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Is jumping ship because of the automaker CEO’s political views a good reason?
I ran across this story and was intrigued by what happened to Pete. Pete Quinlivan on the Lucid Owners Club Facebook page says,
“I just leased a Lucid Air Touring. I replaced my Tesla Model Y due to Elon Musk’s issues. The bonus is that the Lucid Air is a much better car.”
Now he’s starting to wonder. A few days later.
“I’m sitting at the side of the road with a completely flat tire waiting for roadside assistance. My wife called me to tell me she was receiving messages from the Lucid app that I had a flat tire. I was driving and had no idea.”
“The only notification the car gave me was the small low tire light on the dash, no chime or any other alert, even though the tire was completely flat. It’s surprising the car doesn’t provide a more urgent alert.”
A flat tire does not mean the Lucid Air Touring is a bad vehicle. We’ve all had a flat tire at one time or another.
However, the automotive landscape is shifting, not just in powertrains, but in loyalties. For years, Tesla dominated the EV conversation, but as a seasoned observer of the industry, I’ve seen the winds change.
Pete replaced his Tesla Model Y with a Lucid Air Touring.
This isn’t just about getting a new car; it’s a deliberate choice, driven partly by what I’ll politely term “Elon issues” and, more significantly, by the undeniable fact that the Lucid Air promises to be a much better car.
His journey with the Model Y has been typical for many Tesla owners – a mix of admiration for its innovation and frustration with certain aspects of the ownership experience. But the allure of the Lucid Air, particularly the Touring model, has been growing.
From what Pete gleaned, this was the best luxury electric sedan alternative to Tesla, offering a blend of performance, elegance, and range that few could match. Initial impressions, even before taking full delivery, confirmed this. The Lucid Air’s interior exudes a premium feel that the Model Y, for all its minimalism, simply can’t replicate.
The materials, the fit and finish, the sheer sense of spaciousness – it’s a step up, he thought. The ride quality was demonstrably superior, gliding over imperfections that would send a jolt through the Model Y’s chassis.
In terms of raw numbers, a casual Lucid Air Touring vs Tesla Model Y comparison highlights the Lucid’s longer range, its groundbreaking 900-volt architecture allowing for blistering fast charging, and its more potent powertrain. This wasn’t just a lateral move; it felt like a significant upgrade, a true transition from Tesla to Lucid Air.
However, as many of you know, the actual test of a vehicle isn’t just the showroom shine or the initial thrill of acceleration. It’s in the unexpected moments, the real-world scenarios that reveal a car’s deeper character. And for me, that revelation came quickly, perhaps too quickly, after I put the down payment on the Air.
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Picture Pete driving along, minding his own business, when his phone buzzed. It was his wife calling to ask if everything was alright. “Are you getting messages from the Lucid app?” she inquired. “It says you have a flat tire.”
His response? Complete surprise.
He was, at that very moment, sitting at the side of the road with a completely flat tire, waiting for roadside assistance, and he had absolutely no idea. No audible alarm, no prominent visual cue on the main display, no urgent vibration of the steering wheel. The only notification the car provided was the small, innocuous low tire light on the dash – a tiny, amber symbol that, without any accompanying chime or more forceful alert, was easily overlooked amidst the digital symphony of a modern EV cockpit.
This incident immediately brought to light a critical aspect of the Lucid Air ownership experience that isn’t often discussed in glossy reviews: the vehicle’s alert system, specifically its flat tire warning system.
In a world where car technology is designed to anticipate and proactively warn drivers of every conceivable hazard, the silent, subtle notification of a completely deflated tire struck him as a significant oversight. His wife, sitting miles away, had a clearer, more immediate understanding of my predicament through the mobile app than I did from the driver’s seat.
Compare this to the systems in other modern vehicles, including his previous Tesla Model Y.
While no car is perfect, one would expect a critical safety alert like a flat tire, especially a completely flat one, to be accompanied by an unmistakable chime, a flashing message on the main screen, or some form of haptic feedback that cannot be ignored. This is where the differences in EV tire pressure monitoring systems become starkly apparent.
The low tire pressure warning light, a standard feature for decades, is simply insufficient when a tire is catastrophically deflated. It begs the question: how can a car so advanced in every other metric fall short on such a fundamental safety notification? It’s surprising and concerning that the vehicle doesn’t provide a more urgent, impossible-to-miss alert.
Despite this unforeseen roadside interlude, his conviction about the Lucid Air remains largely unshaken. It is, by all accounts, a superb machine. However, this experience serves as a stark reminder that even the most advanced vehicles can have quirks, and sometimes, those quirks relate to fundamental safety features we take for granted. The ride quality, the luxurious interior, the sheer presence of the Lucid Air Touring—these qualities still shine.
Yet, a part of Pete now wonders if the pursuit of aesthetic minimalism or a different user experience philosophy has inadvertently introduced a safety blind spot. This flat tire has added an unexpected layer to my early replacement of my Tesla Model Y with Lucid Air Touring narrative, turning what was a straightforward upgrade into a lesson in modern automotive alerts.
In The End
This unexpected flat tire on the Lucid Air Touring, while inconvenient, has provided valuable early insight into the car’s real-world behavior, particularly concerning its warning systems. Despite this hiccup, the Lucid Air Touring still represents a significant step up from my Tesla Model Y in terms of luxury, ride comfort, and overall refinement.
The core reasons for Pete’s transitioning from Tesla to Lucid Air—superior build quality, premium interior, and advanced charging capabilities—remain firmly in place. However, the subdued tire pressure warning is a point that Lucid Motors should certainly address in future software updates to ensure drivers receive immediate, undeniable alerts for critical issues.
Do you own Lucid Air Touring? What are your experiences with the luxury EV? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.
Check out my Tesla Model Y story: Tesla Model Y Owner Says, “Man, I’ve Never Had So Many Compliments On a Car, All I Did Was Add A Few Touches and These Wheels”
I am Denis Flierl, a Senior Torque News Reporter since 2012. My 30+ year tenure in the automotive industry, initially in a consulting role with every major car brand and later as a freelance journalist test-driving new vehicles, has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge. I specialize in reporting the latest automotive news, covering owner stories, and providing expert analysis, ensuring that you are always well-informed and up-to-date. Follow me on X @DenisFlierl, @WorldsCoolestRides, Facebook, and Instagram
Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Pete Quinlivan
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Source: torquenews.com
