. Nobody in the U.S. needs that, by the way. Which is why, to me, the Tesla instant-on craziness is actually more useful. You can squirt from 0-45 instantly just by thinking about it and with no effort or input to the controls. The Lucid is a little different, more purposeful. The "go pedal" is heavier, you notice the effort you put into it. The car is still crazy quick and will instantly move around anything in front of you, but it's not as "squirty" as Tesla if that makes sense. The steering is more weighted (lightening at parking lot speeds, which is nice), the car feels more substantial and ironically, less "airy".

In the Lucid, you feel you are driving something special. The materials on the door panels and dash and center console are superior to Tesla's (even the Plaid), the seats have massage function and heating/cooling, there are power window shades on the side and rear windows. Everywhere I go (as of right now), people take pictures and stop and look and ask questions. That happened with my original MS back in 2012. If you don't like attention, don't get a Lucid Air for a few more years.

The Supercharger network, if you take long trips, is also a huge consideration. I don't take long trips (ski areas are 90 miles away, anything beyond that = air travel!) but I use the Superchargers quite a bit. EA still kinda sucks as they seem to place them in the sketchiest parts of town and they are pretty randomly located still. So EA can't compete with Tesla's supercharging network.

Day-to-day living with the Lucid Air is, thus far, not quite as "jump in and go" as it is in the Tesla. You have to think about using the Lucid. Going to the store? Better get out your phone and open the app a few minutes before you leave, or else when you get out to the garage the Lucid will sit there "waking up" while you are locked out, waiting for it to wake up. It's only 20-30 seconds, but when you want to just go somewhere, that becomes noticeable. It's inexcusable that Lucid sent a car to market like this, and if they don't fix it soon, they will never sell in volume. Once you're underway, you can't use the rear-camera while driving (which I always did in the Tesla). The roof glass is not really all that different and it doesn't open, which I miss already. The stereo is superior but harder to reach because the UI is not well thought-out. The massage seats are nice. I don't particularly care about back-seat space, but in the Lucid Air it is truly HUGE. What I do care about, and have always adored in the MS, is storage space in the trunk. This is a problem in the Lucid. The trunk opening is very narrow, like many sedans. You can't fit anything tall in there. It is very deep, especially if you put down the back seats, but you could never fold up a double stroller and throw it into the trunk like you could in a MS. A bike? Out of the question. If you have lots of small bags, the Lucid may actually have more total room because the frunk is much much larger than the MS frunk.

So, OP, should you replace your MS with a Lucid Air? You have to decide what is most important to you. Do you want something different or do you want something that will hold a bike in the trunk? The Lucid is refreshing, new, luxurious, comparably fast, and handles better than the MS. It also costs more, and storage in the rear trunk is challenging compared to the MS.

Interestingly, the answer for me comes down to the following observation: I don't miss driving the MS. Today I brought it to work, and I actually found myself missing the Lucid and longing to drive it. That says a lot.
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Hey I fit a 20 foot folding ladder, a 4 foot folding table 2 chairs 2 5 gallon paint buckets and painting supplies into the Lucid trunk only! Also my Zoe double stroller fits just fine! 🤣
 
hydbob said:
That grinding noise is the physical brake being engaged and disengaged on hold mode. It doesn't exist with that mode turned off. Just a design choice by lucid to use the physical brake instead of motor brake like the Teslas.

As far as I knew and heard, the Tesla doesn't have a powered frunk? So I don't understand how the key fob would work with that? Lucid designed the key fob to work with the frunk, which made sense to me. If you can pull out your key to open the trunk, you can push a button to open the trunk under the lip. The frunk control on the remote makes more sense to me since there is no exterior button for that.
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Thanks! Good to know about hold mode. I wound up in it after experimenting with creep mode, which works differently than in a Tesla. In the Lucid, it seemed that you need to tap the accelerator to initiate creep. In the Tesla, just putting it in gear or taking your foot off the brake allows the car to creep, more like an ICE car. But maybe the accelerator tap was required because hold mode was on?

On Tesla fobs clicking the trunk end opens the power liftgate, while clicking the hood end releases the frunk lid (clicking the roof locks or unlocks the car). But you are right that you still need to lift the hood manually after it is released. It seems like a trivial extension to have separate buttons for trunk and frunk lids on the Lucid fob. If you want to use the exterior button for the trunk, you could. But why require it when virtually every other car with powered openings can control them from the key fob? As I said, nitpicking I know - but it is an expensive car…
 
Michman said:
Thanks! Good to know about hold mode. I wound up in it after experimenting with creep mode, which works differently than in a Tesla. In the Lucid, it seemed that you need to tap the accelerator to initiate creep. In the Tesla, just putting it in gear or taking your foot off the brake allows the car to creep, more like an ICE car. But maybe the accelerator tap was required because hold mode was on?

On Tesla fobs clicking the trunk end opens the power liftgate, while clicking the hood end releases the frunk lid (clicking the roof locks or unlocks the car). But you are right that you still need to lift the hood manually after it is released. It seems like a trivial extension to have separate buttons for trunk and frunk lids on the Lucid fob. If you want to use the exterior button for the trunk, you could. But why require it when virtually every other car with powered openings can control them from the key fob? As I said, nitpicking I know - but it is an expensive car…
Click to expand...
Without knowing how the fob is programmed, it's possible they could turn a 3 click into opening the trunk. Because the frunk is powered I like I can just open it with the remote. Personal preference for me as I'm used to just going up to my car and pushing the trunk open button anyways rather than getting the key out of my pocket to open it.
 
hydbob said:
Without knowing how the fob is programmed, it's possible they could turn a 3 click into opening the trunk. Because the frunk is powered I like I can just open it with the remote. Personal preference for me as I'm used to just going up to my car and pushing the trunk open button anyways rather than getting the key out of my pocket to open it.
Click to expand...
You can also use your iPhone to remotely open the trunk. So if you are exiting the store in the rain take a second to use the phone to open the trunk and then run for it!
 
The Lucid Air and the Tesla Model S have a wide array of small differences in operation features. I like some of the changes between our 2015 Model S P90D and our 2021 Model S Plaid, and I don't like some of them. Likewise, I like some of the features in the Plaid better than in the Air Dream Performance, and I like some of the features in the Air, either because they were done better or they are completely absent in the Tesla.

Among the Tesla Plaid features I like better are:

- Google Earth satellite map
- front console storage
- wireless phone charging pads
- more fluid software responses
- exterior door handles and interior door switches
- charge port opens automatically upon approach with connector

Among the Lucid Air features I like better are:

- interior room, especially vastly roomier rear seat
- quality of materials and fit & finish
- incredible front seats (thigh support extension, wing adjustments, massage functions)
- better ride quality
- less road noise
- better handling (less front end lift under acceleration)
- A/C and volume buttons
- no menus and submenus to access common control features
- noticeably better structural solidity

The bottom line in our household is that we prefer to use the Air over the MS Plaid, especially if we're going to be in the car for a while. We don't even consider taking the Model S if we'll have rear seat passengers. I hate the yoke steering and the ridiculous location of the turn signal buttons, but I do enjoy the more instantaneous acceleration of the Plaid when I'm in the mood for that kind of driving. But the Air is more comfortable, more refined, and more pleasant to behold both inside and out . . . and it's still freaking quick.
 
Mountain Man said:
I will answer your question based on what appears to be your primary motivation: You are tired of Teslas and ready to try something new and fresh. If that is your primary motivation, then the answer is a very clear "Yes you should move on to a Lucid Air." I know this from experience, because I was (still am) in the exact same boat. I have driven MS's since taking delivery of the first one (a P85) in Colorado in 2012, followed by a P85D and a P100D (my current Tesla). To me, I still very much love my older P100D. I like the way it drives, I have learned to live with the little quality issues (so much crappy plastic spread throughout, windows that don't seal properly, software that has become slow and glitchy). Plus, it was a $160,000 car and it's paid for, so why not just stick with it, right?

The problem is that, in Denver where I live, Teslas have become ubiquitous. They are EVERYWHERE. Stop at a stoplight and there is a 50-50 chance that there is a Tesla in front, behind, or next to you. Go to the mall to the Supercharger and all 24 bays are filled, always. And they all look pretty similar, and are in only a few colors. What was once quite fun --having the only bizarre car in town that no one had ever seen before-- has become the opposite: Now I just have the exact same car as everyone else. Dropping the kids off at school, I am typically in a line of 3-4 Teslas, all exactly the same color as mine (grey). I was never the type to drive the world's most common car, so it has become disappointing to drive the same car as all my neighbors, 2 of my partners, etc. I sense that the OP feels the same way.

Replacing an older, paid-for MS with a new Air was a good solution for me. I took delivery of my DE three weeks ago, and have put 450 miles on it. It is a better driving car than my old P100D, but really not that much better. It's different. From a standstill, the P100D is more instantaneously responsive. From 20 mph onward, the Lucid is a monstrous train that will get you to 160 mph before you can take another breath. Nobody in the U.S. needs that, by the way. Which is why, to me, the Tesla instant-on craziness is actually more useful. You can squirt from 0-45 instantly just by thinking about it and with no effort or input to the controls. The Lucid is a little different, more purposeful. The "go pedal" is heavier, you notice the effort you put into it. The car is still crazy quick and will instantly move around anything in front of you, but it's not as "squirty" as Tesla if that makes sense. The steering is more weighted (lightening at parking lot speeds, which is nice), the car feels more substantial and ironically, less "airy".

In the Lucid, you feel you are driving something special. The materials on the door panels and dash and center console are superior to Tesla's (even the Plaid), the seats have massage function and heating/cooling, there are power window shades on the side and rear windows. Everywhere I go (as of right now), people take pictures and stop and look and ask questions. That happened with my original MS back in 2012. If you don't like attention, don't get a Lucid Air for a few more years.

The Supercharger network, if you take long trips, is also a huge consideration. I don't take long trips (ski areas are 90 miles away, anything beyond that = air travel!) but I use the Superchargers quite a bit. EA still kinda sucks as they seem to place them in the sketchiest parts of town and they are pretty randomly located still. So EA can't compete with Tesla's supercharging network.

Day-to-day living with the Lucid Air is, thus far, not quite as "jump in and go" as it is in the Tesla. You have to think about using the Lucid. Going to the store? Better get out your phone and open the app a few minutes before you leave, or else when you get out to the garage the Lucid will sit there "waking up" while you are locked out, waiting for it to wake up. It's only 20-30 seconds, but when you want to just go somewhere, that becomes noticeable. It's inexcusable that Lucid sent a car to market like this, and if they don't fix it soon, they will never sell in volume. Once you're underway, you can't use the rear-camera while driving (which I always did in the Tesla). The roof glass is not really all that different and it doesn't open, which I miss already. The stereo is superior but harder to reach because the UI is not well thought-out. The massage seats are nice. I don't particularly care about back-seat space, but in the Lucid Air it is truly HUGE. What I do care about, and have always adored in the MS, is storage space in the trunk. This is a problem in the Lucid. The trunk opening is very narrow, like many sedans. You can't fit anything tall in there. It is very deep, especially if you put down the back seats, but you could never fold up a double stroller and throw it into the trunk like you could in a MS. A bike? Out of the question. If you have lots of small bags, the Lucid may actually have more total room because the frunk is much much larger than the MS frunk.

So, OP, should you replace your MS with a Lucid Air? You have to decide what is most important to you. Do you want something different or do you want something that will hold a bike in the trunk? The Lucid is refreshing, new, luxurious, comparably fast, and handles better than the MS. It also costs more, and storage in the rear trunk is challenging compared to the MS.

Interestingly, the answer for me comes down to the following observation: I don't miss driving the MS. Today I brought it to work, and I actually found myself missing the Lucid and longing to drive it. That says a lot.
Click to expand...

I don’t understand all the talk about the trunk. I have fit both a stroller *and* a bike back there. You just have to be careful and thoughtful. Maybe it’s because I’ve only ever driven sedans and never owned a hatchback (can’t stand the look).

This thing has more usable space than any sedan I’ve ever owned.
 
That is my position exactly. I drive a sedan now and have never driven a hatchback so I don't expect this sedan to act like a hatch.
 
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