I have this bike and confirm the throttle is not laggy at all, it is more peppy than my other ebike. Its quite smooth actually. I noticed that Wired review but its from like 3 years ago. I spoke to Wing about this and said it had been updated a few versions ago.
This is a great review. I've done a test drive of the VanMoof, but the price point...Would you remotely consider an "Ambassador" test drive? I live in the same area (judging by your ride). The only bike shop in the area that sells Wing Bikes (Redondo Beach) only has the Freedom Fatty 2, not the Freedom X.