Lucid Air offers a true luxury EV experience

Published 3:38 pm Thursday, June 29, 2023

One of the best things about the automotive market right now is the proliferation of new brands coming to market. What started with Tesla has now transformed into a variety of new brands, virtually all electric, to give buyers more choices. For the most part, these new automakers have arrived at the expensive end of the market, because it’s easier to make the all-important early profits on luxury cars rather than economy cars.

That’s the environment in which Lucid Motors offers its “Air” electric vehicle. The Air is an all-electric luxury executive sedan designed in California and built at a new factory in Arizona. With a starting price of $87,400, the Air is a direct competitor to the Tesla Model S, but that’s just the base model. You can easily plus up the Lucid Air to about $140,000 with the mid-level trims, and the top Air Sapphire rings the cash register at a cool $249,000, before destination fees. So, what do you get for your money?

The Lucid Air is an extremely comfortable and tech-forward executive sedan that will pin your head to the seatback if you romp on the accelerator pedal. It’s got two motors, front and rear, giving you all-wheel drive, and a range of about 516 miles on a full charge. I spent a week driving the 2023 Lucid Air Grand Touring model. This one is just about in the middle of the trim and price walk at $140,650. Let’s cut to the chase – this is a delightful car, and it should be for that kind of price.

The inside of the Air is up-to-the-minute cool, with an ultra-wide pane of glass curving across the dashboard housing the driver information display and an infotainment screen in the center of the car. Then there’s the big tablet-sized screen down on the console that controls all things about the car, like the 21-way massage functions in the front seats, and all your display choices. The only physical controls on the dash are temperature and fan speed for heat and cooling, and the audio volume.

Your touch surfaces are nice open-grain wood, something suede-like (I can’t tell if it’s synthetic, and really, who cares?) and leather. There’s some coarse-weave cloth that’s all the rage in luxury brands, and that’s nice too. However, I’m guessing that will be hard to keep clean, like the white carpet in our test car. No one would want white carpet if you’re driving this car through an Oregon winter.

I also want to mention the windshield, which is a signature feature of the Lucid. It stretches from the dashboard all the way back behind the driver’s head. It’s one piece of curved glass forming the windshield and the roof. There’s a little central interior ridge carrying the wiring for the camera and radar, and the sun shades are stuck on the inside of the glass. It’s amazing but it will be very expensive to replace when it gets cracked.

Drivetrain power is where the Lucid really goes over the top. The entry-level Air Pure at $87,400 has one motor in the back and 430 horsepower. That’s good for a 0-60 time of 4.4 seconds and a range of 406 miles, so not shabby by any definition. You can add 50 horsepower and all-wheel drive for $5,500. If you choose the AWD Touring model for $107,400, you get 620 horsepower and the 0-60 time drops to 3.4 seconds, which is about the same as a Lamborghini Murcielago.

If you choose the AWD Grand Touring we tested, it’s $139,000 and gives you 819 hair-raising horsepower. You can hit 60 MPH in 3 seconds and go 516 miles between charges. However, if high-three-digit horsepower isn’t enough for you, $179,000 will buy you the AWD Grand Touring Performance trim with 1,050 horsepower and a 2.6-second time to 60, plus 446 miles of range.

Lucid isn’t done yet. As mentioned, the top Air Sapphire costs $249,000. This one is only labeled as “1200+ hp” and will take you to 60 in 1.89 seconds, and has a top speed over 200 mph. If you’ve got a quarter-million dollars and you want the fastest car in Portland, Lucid’s got you covered.

Here’s another thing – the Lucid Air looks like something out of science fiction. I spent a week looking at the car from all angles trying to decide if I really liked it. It’s very long, and smooth with no hard creases. Like any good luxury car today, the door handles go flush against the body when the doors are locked. It’s long and funny and I do like it, but I have to look again to make sure.

On the road, the Lucid Air is smooth, fast, tight, and everything you want in a luxury EV. The long wheelbase of the Air gives it stability, but the car never feels heavy, even though it weighs over 5,200 pounds. One thing I didn’t care for was the assisted steering, which really wants to keep the car centered in the lane. Because our lanes get wider and narrower as you drive, the Lucid kept jinking around just a little bit, correcting what didn’t need to be corrected. But other than that, the Lucid Air is fantastic.

The bottom line is that the Lucid Air is a worthy top-tier luxury car. If you want a futuristic EV and you can afford the purchase price, you’re the buyer that Lucid wants, and you’re going to love everything about this car.

2023 Lucid Air Grand Touring

Base price: $87,400

Price as tested: $140,650

Type: Full-size sedan

Engine: Dual electric motors (819 hp, 885 lbs-ft)

Transmission: Direct drive

EPA estimated range: 516 miles

Overall length: 195.9 inches

Curb weight: 5,236 pounds

Final assembly: Casa Grande, Arizona