Follow us today…
The right car at the right moment is a private celebration, a handshake between desire and judgment that says you have earned a little excess. In the Lucid Owners Club on Facebook, one longtime EV driver put that credo to the test and came away with something rare.
A choice that satisfies the heart and the spreadsheet. After nine years in successive Tesla Model S leases, Steve Faberman stepped into a Lucid Air Grand Touring and found the drive more serene, the midrange pull more urgent, and the monthly obligation lighter than expected. That is not a contradiction. It is modern luxury doing what it does best, turning incentives and engineering into a quiet advantage.
It’s “Been a few weeks since I picked up my 2026 Air GT. Drove a Tesla Model S for 9 straight years (3 different leases finishing with a 2022 Long Range). I was definitely an early adopter of EV and have truly loved driving it over the years.
I just completed a 275-mile trip (without recharging btw) and have some thoughts/pros & cons to share.
Pros :
The car is AMAZING to drive, and I couldn’t be happier with the overall experience on the road. Acceleration is incredible and is truly amazing when you are doing 60 mph and hammer the accelerator. 50-80 in the AIR is noticeably quicker than in the Tesla. Drive is much more refined, it’s quieter and just better overall.
I love the looks on my car wayyyyy more than I thought I would and it’s 100% attributed to two things: the Stealth Package and the 20″ Stealth Wheels. I had never see an Air with both of those features and to me, it looks like a very different car compared to the “traditional look” with the silver trim and silver rims. Not that those are bad at all, but this one looks much, much sportier in my opinion, which is my personal preference.
The glass roof. LOVE IT. I have been pushing the sun visors off to the side during the day, and my view through the windshield makes me feel like I’m flying in a glass helicopter. Gives a similar vibe to driving a convertible, but without the wind! It does, however, require a full bottle of Windex and a good cloth being stored in the frunk for rather frequent use.
20-way seats are the best I’ve had in any car. Used the Massage feature constantly on my most recent trip, and it made a huge difference. My tush felt like a million bucks after the drive!
The steering wheel feels great in the hands. Coming from the Yoke, I was hoping I would really like the traditional wheel, and this one is fantastic.
Additional battery capacity of around 100 miles (actual) over the Tesla is wonderful. I got around 375 actual miles on my full charge (says 480 when 100%), and that was driving fairly aggressively pretty much the entire time. The range will pretty much ensure I will never need to worry about charging on the go, and just use my dedicated charging spot in my apt garage.
Love the automated frunk. Love the auto closing doors and also how extra wide the rear passenger’s door opens up.
Love that I’m no longer associated in any way with Elon Musk. Not at all the reason I switched cars, but happy to no longer sit behind the wheel of his product.
Cons (more like nitpicks) :
* User interface for the technology needs MAJOR improvement. A couple of obvious observations :
I should be able to have the Nav screen on the top and the Music screen on the bottom. There’s little benefit to me seeing the same map on the bottom screen just in a bigger format compared to being able to have the Map on top and then be able to control the music on the big screen. Which brings me to the next point :
When listening to Sirius/XM, I am not able to change the station using the steering wheel. If I hit the right arrow button, the station I’m listening to at that time just jumps to the “LIVE” spot of the song. Once LIVE, clicking either arrow button on the steering wheel does nothing. That’s ridiculous and forces me to change the top screen from NAV to MUSIC so I can then pull it down to the big screen so I can change stations as desired. The number of “buttons” on the screen that I have to push in order to simply change the satellite channel makes me take my eyes off the road for simply too long. I am able to change the station on FM and Spotify using the steering wheel buttons, just not Sirius/XM.
Changing the volume using the little level on the steering wheel stinks. You have to push the button up for way too long before it raises the volume, and then it invariably gets too loud before you take your thumb off the button. The middle volume button up top works much better. This should be a fix…
I should be able to choose from a few different “styles” of the big white circle showing the car’s speed. It looks kinda “blah”.
A trip computer that doesn’t keep track of the duration of the trip???? C’mon. Don’t you want to know how long your most recent trip took once in a while? Seems silly not to have that.
Getting the windshield washer fluid to come out is not easy. Sometimes I have to hold the button for way too long, and sometimes it comes on when I press it halfway way and sometimes it requires me to press it super hard before coming on.
I really miss the Full Supervised Driving feature of the Tesla. Used it all the time.
The upgraded stereo could use some more “OOOOMPH”. Better subwoofers and more power. The Tesla sound system was excellent. This one is fine.
OVERALL – This is my favorite car to drive that I’ve ever owned. Full stop. It’s truly remarkable to be able to move a decent-sized automobile around that quickly and precisely while proving maximum comfort inside the cockpit.
I hope they can continue improving the technology interface and give us more options to customize our screens. I also hope they are around in 3 years when the lease is up, so I can consider getting another one…
Btw, the incentives on my car made it very attractive to lease when compared to leasing a 4th Tesla. My car listed for $130,000. I only put $1,500 down, have 10,000 miles a year, and pay $1,418, including state sales tax. The equivalent Tesla (non-plaid) was gonna run $500 a month more with the same down payment and miles. That’s $18,000 more over the course of a lease for a car that has an MSRP that is lower by almost $28,500. The Tesla MSRP was $101,500.” – Steve Faberman, Lucid Owners Club on Facebook
The substance is on the road. Faberman says the Lucid Air is quieter, more poised, and meaner when you roll into it from 50 to 80. That is real-world pace. The kind you use merging, overtaking, and asserting yourself in traffic. He recorded roughly 375 miles of actual range per charge and knocked off a 275-mile run without stopping. Another owner, Kyle Ford, backed him up in the comments. Great review. Still loves driving it every day. That is not spreadsheet satisfaction. That is the daily reward that keeps buyers loyal.
Lucid Air Grand Touring Range
- The 2026 Lucid Air positions itself as a top-tier luxury electric sedan, with a price range spanning from an accessible $70,900 for the Pure trim to a staggering $249,000 for the ultra-high-performance Sapphire edition.
- The Grand Touring model achieves an industry-leading 512-mile EPA-estimated range, a benchmark that allows for long-distance travel, such as a trip from Silicon Valley to San Diego, on a single charge.
- The lineup offers a wide spectrum of performance, from the capable 430 hp Pure to the world-beating 1,234 hp Sapphire, which holds the title of the fastest production sedan with a 0-60 mph time of just 1.89 seconds.
- With its 350 kW DC fast charging capability, the Grand Touring can add 200 miles of range in just 12 minutes, while the Lucid Connected Home Charging Station provides up to 80 miles of charge per hour.
Design matters because you see the car more than you drive it. The stealth package with the 20-inch stealth wheels won him over in the garage. He calls it much sportier. The glass roof earns a pilot’s metaphor and a permanent Windex kit in the frunk. The 20-way seats with massage turn distance into therapy.
Advertising
The automated frunk and auto-closing doors add a touch of theater. Debbie O’Connor chimed in, tagging a friend who has seen the same quirks. That is how modern ownership works. Notes get compared. Joys get confirmed.
How The Lucid Air Compares To Other Brands
No machine gets a free pass on ergonomics. The infotainment needs refinement. SiriusXM station changes take too many taps. The steering wheel volume control is fussy. The trip computer omits duration. The washer spray can be inconsistent. The upgraded audio wants more punch. He misses Tesla’s supervised driving feature. Chris Drury, a former Model S refresh driver, put it cleanly. Tesla’s software leads; Lucid’s ride is the payoff. This is the trade that many buyers will understand and accept.
Practical concerns surface even in a car this advanced. Tc Furlong flagged the passenger side pillar and mirror as a visibility challenge and admitted he nearly missed an oncoming car. It is a reminder to adjust seating, mirrors, and habits the moment you take delivery. Then he delivered the line that speaks for the thread. Oh, poor me. I have to put up with the world’s most advanced luxury car. Perspective is a virtue. So is humility in the face of a fast, quiet sedan that can turn long distances into short ones.
Lucid Air Features And Glass Cockpit
- A stunning 34-inch Glass Cockpit display with a retractable 12.5-inch Pilot Panel creates a futuristic and user-friendly interface, complemented by the DreamDrive Premium advanced driver-assistance system.
- The interior design prioritizes passenger comfort with “first-class” rear legroom, a panoramic Glass Canopy, and four curated colorways featuring sustainable materials.
- Despite some software frustrations reported by owners, the Lucid Air’s hardware and build quality are consistently praised, with many owners describing it as the “best car they’ve ever owned.”
- Real-world mountain driving demonstrates the exceptional efficiency of Lucid’s regenerative braking system, which can recover significant range during descents, effectively mitigating range anxiety in challenging terrain.
Strip away the forum cadence and you get a clear lesson. Sometimes you should splurge on yourself. Not to peacock. To improve the hours you spend inside a machine that carries you through the day. Faberman left a brand he knew well without rancor.
He wanted a different flavor of refinement, a different stance in the driveway, and a package of incentives that made the numbers blink green. He found it. The result is not a victory over anything. It is a private win. The kind that feels like a pat on the back every time the garage light comes on.
A final note about hope. He wants Lucid to keep sharpening the interface and to be there in three years when the lease is up. That is a reasonable ask from a customer who already gave them the most valuable commodity in this market. Patience. The rest is on the company. Keep the updates flowing, keep the experience serene, and keep the deal compelling enough that a splurge continues to feel like good judgment.
Image Sources: Lucid Media Center
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.
Follow us today…
Source: torquenews.com
