Driven: 2024 Lucid Air Pure Is Undiluted EV Excellence

As the entry point of a vehicle lineup, base models are the cheapest option, and this means they come with a few caveats: they are usually sparsely equipped, lacking in advanced features, and generally less premium than models higher up in the range. But in the case of the 2024 Lucid Air, we think the base model may actually be the best. DrivingOnRoad recently spent a week driving the Air Pure, the most affordable version of Lucid’s electric luxury sedan. Though it lacks the headline-grabbing performance of the Sapphire or the industry-leading range of the Grand Touring, the Pure still packs over 400 horsepower, over 400 miles of range, and a price tag that makes other electric luxury sedans look silly.

No legacy competitor comes close in terms of range or performance – only the Tesla Model S genuinely competes in either regard. Lucid is so confident in its product, though, that it sent us an Air Pure with almost no options (just larger wheels and a nicer headliner) so we could experience the car in its most basic form. Now that we’ve driven the Air in two trims – we’ve had the GT on test, too – we believe that the base model might be the best EV on sale today.

Exterior: Gliding Through Air

Among all production cars, the Lucid Air has the lowest drag coefficient of just 0.197. That excellent aerodynamic shape is what enables the car to go so far on a charge without requiring a massive battery pack. More impressively, the Air manages to slice through its namesake without being jellybean-shaped, like the second most aerodynamic vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan. The Air is a handsome thing with a futuristic light bar at the front, accented by a large silver eyebrow above it. A $1,750 Stealth Package darkens the exterior accents and adds black wheels.

To achieve the maximum range, the Air Pure rides on 19-inch Aero Range wheels with a flat surface that reduces drag. Our tester wore the larger 20-inch Aero Lite wheels (a $1,750 option), which only reduces the range by around 16 miles, while adding curb appeal. Upper trims are available with 21-inch Aero Blade wheels that look great, but cause a more significant drop in range. All trims except the Pure can be equipped with a Glass Canopy ($4,000), which combines the windshield and glass roof into an uninterrupted piece of glass. The glass roof looks gorgeous, but when we last drove the GT, some of our passengers noted it caused them to feel the effects of motion sickness more, and it let in too much light into the cabin, requiring the air condition to be run higher.

Interior: No Base Materials Here

Stepping into an Air Pure for the first time, you won’t believe that this is a base model. The cabin is full of premium touches with several different materials and surfaces to break up any monotony. High-quality leather-like material, wood, and fabric make everything you touch feel premium, particularly in high-traffic places. The Pure model comes with what Lucid calls Mojave PurLuxe Leather Alternative, finished in Lucid Black on the front seats and Graphite in the rear. The base seat upholstery may not come from cows, but they feel like real leather. A $3,000 Santa Cruz Leather Package is available with full Nappa-Grain leather in Lucid Black (front) and Ceramic (back).

Getting that real leather requires you to add the $2,500 Comfort and Convenience Package with soft-close doors, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, four-zone climate control, and power rear sunshades. Buyers can also opt for a $3,750 option that adds 20-way ventilated massage seats up front. While these packages put the Lucid Air on-par with six-figure luxury sedans in terms of opulence, they can also balloon the price.

Technology: Ready For An Upgrade?

The Air’s infotainment setup consists of four screens, three of which appear to float over the dash as part of what Lucid calls the Glass Cockpit. The gauge cluster is fairly basic, showing the speed and range in the middle, trip information to the left, and a customizable option on the right. A screen to the left of the cluster controls important functions like the lights, wipers, charge door, and front trunk. The important radio, navigation, and climate functions live on the middle screen, which tapers down and to the right rather than remaining the same height across. This looks elegant, but causes Apple CarPlay (available wirelessly) to live in a smaller, condensed area of the display.

A lower Pilot Panel display adjusts the drive modes, controls the steering wheel, seat, and mirror adjustments, changes the ambient lighting and display themes, and acts as a secondary screen for navigation and radio. Due to its low location on the dash, it can sometimes be distracting to use while driving. Luckily, most of these functions aren’t used frequently while you’re on the move. The upcoming Lucid Gravity SUV mounts its Pilot Panel much higher up and enlarges the Glass Cockpit – two changes we’d like to see in a future Air facelift.

Practicality: Using Every Nook And Cranny

Sedans may be losing market share to crossovers and SUVs, but the Lucid Air shows how automakers can maximize sedan practicality to prolong the body style’s popularity. The Air’s trunk opening is a bit awkward, with a rear deck line that curves around to reveal a wide but short area. Lucid carved out an area under the floor and pushed the trunk as deep as possible, resulting in an impressive 22.1 cubic feet of space. That’s only three cubes less than the Model S, which has a hatch-style trunk. Folding the Lucid’s rear seats opens up 64.8 cubes, which is more than the Tesla, though the latter’s open hatch is more useful for carrying large objects.

Up front, the Air dwarfs the competition with 10 cubic feet in its frunk. Comparatively, the Model S only yields three cubes, and none of the other competitors in this segment even include a front trunk. Lucid continues its clever storage inside, where the Air features a cool hidden area behind the Pilot Panel, a covered bin with a wireless charger and cable organizer, a glove box, long door pockets, and a drawer for rear passengers. Speaking of rear passengers, the Air boasts up to 37.6 inches of legroom, more than all competitors except the Mercedes-Benz EQE Sedan.

Performance: Mileage King

Even in its base trim, the Lucid Air remains one of the most impressive electric sedans on the market. The Pure trim is only available as a single-motor rear-wheel-drive, packing a 430 hp motor and an 82 kWh battery pack good for 410 miles of range (394 miles with 20-inch wheels). The base BMW i5 only produces 335 hp with a 295-mile range, the Mercedes EQE is worse with just 288 hp and 298 miles of range, and the Genesis Electrified G80 also trails the Lucid with 365 hp and 282 miles of range.

Only the Model S AWD gets close with 402 miles, though it does have 670 hp peak power, besting the Air. It’s important to note that the Lucid achieves this impressive range with a battery that’s smaller than every rival mentioned here; the Lucid is among the most efficient EVs money can buy, nearly matching the far less powerful Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range’s 140 MPGe combined (approximately 4.2 miles per kWh). In our week-long test, which involved heavy amounts of highway driving, we netted a much lower 3.6 miles per kWh.

Lucid’s impressive range and performance only gets more ludicrous as you move up the trim ladder. The Touring adds a second motor at the front, good for 620 hp as well as a 92 kWh battery that keeps the range impressive at 365-411 miles (depending on wheels). The Grand Touring gets more powerful motors, netting 819 hp, with a 112 kWh battery enabling 450-516 miles of range, more than any EV sold in the United States. Finally, there’s the Air Sapphire, which adds a third motor on the rear axle, resulting in a super-car-crushing 1,234 hp and a still impressive 427 miles of range 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 test. It only gets quicker from there, with the Touring model hitting 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and the Grand Touring needing only three seconds to do the deed. The Air Sapphire is the world’s quickest sedan, hitting 60 mph in 1.89 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in under nine seconds. We review the Sapphire separately – and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.

Driving Impressions: Return Of The Sports Sedan

It may compete directly against mid-size luxury sedans like the i5, EQE, G80, and Model S, but the Air pushes itself into a different league with the poise and grace of a full-size car. The standard adaptive suspension rides like it’s floating on air (forgive the pun). It floats over bumps with minimal disruption, keeping the driver removed from discomfort without feeling too isolated – a trick few luxury sports sedans master to this extent. Inside, the cabin is eerily quiet even at highway speeds; a testament to the car’s build quality and aerodynamic efficiency.

In terms of pure comfort, the Air feels more comparable to a BMW i7 or Mercedes EQS, but it’s far more agile than those vehicles. The steering delivers a balance between effortless luxury and pinpoint precision, mimicking attributes from the holy grail of driver’s sedans, the E39 BMW M5. Comparing a modern car to an iconic great borders on an automotive journalism cliché, but here it is apt to describe how well the Lucid Air is balanced. The single rear motor is powerful enough to control the back end on-throttle, with the traction control working in the background to make sure the immense power reaches the road.

This may be the slowest and least powerful car Lucid sells, but the lack of a front motor arguably transforms it into the most delightful one to drive. You can floor it without sending yourself to prison, rotate the rear end with the throttle, and complete road trips without feeling any range anxiety.

Pricing & Verdict: So Much More, For Less

We wouldn’t call the Lucid Air inexpensive, but the price has come down significantly since the model was first introduced. You can now pick up a base Lucid Air Pure for $69,900.

Since our tester only came with cosmetic options that don’t change how it drives, we can confirm that even the base model should be more than satisfactory for most buyers. If it was our money, we’d add two options: Dream Drive Pro costs $2,000, adding important safety tech such as a 360-degree camera and blind-spot display, and the 20-way massage seats are too decadent to skip for a reasonable $3,750. All-in, we’d spend $75,650 on an Air Pure, and maybe add $800 for a premium paint. If you can avoid options, you can lease the Air Pure for as little as $650 per month (with $5,649 down for 36 months), a price we’d be happy to pay for such a compelling EV.

Lucid’s pricing stacks up well against the competition, especially when you consider how much range and power you get for the money. In its class, only the BMW i5 undercuts it, but you get less power, shorter range, and fewer features. Both the Mercedes EQE 350+ and Genesis G80 are more expensive, and don’t match the Lucid’s specs. Only the Tesla Model S AWD makes a strong case for itself with over 400 miles of range, superior performance, and more standard features, though it can’t hold a candle to the Air for premium feel.

The upper level Air models are great too, though they feel a bit unnecessary given how great the Pure stacks up for its price. The Touring brings the price to $77,900 ($750/month lease), which is not outrageous given the increase in performance and addition of AWD. The Grant Touring brings performance that will crush the quickest models from BMW M and Merc-AMG – and more range than any other EV, but it does break the six-figure barrier at $109,900 ($1,049/month lease). Finally, if you simply feel compelled to crush your neighbor’s Model S Plaid in a drag race, the Air Sapphire offers world-beating performance at a supercar price tag of $249,000.

After driving the Air Pure, we can confidently report that the base model is now our favorite version; it makes almost no compromises while delivering stellar styling, supreme comfort, and longer range than its competitors. You don’t need to feel bad if you can’t stretch into one of the upper trims because the Pure is all you need. For the price, it can not be beat.