What's leasing like now?

[TonyLieske]

I would suggest test driving them. If there is a Lucid studio near you it should be easy to do.

With Tesla they have a self serve test drive system that works very well. Even out here in the rural woods of South Jersey I was able to schedule a test drive of a Model 3 on the Tesla app and go drive it ~20 minutes later.

FWIW the Tesla Model 3 is a very nice car when it comes to handling and acceleration. Purely from a dynamic perspective I would say it is behind the Air but not distantly. Of all the EVs I test drove it was easily the best driving outside of the air.

I did not like the spartan interior but some people do seem to like the minimalist approach.

All that being said, if I had decided to save some money I probably would have went with the Cadillac Optiq (best interior outside of the Lucid) or Honda Prologue (very traditionally designed interior in a good way, great seats, and was extremely comfortable to drive). None of the EVs I tested drove poorly, I think having such a low center of gravity and immediate torque from the electric motors gives all EVs a good level of drivability. I’d encourage anyone to test drive as many as is practical because tastes and preferences will naturally very.

 

[xponents]

I would suggest test driving them. If there is a Lucid studio near you it should be easy to do.

With Tesla they have a self serve test drive system that works very well. Even out here in the rural woods of South Jersey I was able to schedule a test drive of a Model 3 on the Tesla app and go drive it ~20 minutes later.

FWIW the Tesla Model 3 is a very nice car when it comes to handling and acceleration. Purely from a dynamic perspective I would say it is behind the Air but not distantly. Of all the EVs I test drove it was easily the best driving outside of the air.

I did not like the spartan interior but some people do seem to like the minimalist approach.

All that being said, if I had decided to save some money I probably would have went with the Cadillac Optiq (best interior outside of the Lucid) or Honda Prologue (very traditionally designed interior in a good way, great seats, and was extremely comfortable to drive). None of the EVs I tested drove poorly, I think having such a low center of gravity and immediate torque from the electric motors gives all EVs a good level of drivability. I’d encourage anyone to test drive as many as is practical because tastes and preferences will naturally very.

Your feedback is indeed incredibly valuable, thank you so much! Although I agree that the best way to get an idea of the handling is a test drive, the problem with this is that I don’t even have a license yet, lol (although I got a 40/40 on the written test!). This is also why I am asking questions regarding what you guys think of dynamics, as I have absolutely zero real world experience! If you don’t mind answering, are there any distinct driving characteristics that you’d assign to the Tesla and/or the Air (eg: one is nimble, planted, etc)?

 

[borski]

How ironic that it’s a bear… Lucid would be proud!

More ironic that he and about 1000 permanent employees of the national park service just got fired. The irony is not lost on me.

 

[borski]

In comparison, the Model 3 has FAR worse suspension, but also has a much quicker steering ratio and a smaller size (described as go-kart like).

The Model 3 holds no candle to any version of the Air. The Model S would be a better driving comparison.

Having driven the Model 3, it is not a driver’s car. It’s not even go-kart like; for that, get a Miata or Lotus Elise. They’re fantastic, if impractical.

The Model 3, imho, does not handle nearly as well. It feels a bit less heavy than the Air, but you can really still feel the weight. It’s not a car you want to be throwing into corners, because it *will* give up the goose; that’s the difference with the Air feeling “planted.”

They’re both heavy cars, and Tesla didn’t invent any magic to make it feel less heavy. My suspicion is most Tesla owners simply have no idea what good handling is; which is not a jab at them, to be clear. Most vehicle owners have no idea what good handling feels like. My wife, when we met, didn’t know the difference between even “loose” vs “tight” steering, because she simply had never thought about a car in that way and nobody had ever explained it.

Tesla drivers are not, by and large, driving enthusiasts. That means reddit reviews are not helpful for understanding the handling of their vehicles, unfortunately.

The Model 3 handles fine for what it is. But the difference between it and the Air is night and day. That’s not necessarily true of the S Plaid, whose death knell is its brakes (and rattles, but that’s less important to me), but the S handles well in general.

Just my $.02

 

[digdoug]

Lease terms vary. As of yesterday the Touring was more expensive for less than 36 but the GT at 18 was barely more than 36. Although that was end of quarter and motivation to sell was high.

 

[Blue Lectroid]

I largely echo what @borski said about the M3. I drove an M3P for 6 years and it was a decent car, but I’d never confuse it with a true “driver’s car.” I liked the way it took to the curves better than the Model S, but neither comes close to feeling as stable and planted as the Air does. The Air is a great car to drive irrespective of drivetrain (electric or ICE), the Model 3 is a reasonably priced, decent driving EV…nothing more (or less).

 

[tonybot]

@xponents - there seems to be many amazing EV deals across the board. If you are willing to look beyond Lucid and Tesla, you may find more choices. Some of my friends payed onetime $5450 for a 2 year lease on Equinox LT EV. It includes taxes and it is a big deal here in Texas as we are taxed upfront for whole purchase price here. Some didn’t want the musk of Musk and some felt this is a better deal. Either way, there may be many more options.