2024 Lucid Air Pure Test Drive Review: Undiluted EV Excellence

Because the entry level of a automobile lineup, base fashions are the most affordable choice, and this implies they arrive with a couple of caveats: they’re normally sparsely geared up, missing in superior options, and usually much less premium than fashions larger up within the vary. However within the case of the 2024 Lucid Air, we predict the bottom mannequin may very well be one of the best. DrivingOnRoad not too long ago spent every week driving the Air Pure, essentially the most inexpensive model of Lucid’s electrical luxurious sedan. Although it lacks the headline-grabbing efficiency of the Sapphire or the industry-leading vary of the Grand Touring, the Pure nonetheless packs over 400 horsepower, over 400 miles of vary, and a price ticket that makes different electrical luxurious sedans look foolish.

No legacy competitor comes shut when it comes to vary or efficiency – solely the Tesla Mannequin S genuinely competes in both regard. Lucid is so assured in its product, although, that it despatched us an Air Pure with nearly no choices (simply bigger wheels and a nicer headliner) so we might expertise the automotive in its most elementary kind. Now that we have pushed the Air in two trims – we have had the GT on take a look at, too – we consider that the bottom mannequin may be one of the best EV on sale at present.

Exterior: Gliding Via Air

Amongst all manufacturing automobiles, the Lucid Air has the bottom drag coefficient of simply 0.197. That glorious aerodynamic form is what permits the automotive to go to this point on a cost with out requiring a large battery pack. Extra impressively, the Air manages to slice by its namesake with out being jellybean-shaped, just like the second most aerodynamic automobile, the Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan. The Air is a good-looking factor with a futuristic mild bar on the entrance, accented by a big silver eyebrow above it. A $1,750 Stealth Package deal darkens the outside accents and provides black wheels.

To attain the utmost vary, the Air Pure rides on 19-inch Aero Vary wheels with a flat floor that reduces drag. Our tester wore the bigger 20-inch Aero Lite wheels (a $1,750 choice), which solely reduces the vary by round 16 miles, whereas including curb enchantment. Higher trims can be found with 21-inch Aero Blade wheels that look nice, however trigger a extra important drop in vary. All trims besides the Pure might be geared up with a Glass Cover ($4,000), which mixes the windshield and glass roof into an uninterrupted piece of glass. The glass roof appears to be like beautiful, however after we final drove the GT, a few of our passengers famous it triggered them to really feel the results of movement illness extra, and it let in an excessive amount of mild into the cabin, requiring the air situation to be run larger.

Inside: No Base Supplies Right here

Getting into an Air Pure for the primary time, you will not consider that this can be a base mannequin. The cabin is stuffed with premium touches with a number of completely different supplies and surfaces to interrupt up any monotony. Excessive-quality leather-like materials, wooden, and material make all the pieces you contact really feel premium, notably in high-traffic locations. The Pure mannequin comes with what Lucid calls Mojave PurLuxe Leather-based Different, completed in Lucid Black on the entrance seats and Graphite within the rear. The bottom seat upholstery might not come from cows, however they really feel like actual leather-based. A $3,000 Santa Cruz Leather-based Package deal is accessible with full Nappa-Grain leather-based in Lucid Black (entrance) and Ceramic (again).

Getting that actual leather-based requires you so as to add the $2,500 Consolation and Comfort Package deal with soft-close doorways, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, four-zone local weather management, and energy rear sunshades. Consumers also can go for a $3,750 choice that provides 20-way ventilated therapeutic massage seats up entrance. Whereas these packages put the Lucid Air on-par with six-figure luxurious sedans when it comes to opulence, they will additionally balloon the value.

Expertise: Prepared For An Improve?

The Air’s infotainment setup consists of 4 screens, three of which seem to drift over the sprint as a part of what Lucid calls the Glass Cockpit. The gauge cluster is pretty primary, exhibiting the velocity and vary within the center, journey data to the left, and a customizable choice on the suitable. A display screen to the left of the cluster controls essential capabilities just like the lights, wipers, cost door, and entrance trunk. The essential radio, navigation, and local weather capabilities dwell on the center display screen, which tapers down and to the suitable fairly than remaining the identical peak throughout. This appears to be like elegant, however causes Apple CarPlay (accessible wirelessly) to dwell in a smaller, condensed space of the show.

A decrease Pilot Panel show adjusts the drive modes, controls the steering wheel, seat, and mirror changes, modifications the ambient lighting and show themes, and acts as a secondary display screen for navigation and radio. Attributable to its low location on the sprint, it will possibly generally be distracting to make use of whereas driving. Fortunately, most of those capabilities aren’t used ceaselessly when you’re on the transfer. The upcoming Lucid Gravity SUV mounts its Pilot Panel a lot larger up and enlarges the Glass Cockpit – two modifications we would wish to see in a future Air facelift.

Practicality: Utilizing Each Nook And Cranny

Sedans could also be dropping market share to crossovers and SUVs, however the Lucid Air exhibits how automakers can maximize sedan practicality to lengthen the physique model’s reputation. The Air’s trunk opening is a bit awkward, with a rear deck line that curves round to disclose a large however brief space. Lucid carved out an space underneath the ground and pushed the trunk as deep as potential, leading to a formidable 22.1 cubic ft of house. That is solely three cubes lower than the Mannequin S, which has a hatch-style trunk. Folding the Lucid’s rear seats opens up 64.8 cubes, which is greater than the Tesla, although the latter’s open hatch is extra helpful for carrying giant objects.

Up entrance, the Air dwarfs the competitors with 10 cubic ft in its frunk. Comparatively, the Mannequin S solely yields three cubes, and not one of the different opponents on this phase even embody a entrance trunk. Lucid continues its intelligent storage inside, the place the Air contains a cool hidden space behind the Pilot Panel, a coated bin with a wi-fi charger and cable organizer, a glove field, lengthy door pockets, and a drawer for rear passengers. Talking of rear passengers, the Air boasts as much as 37.6 inches of legroom, greater than all opponents besides the Mercedes-Benz EQE Sedan.

Efficiency: Mileage King

Even in its base trim, the Lucid Air stays one of the spectacular electrical sedans in the marketplace. The Pure trim is simply accessible as a single-motor rear-wheel-drive, packing a 430 hp motor and an 82 kWh battery pack good for 410 miles of vary (394 miles with 20-inch wheels). The bottom BMW i5 solely produces 335 hp with a 295-mile vary, the Mercedes EQE is worse with simply 288 hp and 298 miles of vary, and the Genesis Electrified G80 additionally trails the Lucid with 365 hp and 282 miles of vary.

Solely the Mannequin S AWD will get shut with 402 miles, although it does have 670 hp peak energy, besting the Air. It is essential to notice that the Lucid achieves this spectacular vary with a battery that is smaller than each rival talked about right here; the Lucid is among the many most effective EVs cash can purchase, almost matching the far much less highly effective Hyundai Ioniq 6 Lengthy Vary’s 140 MPGe mixed (roughly 4.2 miles per kWh). In our week-long take a look at, which concerned heavy quantities of freeway driving, we netted a a lot decrease 3.6 miles per kWh.

Lucid’s spectacular vary and efficiency solely will get extra ludicrous as you progress up the trim ladder. The Touring provides a second motor on the entrance, good for 620 hp in addition to a 92 kWh battery that retains the vary spectacular at 365-411 miles (relying on wheels). The Grand Touring will get extra highly effective motors, netting 819 hp, with a 112 kWh battery enabling 450-516 miles of vary, greater than any EV bought in america. Lastly, there’s the Air Sapphire, which provides a 3rd motor on the rear axle, leading to a super-car-crushing 1,234 hp and a nonetheless spectacular 427 miles of vary from its 118 kWh battery.

Lucid says the Air Pure can rip off a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time, which we proved with a 4.49-second run in our real-world take a look at. It solely will get faster from there, with the Touring mannequin hitting 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and the Grand Touring needing solely three seconds to do the deed. The Air Sapphire is the world’s quickest sedan, hitting 60 mph in 1.89 seconds and finishing the quarter-mile in underneath 9 seconds. We assessment the Sapphire individually – and we will not wait to get our fingers on it.

Driving Impressions: Return Of The Sports activities Sedan

It might compete instantly in opposition to mid-size luxurious sedans just like the i5, EQE, G80, and Mannequin S, however the Air pushes itself into a special league with the poise and style of a full-size automotive. The usual adaptive suspension rides prefer it’s floating on air (forgive the pun). It floats over bumps with minimal disruption, maintaining the driving force faraway from discomfort with out feeling too remoted – a trick few luxurious sports activities sedans grasp to this extent. Inside, the cabin is eerily quiet even at freeway speeds; a testomony to the automotive’s construct high quality and aerodynamic effectivity.

When it comes to pure consolation, the Air feels extra similar to a BMW i7 or Mercedes EQS, nevertheless it’s way more agile than these autos. The steering delivers a steadiness between easy luxurious and pinpoint precision, mimicking attributes from the holy grail of driver’s sedans, the E39 BMW M5. Evaluating a contemporary automotive to an iconic nice borders on an automotive journalism cliché, however right here it’s apt to explain how effectively the Lucid Air is balanced. The one rear motor is highly effective sufficient to regulate the again finish on-throttle, with the traction management working within the background to verify the immense energy reaches the highway.

This can be the slowest and least highly effective automotive Lucid sells, however the lack of a entrance motor arguably transforms it into essentially the most pleasant one to drive. You may flooring it with out sending your self to jail, rotate the rear finish with the throttle, and full highway journeys with out feeling any vary anxiousness.

Pricing & Verdict: So A lot Extra, For Much less

We would not name the Lucid Air cheap, however the value has come down considerably because the mannequin was first launched. Now you can choose up a base Lucid Air Pure for $69,900.

Since our tester solely got here with beauty choices that do not change the way it drives, we will verify that even the bottom mannequin needs to be greater than passable for many patrons. If it was our cash, we would add two choices: Dream Drive Professional prices $2,000, including essential security tech similar to a 360-degree digicam and blind-spot show, and the 20-way therapeutic massage seats are too decadent to skip for an affordable $3,750. All-in, we would spend $75,650 on an Air Pure, and perhaps add $800 for a premium paint. In the event you can keep away from choices, you possibly can lease the Air Pure for as little as $650 per 30 days (with $5,649 down for 36 months), a value we would be joyful to pay for such a compelling EV.

Lucid’s pricing stacks up effectively in opposition to the competitors, particularly when you think about how a lot vary and energy you get for the cash. In its class, solely the BMW i5 undercuts it, however you get much less energy, shorter vary, and fewer options. Each the Mercedes EQE 350+ and Genesis G80 are dearer, and do not match the Lucid’s specs. Solely the Tesla Mannequin S AWD makes a powerful case for itself with over 400 miles of vary, superior efficiency, and extra normal options, although it will possibly’t maintain a candle to the Air for premium really feel.

The higher stage Air fashions are nice too, although they really feel a bit pointless given how nice the Pure stacks up for its value. The Touring brings the value to $77,900 ($750/month lease), which isn’t outrageous given the rise in efficiency and addition of AWD. The Grant Touring brings efficiency that can crush the quickest fashions from BMW M and Merc-AMG – and extra vary than some other EV, nevertheless it does break the six-figure barrier at $109,900 ($1,049/month lease). Lastly, in case you merely really feel compelled to crush your neighbor’s Mannequin S Plaid in a drag race, the Air Sapphire gives world-beating efficiency at a supercar price ticket of $249,000.

After driving the Air Pure, we will confidently report that the bottom mannequin is now our favourite model; it makes nearly no compromises whereas delivering stellar styling, supreme consolation, and longer vary than its opponents. You needn’t really feel unhealthy if you cannot stretch into one of many higher trims as a result of the Pure is all you want. For the value, it can’t be beat.