Jill Ciminillo (l) and Kristin Shaw (r) on the track at Sonoma Raceway in the Lucid Air SapphireThree days, epic roads and the Lucid Air Sapphire, a car that tests it all, leaves us wanting more.The route is extra twisty on the northern California roads that comprise the competition course of the inagural Trinitē Road Rally. Massive redwoods line the sometimes cracked and falling-away asphalt, and while I’m only driving the Lucid Air Sapphire about 45 miles per hour, it feels as though I’m careening down the hill. The new Lucid Air Sapphire I’m piloting doesn’t tolerate any loss of control, however. It’s composed and as smooth as a bullet train. Emily Miller, founder of the Trinitē Road Rally as well as epic off-road Rebelle Rally competition, is famous for telling competitors that slow is smooth and smooth is fast when driving in the dirt. As it turns out, the same is true for driving on-road, and I think about what grandmothers everywhere say: haste makes waste. In a rally, overdriving or using too much speed can mean poor performance. In the Lucid Air Sapphire, though, it’s so dang tempting to run it out as fast as it can go. And that’s pretty fast. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. Additionally, I was hosted by Lucid for this rally experience but all opinions are my own.Have you subscribed to our podcast? You can do that here!Lucid Air Has Huge Power at the ReadyKristin Shaw and Jill Ciminillo with the Lucid Air Sapphire – Credit: Kristin ShawLucid’s top-of-the-line all-electric sedan is certainly no wallflower. With 1,234 HP on tap, Car and Driver called the Air Sapphire a “supersedan” and recorded a zero-to-60-mph time of 1.9 seconds on its test track. “Lucid Air Sapphire Is the Quickest Car We’ve Ever Tested,” the article’s headline read. In other words, if you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to hop on a rocket as it takes off, this is the Earthbound way to do it. Along with unquestionably astonishing speed, the Lucid Air Sapphire boasts a hardy suspension that absorbs potholes and bumps better than some trucks I’ve driven. The secret to that is the coil springs that kind of look like Slinky toys and cushion your ride. Sign up for our newsletter and get all the news in your inbox!The Lucid Lineup Offers More Than Just Fast SedansLucid’s Trinitē Road Rally entries ready to begin the competiton – Credit: Kristin ShawLucid’s charter matches the definition of the word: clear and easy to understand. The brains behind the machines are at the top of their game, and many are former Tesla engineers who left to build something better. AdvertisementAdvertisementWith a history in battery and powertrain development, Lucid was founded in Silicon Valley, California in 2016 and builds its cars on a 500-acre property in Casa Grande, Arizona. Already in progress are the 2027 Lucid Cosmos, a midsize SUV designed to take on the Tesla Model Y (starting at about $50,000) and the 2028 Cosmos, a sportier SUV. Lucid already makes the Air sedan in Pure, Touring, Grand Touring, and Sapphire models. Gravity is the automaker’s all-electric three-row SUV with a very minivan-esque feel, and I mean that in the very best ways. The Gravity has tons of space and configurable seating for cargo and passengers, and it charges faster than the Air. All of them have superior range to many EVs on the market at 400+ miles per charge. My rally teammate Jill Ciminillo and I found that both the Air Sapphire and the Gravity are streamlined and gorgeous, and we tried out each one on the autocross exercise at the end of the rally to see how it slaloms (very well!). The Most Significant Challenge Facing EVs Isn’t about the EV at All Charging the Lucid Air Sapphire – Credit: Kristin ShawThe biggest problem we had with our car wasn’t the EV’s fault: it was finding decent charging stations in the outposts of northern California, where we were running the rally route. In Fort Bragg, for instance, we found a DC fast charger with two available bays. Hallelujah! Not so fast, sisters—neither bay worked no matter which method of payment or app we tried. Looking further, online reviews for this charging station showed it had very poor reliability. AdvertisementAdvertisementLuckily, there was a Tesla Supercharger nearby. The input was much slower and it took a couple of hours to charge up. However, that problem is not typical for EV owners, as most people charge at home anyway. In a rally or road trip, the situation is a little different and requires a bit of planning. This Luxury Sedan Takes Everything Over theOur Trinitē Road Rally Lucid Air in its California habitat – Credit: Kristin ShawOf course, quality and power don’t come cheap: the Lucid Air starts at $70,900 and the Sapphire, which is the top of the line, starts at $249,000. For that price, you get the whole shebang: plush upholstery, a trunk and frunk for storage, an excellent driver-assist system, a glass roof and a heated steering wheel and heated seats. The number one feature for Jill and I during the times we weren’t competing was the robust massage function. Seriously, we couldn’t stop marveling at how good they were. I’d put the massaging seats in the Air Sapphire up against any luxury brand and I think it would come out on top. The real driver in the Air Sapphire’s price is the powertrain that delivers power paired with precision; 1,234 HP doesn’t come cheap in any form. But the great range, elegant interior, sleek profile, and massaging seats that I swear are better than those in most nail salons, add even more, making the Air Sapphire worth every pretty penny.
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