The Lucid vs Tesla war is actually a lot deeper than one can imagine. Lucid is currently spearheaded by Peter Rawlinson, the man who is responsible for the Tesla Model S! So, in its essence, the Lucid Air can be considered as the Model S’ spiritual successor. The Tesla Model S has made a name for itself as a premium electric sedan and didn’t face stiff competition from any other electric car until the Lucid Air came out. That says a lot, doesn’t it? The Air has countered the Model S on almost all fronts; range, performance, features and specs, etc. Looks are subjective, so we’ll let you decide which one looks better. And, as for the pricing, the Air starts cheaper than the Model S, but goes well over the Tesla’s pricing. Now, given how the Air is spec’d pitting it against the standard Model S doesn’t seem fair. But, how does it compare to the Tesla Model S Plaid? Well, that’s what we will find out in this guide!

The Lucid Air Is An Entire Range Taking On A Single Performance Trim

The Model S Plaid is the performance version of the Tesla Model S, so there aren’t any trims under the Model S Plaid per se. The Lucid Air, on the other hand, is offered in four trims:

- Pure

- Touring

- Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance

- Dream Edition Range and Dream Edition Performance

Lucid has really spread its trims very wisely here. While all trims are fairly luxurious, branching the top-of-the-line trims to cater to both kinds of folks – who want either performance or range – is actually quite smart. But, that said, the standard Range trims doesn’t lack in performance, and neither do the Performance trims lack in range.

The Lucid Air Looks Bolder

Red Tesla Model S Plaid
Tesla 

Both the models boast a very clean design on the outside. However, the Model S Plaid is a lot simpler and has started to look dated already. It isn’t too different from the standard Model S, which means Tesla has been milking the same design for nearly a decade now. The Air, on the other hand, looks a little more futuristic, thanks to those slim headlights and taillight setup. The Air is equipped with a Micro Lens Array headlight system that comprises thousands of “light channels.” The automaker has developed this in-house and claims it is the “brightest, most precise and advanced lighting system ever”.

The top-spec Lucid Air is available in four exterior shades – Eureka Gold, Stellar White, Infinite Black, and Zenith Red. The Eureka Gold is exclusive to this trim. The rest of the trims can be had with any of the other colors, along with two more options – Quantum Grey and Cosmos Silver. The Cosmos Silver shade will be available from the third quarter of 2022. As for the Tesla Model S Plaid, it is offered in five colors, out of which only the Pearl White Multicoat is the ‘free’ color. The Solid Black, Midnight Silver Metallic, and Deep Blue Metallic are priced at $1,500, whereas the Red Multicoat is a $2,500 option.

Aerodynamics - The Model S Beat The Air By The Narrowest Of Margins

2021 Lucid Air
Lucid Motors
 

The Model S Plaid was the world’s most aero-efficient car before the Mercedes-EQS came and snatched the title. It boasts of a drag coefficient of 0.208 and beat the Lucid Air by the slightest of margins. The Lucid Air’s drag coefficient is rated at 0.21; which is 0.002 higher than the Model S Plaid’s.

The wheels offered on these cars are also aero-specific and aid the range. The Lucid Air Touring and Grand Touring are offered with 19-, 20-, and 21-inch wheels (called the Aero Range, Aero Lite, and Aero Blade, respectively). The base Pure trim doesn’t get the 21-inch wheel option. The Dream Edition can be had with the 19-inch Aero Range, but there’s an exclusive set of wheels called the Aero Dream that measures 21 inches.

As for the Tesla Model S Plaid, it comes with 19-inch Tempest wheels as standard. The only other option is 21-inch Arachnid wheels. However, there is a significant difference in range. With the 19-inch wheels, you can get a range of up to 396 miles. Opt for the bigger Arachnid wheels and this drops to 348 miles. The 48-mile difference is fairly significant, right? Which ones would you pick if you had to?

Even The Lowest Range That The Air Offers Is Better Than The Plaid

The Pure and the Touring trims offer 406 miles of range, which is the least range in the Air lineup, but is better than what Tesla has to offer. Mind you, this is a projected range and not an EPA-estimated range. The Grand Touring and the Dream Edition, on the other hand, have been tested by the EPA. The Grand Touring delivers 516 miles on a full charge, which is just short of what the top-spec model offers. The Dream Edition Range’s range is the best not just in the Air portfolio, but also in the world currently (EPA ratings only) – 520 miles on a full charge. As for the Dream Edition Performance, you can go up to 471 miles before you’re forced to plug in your car again.

The Model S Plaid comes with a new battery pack and module that allows faster charging and an impressive range. The estimated range on the Model S Plaid is 396 miles. This is 10 miles less than the least range that Lucid Air has to offer. Interestingly, Tesla is still making use of the Panasonic 18650 cells instead of the much newer and more efficient 4680 cells in the Plaid. It won’t come as a surprise if the automaker switches to the 4680 cells in the future, with probably a better range. While the Lucid Air comes with a 113 kWh battery pack, the one is the Plaid is said to be around 99 kWh.

The Plaid supports fast-charging up to 250 kW, whereas the Air supports up to 350 kWh, thanks to its ultra-high 900V+ electrical architecture. While the Plaid can add 187 miles of range in 15 minutes, the Air can add 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes! The Air also supports vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid bi-directional charging.

Only Two Lucid Air Trims Makes More Power Than The Plaid

The Lucid Air is based on the skateboard-style platform called LEAP (Lucid Electric Advanced Platform). The drivetrain was developed in-house and features ultra-efficient electric motors with an integrated transmission, differential, and inverter. This makes the unit quite compact in size and doesn’t weigh as much as other setups. Lucid noted that each unit tips the scales at “163lb (74kg) and is small enough to fit inside a standard airplane carry-on bag”. Just like the Plaid, the motor can spin to 20,000 rpm here as well. It can also churn out up to 650 horsepower.

You get different setups and power outputs on every trim. The base Pure trim comes with a single motor mounted on the rear axle. It makes 480 horsepower. Lucid noted that it can be had with a dual-motor setup as well. The rest of the trims come with two motors, one on each axle. The setup puts out 620 horsepower on the Touring trim, 816 horses on the Grand Touring, and up to 1,050 horsepower in the Grand Touring Performance. The Dream Edition ‘Range’ model generates 933 horses, whereas, the ‘Performance’ model makes up to 1,111 horses!

The Model S Plaid comes with a tri-motor setup – two motors at the rear and one up front. These motors come with carbon-sleeved rotors that help maintain peak power output all the way to its top speed, which is 200 mph. But, the top speed achieved in the real world so far is 163 mph. But, this was enough to break the Porsche Taycan’s Nurburgring record. Perhaps, the higher top speed will be unlocked in future updates. The all-wheel-drive platform also supports torque vectoring. Combined, the setup produces 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque.

In Terms Of Performance, The Air Is No Match For The Plaid

Tesla says the Model S Plaid can sprint to 60 mph from rest in just 1.99 seconds, thus making it the world’s quickest production car! The top speed is rated at 200 mph, but as stated earlier, it hasn’t been achieved yet. The automaker had noted that the quarter-mile runs in 9.23 seconds with a trap speed of 155 mph, but this has been broken many times in the past. In fact, it even managed to breach the nine-second mark once, thus making it a sub-nine-second car!

Red Tesla Model S
Tesla

While the Lucid Air is pretty quick and fast,, but not Tesla-fast. The top Dream Edition Performance takes just 2.5 seconds to hit the 60 mph mark from a standstill and sprints all the way up to 168 mph to hit its top speed. It is a sub-10-second car, though, as it takes 9.9 seconds to complete the quarter-mile distance. The Dream Edition Range is 0.2 seconds slower, taking 2.7 seconds to 60 mph. The Grand Touring takes three seconds flat to silently gallop to 60 mph and also has a top speed of 168 mph. The Touring takes 3.2 seconds from 0 to 60 mph and has a top speed of 155 mph.

Here’s how they stack up against each other on the drag strip

Need a Luggage Hauler? The Plaid Should Be Your Pick

The Air features a 9.9-cubic foot frunk, which is by far the biggest one seen on a production vehicle. With the rear luggage area taken into the account, the Lucid Air offers a total cargo space of 26.1 cubic feet. The Plaid’s figures are not given exclusively, so it would be fair to assume it is exactly the same as the standard Model S’ figures. The frunk offers five cubic feet of space on the Model S Plaid, which is almost half of what the Air offers. It comes with a total cargo space of 28 cubic feet, thus beating the Air in this department. Flip down the rear seats and you’ll have 58 cubic feet of space available at your disposal.

Safe To Say The Air Beats The Model S In Terms Of Technology

The Lucid Air features a floating 34-inch curved ‘Glass cockpit’ 5K screen that extends to the center console as well. While not as massive as Mercedes-Benz’s 56-inch Hyperscreen, it is bigger than the Model S Plaid’s landscape-oriented 17-inch touchscreen infotainment system. The latter even comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Tesla’s touchscreen now boasts a higher 2200x1300 resolution as opposed to the 1900x1200 resolution that was present on the previous models.

The Air’s system comprises three screens; the left corner comes with basic functions like the lock/unlock, lights, defogger, etc., the middle screen shows the drive-related data like speed and battery charge, and the screen on the right works in tandem with another touchscreen that sits between the front seats and is tilted upwards. Lucid has even provided some buttons here. These are for the climate control and the volume for the stereo and can be a boon when you’re driving.

The Tesla Model S Plaid, in total, comes with three screens inside the cabin. Apart from the digital instrument cluster and the 17-inch touchscreen, it also features a screen placed between the front seats for the rear passengers. It offers PS5-level performance and supports up to 10 teraflops of processing power. Tesla noted that it is even compatible with a wireless controller.

Both Are Tied For The Interior Vibes

Tesla Model S Dashboard
Tesla

The Tesla Model S Plaid’s interior is pretty straightforward. There are three themes to choose from. As standard, you get an all-black interior with carbon fiber décor. If you’d like something a little brighter, there’s the black-and-white theme option that will cost you an additional $2,000. The final option is a Cream-colored layout, which is also a $2,000 option. Both of these optional themes also come with carbon fiber décor. It also features a glass roof, like the Lucid Air’s canopy glass roof. Both the automakers say that the glare, heat, and UV light are blocked, so that shouldn’t be a concern.

The Lucid Air’s cabin feels very airy and spacious. There are many interior themes on offer, but in the top trim, you get an exclusive Santa Monica interior with Nappa full-grain leather upholstery, natural wood trims, and Alcantara inserts. You also get a glass canopy roof on the top trims that feels much more special than the Plaid’s glass roof. There’s a cross-beam in between, which of course, is a must, but otherwise, it’s all glass. It even makes it look like the visors and sensor housing are hanging in the air. The automaker has also paid special attention to making sure the cabin space is optimized in the best way possible.

Tesla has also worked on creating more space for the rear passengers. The front seatbacks have been scooped to create more legroom for the rear row. The car also comes with heated and ventilated seats. Oh, and did we talk about the F1-inspired Yoke steering? Well, it made it to production and comes without any stalks whatsoever. The headlights, turn indicators, horn, wipers, and cruise control/autopilot functions are integrated on the spokes as feather-touch buttons. There are two scroll buttons, too.

Some other features include:

- An invisible AC with hidden vents

- Tri-zone climate control

- Wireless charger

- USB-C-type ports that support up to 36W (can even charge your laptop)

- 22-speaker, 960W audio system

As for the layout on the Lucid Air, there’s the extended digital instrument cluster at the top of the dash, the HVAC controls and vents in the middle, and a tilted infotainment screen below. There is a storage space here as well. There is a two-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel with a roller, toggle switches, and buttons on it. The Air comes with standard rear seating, but you can also opt for executive seating that allows you to recline the seats up to 55 degrees, but it’s a late availability.

Lucid Air vs Tesla Model S Plaid - Pricing

White Lucid Air
Lucid Motors

Here’s how the cars are priced (correct at the time of penning this piece):

- Pure - $87,400

- Touring - $107,400

- Grand Touring - $154,000

- Dream Edition - $169,000 (Reservations closed)

The Tesla Model S Plaid, on the other hand, is priced at $135,990, which means it slots between the mid-trims of the Air in terms of price.

It must be noted that the Tesla Model S Plaid isn’t eligible for the federal tax credits of up to $7,500, but the Lucid Air is.

Tesla Has Found Tough Competition In Driver-Assistance Systems Department

The Model S Plaid features Autopilot, a suite of advanced driver-assistance systems that includes stuff like adaptive cruise control, lane centering, lane change, self-parking, etc., and basically helps reduce your workload as a driver. It even comes with Summon, where the car will come find you in a parking lot and will park/unpark itself. The full self-driving capability package can be purchased for $12,000, but the technology is still under development and will be updated to your car over-the-air once it’s launched.

The Lucid Air’s system is called DreamDrive, and it includes 32 sensors comprised of the latest camera, radar, and ultrasonic sensors, as well as a long-range, high-resolution LIDAR placed at the front of the car. For the time being, it not only offers Level 2 features, but it is also Level 3 ready. On the top two trims – the Grand Touring and Dream Edition – you’ll get a DreamDrive Pro system that includes future-ready hardware for semi-autonomous driving that will be updated over the air when it is fully developed.