I disagree wholeheartedly with the EQ hate. The range of our ild EQS 450+ sedan beat my 2022 Tesla Model S, which would loose 2 miles of range per mile driven at 80+ miles per hour. Plus the cars feel much more solid, Germanic, comfortable, and refined than the start up competitors.

Having owned a 2021 Model Y Performance, 2022 Model S, and 2022 Model X, I’m very happy to move on with our current i7 xdrive60, EQS580 SUV, and EQE AMG Sedan.

I test drove the Lucid and wanted to give it a real shot but the busy ride quality and lack of air suspension was absolutely a non starter.

 

There's non-starters, and then there's non-starters. I'm not using a charging station unless things have gone very wrong, I have no other choice, and death or serious bodily harm may be the result of not using that charging station. To that end, a car must be able to go from the Island house, to the Seattle apartment where I can't charge, wander around in the area a few days, and get back to my home again. Without those pesky charging stations being involved. Of the cars discussed, only the Grand Touring has legitimate real world capability to meet that goal in any weather. Everything else... Non-starter.

It's not a matter of features, like, don't like. With EVs you have to decide if any EV can work for you at all, and if so, which ones. It's an extra, higher level bar, that EVs have to jump. Even after they do, you still have the older, now second level non-starter factors, which the car must also get over. This is the Lucid to me. I like the ride, but among the cars listed, my top choice for ride would be the i7, in my opinion the car has the best ride compromise when viewed against the logical competition. Against the Lucid itself in terms of noise, the i7 is also quieter, I'm saying this having taken both for a spin on the same day. But, doesn't matter, it can't make it over the first bar.

Right now, everything I want/need in an EV is out there, just not all in the same car.

 

Drove a Taycan tonight. I get that it is a very different car than the Lucid (smaller interior etc) and not in the same league as the "reported" efficiency or range but the Lucid isn't in the same league in the way the car felt. It is a very solid car, quieter and smoother than the Lucid, best looking EV made and of course no EV can begin to touch it handling wise.

 

Yeah, the gave me a Taycan Turbo for a few days while I had my car in. I liked it, but there were challenges. It's less roomy, and less nice, than the Panamera, but not much smaller. It's also less practical across most of the range because you don't have the hatch. What that really cemented for me is that EV hooliganism, isn't for me. I need to hear an engine rapping out, bang gears. Mashing the pedal is serious fun in a fast EV, but it's a one-trick pony that lost its luster over just that few a days. That's why I really prefer the ride of the i7, it feels controlled, but is also seriously comfortable, not an easy balance to attain. But in any event, I'm looking at the luxury side of the equation.

We're I going for fun though, it would be Porsche all the way. I am a fanboy and spent a lot of time over there. Their cars have a way of getting better in ownership, that others have a hard time matching.

 

it’s a Porsche, so I’m pretty sure it’s a great car. Here where I live, they are everywhere. That said, my back aches just thinking of getting in and out of that very low slung car, multiple times a day.

 

Well it would be my last sports car hurrah. Unlike you I no longer have any interest in listening to the racket of an ICE powered car. I thought I wanted a 911 forever. Got into a 991 started up and shut it off without a test drive. 40 years ago I suppose it would have had some charm but I test drove one then and then got back into my Mercedes and couldn't figure out why I would spend 2 and half times what my car was worth for something that wasn't half as nice.

 

lol, I left there because I was getting to where I just didn't want to climb in and out anymore. If I do Porsche again it will be an SUV or a GT3. The one I'd actually drive, the other would just be an occasional jaunt to remind me of when I used to do all night, what it now takes me all night to do.

 

I can’t say that I have always wanted my cars to be quiet, but somewhere—several decades ago—I did start to morph in that direction and today, well, I find myself to be something just short of militant when it comes to noisy vehicles. I can remember when having “side exhaust” on my Corvettes was pure nirvana. Today, nothing in the automotive world is more attractive than the utter silence, other worldly acceleration and simplicity of electric propulsion. The fact that it costs a fraction of the expense to operate & maintain an ICE vehicle is just icing on the cake. Oh, and it will blow the doors off most ICE vehicles.

THEN:



NOW:

 

By that logic, wouldn’t this make something like the Rolls-Royce Spectre the ultimate motor car in styling and performance?



(Feels a bit strange after all these years to use the term “motor car” to refer to an actual car with a motor).

 

I was hoping the electric Rolls would depreciate 50% but that hasn't happened yet unfortunately. Guess I'll just have to settle for a "cheap" Maybach EQS SUV. Can't wait to see the looks on the faces of the peasants at Walmart! Behold my opulence and splendor!

 

I built a model of your car when I was a kid and painted it that color. I spent my youth in the likes of Trans Ams, 340 Darts and Dusters, GTOs, Road Runners etc. My Dad saved my life by not letting me buy a '68 Shelby Mustang KR500 in high school. Had a '65 Mustang fastback with cut-off exhaust in college. Can remember a guy testing out his built Nova with no exhaust. My tinnitus has removed all desire for a noisy cabin but I wasn't into it anymore before it struck.

 

It's music to my ears, or what's left of them. I've had a lot of the cars mentioned; some good times back then.

I remember when we thought it was over, performance was dead, and the like would never be seen again. And here we are, it seems rumors of its death were greatly exaggerated.

 

It’s a gorgeous car, much better looking in person. That said, it’s about a half million and not something I would ever consider.

 

The "EQ hate" isn't about the range, performance or powertrain. Those are all great. Its the styling and the interior appointments. If you put the EQ EV powertrain in to a W223 it would be in my garage right now. I just hate the way the EQ vehicles look, I sat in an EQS580 at the dealer again the other day while they changed my oil and it just doesn't feel like a $135,000 car inside...not even close.

 

The biggest issue that speaks against the Taycan is the horrendous depreciation, coupled with Porsche's traditionally poor lease offerings. Depreciation is something that afflicts all EV's in a way not because the are bad cars, quite the opposite, rather than the rapid pace of innovation. ICE's are a mature tech but EV's evolves at the speed of smartphones.

Some years ago before it was available, we had placed an order for a Taycan Turbo S and the car had a horrible residual set by Porsche. That car was literally $4800 a month to lease. Never considered pulling the trigger at those rates. Its better now abut a base model is not really an option. The interior unless really upgraded is pretty pedestrian; same with options. Plus its too slow...
Traditional leases favor the longer-term which is not attractive to me and only the Lucid has a real lease offering with its 18 months option.

So to me, Lucid is the best bang for the buck ind addition to be really on of the best EV's money can buy. We swapped our S-Class for an E63s because we wanted something less boaty and the Lucid drives more how I want this. Air suspension at this point is not interesting.

There was a comment earlier about not being good for taller people. I am 6'3" and have zero issues (glass roof) but the car has a low entry height, so it's easy to bump your head when getting into the front seats. A-pillar could have also been a bit narrower.

 

Plus that car is more or less the i7. I don't see that car to be very timeless...

 

It also has a fair amount of EV compromises for a dedicated EV platform. From a manufacturers viewpoint, the issue is that the cost of an EQS sedan exceeds the one of the S-Class. More expensive, lower margin, more time to write down R&D expenses and now more costly due to increased incentives to move the metal. The whole one bow design was just not working with their engineering and making the look work. A windshield fluid filler is mounted on the outside is a pretty good giveaway

 

You are incorrect on the base price of the EQS vs the base price of the S-class. I just checked the MBUSA website and the base price on the EQS is $104,400 vs the base price for the S-class which is $117,750. The EQS IS $13,350 cheaper than the S-class sedan. I have to say that in my area, I've seen more EQS's than new S-class sedans. I think what's hurting electric car sales in particular is the lack of charging infrastructure. Hopefully, that infrastructure will continue to improve in the coming years. Cost is also an issue for those unable to afford to buy certainly in the EQS/S-class sedan price range. Eventually the cost will come down as the cost of new technology has historically come down through improved technology and wider adoption of the new technology. I also agree that the fast pace of the development of new electric car technology is also hurting resale values.

 

That is a highly unusual area lol

 

You misunderstood I said the manufacturing cost of the car, not the retail price.
Building an EQS costs MB more than S-Class.

 

I assume you mean in terms of styling? I feel like it looks more like the Phantom:

 

Not really... especially with all the lease deals. You could lease 2 EQS' for the price of 1 S-Class

 

I felt like they were trying to imply that the Spectre was essentially an i7 with a different body, which is pretty false.

They likely share battery and motor tech but the i7 is on the BMW CLAR platform which has been around since 2015. The most recent version of the platform found in the i7 is shared with the new 5 series, X3, and iX.

The Spectre is on the Architecture of Luxury platform, only shared with Phantom, Cullinan, Ghost, (and Boat Tail).

 

No. The EV tech/parts of the Spectre are used from on the i7. This is completely unrelated to the platform. I am talking about the parts bin.

 

I got behind the wheel of a grand touring today. Certainly better than a Tesla, but the quality of the interior is nothing close to an S580. I’ll be staying put for now and hoping for some better options in the next couple of years.