Lucid Air Driving, Engines & Performance
What is it like to drive?
We've opined plenty in regard to the capabilities of the Lucid Air in its top-trim form, but you need not get the pinnacle example to experience what the automaker brings to the table. The single-motor Pure is the entry-level version (and the sole rear-wheel drive option in the lineup) and brings to the table its own unique characteristics. For one, it's lighter in the front than others and thus feels more playful than the very direct all-wheel drive of the other Airs.
The Pure starts things off with 430hp, which is fairly modest by today's standards but by no means inefficient: it just pales in comparison to the buckets of power laid down by the other models.
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With this being the case, the aptly-named Pure is the most revealing of what Lucid has to offer. Stripped of the spectacle of massive power, there is little to distract from the other qualities like the enjoyable handling. All Airs are equipped with adaptive dampers controlled through different drive modes, with the Sapphire offering a beefier setup and carbon-ceramic brakes to support its unique, high-performance drive capabilities.
On the 21in wheels you see here, the Air rides fantastically; a properly supple and luxurious saloon. Optioning smaller wheels – because higher-spec Airs will insist on 20s or 21s as standard – will bring even more smoothness, as well as longer range. How about the other models?
The mid-range, dual-motored, all-wheel-driving Touring and Grand Touring really push the Air into special car territory. Apart from some aesthetic differences, the main thing to spot is the power and range on offer. Touring and Grand Touring have 620hp and 819hp respectively, with the range of the Touring estimated to be about 406 miles. The Grand Touring offers a staggering 512 miles due to its extended range battery. Say more about the Sapphire.
Gladly. 1,234. That's the easy-to-remember amount of horsepower on tap. We've said this before but it bears repeating: it can go from 0 to 60mph in less than two ticks of your watch. What's really the difference between that and the Grand Touring's merely dual-motored output? In a real-world setting, not much, as the 819hp in that version is just as brain-melty. But upwards of 1,000hp on essentially a luxury daily driver is just dumbfounding. You will not find the upward limits of this car, period.
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Another benefit of the suspension we keep going on about is that the feedback is also audible. In a performance situation, hearing tire limits and the motor whine is invaluable, and it's something most EV makers view as an issue to resolve. They then do the usual sound-proofing and opt to pipe in faux noises to fill the void. No so with the Air, which gives this particular EV a touch more authenticity than the rest.
You haven't mentioned battery sizes…
Like Tesla, Lucid is a bit cagey when it comes to battery sizes. We know the Sapphire uses a 118kWh unit; Pure and Touring cars are thought to get 92kWh, with Grand Tourings running a 112kWh battery. Useful intel for your charging maths.
Not that you really need a calculator: on a rapid charger you can accrue 300 miles of range in 20 minutes.
Variants We Have Tested
9
Lucid Air Pure (US) review: breathtakingly good
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