Lucid Air
Lucid is An emerging electric car brand that leads with design and dynamism, from the inside out. The Air, a full-sized sports sedan was its first vehicle to hit the road, and is at the core of its past, present, and likely, its future. It will soon be followed by an SUV, the more grounded Gravity. We spent some time in the latest versions of the air this summeR zipping around upstate New York.
How it looks when you see on the street: At first glance, the Air is a Distinguished four door sedan curved and sculpted sinewy for aerodynamic purposes. NOthing too flashy. The Air, in production form, was revealed in peek pandemic times of Nov. 2020, as demand for EVs first surged. Air quickly became the other California-born EV start up to catch — quite literally as it produced whopping performance numbers — more on that below. The Air is positioned to take the luxury EV crown from Tesla, where founder Peter Rawlinson once worked as chief engineer. At the top of Lucid’s Air lineup it the Air Sapphire, aimed to go toe to toe with the Tesla Model S Plaid — a performance beast. The Air is made in four very different priced packages from about $70,000 topping out at $250k for the packed and stacked Sapphire. Lucid has lowered some of its prices this year as demands for Evs in the us has softened. On the exterior there’s not much different from trim to trim — its really all in the fine print and performance, and how it feels to drive this extraordinary EV.
How it makes you feel when you get in: While everyone touts Air’s numbers, the inside is our favorite part as it keeps polishing up and refining a cabin space that feels like a modern airy coastal hotel room. California is a home base, theme, and inspiration for design chief Derek Jenkins who describes the vibe as “post luxe.” All that natural light floods into the cabin through glass surfaces on the roof (an option on higher trims) and accents the earth toned palettes used on sustainable fabrics, fit, and finishes. Screens are included in prominent form, most notably in the 34-inch formation that seems to float above the dashboard. We used Apple CarPlay, which has been more newly added to the in-car experience. Jenkins emphasizes that bigger screens are not better, as the interior has moved more in the minimal direction. The steering wheel was designed for driver visibility and so there’s a feeling of command in the driver’s position that delivers on comfort. Sapphire add 18-way power front sport seats and oak surfaces.
How it drives: Air’s trim classes vary in performance and EV range. The Air Pure, the $70ish-k base model, operates on a single rear wheel motor and reaches 60 miles per hour in 45 seconds and produces 430 horsepower — which is plenty for starters. Lucid says its takes 17 minutes of fast charging to reach a range of 200 miles, and total range of 410 miles. We spent a tiny little bit time in the Sapphire, its over the top powerful halo, to the tune of 1,234 horsepower, 1,430 lb-ft of torque and supposed 1.9-second 0-to-60-mph time and 425+ miles of range, which is just stupid power. (In an around Bear Mountain, we couldn’t even tempt ourselves to race up to these speeds, more suited for a private race track.) What we did note that this hefty 5000+ pound car feels wickedly fast and requires hardly any effort to maneuver. The Grand Touring adds in the all-wheel drive, dual motor experience, and an extensive purported 516 mile range.
What to compare it to: Tesla Model S and the Porsche Taycan. Lucid said it will make 9000 vehicles this year.
How much does it cost: The Air Pure starts at about $70k, The Air Touring starts at $77k, and the Grand Touring at $110,000. The tip top model is the Saphhire at $250,000, which is essentially for all the bragging rights.