Tesla’s public reputation has nosedived since CEO Elon Musk financially propelled President Donald Trump to a second term last year. Even before the White House’s billionaire squatter began to indiscriminately dismantle the federal government, Tesla owners started selling off their cars for other electric vehicles as a form of protest. Model S drivers interested in ditching their sedan should consider its natural replacement: the Lucid Air Touring.
Like Tesla, Lucid Motors is an electric vehicle startup founded in California during the 2000s. The manufacturer unveiled its first car, the Air, in concept form in 2016, but production didn’t start until 2021. Lucid’s luxury sedan might have launched years after the Model S, but it’s the Tesla peer in every way. Both are four-door electric luxury sedans with dual-motor configurations, spacious interiors, long ranges and tons of tech features. When ignoring the federal tax incentives that could be gone any day now, both cars are nearly equal in price when comparing the base Model S with the mid-level Touring trim of the Air. The starting price of Model S is $79,990, while the Air Touring starts at $79,400. (Go for the rear-wheel-drive single-motor Air Pure, and you’re looking at just $71,400.)
It’s a dead heat for performance
It’s difficult to separate either sedan in terms of performance. The Tesla Model S produces 670 horsepower, compared to the Lucid Air Touring’s 620 hp. The 50-hp deficit is apparent in the raw acceleration figure. The Model S dashes from 0 to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds, while it takes the Lucid sedan 3.4 seconds to reach 60 mph from a standstill. For most people, the 0.3-second difference is negligible.
The tables are turned for the top speed numbers. The Air Touring has a 140 mph top speed, while the Model S tops out at 130 mph. Unless we’re racing at Talladega, a 10-mph difference isn’t a massive gap. The Lucid is more slippery through the air, with a 0.197 drag coefficient compared to the Tesla sedan’s 0.208 Cd.
When the focus shifts to the battery, both sedans are still neck and neck. The Tesla Model S has a range of 410 miles, compared to the Lucid Air Touring’s 406-mile range. Both cars are capable of 250-kilowatt fast charging (higher-end Airs can do 300 kW, though). Tesla does have an advantage when it comes to the battery’s warranty. The limited warranty for Model S covers the battery for 8 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. Lucid’s limited warranty covers the same timespan but only 100,000 miles.
Watt for watt, mile for mile
The most significant differences between the Model S and Air Touring are on the inside. Both cars feature semi-autonomous driving technology, “Full-Self Driving” with Tesla and DreamDrive with Lucid. Unlike FSD, DreamDrive actually features LiDAR sensors to help detect objects around the vehicle. The Lucid also features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring apps, which Tesla vehicles don’t. Last but not least is storage space. The trunk and frunk on the Air Touring offer 32.1 cubic feet of space, while the Model S only has a combined 28 cubes of space in its trunk and frunk, though the Tesla is a liftback while the Lucid has a normal sedan trunk.
In all, the electric vehicle landscape is a vastly different place than when Tesla first rose to prominence. EV buyers now have a much wider array of options from established automakers and other startups. Elon Musk squandered Tesla’s position as a market leader by both failing to develop profitable new vehicles and tying the brand to a violently hostile political movement. Model S owners, you don’t have to pretend that your Tesla is an Audi anymore.