There’s a new range, charging, and efficiency king in the EV arena and it doesn’t wear a Tesla badge.
The car to beat in all three categories is the Lucid Air, and it’s a clean-sheet electric luxury car arriving now.
With a gorgeous design, up to 520 miles of EPA-rated range, up to 1,111 horsepower, and compact electric motors, it’s no surprise the Lucid Air made the final list of nominees for the Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2022 award.
The first cars off the line will be the Air Dream Edition Range and Air Dream Edition Performance. Both are powered by compact dual electric motors providing all-wheel drive. The former has a mere 933 hp and 520 miles of EPA-rated range while the latter has 1,111 hp and 471 miles of EPA-rated range. Both are ratings with 19-inch wheels; opting for the 21s will lower range.
2022 Lucid Air
At launch, every Air is powered by a 112-kwh battery pack, which can recover up to 20 miles a minute, or up to 300 miles in 20 minutes. We’ve experienced that fast-charging claim and recovered 299 miles of range in 29 minutes. While slightly off the 20-minute promise, our conditions weren’t ideal (the battery wasn’t fully preconditioned) and despite issues with the Electrify America charging station, we still saw a peak charge rate of 294 kw.
Performance is ludicrous and in supercar territory with a 0-60 mph sprint of 2.5 seconds, though unlike a Tesla or Porsche Taycan, the sprint isn’t violet or drama-filled. It’s quick and throws occupants back into their seats, but it’s a more refined launch experience that never feels like a party trick.
2022 Lucid Air
Unlike the Tesla Model S and Mercedes-Benz EQS, the Lucid Air lacks an air suspension. Simpler solenoid-controlled semi-active dampers sit at all four wheels and provide a firm, controlled ride with a playfulness one might not expect of a 5,050 full-size sedan. It’s much sportier than an EQS while never harsh. It’s the driver’s car of this segment.
2022 Lucid Air
2022 Lucid Air
2022 Lucid Air
The Air boasts big numbers, but it’s not just a numbers game for Lucid. The Air charms and delights with brilliant engineering and packaging that is all about efficiency. The Air has one of the best coefficients of drag in the industry, at just 0.21, and yet it cuts a stunning profile with traditional luxury flagship proportions, unlike the Mercedes-Benz EQS and its cab forward design. The front, rear, and dash all feature a thin, wide design theme that appears to be part aircraft-inspired and part French. The trunk design is unique in the way it opens to reveal a low liftover height and wide opening ready to swallow luggage.
Inside the Air feels roomy compared to the EQS and Model S. The seats are comfortable and supportive, though not pillowy, and the interior feels futuristic rather than that of traditional luxury. Part of that feeling comes from the glass canopy roof that spans from the base of the windshield all the way to a crossmember behind the heads of those seated up front.
2022 Lucid Air
Lucid seems to have split the difference between Mercedes-Benz’s overwhelming Hyperscreen dashboard display and Tesla’s minimalism. The dashboard features three screens, two of which are housed under a single, curved panel of glass floating off the dashboard. The third, which is a touchscreen, sits on the center console and can be retracted into the dashboard to access storage or simply hide the distraction.
The Lucid Air’s a shockingly good car, both to look at, ride in, and drive, for a startup automaker and a first effort. But the first models are incredibly expensive at about $170,000. Later down the line a base model will arrive for $77,400, but for now this is an expensive proposition for early adopters. The interior is a new kind of luxury with alpaca wool and materials made from blended recycled plastic bottles, giving the interior more of a Volvo vibe than Mercedes-Benz. The rear seat’s comfortable with a shocking amount of room, but the low roofline makes getting in a hassle as one has to duck their head. And for all the technology in the car, including a driver-assist system dubbed Dream Drive, the Air launches without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, though the former is supposedly coming at some point via an over-the-air software update. These are small things that detract from an impressive package.
Does the Lucid Air have the right combination of innovation, luxury, and performance to top the strong list of nominees this year? Can a new type of luxury car that breaks ground in terms of range, charging speed, and power best traditional luxury, cheap speed, sports sedans, and a pickup truck (all represented in our other nominees)? Will the Lucid Air be named Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2022? Check back on Jan. 3 when we reveal the winner, along with the champs from our sister sites, The Car Connection, and Green Car Reports.
Keyword: Lucid Air: Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2022 nominee