We’ve all been there: the red flags are big and bold and right in your face—but you pop on your rose-colored glasses and just pretend that all flags look like that. It’s easy to pretend you don’t notice issues when you really, really want to like something. And many people really, really want to like the new 2022 Lucid Air EV.
But some people just have too much integrity. Edmunds recently released its in-depth review of the 2022 Lucid Air, and the reviewer pointed out a variety of significant problems.
Is Lucid a legitimate company?
Lucid Motors, Inc. | Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Yes, Lucid Motors is a legit company, even though it’s had a few downs with its significant ups. The company’s stock instantly tanked after Lucid received a subpoena in December 2021, but that was just growing pains. Maybe. Lucid is an extremely promising new automaker, and even its critics admit that it will likely iron out any problems within the next few years.
Does the 2022 Lucid Air have a lot of problems?
It’s not all that uncommon for electric vehicles (EVs) to have some problems, like brakes rusting from disuse or issues with the climate-control system. One of the big downsides of otherworldly technology is that the more complicated the tech, the bigger the bugs. And there are a lot of bugs in the 2022 Air so far.
In February, CNET reported that the 2022 Lucid Air was recalled for possible brake failure triggered by suspension problems. Most new models kind of suck in their first year, but you don’t expect these kinds of problems from an $80,000-$170,000 luxury car.
In Edmunds’ review, the driver highlighted a few severe problems.
Buggy Bluetooth, no Android Auto or Apple CarPlay
The Lucid Air Dream has the potential to be a world beater –– but glaring quality issues across the board *have* to be remedied before we can possibly recommend anyone buying one. Watch our complete review, range and performance test: https://t.co/LQXHTYl5Uh pic.twitter.com/wQBY493hJK
— Edmunds (@edmunds) April 21, 2022
Lucid has not included Android Auto or Apple CarPlay in its pricey Air model, even though the vast majority of new cars have gotten on board. The company does claim that they’ll be adding both systems in the future, though. That doesn’t help in the meantime, with “persistent Bluetooth connection errors” on both Android and iPhone devices.
Edmunds reports that the voice commands are rough to use, too. For such a tech-savvy luxury EV, these are some pretty sad tech problems.
Safety features that aren’t all that safe in the Lucid Air
2022 Lucid Air | Lucid
The 2022 Lucid Air comes stocked with lots of great safety features. Except, they don’t always work. Edmunds reports that the blind-spot monitoring cameras sometimes don’t activate until the car has already passed through the blind spot or until you’ve already merged into the next lane. The collision alert system was so buggy that reviewers were forced to restart the car, and they were nervous about using the adaptive cruise control settings in the event that the Lucid Air got too close to the vehicle in front.
Problems with the overall fit and finish
A certain other EV automaker has been called out for panel gaps and build quality issues –– but here’s a Lucid Air, that we were reviewing at the time, and its doors refusing to open https://t.co/LQXHTYl5Uh pic.twitter.com/7aLtGVbpyk
— Edmunds (@edmunds) April 24, 2022
The 2022 Lucid Air is spacious and comfortable, but there are some weirdly apparent issues, and we’re unsure how they made it past the Quality Assurance stage. Edmunds reports panel gaps in the doors wide enough to fit a hand. A rear door needed to be slammed closed to stay shut, and the fancy disappearing handles had difficulty re-appearing.
The reviewer also pointed out some cheap-feeling switches and control buttons that would disappoint in a $20,000 economy sedan, much less a $170,000 special-edition luxury EV.
Does Lucid have a future with the 2022 Air?
Edmunds expressed disappointment with the 2022 Lucid Air but still gave the car a 7.8 out of 10. Even with these problems, the Air won MotorTrend’s 2022 Car of the Year award. It’s the fastest-charging EV ever tested, shooting from a 10% charge to 90% in just 46 minutes.
Edmunds technically does recommend the 2022 Air Grand Touring trim as a “sweet spot” model—but cautions that it may be worth waiting until Lucid irons out the kinks and squashes the multitudes of bugs. (The specific section on software and build quality issues starts at 10:28 in the video above.)
We’re willing to be patient and give Lucid a few second chances.
Keyword: Edmunds Can’t Recommend the 2022 Lucid Air EV—Yet