Reviewers have been all over the place on the interior noise issue. The extremes seem to be Kyle Conner of "Out of Spec Motoring", who found tire noise, particularly in the rear seat, well below class standards, and Kristen Lee of "The Drive", who said the car seemed like a sound isolation booth on Manhattan streets and the West Side Highway. (Tom Moloughney, who was in the car both as a driver and a rear seat passenger with Conner, did not find to noise level at all intrusive, and he and Conner had a bit of a set-to on a podcast about Conner's take on the Air's NVH.)
Lucid did benchmark the Air's NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) against the outgoing Mercedes S Class (the new generation of Mercedes cars was not available during the Air's development), and the objective measurements do support the claim that the Air's NVH is below that of the Mercedes. However, there are so many variables in play -- not the least of which is an individual's sensitivity to specific frequencies -- that there is probably no way to know how the car will suit you on this score other than to test drive a car with your preferred wheel/tire sizes, on roads as near to those you will travel most frequently, sitting in the seat you will most often occupy, at varying speeds, in different traffic conditions. And that's a pretty tall order for a customer test drive.
While Conner thought the EQS he test drove was quieter than the Air, he did not ride in the rear seat of the EQS, which is where he noted the tire noise issue with the Air. Also, even the premium "Pinnacle" trim level of the EQS lists acoustic glass and enhanced sound insulation as an extra-cost option, and it is not clear whether the EQS he drove had that option.
Ashoka8350 has owned over 20 Mercedes and took delivery of Lucid Dream #4 on October 30. He says the Air is quieter and smoother-riding than any car he has ever owned.
Lucid did benchmark the Air's NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) against the outgoing Mercedes S Class (the new generation of Mercedes cars was not available during the Air's development), and the objective measurements do support the claim that the Air's NVH is below that of the Mercedes. However, there are so many variables in play -- not the least of which is an individual's sensitivity to specific frequencies -- that there is probably no way to know how the car will suit you on this score other than to test drive a car with your preferred wheel/tire sizes, on roads as near to those you will travel most frequently, sitting in the seat you will most often occupy, at varying speeds, in different traffic conditions. And that's a pretty tall order for a customer test drive.
While Conner thought the EQS he test drove was quieter than the Air, he did not ride in the rear seat of the EQS, which is where he noted the tire noise issue with the Air. Also, even the premium "Pinnacle" trim level of the EQS lists acoustic glass and enhanced sound insulation as an extra-cost option, and it is not clear whether the EQS he drove had that option.
Ashoka8350 has owned over 20 Mercedes and took delivery of Lucid Dream #4 on October 30. He says the Air is quieter and smoother-riding than any car he has ever owned.
