What to Buy?

[NewEnglander]

We had Odyssey from having our first baby to watching her going to high school. It was so functional and reliable and brought up happy memory of campings and road trips.

Too bad it got sandwiched in domino collision on highway, we were safe. Then we switched to MB GL. MB is great, but it got heavily rear-ended again. we then switched to the fun Jeep Wrangler after that.

Lucid AGT made a believer out of me. I rented Model S, X and Y Turo app on separate occasions few times to try out for road trip, I wanted to feel it before I buy it. The tedious part of constantly get off road to supercharging station just annoyed us even for 4.5 hr drive to Dallas from Houston. We decided to stick to ICE bc waiting in charging station or waiting in line to get 45 min charge is just no fun. But I now seeing Lucid AGT can tell me how far my range can cover in navigation. From Houston Texas to Oklahoma City or Gulf Port, Mississippi. This is just insane range. And for the ride, it is way quieter and smoother than Model S, Model X and Model Y I have rented. Yes, I do wish I can have Netflix, Disney+, but how long it took Tesla to cover those video apps? Years. I have confidence that Apple CarPlay will be updated maybe 1 to 2 quarters later this year. I have no buyer’s remorse of getting this car. I have faith it will get better in its software. The main emphasis to me is drive handling and distance range, that is my luxury demand, although ventilated seat and massage chairs are pretty awesome too.

We actually still have a Honda Odyssey as an extra hauler for long road trips. Nothing beats it when it comes to getting the space we need with kids, now teens, for fun trips. We have an R1S reservation also but have no chance of getting it for another 2 years at current rate even if we opt for 4 motor version. Immediate need for us is to replace our ageing Audi Q5, something we have loved for 6 years, with an EV. I was hopeful on Lucid but as I stated above, in double minds. And that's what sparked this informative thread. Would love to hear from any EQS owners on their experience with the car.

 

[Neurio]

We need three rows for adults. Will any of these fit the bill? I like the Rivian, but there's a lot of chassis overkill (such as four motors and off-road shielding) for our purposes that brings the weight to insane levels.

The Polestar 3 and XC90 are midsize SUVs and will be built on the same chassis, I believe. They should have 3 rows, as the XC90 hybrid we have does. The third row is 2 seats with a reasonable amount of leg room for being a 3rd row in a midsize SUV. I don't know that a full grown adult would want to spend much time back there, but maybe the EV versions will have more legroom without a large engine up front?

 

[Zoef]

Newbie here. Longtime lurker - I registered just to reply to this thread. I think I am an exception to the demographic represented here as I am a middle aged woman with kids. To the OP - this has been the exact issue I have wrestled with for the last 4 months. FWIW, here is my analysis:

1. How soon do you need a new car? In my case, I need a new car soon. I have a 6 year old Q7 with almost 100,000 miles. My experience with Audi is that the cars tend to just fall apart around 8 years/100k miles and are very expensive to repair. Given the current auto market, I don't want the car to have a major issue and be forced to chose between an expensive repair and taking whatever overpriced car I can find on a dealer lot. I already had to replace the A/C last fall for over 10k. If I didn't need a car desperately, I would stay out of the market and wait for more options/more clarity on Lucid (irrespective of the price increase).

2. How long do you keep a car? I drive my cars until they are dead. If I changed cars frequently, I would buy an ICE and wait for more options in the EV market. But since I keep my cars a long time, I really want to move to EVs. I contemplated buying a "whatever" car to tide me over, but the MSRP markups and such nonsense made this an unappealing choice.

3. What is most important to you in a car? in my case, I have always preferred a "drivers" car. I need a lot of range because I drive an average of 150 miles a day. I want a large backseat because I have an almost teenage boy who will be very tall soon. I live in South FL and have a dog and would very much like dog mode. These desires make Lucid the only viable choice. I am a little nervous about potential problems with the car. However, the other best options are EVs that don't fit my criteria or ICEs. I considered the various ICEs and concluded that none of them were interesting enough to overcome the shortfalls. I don't think that many ICE cars are very "sexy" or unique in looks anymore. Most of them don't have anything innovative as far as design or technology. The dealer model is frustrating - the salespeople are mostly idiots who know nothing about the cars they sell, who lie to you and make things up and assume I am an idiot because I am a woman. The MSRP markups here are ludicrous and the service has gone downhill as well. I brought my car in to the dealer for new ties a few months ago - drop off and get a loaner. It took OVER an hour to simply drop my car off. My father was interested in buying the Audi RS6 Avant from the same dealer - they tried to sell him a year old car with 2,000 for 50k over MSRP. I have no interest in dealing with that sh*t. My biggest worry was that Lucid would not make it as a company but I don't think that the Saudi PIF will let that happen. I am also within 30 mins of a service center so I was not worried about being far away from help if the car has a problem.

So I took the plunge and went with Lucid. Confirmed April 9 - White, tahoe. Hoping they get some of the software issues ironed out before I take delivery!

 

[Pete44]

Newbie here. Longtime lurker - I registered just to reply to this thread. I think I am an exception to the demographic represented here as I am a middle aged woman with kids. To the OP - this has been the exact issue I have wrestled with for the last 4 months. FWIW, here is my analysis:

1. How soon do you need a new car? In my case, I need a new car soon. I have a 6 year old Q7 with almost 100,000 miles. My experience with Audi is that the cars tend to just fall apart around 8 years/100k miles and are very expensive to repair. Given the current auto market, I don't want the car to have a major issue and be forced to chose between an expensive repair and taking whatever overpriced car I can find on a dealer lot. I already had to replace the A/C last fall for over 10k. If I didn't need a car desperately, I would stay out of the market and wait for more options/more clarity on Lucid (irrespective of the price increase).

2. How long do you keep a car? I drive my cars until they are dead. If I changed cars frequently, I would buy an ICE and wait for more options in the EV market. But since I keep my cars a long time, I really want to move to EVs. I contemplated buying a "whatever" car to tide me over, but the MSRP markups and such nonsense made this an unappealing choice.

3. What is most important to you in a car? in my case, I have always preferred a "drivers" car. I need a lot of range because I drive an average of 150 miles a day. I want a large backseat because I have an almost teenage boy who will be very tall soon. I live in South FL and have a dog and would very much like dog mode. These desires make Lucid the only viable choice. I am a little nervous about potential problems with the car. However, the other best options are EVs that don't fit my criteria or ICEs. I considered the various ICEs and concluded that none of them were interesting enough to overcome the shortfalls. I don't think that many ICE cars are very "sexy" or unique in looks anymore. Most of them don't have anything innovative as far as design or technology. The dealer model is frustrating - the salespeople are mostly idiots who know nothing about the cars they sell, who lie to you and make things up and assume I am an idiot because I am a woman. The MSRP markups here are ludicrous and the service has gone downhill as well. I brought my car in to the dealer for new ties a few months ago - drop off and get a loaner. It took OVER an hour to simply drop my car off. My father was interested in buying the Audi RS6 Avant from the same dealer - they tried to sell him a year old car with 2,000 for 50k over MSRP. I have no interest in dealing with that sh*t. My biggest worry was that Lucid would not make it as a company but I don't think that the Saudi PIF will let that happen. I am also within 30 mins of a service center so I was not worried about being far away from help if the car has a problem.

So I took the plunge and went with Lucid. Confirmed April 9 - White, tahoe. Hoping they get some of the software issues ironed out before I take delivery!

That’s a really good analysis. I expect you will be delighted with the Lucid. It fits just about all your priorities and Riviera Beach service center is so helpful. I had a warning light come on and they were at my house in less than an hour.

 

[Coltonw011]

I can tell you after a week of owning my GT - I love it. Definitely has some software gremlins in need or repair, and while the door handle situation is mostly remedied, it does still exist somewhat. Just yesterday after I backed out of the garage and my gf was going to get in, I placed the car in park and she pressed on the door handle to get it to present. It kept rapidly opening and closing to the point where I had to open it from the inside for her. It will get sorted, I have the patience. If you don’t, then yea, come back in a year or so and the car will be night and day.

 

[hydbob]

I can tell you after a week of owning my GT - I love it. Definitely has some software gremlins in need or repair, and while the door handle situation is mostly remedied, it does still exist somewhat. Just yesterday after I backed out of the garage and my gf was going to get in, I placed the car in park and she pressed on the door handle to get it to present. It kept rapidly opening and closing to the point where I had to open it from the inside for her. It will get sorted, I have the patience. If you don’t, then yea, come back in a year or so and the car will be night and day.

That is because if you don't unlock the doors, the handle won't present when pushed. So you backed out and put the car in park, but the car is still locked until you either open your door or hit the unlock button. Working as intended!

 

[Haggy]

Anything but Model 3 nor Model Y, I have heard many horrible stories there lately.

Model S is just a beautiful car with gorgeous curves and Model X has the Falcon wing swag, but these 2 can really use more interior luxury refinement. For sure Tesla has THE BEST infortainment console and their FSD is just ahead of everyone else, BUT hardware-wise, Lucid is way superior.

Having being previous owner of VW, Porches and MB (ML, GL, SL), Repair is somewhat ridiculous and unpleasant. My sister is also big fan of BMW for years, to me, they are just ugly imo, especially the latest EV Beamer radiator grill, I don’t know what their designers were thinking going opposite direction of aerodynamic. Interior-wise, I always feel German cars are more solid, refine and luxurious than American or Japanese over the past decades.

As for Lucid Air, there are simply too many features revolutionary new that no other car possess to have software fully implementing them in time. Dolby ATMOS, new NVIDIA chip, 32 sensors of radar, light cameras, sonic sensors, surround cameras and LIDAR, proprietary miniaturize powertrain, highest battery architecture efficiency, aerodynamic design, on and on. Air just make ICE cars on the road seem like dinosaurs. I had doubts when I waited anxiously, but so far rides have been smooth and exhilarating to overlook primitive infortainment that will for sure be improving in time.

I wouldn't say that Tesla has the best console, at least for entertainment. They keep adding stuff that is of no use while driving, and I have no desire to sit in a car to watch videos or play games on a screen off to the side while parked. A lot has improved on the infotainment system since I got a Model S in 2014, but in terms of things I use for entertainment, some things have gotten worse.

For example, sometimes I don't want to stream and sometimes drive in areas with no reception. Tesla allows me to use a USB drive, but they broke the functionality years ago, and it was never developed to be something all that usable in the first place.

I don't know if Lucid did a better job on that, and I'm under the impression that they don't handle that, but at least they have carplay and android auto. But top of the line smartphones have been moving away from memory cards, so that's only a partial solution for people with no reception or specific content that they want to listen to.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I can tell you after a week of owning my GT - I love it. Definitely has some software gremlins in need or repair, and while the door handle situation is mostly remedied, it does still exist somewhat. Just yesterday after I backed out of the garage and my gf was going to get in, I placed the car in park and she pressed on the door handle to get it to present. It kept rapidly opening and closing to the point where I had to open it from the inside for her. It will get sorted, I have the patience. If you don’t, then yea, come back in a year or so and the car will be night and day.

Yeah just tap the unlock button on the left panel where you turn on lights, open charge port, etc and it will work (or has worked for me every time).

 

[Bunnylebowski]

1. How soon do you need a new car?

I needed a new car because my MB lease was up in June, so I got the Lucid a few weeks ago and turned in the MB early. I see the dealer marked my car up by $6K over the residual, but I don’t care, glad to be done with dealers, ICE car service needs, etc.

2. How long do you keep a car?

Until it’s financial suicide to keep fixing it. For reference I had a 1986 Volvo 240GL wagon with 240k miles on it before I got rid of it in 2001. Original engine and transmission. So I’m hopeful I drive this Air GT until it’s considered a “classic car” haha.

3. What is most important to you in a car?

Range, thrilling to drive, road-trip worthy, quiet, audio quality, looks and reliability. The Lucid checks every box so far except reliability, and while I’m not sure Lucid has reliability sorted out yet, their service experience is so vastly superior to all other carmakers I’ve experienced, that I’ll live with issues as they arise given otherwise the car is so good. For the two service events my car has had (I think the second one was my fault), the service advisor Markus is reachable by text and he’s called regularly with updates. And they do seem committed to reducing reliability issues.

 

[Coltonw011]

That is because if you don't unlock the doors, the handle won't present when pushed. So you backed out and put the car in park, but the car is still locked until you either open your door or hit the unlock button. Working as intended!

If that were the case, the handle shouldn’t open at all. Not rapidly cycle between open and close. That would still indicate a problem, not working as intended.

 

[hydbob]

If that were the case, the handle shouldn’t open at all. Not rapidly cycle between open and close. That would still indicate a problem, not working as intended.

It's most likely that the sequence is anytime a handle is pushed in it presents itself to open then checks for the lock status and if locked closes back up. That's why when people go to get into the car if it hasn't registered the key yet it closes back. Should be an easy change in software.

 

[Coltonw011]

It's most likely that the sequence is anytime a handle is pushed in it presents itself to open then checks for the lock status and if locked closes back up. That's why when people go to get into the car if it hasn't registered the key yet it closes back. Should be an easy change in software.

I agree completely, just saying it’s a little off atm. But thanks for the left panel suggestion! Missed that one!

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I agree completely, just saying it’s a little off atm. But thanks for the left panel suggestion! Missed that one!

Sure! If you’re in the car and hit that button, handles present just like if you’re in an ice car and you hit the unlock button. Hopefully no more having to push handles.

 

[digiboxer]

Our Plaid is our second Tesla (replaced a 2015 S P90D), I bought my brother a Model 3, and I have a bucket of Tesla stock -- so I have no interest in trashing Tesla. There are some things I like about the Plaid over the Air, but more things I like about the Air over the Plaid.

Tesla's software at this point is considerably more evolved than Lucid's in most respects. There are some things Lucid's can do that Tesla's cannot, such as simulate a bird's-eye view (due not to software limitations but camera placements on the Plaid). But Lucid's software is improving at a fairly good clip. I am also a skeptic about Musk's claims that he will get to Level 3 or 4 ADAS with optical cameras alone, and I appreciate that Lucid has a more comprehensive sensor hardware suite to go down any path that future software developments bring.

I also love the Google satellite maps that display on the Plaid's huge screen and sorely miss it in the Air. (I do a lot of exploring with our cars and love being able to see what's behind tree lines, over hills, and around corners that I might want to explore further.)

It sounds like a nit, but I visit the front center console pretty often while driving, and the Plaid's is considerably better thought out and executed than the Air's. And I remain mystified that the Air only provides one wireless phone charger (in which some phones do not even fit) where the Plaid provides four which require nothing more than just laying the phone down instead of trying to squeeze it into a slot.

Finally, there's the acceleration. The Air Dream Performance is blazingly, blazingly quick. But the Plaid seems actually to have repealed the physical laws of inertia. It's a complete freak show if you're into that kind of thing. (The price you pay, however, is a front end that becomes dangerously more unplanted than the Air's during hard acceleration.)

Now, what's better about the Air . . . ?

Passenger space and comfort. The Plaid cannot accommodate four adults in good comfort for any real distance. The rear seat, though much improved with the 2021 updates, is just too cramped. Rear seat passengers in the Air actually gush about the roominess for a car that size, and we have ceased to drive the Plaid with more than two people in the car. And after sitting in the Air's front seats with the adjustable thigh supports, the Plaid's front seats seem suddenly primitive and undersized.

The Air is quieter, the ride more compliant, the body structure more solid, and the handling a marvel for a car of that weight on relatively narrow tires (even with the 21" wheels). The Plaid's handling is hampered somewhat by that ridiculous yoke (and its even more ridiculous haptic buttons), but the issue is more fundamental than that. Lucid just plain trumps Tesla in suspension engineering and in the structural rigidity that enables the coupling of great ride compliance with extreme handling precision. (No surprise, since Peter Rawlinson was Chief Engineer at two of the most-storied suspension houses in the industry: Jaguar and Lotus.)

Lucid is also much more clear-eyed about user ergonomics with things such as A/C controls and vent positioning, audio volume control, and wiper and exterior light adjustments.

Finally -- and this still baffles me -- after ten years of building huge numbers of cars, Tesla delivered a Plaid to us with more initial quality problems than did Lucid with our production car #154. We've had some issues with the Air that required multiple (but relatively painless) service interventions, but the Plaid has had more problems, and its sketchy service experience has left us living with a few of them rather than bothering with trying to get Tesla to correct them.

The next automotive question in our household is what EV can replace our trusty Honda Odyssey? Will it be the Launch Edition Rivian R1S we have had on order for three years or the Lucid Gravity SUV? One thing it will not be is a Tesla Model X which, even with the new updates as a people hauler, still has no storage pockets, no center armrest, and no cupholders in the second row. Say what???

Terrific summary---thanks.

I'm sold on the LA---provided that it WORKS. Some of the stories on this forum are pretty scary: getting locked out; getting lock IN!!; turtle mode; garage door opening problems; range at 60% of advertised; 40 seconds to boot up...

(And no Sirius XM?? What's that about? I use it every day. I know it's coming, but still....)

If there were 20,000 LAs in circulation, you'd figure these stories are outliers...but I get the impression most owners are experiencing at least a few problems that range from inconvenience to non-function...ie. too many tow truck posts.

And New Englander raises a great point: as production ramps, if the problems are baked in proportionately, the CS people will be overwhelmed, and the cash bleed exacerbated.

I ordered a Touring in mid-March and therefor don't expect to take delivery this calendar year. I want to love the car, so I'm pulling for the Lucid team to get it under control.

 

[hydbob]

Terrific summary---thanks.

I'm sold on the LA---provided that it WORKS. Some of the stories on this forum are pretty scary: getting locked out; getting lock IN!!; turtle mode; garage door opening problems; range at 60% of advertised; 40 seconds to boot up...

(And no Sirius XM?? What's that about? I use it every day. I know it's coming, but still....)

If there were 20,000 LAs in circulation, you'd figure these stories are outliers...but I get the impression most owners are experiencing at least a few problems that range from inconvenience to non-function...ie. too many tow truck posts.

And New Englander raises a great point: as production ramps, if the problems are baked in proportionately, the CS people will be overwhelmed, and the cash bleed exacerbated.

I ordered a Touring in mid-March and therefor don't expect to take delivery this calendar year. I want to love the car, so I'm pulling for the Lucid team to get it under control.

Just a small correction, I don't think they've ever stated they will have Sirius unless I missed it?

 

[digiboxer]

Just a small correction, I don't think they've ever stated they will have Sirius unless I missed i

I got the impression from the sales people that it would likely come in a software update. I guess if it doesnt there's the option to use the Sirius phone app, once CarPlay is programmed in

 

[LRSIII]

Just a small correction, I don't think they've ever stated they will have Sirius unless I missed it?

I’ve never heard SiriusXM is coming, nor have I ever heard an explanation from Lucid as to why the car doesn’t have it. One SA I talked to claimed it was because of the glass roof, but I’m not convinced of that. The car must have a GPS satellite antenna, so why not satellite SiriusXM?

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I got the impression from the sales people that it would likely come in a software update. I guess if it doesnt there's the option to use the Sirius phone app, once CarPlay is programmed in

Assuming you have good cell phone service, streaming SiriusXM via the app gives better audio quality than via satellite in my opinion. I do this for my vehicles. I subscribe to Sirius XM in my Tesla, and use the app via CarPlay in my Telluride. Other side benefit is that I can stream stations in my home using my Amazon echo devices.

 

[digiboxer]

Assuming you have good cell phone service, streaming SiriusXM via the app gives better audio quality than via satellite in my opinion. I do this for my vehicles. I subscribe to Sirius XM in my Tesla, and use the app via CarPlay in my Telluride. Other side benefit is that I can stream stations in my home using my Amazon echo devices.

I'm curious---can you connect phone to Lucid by wire, and hear SXM thru car audio? Can you switch stations on the cr rather than phone?

 

[Zoef]

That’s a really good analysis. I expect you will be delighted with the Lucid. It fits just about all your priorities and Riviera Beach service center is so helpful. I had a warning light come on and they were at my house in less than an hour.

Thanks Pete. I was following that you took delivery right before heading north since we are virtual neighbors (Jupiter here). Was wondering if I would see you on the road by chance.

I saw my first one in the wild in Wellington last week (gold) and my mother saw a black one in Admiral’s Cove this morning. I was surprised it took this long to see some as our area and my son’s school are prime targets.