First Look at the 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring: An Impressive Rethinking of the Luxury Sedan

 Even when considered only on its primary function, the Lucid Air electric luxury automobile is an unquestionable success.

A car like the new 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring is easy to overthink. There's a lot to unpack with the all-electric Air, from its groundbreaking miniaturised motors (good for 1,111 hp in their most potent configuration), game-changing battery tech that helps give the Air up to 520 miles of driving range and the fastest charge speeds on the market, to its exceptional styling. But what if we reduce the 2022 Lucid Air to its most fundamental function? Leaving aside all of the above—and the clear and present threat the Air poses to Tesla's dominance in the automotive luxury space—how is the Air as a car? It turns out to be shockingly good.

What Motivates The Lucid Air?

We won't dig too much into the weeds here since we want to keep things simple, but if you want to learn more about Lucid as a company, the Air, and what makes the organisation tick, check out our first drive of the Air Dream R, one of two top-spec models Lucid provides for its new car.

Our test aircraft is a 2022 Lucid Air Air Grand Touring, which is one notch below the top-spec Dream version. The Air Grand Touring is propelled by two electric motors, one at each axle, which provide 800 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque in Sprint, the Air's performance mode. The Air Grand Touring produces 536 horsepower and 645 lb-ft of torque in the default Swift driving mode, while torque dips somewhat more to 620 lb-ft in the cushier Smooth mode.

The motor is supported by a 113-kWh battery capable of quick charging at peak speeds of up to 350 kW, making it the market's reigning charge-speed champion (Lucid says the Air can treble that rate if DC fast chargers catch up). The EPA-rated range on our 21-inch-wheel-equipped Air Grand Touring test car is 469 miles, but range increases to 516 miles with the optional 19-inch wheels.

How Is The Lucid Air Powered?

Despite the fact that a more powerful version of the Air is available, the 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring is one of the fastest sedans we've ever driven. Even without a specific launch-control feature, stepping on the accelerator from a stop propels the Air from 0 to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds and through the quarter mile in 10.8 seconds at 130.1 mph. While slower than a Tesla Model S Plaid (2.07 seconds to 60 mph), the Lucid is just 0.1 second slower to 60 mph than the Audi RS E-Tron GT and 0.75 second faster than the competitor Mercedes EQS, while also achieving a faster quarter-mile time and trap speed.

While there appears to be a disparity in acceleration between the Model S Plaid and the Lucid Air on paper, we doubt the trusty butt dyno will disclose such a difference. In drag racing, nine-tenths of a second is huge, but in the real world, the Air Grand Touring will still pin you back firmly into its soft seats, its somewhat thin tyres (selected for efficiency and range) still producing astonishing levels of grip.

The Air also has good brakes and handling for a premium vehicle. It lapped our figure-eight track in 24.6 seconds and averaged 0.83 g, which is decent but among the slowest performances in the section. Its best panic stop at 60-0 mph needed 115 feet. We assume that bigger tyres might help the Air find more traction and faster times, yet we had no issues behind the wheel. The Air's steering is light and communicative, and the ride is composed without being harsh on rough pavement.

Is It Worth It to Buy Lucid Air?

Lucid intends to deliver a bevvy of more economical Air electric vehicles late next year, so the lowest model for the time being is the 2022 Air Grand Touring, which starts at $139,000. The Air Touring is slated to arrive on sale in spring 2022, with pricing starting at $95,000. In late 2022, it will be followed by the $77,400 Air Pure. The more expensive Air Dream Edition starts at $169,000, although it is currently only accessible to reservation holders.

The 2022 Lucid Air is costly, but it's worth it for those looking for an executive luxury sedan. The Air is not just the most engaging American luxury car in recent memory, but it is also a stunning reimagining of what a luxury sedan should be.

• Specifications for the 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring
• As tested/base price                                               $139,000/$139,000
• Power (SAE net)                                                   800 horsepower
• Torque (SAE net)                                                885 pound-feet

How is The Cabin doing?

Any premium vehicle's interior is its raison d'être. The 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring performs admirably in this aspect as well. The Air is a miracle of packing, cramming Mercedes S-Class levels of room into an E-Class-sized vehicle. The front and back seats are smooth and comfy, with enough room for four big adults—or five in a pinch. The downsizing of Lucid's motors is beneficial to cargo capacity, with a huge trunk and an even larger trunk with a false floor that allows you to stow stuff between the car's framerails.

The sleek, classic lines of the outside translate effectively inside the cabin of the Air. While many EV startups (as well as major automakers) feel compelled to imitate Tesla's frigid slabs of displays, the Air's interior is wonderfully organic. You have your screens, yes, but they're tastefully incorporated rather than slapped indiscriminately on the dash. The curving instrument cluster screen is our favourite, but the multifunctional hidden screen on the centre console is also a nice addition. Except for a few pre-production items in our test car, fit, polish, and build quality were on level with or better than the competition.