I am looking to replace my 18-year-old Audi A6 with a nice luxury EV sedan. At 71, this might be my last or second last car. I would consider an SUV but don’t really need the space. Superb comfort for at least the driver, a really good sound system and a bright interior are all must-haves. I dislike black and dark grey interiors, especially on the dash and seats and I like wood trim.
My price range is between $70,000 and $150,000. I’ve looked at (but not yet driven) the Lucid Air Touring, Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS, BMW i5 and Jaguar iPace. Because of the rapid depreciation of EVs, my preference would be for a “previously enjoyed” car.
Can you point me to something I have not yet considered? – Peter
Miranda Lightstone: This question is most excellent. As are the all-electric choices Peter can find from Genesis, which will answer all his luxury- and interior-specific needs with available wood trim and light and airy leather colour choices.
Mark Richardson: Peter’s more interested in a used electric vehicle, don’t forget, because he’s right – EVs do tend to depreciate more rapidly than gas-powered vehicles.
Lightstone: True. A quick search shows a decent number of used Genesis G80 Electrified vehicles that fall right into his price bracket. Peter will have to do some digging and really look at the listings to ensure the interior is to his preference, but I think Genesis is a luxury brand all too often overlooked, and it rivals the best of the Germans.
Genesis Electric G80Mark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: I don’t recall ever seeing a bright interior in a G80 and, if you’re buying used, you’re stuck with what you can find. The Genesis G80 Electrified was discontinued this year because of poor sales – few people want a sedan – but it did offer a lighter interior in either “Ecru Camel” or “Vanilla Beige,” which don’t look as bad as they sound.
Lightstone: How about the GV70 Electrified that offers up colour combinations such as Icy Blue and Glacier White? Those at least sound a bit more character-filled than ecru and beige. But perhaps we are getting too hung up on interior colours. The important thing here is that Peter should definitely look to Genesis as an option.
Richardson: He should. Genesis has a couple of electric crossovers now, and its reputation is for good value from a premium vehicle. I wonder, though, why Peter isn’t thinking about another Audi A6? The new A6 e-tron is available with silver or light-grey upholstery, but it’s not on his list.
Lightstone: After all those years driving a gas-powered Audi, it would be a demotion to get into a fully electric version, in terms of overall experience behind the wheel. Sure, electric is quick but the visceral, connected experience of a powerful gas vehicle such as an Audi just can’t be replicated with a battery. But I’ll tell you what wouldn’t be a downgrade: A Porsche Taycan.
The new GTS can hit 100 kilometres an hour in 3.3 seconds, and 200 in 10.4 seconds.Doug Firby/The Globe and Mail
Richardson: Oooo – now you’re talking. It’s a four-door electric sportscar that started out great and has only improved. The Taycan’s been around for a few years now, so there should be plenty of used models to choose from, though they’ll still be expensive.
Lightstone: I knew you’d say that, so I took the liberty of doing a quick check and I found quite a few available now in Canada according to AutoTrader – 144 to be precise. And the majority are priced serendipitously within Peter’s budget.
Richardson: With Porsche, you’re also paying extra for the bragging rights of the brand name, which are considerable because the name is so evocative of fine driving.
Lightstone: Peter may struggle to find the lighter interior combination of colours he’s looking for, but I have a feeling once he takes one for a test drive, he’ll reconsider. He’ll realize he can definitely live with a darker leather and trim if it means owning a Taycan. The zero-to-100 kilometre-an-hour sprint that happens in the three-second range is organ-squishing and absolutely fantastic.
Richardson: It’s interesting he mentioned the Lucid Air, which can also be organ-squishing if you buy the more expensive, more powerful editions. The Lucid offers a windshield that wraps right up and over the driver into the roof, which adds considerably to the airiness of the interior, whatever the colour of the seats.
Lucid AirMark Richardson/The Globe and Mail
Lightstone: It is a gorgeous interior with that non-existent roofline. He also mentions the Mercedes EQS, and I have to vouch for the overall prestige and comfort of that sedan. It’s large but it drives smoothly and has an incredibly high-tech interior.
Richardson: All these high-end electric sedans are over the top when it comes to high-tech interiors. It’s what their buyers want. But yesterday’s high-tech in a six-figure vehicle is today’s regular technology in a car half the price.
Lightstone: While high-tech bits are trickling down to the masses, there’s just something different about those same features when they are encased in Nappa leather or under a frameless windshield.
Richardson: When I drove the Lucid Air, my entire mindset toward electric sportscars changed – it was so simple in its premise, and yet so capable. And it also had what I consider the best sound system on the market. Absolutely magical. Peter should seek out a Lucid showroom for a demonstration.
Lightstone: I feel like we’ve left out the obvious choice here, the Tesla Model S. But then, is it just too obvious and perhaps too long in the tooth for Peter? It is essentially the granddaddy, being the first fully electric luxury sedan in North America.
Richardson: It’s certainly worth considering, though some people these days disregard Tesla because of the politics of its CEO. The Model S has not been redesigned in years, but its remarkable technology is constantly updated to keep pace with fast-moving research and development.
Lightstone: I stand by the Porsche Taycan as the answer to all of Peter’s criteria. And once he takes one for a test drive, that will seal the deal!
Richardson: Maybe, but I’ll urge him to consider the Lucid. It also has politics behind it, with a strong ownership connection to the Saudi Arabia government, but it’s just too good of a car to ignore.
What car should you buy? Write to Mark and Miranda at globedrive@globeandmail.com and use ‘What car’ as as part of your subject line. Emails with different subject lines may not be answered.
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