2022 Lucid Air First Drive Review: Impressive Performance, Standout Design
The Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance has driving dynamics to rival the best EVs on sale, but the design is its best asset.
Over the past decade, we've seen tons of electric-car startups come and go, promising wild designs and impressive numbers but never actually making it to production. Lucid Motors is one of the rare exceptions, putting its Air sedan into full series production at the end of 2021 five years after first revealing a prototype model. But has Lucid actually delivered on its promises of performance, range, luxury and quality? After spending a day driving the Air Dream Edition, my answer is a resounding yes.
The Dream Edition is the top trim level of the Air, and it's split into two different models. The first is the Dream Edition Range, which has 933 horsepower and a stupendous, industry-leading 520-mile range. Then there's the Dream Edition Performance, which has 1,111 hp and a 471-mile range. Only 520 Dream Editions will be built in total and all are sold. Lucid says the majority of customers have ordered the Performance trim, which is what I'm driving.
As you might expect from a car with 1,025 pound-feet of instant torque, the Air is freakin' quick. Putting the car in Sprint mode unlocks full power, dispatching 0-to-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds. (In Smooth and Swift drive modes, the motors are limited to 784 hp.) Lucid hasn't given the car any artificial noises, so when I stomp on the accelerator all I hear is the whine of dual electric motors powering all four wheels.
Eureka Gold suits the styling.
More impressive than its launch performance is the Air's midrange acceleration, typically a weak spot even for performance-oriented electric cars. Whether I'm doing 30, 50 or 70 mph, flooring the Dream Edition punches me back in my seat as the car rapidly reaches triple-digit speeds. Luckily, the Air's brakes are great too, with adjustable one-pedal capabilities at lower speeds and strong enough regen that I rarely have to hit the brake pedal.
Lucid says the Air's handling was benchmarked against the Porsche 911 GT3, arguably the best sports car on sale, with Lucid's engineers driving Air prototypes back-to-back with the GT3 on California's best roads and making tweaks at every stop. At face value, that sounds ridiculous -- a 5,000-plus-pound AWD electric luxury sedan could not be more different from a lightweight, rear-engine, RWD sports car. But after driving the Air on Angeles Crest Highway just a week after driving a brand-new 911 GT3 on the exact same canyon route, I gotta say, Lucid's engineers are onto something.
Unlike its competitors that have fancy air suspension systems, rear-wheel steering and active anti-roll bars, the Air has a fairly traditional chassis setup with a multilink suspension, regular coil springs and adaptive dampers. Even on rough roads, the ride is super smooth and supple, with overall comfort rivaling the Mercedes EQS. Steering is light with an impressive amount of feedback, turn-in is sharp and direct, and the Air changes direction with zero drama -- even over high-camber switchbacks. The Air really does feel much more like a sports car than a large sedan when I push it in the corners, and while it's not as sharp overall as Porsche 's Taycan EV, it comes damn close.
The Air's interior is very midcentury modern.
And yes, the range is hella impressive. The Dream Edition Performance's EPA figure is cut to 451 miles when equipped with the 21-inch wheels on my test car, but that's still nearly 50 miles better than the base Tesla Model S . When I get in the car with a full charge it shows an indicated 442 miles, and after about 120 miles of highway driving and maximum-attack mountain runs the estimated range is 241 miles. Lucid says the Dream Edition's 118.0-kWh battery pack can be recharged from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes on a 300-kW DC fast charger, replenishing about 300 miles of range. Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) bidirectional charging capability will soon be unlocked, too, allowing you to power your home during a blackout.
For me, more than its range, features or performance, what really sets the Lucid Air apart from its competition is its design. The Air would look at home both in optimistic and dystopian sci-fi movies, especially in the Eureka Gold paint of my test car. While the exterior design seems minimal at first, the more you stare at it, the more interesting details you notice, like the functional hood vents integrated into the headlight slits. My favorite design element is the rounded greenhouse, which is finished in silver on the Dream Edition, giving me total Citroën vibes.
Sitting inside the Air is like immersing yourself into a virtual reality catalog of midcentury modern furniture. Dream Edition models feature a chic split color scheme, with a fantastic mix of real metal and eucalyptus wood trim, nappa leather, Alcantara accents and a textile made from alpaca wool. Everything feels high-end and well-built, and the buttons and switches have a nice action to them. Rear-seat passengers have a ton of head- and legroom, and the front seats are nicely bolstered and have massage functions. The panoramic glass roof adds to the cabin's airiness: The windshield and front roof section are one continuous piece of glass, a fabulous touch that gives the car a concept-like feel.
The 34-inch curved screen is amazing.
The onboard tech is slick, too. The Air's floating, curved screen spans 34 inches and consists of a control panel on the left, a central gauge cluster and a main infotainment touchscreen on the right. A vertically oriented lower screen is used for most vehicular functions including drive modes, climate controls, seat adjustment and other similar features. The latter can control navigation and audio functions too, with the ability to input what you want on the lower screen and swipe up to send it to the upper display. The lower screen also electronically powers away to reveal a storage cubby.
However, the Air isn't without faults. Lucid's DreamDrive Pro suite of driver-assistance features like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, with twitchy behavior and overly sensitive warnings, isn't nearly as good as what you get from Mercedes. I also don't like that the mirror and steering column adjustments are all handled through a screen, and the controls on the steering wheel are pretty confusing. The trunk's opening is weirdly shaped and the floor is shallow, though there is a large storage compartment underneath the floor.
And as cool as the curved screen setup looks, this early prototype's infotainment system is slow to respond and exhibits a number of graphical and functional glitches, all of which I am promised have been smoothed out for customer cars. The surround-view camera resolution is bad. Plus, there's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto yet, and the navigation requires a cellular signal to work, potentially leaving you stuck if you haven't downloaded an offline map.
The 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance costs $170,500 including destination, making this Arizona-built EV among the priciest on sale. Coming in a few months will be the $140,500 Air Grand Touring, which will sit at the top of its lineup in the Dream Edition's place. The GT has slightly less power than either Dream Edition trim, but it still packs a max range of 516 miles and comes with essentially the same features as the Dream (major differences are limited to color schemes and interior trims).
Cheaper Touring and Pure models will eventually follow the Grand Touring, with the base Pure starting at $78,900 including destination. Those variants should still have impressive performance -- the rear-drive, single-motor Pure promises 480 hp and a 406-mile range -- but expect fewer standard features and a less luxurious interior.
Honestly, that's a little concerning to me. As more electric cars come to market, similar levels of features and performance will be increasingly easy to find anywhere, so design and quality is what will set brands apart. The Dream Edition is a fantastic, clever luxury sedan deserving of its six-figure price tag, and I hope moving the Air downmarket won't make it harder to justify against the established competition.
