This past month the Lucid Air Pure picked up another award, this one local, and because of that, maybe a little more precious. The luxury electric sedan was named the Best Overall Vehicle in the Western Automotive Journalist’s (WAJ) annual Best of the Bay competition.
Lucid’s headquarters are in Newark in the Tri City Voice’s circulation area, so this is another win for the home team. This award came from the local group of automotive writers and content creators. It came after a day-and-a-half of 16 WAJ members driving 14 vehicles brought to the program by nine manufacturers.
Judges (which included me) said, “The Lucid is a tour de force of technology and suspension tuning. With the entry-level Pure model ($69,000 base price with leases for less than $600 per month), it’s a real option for mid-luxury shoppers; 400 horsepower, cheek-deforming acceleration and 420 miles of range due to incredibly efficient motors. Hard to beat.”
It’s hard to add much to that other than I concur.
The Changing EV Landscape
This is not the first time I have driven the entry-level model of the Lucid Air, nor the first time I have been impressed by it. I had a chance to drive all four Air models earlier this year and reported on the drives in Clean Fleet Report. The car is a refined delight to drive in any of its three drive modes (Smooth, Swift and Sprint). Even the most aggressive drive mode doesn’t diminish the luxury feeling of the car, while emphasizing its abilities to accelerate and corner.
The Lucid Air Pure comes with a choice of six exterior colors and interior trims that have sustainable sourcing of materials as a priority. That interior is something of a magic trick on Lucid’s part. Looking at the exterior of the car, it is clearly a midsize model (an inch shorter than the Mercedes EQE sedan). Once you step inside you’re greeted with an interior that is comparable to that of a full-size car. That spacious interior includes limousine-like seating room in the back seat.
Along with space, the interior includes a more traditional set up than its chief rival, Tesla. Rather than the minimalist approach of its rival from Fremont, the Lucid has a 34-inch cockpit display screen as well as an iPad-size screen at the head of the center console with additional controls.
Luxury Cues
Numbers are sometimes cold. Example in point—0.197 coefficient of drag (cd). While the number’s abstract, the exterior of the Lucid Air is not. Its smooth silhouette is distinctive, particularly in the sea of SUVs, making aerodynamics something pleasing to the eye. Virtually every angle reinforces what those numbers mean. This car glides through the air, increasing its range.
Luxury also means performance, something delivered by the Lucid Air with ease. It was not difficult to replicate the 4.5-second 0-60 acceleration using the Sprint mode.
Big Little Things
Lucid’s designers and engineers have an eye for detail, ranging from interior fabrics to an exceptionally large and functional rear trunk.
Charging the Lucid Air is almost a premium operation. Its efficiency is not limited to how it rations electrons on the road. Using one of Lucid’s home chargers, you can add 80 miles of range in an hour. Stop at a high-powered DC fast charger, and you can potentially add 200 miles in 17 minutes.
Although the Pure trim level is the “entry level” for the Air line-up (which continues with the Touring, Grand Touring and Sapphire trims), there is no detectable de-contenting or diminishing of its capabilities and features. A full complement of safety features come as standard. As with many other luxury cars, options can upgrade any manner of features, from more colorful paint to larger wheels or a more robust stereo system.
