Insanely quick, spacious and is capable of driving farther - 2023 Lucid Air Review
0Overview
Several startups have launched EVs in an attempt to disrupt the transportation market, but the 2023 Lucid Air luxury sedan is one of the few so far that's made a notable impact. Its big battery and compact motors—both designed in-house—allow it to deliver unbeatable range and great performance. The Grand Touring Performance model can jump to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds or, when driven sedately, can sail on for 516 miles—its estimated driving range, according to the EPA. That's enough range to get from Boston to Baltimore with electrons left over. More important, it's more range than any other EV currently offers. The new Sapphire model is even quicker, with a claimed 60 mph time of under 2.0 seconds. The Air's stylish exterior and spacious cabin add to its desirability, but its price tag had us expecting to find plusher materials inside. Almost all of the car's controls are accessed through one of several display screens that dot the cabin, a reminder of Lucid's Silicon Valley roots, and the software interface in the early cars is still a work in progress. Otherwise, the luxury four-door's performance, driving range, and general snazziness make it a viable competitor for high-dollar EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Mercedes-Benz EQS, as well as that other high-impact EV disruptor, the Tesla Model S.
What's New for 2023?
Lucid has added a Stealth Look appearance package to the Air's options sheet for 2023. The $6000 package swaps the Air's exterior brightwork for dark gray alternatives and replaces the car's 20- or 21-inch high-polish wheels with black ones. The blacked-out look is available on all but the base Pure trim. There's also a new Sapphire performance model with a more powerful three-motor drivetrain claimed to offer over 1200 horsepower.
We'd steer towards the Touring model. It offers plenty to like and costs significantly less than the Grand Touring trim. The Touring offers 20-inch wheels, leather upholstery, in-dash navigation, and 425 miles of estimated driving range per charge. All Lucid models come standard with three years of complimentary charging via the Electrify America charging network. The fanciest Dream Edition models are officially sold out, but if you want to maximize your luxury—and your out-of-pocket cost—the Grand Touring trim offers much of the Dream's panache.
EV Motor, Power, and Performance
The entry-level Air features a single electric motor driving the rear wheels and produces 480 horsepower. Other models have dual electric motors that provide all-wheel drive and a variety of horsepower ratings: The Touring model generates 620 horses, and the Grand Touring makes 1050. We've sampled the Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance trims, and the former delivered a brisk 3.0-second 60-mph time, a feat that's easily repeated by using the car's launch mode. The lower-priced and lower-powered Touring model ran to 60 mph in an identical 3.0 seconds. The Touring's power deficit is more noticeable on its way to 130 mph, which it managed to dispatch in 12.0 seconds versus the Grand Touring which did it in 10.3. Despite riding on conventional steel coil springs rather than air springs, the sedan felt calm and smooth in the appropriately named Smooth drive mode. Our main complaint was with our example's 21-inch wheels on low-profile performance tires that produced notable road noise on a section of coarse pavement. The new top dog is the 1200-plus-horsepower Lucid Air Sapphire, which has three electric motors. The additional motor is mounted at the rear and claims to provide insane acceleration performance in order to compete with the Tesla Model S Plaid. Lucid also claims a top speed of 200 mph.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
The Air has the longest range of any electric vehicle currently on the market, according to EPA estimates. Grand Touring models of the Air feature a 112.0-kWh battery pack and DC fast-charging capability while the Pure and Touring trims use a smaller 92-kW version. The base Pure has an estimated driving range of 410 miles, whereas the mid-range Touring is estimated to travel 425 miles per charge. The Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance models offer up to 516 and 446 miles of range, respectively. On our 75-mph fuel-economy route, the Grand Touring went 410 miles, making it the longest-range EV we've ever tested; the Touring we tested went for just 280 miles before needing to be recharged. Plugged into a fast charger, the sedan is said to be able to recoup 300 miles of range in 21 minutes. New owners will also enjoy three years of free fast charging at Electrify America charging stations. There's no cap on how many times owners can charge their cars, as long as it's used for personal and not commercial purposes.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe
The most efficient Air is rated at 131 MPGe combined, and the Performance version is rated at 111 MPGe combined. During our test