Lucid Motors has surely gained notable recognition for its innovations in the short lineup of electric vehicles (EVs). Through their many years of existence and utilizing forward-thinking tech derived from competitors, they have managed to edge out others by doing things their own way. However, such methods have had their fair share of faults in iterations of software issues and hiccups, but overall, they have remained an intriguing company that still has not managed to turn a profit. Still, there’s hope for the EV company as I check out the Lucid Air Grand Touring this week, marveled at the potential that these vehicles hold, all backed by American ingenuity and a substantial monetary backing that’s kept them afloat.
My last brush with the Lucid Air left me happy and appeased with a respected product in its base version of the electrified luxury sedan. This time around, the Lucid Air Grand Touring, with its astonishing performance, elevates my opinion, but there’s still a bit of work to polish in the area of eliminating little software gremlins that otherwise hold the vehicle back – sometimes in literal ways, as there were drivetrain faults in my test vehicle upon trying out performance functions that the company proudly advertises. Apart from those faults, there’s a lot to appreciate in what Lucid has done in a respected luxury electric sedan that has proper luxury appointments, spacious accommodations, and a very high level of performance thanks to its dual motor, all-wheel-drive setup that thrusts out 819 horsepower and 885 lb-ft of torque. Such a level of power will scoot this 5,200-pound luxury sedan to 60 mph in just 2.6 seconds in many tests, which is a few ticks quicker than the 3.0-second manufacturer claim.
Apart from the serious straight-line power, the Lucid Air Grand Touring is quite the luxurious tourer that covers ground comfortably without unwanted road imperfection drama, thanks to its adaptive dampers that seemingly feel best in the Swift or Spring drive mode settings when they firm up. Of course, that’s all my opinion, but the higher level of body stability with the dampers in their firmer setting seems to be the sweet spot for a decent level of comfort and sport all bundled up to exude a good ride quality without being overly firm.
As an EV, the Lucid Air does things interestingly, as there is no true one pedal driving, but selecting the high braking regen level is almost there. However, the braking regen isn’t exactly as advertised in the way that you expect. Pressing the brake pedal doesn’t ever engage braking regen, but instead the Lucid Air adds in all the braking regen energy upon letting off the throttle, as any pedal braking effort added will just utilize the massively-sized friction brakes with 6-piston calipers up front. It’s quite a different take on things when most other EVs enact braking regen with the actual brake pedal. To the Lucid Air Grand Touring’s advantage, the braking power is strong enough to haul down all 5,200 pounds in a hurry.
Also, the creep feature of letting off the brake and allowing the vehicle to move forward as most normal vehicles would do is a mixed bag, and you’ll often find the vehicle either rolling backward upon letting off the brake or resting in place with the hold feature enabled. Enabling the creep feature through the menu setting only enacts upon tapping the throttle, not by default. Again, another one of those strange functions that Lucid could probably ‘remedy’ through a software update.
Apart from the few quirks and often software glitches, some that forced me to get out of the vehicle, allow it to shut down, and then get back in to clear the fault, Lucid has their eyes set out to do good things in its vehicle lineup. Sure, I had challenges bringing up some infotainment system screens as the software bugs started showing their face at random times, but the way the Lucid Air Grand Touring drove seemed to ease those small pains. Yes, it’s just that good to drive and feel like you’re the quickest thing on the road – as you often are until I was next to a friend leaving a local car show in his new Corvette ZR1X.
In terms of efficiency, the Lucid Air prides itself as being among the slipperiest vehicles on the road with a drag coefficient of 0.197, which helps in the area of getting up to 512 miles on a full charge if you have the standard 19-inch wheels. However, my test vehicle was equipped with the optional 21-inch wheels wrapped with staggard-width tires, which are my choice as they look the proper part for the Lucid Air’s style but bring the range down to around 446 miles. That figure is almost a legit estimate, as I took the Lucid Air Grand Touring down the Interstate, mostly obeying the speed limit, and ended up estimating that I would be able to get 430 miles out of my full charge. That equates to nearly matching the EPA estimate of 112 MPGe for the Lucid Air Grand Touring with 21-inch wheels (128 MPGe w/19-inch wheels).
Charging up the Lucid Air Grand Touring was a simple task at local Electrify America, still utilizing the CCS connection at a 350kW DC fast charger stall, I saw rates as fast as 154 kW without preconditioning the battery. There is an option to manually set the battery to precondition before charging or set it to automatically do so upon navigating to a local charging station, which is said to drastically improve charging speeds to nearly 300 kW and add 200 miles of range in just 12 minutes. Otherwise, I made do with nearly half of that charging speed at local stations that were full of other charging EVs without preconditioning the 112-kWh battery pack. At home, using my 40-amp Level 2 charger, I had no issue charging it up at a rate of 9.6 kW and taking just over 11 hours for a nearly depleted battery.
Lucid continues to do things a bit differently, even when it comes to the interior space, as you’ll find a cabin that is still luxurious but has a sporty edge. The floating design of its curved screens and a lower tablet-style screen that can be slid out of the way, opening up an additional storage area, are all conveniently located. The limited physical toggles for the climate temperature and volume are welcomed. The onscreen functions through both screens give way to a long list of vehicle functions and settings, which take a while to master, but you do appreciate the level of customization you get.
The seating from the very supportive, heated, ventilated, and massaging front seats proved to be comfy and accommodating after making a multitude of small adjustments. There’s a respected level of adjustment to accommodate different-sized adults, too. Even out back there’s plenty of room to nearly stretch out as the form factor of the Lucid Air rivals the full-size classification.
The clamshell-type power trunk opening is unique and has a surprising extra bit of space by removing the floor divider, as does the power-opening frunk with a deep area below the floor divider. One thing that’s either a love or hate item is how the windshield continues with a single glass panel curving over your head space as it is heavily tinted, but still allows some sun rays in the recent 95-plus degree heat here in Florida this summer. There’s also a large rear glass panel continuing a mostly glass roof, none of which has any sunshade. But there are power rear side windows and rear window sunshades that do a little to darken the cabin and add just a hair more privacy.
When it comes to technology and safety, the Lucid Air Grand Touring brings all of the expected active safety functions in addition to the bonuses of a clever blind spot video feed upon signaling, along with the latest of their hands-free driving assist feature. Testing out the hands-free driving was quite surprising, as it was basically on par with what I experienced from GM’s SuperCruise and Ford’s BlueCruise. It works nearly flawlessly and has the expected disabling alert when approaching construction zones.
Lucid Motors has its work still cut out to hopefully one day turn a profit. It’s possible with the introduction of the new Gravity SUV and a forthcoming smaller SUV entrant to start to see the numbers head in the right direction, as they have a solid offering in the Lucid Air if they keep innovating to address the small ‘system’ hiccups. At an as-tested price of $138,700, these small issues should not be a concern, as they were during my week with the high-performing luxury EV. Still, you can get into a new Lucid Air Pure base trim for about $70,900 before any fees or options, which almost captures a larger audience. I believe Lucid can survive if they keep thinking a little ‘smaller’ in many areas, including price.
Malcolm Hogan is the founder and editor of Automotive Addicts, a trusted voice in the automotive media world for over two decades. With 20+ years of hands-on experience covering the industry, Malcolm has built a reputation for delivering honest reviews, sharp insights, and in-depth coverage of everything from new car debuts to high-performance test drives. Passionate about the evolving car culture and staying ahead of the curve, Malcolm continues to lead Automotive Addicts as a go-to destination for enthusiasts and industry insiders alike.
