Compare the2022 BMW 7 SeriesVS 2022 Lucid Motors Air

The 7 Series’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Air doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The 7 Series has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Air doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the 7 Series helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then projects the image on the windshield, near the driver’s line of sight and even aims one of the vehicle’s headlights in the direction of the person or object. The Air doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The 7 Series’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Air.

The 7 Series has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Air’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the 7 Series has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Air.

The 7 Series has standard BMW Assist, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Air doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the 7 Series and the Air have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights and available all wheel drive.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 7 Series for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Lucid Motors doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Air.

There are over 17 times as many BMW dealers as there are Lucid Motors dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the 7 Series’ warranty.

The 740i’s maximum EPA estimated driving range on a full tank of fuel and a full charge is 597.4 miles, after which it can be refueled at any gas station in minutes. The Air’s range is only 520 miles, after which the minimum recharge time is 20 minutes for only a 74% charge at a specially configured quick charge station not available in most areas. A full recharge at a conventional charging station can take up to 13 hours.

For better stopping power the 750i’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Air:

The 7 Series stops much shorter than the Air:

For better traction, the Alpina B7’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Air (F:255/40R20 & R:295/35R20 vs. F:245/35R21 & R:265/35R21).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the 7 Series can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Air doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The 7 Series offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Air; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The 7 Series offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Air doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the 7 Series uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Air, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The 7 Series offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Lucid Motors doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Air.

The 7 Series has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The 7 Series’ height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Air doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 7 Series’ wheelbase is 9.9 inches longer than on the Air (126.4 inches vs. 116.5 inches).

The Alpina B7 handles at .97 G’s, while the Air Dream Edition pulls only .92 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The BMW 7 Series may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 800 pounds less than the Lucid Motors Air.

The front grille of the 7 Series uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Air doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The 7 Series has 15 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Air (114 vs. 99).

The 7 Series has .4 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 7 inches more rear legroom and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Air.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the 7 Series’ trunk can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Air doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Air, the 7 Series has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The 7 Series offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Air doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the 7 Series detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Air doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

The 7 Series’ power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Air’s power mirror controls are embedded in the infotainment system, seriously distracting drivers who have to adjust them while driving.

When the 7 Series is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Air’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The 7 Series’ standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Air has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the 7 Series’ passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Air doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

On extremely cold winter days, the 7 Series’ standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Air doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Both the 7 Series and the Air offer available massaging front seats. The 7 Series also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the Air.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW 7 Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.