The "Lucid Air Beats My Old Tesla Model 3 In Luxury But Fails At Smaller Things", 400 Miles Of Range Means Nothing Without Superchargers

There’s a quiet war playing out on our asphalt battlegrounds, not one of speed but of intent. It’s the utilitarian squaring off against the aspirational, the hammer facing down the hand-carved chisel. 

The Lucid Air Touring occupies its own realm as an electric vehicle, gliding through traffic like a diplomat in silk slippers. Tesla's Model 3, by contrast, stands as the people's EV: smart, practical, and about as luxurious as a well-spec'd MacBook. Yet the chasm between these two machines runs deeper than their price tags suggest, despite them being cross-shopped. 

What One User Thinks About Their Lucid

One user took to the r/Lucid subreddit to compare the Lucid Air Pure to his older Model 3 since he recently transitioned.  

“Lucid materials just look and feel nicer. The way the doors close. The texture of the surfaces.

The colors of the lights inside and outside. It's just an entirely new class of vehicle.”

Wrote joemich, a Redditor who made the switch. It’s not hyperbole. Sit in a Lucid, and you’re surrounded by supple leather, brushed aluminum, and a cabin architecture that feels like it belongs more on the ISS than on I-5. The Model 3, admirable as it is, feels like a tech startup’s idea of a car, cost-cutting minimalism wrapped around a great battery.

How Lucid Made a Spacious Interior 

• By leveraging a compact electric powertrain, Lucid restructured the vehicle's layout to offer a spacious interior akin to larger luxury sedans, all within a more streamlined exterior. ​
• The cabin features a harmonious mix of leather, wood, Alcantara, and metal, creating an environment that balances technological sophistication with tactile luxury. ​
• Achieving a record-low drag coefficient of 0.208, the Lucid Air's sleek design not only contributes to its performance and efficiency but also underscores its commitment to elegant styling.

But luxury is not just about looks, it’s about how a car makes you feel at every touchpoint. Lucid nailed the emotional appeal, especially with details like the 20-way massage seats that feel borderline decadent. 

“I splurged on these and love the many adjustments, heat/ventilation, and especially all the massage options. Incredible feature, so worth it imo,” 

Says Joemich. 

And yet, perfection in the $90K segment isn’t optional, it’s expected. You’re not just competing with Tesla anymore; you’re going toe-to-toe with Audi, Mercedes, and BMW.

And when customers spend that kind of money, experience clunky keyless entry or software that needs a soft reset to play music, the spell breaks.

This is even more pronounced in more expensive models such as the Lucid Gravity. 

That’s where the Lucid dream starts to show seams. Take something as simple and maddening as unlocking the car: 

“It’s no fun standing up against the Lucid waiting 5 or more (sometimes 20) seconds for the car to ‘recognize me’ and release.”

JoeMich continues. That might be tolerable in a $40K crossover, but in a car that costs more than a well-optioned E-Class?

It’s a slow unraveling by a thousand papercuts. Lucid’s smaller size offers potential for personalized service, but it also means they can’t afford to stretch too thin. Miss a detail, and the competition, be it German, Korean, or Californian, will pounce.

How Many Miles Can The Air Drive? 

It can drive over 400 miles on a single charge, but it doesn’t matter if you can't recharge it with ease. 

“Charging, no access to Tesla Superchargers yet, plus Model 3 just seemed to charge faster in general.” 

Wrote joemich, echoed by Lando_Sage: 

“Unless you want to sit there charging at 50kw.” 

Lucid’s theoretical range is impressive, but EV ownership in America is still ruled by infrastructure. Tesla’s Supercharger network is the gold standard, a strategic moat that Lucid has yet to bridge. It doesn’t matter how fast your spaceship goes if it runs out of juice in the middle of Kansas.

Still, the Lucid has its charms, ones Tesla can’t easily replicate. The dashboard, for example, is a visual symphony. 

“Instead of Model 3 focusing everything on one screen located too low and far to your right, you get lots more visual information and dynamic data gorgeously displayed where it belongs.”

joemich notes. Add the huge rear seat, soft-touch controls, and the sheer silence at highway speeds, and it becomes clear, the Lucid isn’t trying to be a better Tesla. It’s trying to be a better luxury car, one that just happens to run on electricity.

Where The Lucid Air Wins

Yet even where Lucid wins, it comes with an asterisk. Sound quality, for instance, is a tale of two experiences.

“The Pro [audio system] does sound better but still nothing like the Model 3's booming bass and clear upper range at high volume.” 

Said Joemich, while another user noted that the Tesla’s cabin noise made it hard to enjoy the audio anyway. It’s a delicate dance, refinement over raw volume. The Lucid might not shake your spine, but it cradles your ears. And in a luxury EV, that might just be the better choice.

Tesla Model 3 Speaker Quality 

• The Long Range and Performance variants feature a 17-speaker configuration, including dual subwoofers and amplifiers, delivering immersive, studio-quality sound throughout the cabin. 
• The base Model 3 is equipped with a 9-speaker system, providing clear and balanced audio. While it lacks the depth of the premium setup, it still offers a commendable listening experience for everyday use. ​
• Tesla's in-house audio engineering ensures that both systems are tailored to the Model 3's interior, optimizing speaker placement and sound quality for an engaging auditory experience.

The Lucid Air Touring is not a perfect vehicle, but it’s a profoundly ambitious one. Tesla built the blueprint; Lucid is trying to build the palace. Whether that’s worth the quirks, the slower charging, or the occasionally stubborn tech is a question only buyers can answer. But as one convert put it: “Very happy with the switch, there’s been some adoption pain, but overall I’d do it again without a second thought.” For those who value comfort over convenience, elegance over ecosystem, the Lucid Air might just be the car you’ve been waiting for, even if it still needs a better launchpad and prices may be a tad bit more expensive.

Were you considering the Lucid Air or the Tesla Model 3 for your purchase? What other vehicles were also on your list?

Share in the comments which car you chose and the main reasons behind your decision.

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.