Test Drive Lucid Air: Luxurious Luminary?

For its first Media-Drive, Lucid Motors spared no expense: Over 340 kilometers from Zurich to Konstanz via Feldberg in the southern Black Forest and back to Zurich via Basel: Lucid Motors chose a test route that included everything from city driving in Switzerland, twisty mountain roads to the German Autobahn.

Crisp chassis, tight steering

And right from the first meters, you will appreciate the crisp compactness of the Air, which has nothing remotely American about it. No wonder, as many of the chassis engineers come from Germany and the UK, including from BMW and Jaguar, and accordingly, the 2.3-ton vehicle drives just like that. Inside, it offers ample space even in the rear seats, with doors that open extremely wide at 90 degrees! Knee room is always abundant; however, the second cell layer of the 112 kWh battery in the Grand Touring slightly flattens the rear footwell, making for a somewhat frog-like seating posture. That's why we will later crown the "Touring" as the genuinely golden "program midpoint" after having test-driven all three variants of the Air: the "Pure" (starting at 109,000 euros gross, 358 kW or 487 hp with a range of 660 to 725 km), the "Touring" (starting at 129,000 euros gross, 462 kW or 629 hp with a range of 648 to 725 km), and the "Grand Touring" (starting at 159,000 euros gross, 611 kW or 830 hp with a range of 783 to 839 km).

Range: Real 800 kilometers plus are achievable!

But it is less the power specifications that make us curious, rather the ranges. We were picked up by a chauffeur service in the Grand Touring, which indeed showed over 800 km range upon departure from Zurich. Upon arrival in Konstanz, about 740 km remained. "That's accurate, it's very honest," says our driver from Berlin, who consumes between 16 and 17 kWh/100 km in commuter traffic on Swiss motorways—in a 611 kW luxury limo! Okay, with enthusiastic Black Forest surfing and Autobahn sections at top speed (270 km/h in the Grand Touring, 230 km/h in the other two), we got around 20 to 21 kWh/100 km—a consumption figure we could only dream of with the BMW i7 M70: under 25 kWh/100 km was unachievable there. Together with the 112 kWh battery, the Air thus becomes THE long-distance travel car. Also thanks to the cW value of 0.195!

Large trunks at the back and especially at the front!

Since the Air is significantly flatter than the i7, it doesn't create such a cathedral-like feeling of space, and actually, one could even sit lower in the flat Lucid, which feels more like a snug leather glove, not unlike the older Jaguar XJ. In other words: It fits nicely between the Porsche Taycan and BMW i7 in its compactness and decent space offering… gap filled! Additionally, it offers a 627 liter trunk at the back and a 283.4 liter mega-frunk at the front. Sure, a large rear hatch like in the Mercedes-Benz EQS or Tesla's Model S would have been cooler, but you can't have everything, because: Lucid has already developed almost EVERYTHING from scratch for the Air.

This results in a mini electric motor, which weighs less than 100 kilograms with the DC-DC converter and is roughly the size of a beer crate (!), a specially enclosed battery (with cells from LG, Panasonic, or Samsung), and a "Wonderbox" that allows DC charging with up to 315 kW, thanks to 900-volt technology! So the Air can "juice up" for a long trip in no time: the Grand Touring can recharge up to 400 km in 16 minutes, while Touring and Pure take around 20 minutes, according to Lucid. And yes, the charger is already multifunctional and bidirectional (V2X).

Extremely airy feeling with a glass roof

In total, the startup from California has indeed succeeded in putting an extremely competent premium limousine on the wheels, which also scores with a huge glass roof from the Touring upwards, and whose windshield is extended far back, creating an extremely airy feeling in the front.

Why are there not already thousands on Germany's roads? Because the prices are not exactly low, and the brand still needs to establish itself. A great product is great, but if you only have one store in Munich, you won't attract that many interested customers. And okay, the Air has a few "lows" too: First and foremost, the sound: you can hear the front differential hum, and it sounds like one of those sluggish children’s toy cars—absolutely inappropriate! But it can be eliminated or optionally replaced with a warp sound by a known or lesser-known composer, with Lucid leaning towards the former.

Updates can improve many software issues

And since they have already made 80 updates that also made the Air more efficient, the nav and infotainment systems can be addressed on another occasion. The former is displayed somewhat awkwardly only on the small screen above, optionally also on the large central screen below. There you will also find many other control elements that are no longer directly accessible when adjusting the steering wheel and mirrors. You can get used to the somewhat unique operation, but it could be better. Additionally, speed limit recognition is rather relaxed in an American way! Developer Eric Bach knows this and waves it off: This will be one of the first topics to tackle. And yes, you can't yet use the navigation map for driving like in the VW Id.3 or BMW i5 or i7, which slow down by themselves in tight curves or at town entrances without a programmed route. Like many startups, Lucid has the most potential for perfection in software, which is already given in bodywork, charging, efficiency, and drive.  

Fragrant interior – increasingly luxurious scent depending on trim level

It's also interesting that the Air smells differently depending on the trim level: as Pure it is rather neutral, but if you opt for the higher trims with increasing amounts of genuine leather, you will notice the difference: the Grand Touring, partly outfitted with this and partly with suede look, smells like a luxury class vehicle. The craftsmanship could be a touch more meticulous in small details, which also applies to the sound of the doors that open up to 90 degrees(!).