The Queen Of EVs Is Nonetheless Very A lot The Lucid Air

I used to be anticipating the 2025 Lucid Air Touring to be an awesome electrical car (EV), however I wasn’t anticipating it to be such an awesome luxurious sedan. In recent times, some legacy luxurious carmakers have been banking laborious on their splashy nameplates to promote us what turned out to be underwhelming merchandise. Mercedes-Benz, notably, has been identified for shoving low-rent plastics inside fashions priced within the six-digit realm. And though the Volvo EX90 desires to tackle the German massive three on this planet of huge electrical SUVs, its well-documented smorgasbord of software program and {hardware} glitches challenges its hefty price ticket.

However with the Air, a automotive constructed by a carmaker that basically wasn’t constructing automobiles a decade in the past, no stone appears to have been left unturned. After spending just a few days with it, basking in its near-obsessive craftsmanship and a focus to element, I had fully forgotten that this was an EV. By any measure, the Lucid Air is a improbable luxurious merchandise.

The Lucid Air pictured here’s a press unit that belongs to the Lucid Montreal retail studio. The automotive was picked up clear and with a full cost. The Lucid personnel additionally synced my Lucid cell app with the automotive. For detailed perception into testing procedures and information assortment, please assessment our methodology coverage.

2025 Lucid Air Touring First Impressions: Smooth, Good-Trying And Distinctive

Wherever I went with the Lucid Air, it attracted stares and feedback from individuals who both knew what it was, or have been genuinely interested by a automotive they’d by no means seen earlier than. It is a placing sedan not essentially as a result of it checks off the normal attractive automotive design containers, however as a result of the Air seems like nothing else on the street.

It is low to the bottom, huge and lengthy, but in addition glossy by means of cautious aerodynamic massaging to realize a low drag coefficient of 0.21 Cd. That is, merely put, probably the most aerodynamic automotive at present on sale. However there are some neat design parts, too, just like the distinctive blade-like chrome beak which, though I am not a fan of, positively provides the automotive street presence. My favourite design characteristic stays its roof, the way in which it sits on the automotive’s physique like a cap. A refined chrome ingredient in the direction of the rear of that cap, on which Lucid stamped the Air identify, provides substance. Really, from some angles, this automotive jogs my memory of an outdated Citroën DS.

It is a disgrace my take a look at unit was carrying the elective, 19-inch winter wheel package deal (really referred to as Aero Vary), as a result of when carrying its traditional 20-inch units (referred to as Aero Mild or Aero Blade), the Air’s styling is hyper-coherent. However I would not change something about the way in which this automotive seems, aside from maybe barely growing the dimensions of the decrease entrance air consumption for added impact.

2025 Lucid Air Touring Exterior Dimensions

2025 Lucid Air Touring: Variations Between The U.S. And Canadian Market

Since Lucid is a comparatively new carmaker, with at present solely two fashions to promote (the Gravity SUV is new to the lineup), Lucid successfully sells the Air the identical method on each side of the border. Like Tesla, it is a company promoting technique, that means Lucid sells its automobiles not by means of a franchised dealership community, however moderately a collection of Lucid-owned “studios”.

Costs are due to this fact the identical throughout every respective market. There isn’t any haggling, and consumers can order their automotive both by means of a Lucid consultant, or from the Lucid web site. Automobiles can then be both delivered to the studio or at an deal with of your selecting. As I write this, the Air is offered within the U.S. and Canada in 4 distinct trim ranges: Pure, Touring (as examined) Grand Touring, and Sapphire.

U.S. Versus Canada Lineup Breakdown And Beginning MSRP (mannequin examined in daring)

Driving Impressions And Efficiency: Quick, Easy, Quiet, With Lots Of EV Vary

It is apparent the second you begin driving the 2025 Lucid Air Touring that it comes from an organization that has intensive expertise creating and tuning electrical drive items for Formulation E. There is a sense of fluidity, coherence, effectivity and overachieving efficiency in the way in which this automotive drives. And it would not really feel like an newbie job, nor a newbie’s luck type of deal. The Air’s chassis was tuned by individuals who understand how a big luxurious sedan is meant to drive. I’ve pushed Bentleys that did not drive this effectively.

Beneath the Air Touring’s glossy physique sits a 92-kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery powering two permanent-magnet AC motors. Collectively, they’re good for a complete mixed output of 620 horsepower and 885 lb-ft of torque. Launch the Air Touring from a standstill, and it will hit 60 MPH in a blistering 3.6 seconds. However the numbers do not inform the complete story because the Air releases its efficiency in a collection of various sequences, creating a way of drama within the course of.

Since my time with it was spent in chilly climate and on winter tires, I could not unleash the Air Touring’s full acceleration potential, however as soon as it finds an answer to grip all fours to the tarmac, it launches laborious and will increase the power of that velocity as speeds climb. This provides the Air Touring extra character, feeling virtually like a gasoline-powered full-size limousine because it glides ahead with haste. Oh, and in case you are questioning which one to get within the lineup, I say this Touring is the candy spot, because it affords a stunning mix of efficiency, luxurious, and effectivity at a considerably respectable worth level.

Going quick in a straight line is one thing all EVs do effectively. The place they have a tendency to fall quick is of their constantly stiff damping as a result of extreme weight they should carry round. But, even in that regard, the Air is a grasp at offering a cloud-like trip expertise, absorbing street imperfections with minimal vibrations and harshness. However it’ll additionally play alongside on a winding again street, offering the type of suggestions and engagement sports activities sedans are appreciated for. It is the sort of suspension tuning I anticipate from a BMW, not from an upstart automaker that has by no means constructed automobiles earlier than.

2025 Lucid Air Touring Technical Specs

2025 Lucid Air Touring Power Consumption, Vary, And Charging

In optimum situations, the EPA charges the vary of a Lucid Air Touring with 19-inch wheels at 425 miles (683 km). As for charging, Lucid says the Air will fast-charge on a DC fast-charging unit at a price of 250 kW, once more, in optimum situations. The onboard charger for stage 2 residence charging is rated by the automaker at 19.2 kW, a excessive quantity within the present EV {industry}.

As for me, the automotive bought me 217 real-world miles whereas driving it within the chilly, and at principally freeway speeds, consuming, on common, 2.9 miles per kWh. In such situations, that is a improbable vitality consumption common.

Nonetheless, the place the Air did not carry out so effectively was throughout a fast-charging session on a 180-kW quick charger. Whereas I carry out most of my EV charging at residence on my Flo G5 7.2 kW stage 2 charger, I gave the Air no less than one shot at a DC fast-charger to see the way it fares. Fortunately, the automotive lets you manually precondition its battery beforehand, to optimize charging efficiency. Which I did. Sadly, as you’ll be able to see within the graph above, throughout the 20-minute charging session, my preconditioned Air solely managed to peak at simply over 150 kW. It then rapidly dropped to as little as 109 kW.

EPA And As Examined Power Consumption And Vary

Inside Design And Consolation: Every thing A Luxurious Sedan Ought to Be, Besides One Minor Element

Once more, the second you sit inside a Lucid Air, you get a way that you simply’re inside one thing costly and moderately unique. My tester’s contrasting Tahoe leather-based on black upholstery regarded wealthy, younger, and likewise stylish. All cabin supplies additionally appear and feel like they have been cherry-picked to supply a very high-end, but minimalistic luxurious expertise. The cabin’s usually spacious and ethereal feeling, principally as a result of lack of mechanical elements beneath the automotive, provides a way of grandeur solely the perfect full-size luxurious limousines know the best way to provide.

Additionally, hats off to Lucid for preserving bodily buttons and knobs for very important capabilities reminiscent of local weather management settings and audio quantity. I will get again to this automotive’s expertise in a bit, however the truth that Lucid presents it in a clear, restrained method is refreshing on this world of screen-infested cabins.

It is a good inside, one which instantly places you comfy from the way it wraps round you with ergonomic excellence. Nevertheless it’s not excellent. The Air’s aggressively sloped A pillar and low roof signifies that in case you’re tall, you will want to verify the motive force’s seat is already lowered to its max setting earlier than climbing inside.

The rear seats are immensely comfy, providing extra legroom than you would ever think about, together with comfort options reminiscent of retractable curtains, all operated through the center-mounted display. The rear doorways additionally open huge, all the way in which to the B pillar for simple ingress and egress. It is all very inviting, except you have bought younger youngsters to hold round. That seat’s backrest is positioned behind the C pillar in such a method that strapping my son in a rear-facing kid’s seat proved ergonomically difficult.

Lastly, though the Lucid app operates moderately seamlessly, the automotive did not all the time unlock robotically as I approached it. Neither did it unlock after I got here near it with the important thing fob. This inconsistency ultimately had me simply manually locking/unlocking the doorways utilizing the fob itself.

2025 Lucid Air Touring Inside Dimensions

Expertise And Ease Of Use: Quiet And Brilliantly Executed, However The place’s Android Auto?

Maybe the place the Lucid Air stands taller than different EVs, and another new car for that matter, is the way it masters its expertise to the purpose that you do not actually notice it is there. Sure, the Air’s complete dashboard is basically a big pill show. And there is even a second, vertical pill beneath the primary one, which may all seem overwhelming at first.

However I rapidly bought my head round every little thing as a result of how easily all of it operates, and the way straightforward it’s to understand. Extra importantly, the tech is all introduced in a laid-back method, with darkish backlighting to appease its depth, however to additionally match higher with the automotive’s inside supplies. As soon as I used to be executed configuring the automotive’s local weather management settings and drive modes, I might tuck that second display away, which was notably useful at night time. It felt nice to lastly be driving a brand new automotive that wasn’t blasting LED screens at me previous sundown. It is among the finest integrations of contemporary expertise I’ve ever seen in a contemporary car.

There are actually solely two downfalls to the Air’s tech. The primary being the dearth of a heads-up show. Contemplating my automotive had an almost $100,000 ($125,000 CAD) price ticket, it felt considerably unacceptable. So did the absence of Android Auto. And, I am not speaking about wi-fi Android Auto, however Android Auto altogether! To its protection, Lucid says an replace is coming quickly to repair this.

Cargo And Storage House: There’s A Lot Of It

Due to the Air’s beneficiant use of each its entrance and rear storage areas, it is up there amongst probably the most sensible sedans at present on sale. Sadly, it nonetheless cannot match the Tesla Mannequin S (25 cu-ft), which is a hatchback, yielding extra cargo house as soon as these rear seats are lowered flat (61.4 cu-ft). Nonetheless, the Mannequin S’ entrance trunk (frunk) is much less spacious (3.1 cu-ft) than the Air’s. So, when all seats are in place, the Lucid Air really affords extra complete cargo house.

2025 Lucid Air Touring Cargo House

Trying Ahead To What’s Coming Subsequent At Lucid

In fact, me telling you that the Lucid Air is each a improbable luxurious sedan and an awesome electrical car comes as no shock. Lucid has already gained the North American Luxurious Automobile Award with it, to say nothing of all of the reward different automotive media shops have given the automotive. Sure, it is that good. However Lucid now wants to maneuver on to different issues. Extra profitable issues.

Shifting ahead, it is the Gravity SUV that’ll do a lot of the heavy lifting as the corporate ramps up manufacturing and prepares for extra inexpensive fashions by means of its Mid-Measurement program. Certainly, the stakes are excessive, particularly on this financial system, however primarily based on this assessment alone, I am assured that Lucid will push by means of. Till it will get there, the Air stays the undisputed queen of the EV world.