TEST – Is the Lucid Air an alternative to the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE after a significant price cut?

Many products, many design tastes. The The BMW i5 looks similar to the gasoline and diesel versions of the 5-series, the electric Mercedes EQE has a completely different design than the E-class. They face an unknown model from the United States: Lucid Air.

First we compare the electric motors of three electric cars. The Lucid Air is a true American: loud in every way. Two electric motors are constantly heard with whistles, beeps and beeps. That’s not too distracting in everyday traffic, but even then you only see what a box of Lucid noise it is when you’re driving. BMW or Mercedes steps.

In both German you hear nothing, with the i5 being quieter than the EQE and getting bonus points for its battery, which is made without using rare earth metals.

A hint

Lucid Air is faster than BMW and Mercedes

But the roles are completely reversed when we start driving fast. Then the Germans must surrender. The Lucid Air has two engines and four-wheel drive and even the base Pure version is good for 487 hp. It reaches 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and its top speed is 225 km/h. A torque of 930 Nm provides a powerful push to the rear.

This reduces the difference with the weakest car: the Mercedes EQE has 292 hp and its torque of 565 Nm exceeds even BMW. It makes a normal run in 6.4 seconds and the top speed is 210 km/h. Only in Eco mode does the limiter apply at a speed of 100 km/h.

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With 340 hp and 430 Nm, the BMW i5 reaches 100 km / h in 5.6 seconds, but its top speed remains ‘only’ 193 km / h. Furthermore, it only gives its full potential in Acceleration mode for a maximum of ten seconds. In Sport mode you have 400 Nm and in other driving programs the power is reduced to 313 hp.

Mercedes EQE usage: that’s a bit disappointing

That’s bad Mercedes EQE Despite its low power and aerodynamic design, it is not the most economical car of this trio. In fact, he uses his powers sparingly. In our test cycle we recorded 23.5 kWh/100 km and that corresponds to a range of 379 km.

Also of Lucid it has a design that makes the wind tunnel mouth watering and is more economical: 22.4 kWh/100 km. This allows him to drive 411 km continuously. The i5 is the most efficient and works with 21.8 kWh, which means that its range is 372 km. But it is fair to say that the test conditions were not ideal for an electric car, with temperatures close to freezing.

TEST - Is the Lucid Air an alternative to the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE after a significant price cut?

Now that spring is here, power consumption will decrease with every increase in temperature. We then assume that the Lucid Air can easily reach a distance of 500 km and that its power consumption remains below 20 kWh. If we limit ourselves to city traffic and B-roads – still with low temperatures – there will also be an improvement. Lucid travels 451 km, Mercedes 527 km and BMW is in between.

The BMW i5 charges quickly

Charging through the wall box is possible in all cases with 22 kW, but for BMW and Mercedes you have to pay extra for this. Lucid Air is the big winner in the fast charger, with a maximum charging capacity of 250 kW. The BMW i5 charges with a maximum of 205 kW on a DC fast charger, the Mercedes EQE with 170 kW. If you charge the battery in advance, you can continue charging after about 20 minutes. This reduces the travel time significantly.

Driving habits

In dynamic testing, the BMW is as smooth and light-footed as we’ve come to expect from the brand. But he misses that common connection – the feeling of being one with the car. It also seems that straight line stability is disappointing, which may have something to do with the cold tires. Although two of its competitors also use high-tread tires and perform better. Still the BMW i5 is the ‘easiest’ fastest on the handling course and the slalom test, if you put summer tires on it. And yet the engine loses power after a while.

This is not the case with the Mercedes and Lucid, but they cannot match the high cornering speed and well-controlled brakes of the i5. BMW and Mercedes are equipped with optional four-wheel steering, which provides more flexibility and stability. Mercedes is higher, thanks to the steering angle of 10 degrees (BMW: 2.5 degrees), the turning circle is very short. Moreover, the feedback on the driving forces is well organized.

Lucid does not always clearly announce its holding limit and during sharp changes in direction it suddenly changes from low to high. If you like sporty driving, this is fun. Others will be shocked. But thanks to the four-wheel drive and the long wheelbase, you can cope with the impact well even with ESP turned off.

Price: Lucid Air suddenly became 30,000 euros cheaper

Lucid Air is available in three versions: Pure (88,000 euros), Touring (102,000 euros) and Grand Touring (132,000). And this is after one
reduce the price significantly; A few months ago they were still about 30 grand more expensive.

However, the Germans are still cheap. BMW i5 costs 77,575 euros, EQE 340 83,238 euros. This offers more complete equipment, but you have to pay extra for bigger wheels. Lucid guarantees cold feet with a four-year warranty and eight years on the battery. BMW also gives you an eight-year battery warranty and Mercedes even ten years or 250,000 km. The general warranty is a little over two years.

It is very difficult to estimate the residual value of Lucid because there is currently no data available. BMW and Mercedes both retain more than half their value after four years. Mercedes has an annoying surcharge policy with expensive packages, such as the Premium Pack for more than 8,000 euros. It is also heavier and that could cost him dearly if road tax is paid for electric cars from next year.

Lucid Air has been 30,000 euros cheaper and is the fastest, but also the noisiest. How does this end? You are studying a complete comparison test Automatic inspection 4. You buy a magazine at a supermarket, bookstore or local our webshop.