Even the base model is expensive and nice

The Lucid Air luxury electric sedan was impressive when it launched 18 months ago, and the new Air Pure version for 2023 is yet another variation on the same theme. The Pure is the least expensive Lucid today, with a base price of $89,050 including delivery. All other Air versions start north of six figures, so this represents the entry level.

One of the Air’s selling points is its high EPA rating ranges, with the most expensive Air Grand Touring AWD getting 516 miles on 19-inch wheels, the highest EPA rating of any EV on the market today . We were curious to see how the Air fared with a smaller battery and a slightly lower spec.

Smaller battery, still fast

Buyers of the entry-level Pure can choose between rear- or all-wheel drive and 19- or 20-inch wheels. The all-wheel drive version features a pair of engines good for 480 horsepower and 686 pound-feet of torque. Equipped with 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, our all-wheel-drive Air Pure has an EPA-estimated range of 384 miles from the 92.0 kWh battery.

In our 75 mph real-world range test, this Air Pure delivered 310 miles with an observed efficiency of 100 MPGe, versus its EPA rating of 121 MPGe. The Air Grand Touring managed 410 miles in the same test.

A few eliminations

The dual-motor Air Pure can’t quite match the acceleration of other Air models, but it’s only gone from surprisingly fast to surprisingly fast. We clocked 3.5 seconds to 60 mph, compared to 3.0 seconds for the Touring model and just 2.6 seconds for the 1111-hp Dream Edition Performance. For a four-seat sedan weighing the better part of 3 tons, either of these results is remarkable; Air Pure buyers should be very pleased with their car’s performance.

Against the Touring trim that is the next step up in the Lucid Air range, the Pure sacrifices the option of a glass roof, power opening and closing for the front trunk, cooled front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and heated front wipers. Its power front seat plummets from 14 to 12 adjustments, and a zone is subtracted from its automatic climate control, from four to three.

None of this is a great sacrifice. In fact, the only thing we missed was the glass roof of the previous Air models we tested. The solid roof makes the low cabin darker and feels subjectively closer and more confined, especially for larger occupants. No matter the size, however, all front seat riders must learn to turn and hold on to their seat to avoid hitting their head on the steeply angled windshield pillar.

Composed i relaxed

Any Lucid Air we’ve driven remains a joy to drive: well-balanced and composed with sharp, sporty responses combined with excellent chassis tuning and damping that eliminates any extra sway. This makes this 4951-pound car surprisingly easy to throw around corners if you choose, while still remaining calm behind the wheel if you’re not pushing it.

Adding to the luxurious feel is a calm exterior and an interior made up of unusual fabrics that contribute to a sense of soothing calm. Derek Jenkins, vice president of lucid design, has described the Air as “not a flashy car”; “called out” is a British term meaning to draw attention to oneself. The Air is really quiet on the outside, although its low height, smooth lines and ultra-slim lamps keep the attention once you notice it.

Inside, our Air Pure had the Mojave PurLuxe interior. Its most striking feature is the gray tweed fabric used on the dashboard and elsewhere. It’s an unusual and subtle choice and it really works. Once inside, the leg-out front driving position looks sporty, but rear-seat passengers enjoy floor-to-ceiling footwells that match the battery-floor recesses. The depression in the floor means that rear-seat riders aren’t sitting with their legs up, as they are in the higher-spec Air models with the higher-capacity battery, making long journeys more comfortable here.

Find single pedal mode

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson was the chief engineer for the Tesla Model S a decade ago. The cabin combines echoes of the Tesla in its large central display with just a few hard controls for select functions (audio volume, ventilation). A smaller secondary screen for cockpit controls can be retracted into the dash for a cleaner look.

The temptation for modern EV designers is to put as many controls as possible on the screen, reducing the number of mechanical switches, buttons, dials and sliders that must be designed. Some of our editors prefer single-pedal drive mode, while others loathe it, so every time we switched test drivers, we had to find single-pedal mode buried a couple of screens away. the unit configuration.

The car we tested, a 2023 Lucid Air Pure AWD, had a base price of $94,550, which is $5,500 more than the rear-wheel drive car due to its additional front-mounted engine and semi-active dampers. Our car had the $2000 20-inch wheel upgrade, which ranges from 410 to 384 miles. Three additional options were the DreamDrive Pro surround-view and active driving assistance cameras ($10,000), the Surreal Sound Pro audio system ($4,000) and the beautiful blue-gray Fathom Blue Metallic paint ($1000). All told, its bottom sticker price was $111,550, well over the $100,000 threshold.

Thus, the Lucid Air Pure remains firmly at the upper end of the luxury spectrum and only slightly expands the company’s product offering. At a time when the entire market seems to want SUVs, the company’s imperative is to put its second model, the electric SUV Gravity, into production as soon as possible. With Airline sales below expectations a few years ago, Lucid is now going back to the well to raise more capital: $3 billion, much of it from the Saudi Public Investment Fund. Somewhat ironically, this oil-funded investment powerhouse now controls the majority of Lucid’s stock.

Creating a car company that survives in the long run is really a very difficult thing. So far, only Tesla seems to have achieved this in recent decades. Whatever Lucid’s final destination, the Lucid Air is an exceptional electric car: stylish, comfortable, luxurious and fast. Even in pure form.

Collaborating editor

John Voelcker edited Green car reports for nine years, publishing more than 12,000 articles on hybrids, electric cars, and other low- and zero-emission vehicles and the energy ecosystem that surrounds them. He now covers advanced automotive technologies and energy policy as a reporter and analyst. His work has appeared in print, online and radio media including Wiring, Popular Science, Technology Review, IEEE Spectrum, and NPR’s “All Things Considered.” He splits his time between the Catskill Mountains and New York City and still has hopes of one day becoming an international man of mystery.