See the 12 coolest features of the Lucid Air, a swanky new Tesla rival with a huge frunk and over 1,000 horsepower

Tim LevinMay 27, 2023, 17:42 IST

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Lucid Air is one of the coolest new electric cars on sale today.
Lucid lent me a $180,000 Air Grand Touring Performance for review.

In 2023, there's no shortage of new and exciting electric vehicles to drool over. But few are quite as novel or exciting as the Air, the very first model out of California startup Lucid Motors.

The simple fact that Lucid has managed to start building vehicles and shipping them to customers means the newcomer deserves your attention. In an industry dominated by hundred-year-old behemoths, it's exceptionally difficult for new companies to set up shop. Reminder: Tesla nearly went bankrupt when it was ramping up production of the Model 3.

Moreover, the luxe sedan is ridiculously impressive. I got behind the wheel of a $180,000 Air Grand Touring Performance (one of the pricier versions), and was delighted by all sorts of awe-inspiring features and capabilities.

The Air has a huge trunk with a snazzy clamshell opening that I think looks incredibly cool.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The trunk's mouth is a bit low and wide, presenting a bit of a problem for loading in awkwardly shaped cargo.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

But on the upside, you get a secret cellar under the floor.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Folding the rear seats should make room for skis or a TV.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

If you max out the trunk at a Costco run, there's loads of bonus room up front in the Air's frunk.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

At first glance, the frunk looks decently sized but not huge. Remove a floor panel and it becomes one of the most spacious in the EV biz, bigger than any from Tesla.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Air's stylish interior — filled with wood, Alcantara, and soft leather — is a big selling point in itself.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

But I'll call out a few highlights.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Hopping inside, one of the first things you notice is a sprawling glass roof that brings the outside in.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

There's an extra-large windshield that stretches over the driver's head, resulting in funny-looking sun visors.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

It makes the interior feel super open and modern, but also has a habit of cooking passengers when the sun's really beating down.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Another high-end touch: The Air has soft-close doors. Shut a door most of the way and it'll pull itself shut automatically.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Air's curved, 34-inch display looks crisp and elegant, but the most unique part of it is the leftmost corner.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

There you'll find an assortment of touchscreen buttons that never move. It's nice to have the most critical functions at the ready.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Speaking of screens, the centerpiece of the Air's cabin is a tablet-like display down by the driver's knee.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

It serves as a portal to all the Air's settings, including the seat warmers, charging settings and drive modes.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

But the coolest part about it is that it retracts into the dashboard, revealing a hidden cubby.

The Lucid Air.Lucid

Another virtue of the multi-screen setup: When parking, the Air prominently displays both a birds-eye view and backup camera simultaneously.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The high-def 360-degree view was one of my favorite features of the Air.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin

The Air I drove had massaging seats up front with several different settings.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

They even massage your butt, which felt a bit intrusive at first but is welcome on long, crampy drives.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

On top of all that, the Air serves up extremely impressive performance all around.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Its range is unmatched.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Air Grand Touring earns an EPA rating of 516 miles. The Grand Touring Performance I drove is estimated at a whopping 446.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

For reference, the best Tesla Model S goes just over 400 miles on a full battery, while most mainstream EVs are rated for somewhere between 230 and 300 miles.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Air Grand Touring Performance's quickness is otherworldly. It's like your own personal rollercoaster.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

With two motors sending 1,050 horsepower to all four wheels, the Air is capable of hitting 60 mph from a standstill in 2.6 seconds, Lucid says.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

What's more, the Air shoots forward so smoothly and effortlessly that it feels like it's barely even trying.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

One of the absolute best parts of the Air is how quickly it charges up after a day on the road.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

The Air boasts a peak charging rate of 300 kilowatts, placing it near the top of the industry.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

In plain English, that means it charges much, much faster than your average EV — so long as you find a station that's rated to output 300 kW or more.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

I stopped for 12 minutes and added 158 miles of range, plenty for another couple hours of highway driving.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

Under optimal conditions, Lucid says the Air can recoup 200 miles of range in 12 minutes.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

There's no doubt that the Air is an extraordinary machine. But is it impressive enough to go toe to toe with major players like Mercedes-Benz and BMW? Only time will tell.

The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance.Tim Levin/Insider

There's no doubt that the Air is an extraordinary machine. But is it impressive enough to go toe to toe with major players like Mercedes-Benz and BMW? Only time will tell.

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See the 12 coolest features of the Lucid Air, a swanky new Tesla rival with a huge frunk and over 1,000 horsepower

The Air has a huge trunk with a snazzy clamshell opening that I think looks incredibly cool.

The trunk's mouth is a bit low and wide, presenting a bit of a problem for loading in awkwardly shaped cargo.

But on the upside, you get a secret cellar under the floor.

Folding the rear seats should make room for skis or a TV.

If you max out the trunk at a Costco run, there's loads of bonus room up front in the Air's frunk.

At first glance, the frunk looks decently sized but not huge. Remove a floor panel and it becomes one of the most spacious in the EV biz, bigger than any from Tesla.

The Air's stylish interior — filled with wood, Alcantara, and soft leather — is a big selling point in itself.

But I'll call out a few highlights.

Hopping inside, one of the first things you notice is a sprawling glass roof that brings the outside in.

There's an extra-large windshield that stretches over the driver's head, resulting in funny-looking sun visors.

It makes the interior feel super open and modern, but also has a habit of cooking passengers when the sun's really beating down.

Another high-end touch: The Air has soft-close doors. Shut a door most of the way and it'll pull itself shut automatically.

The Air's curved, 34-inch display looks crisp and elegant, but the most unique part of it is the leftmost corner.

There you'll find an assortment of touchscreen buttons that never move. It's nice to have the most critical functions at the ready.

Speaking of screens, the centerpiece of the Air's cabin is a tablet-like display down by the driver's knee.

It serves as a portal to all the Air's settings, including the seat warmers, charging settings and drive modes.

But the coolest part about it is that it retracts into the dashboard, revealing a hidden cubby.

Another virtue of the multi-screen setup: When parking, the Air prominently displays both a birds-eye view and backup camera simultaneously.

The high-def 360-degree view was one of my favorite features of the Air.

The Air I drove had massaging seats up front with several different settings.

They even massage your butt, which felt a bit intrusive at first but is welcome on long, crampy drives.

On top of all that, the Air serves up extremely impressive performance all around.

Its range is unmatched.

The Air Grand Touring earns an EPA rating of 516 miles. The Grand Touring Performance I drove is estimated at a whopping 446.

For reference, the best Tesla Model S goes just over 400 miles on a full battery, while most mainstream EVs are rated for somewhere between 230 and 300 miles.

The Air Grand Touring Performance's quickness is otherworldly. It's like your own personal rollercoaster.

With two motors sending 1,050 horsepower to all four wheels, the Air is capable of hitting 60 mph from a standstill in 2.6 seconds, Lucid says.

What's more, the Air shoots forward so smoothly and effortlessly that it feels like it's barely even trying.

One of the absolute best parts of the Air is how quickly it charges up after a day on the road.

The Air boasts a peak charging rate of 300 kilowatts, placing it near the top of the industry.

In plain English, that means it charges much, much faster than your average EV — so long as you find a station that's rated to output 300 kW or more.

I stopped for 12 minutes and added 158 miles of range, plenty for another couple hours of highway driving.

Under optimal conditions, Lucid says the Air can recoup 200 miles of range in 12 minutes.

There's no doubt that the Air is an extraordinary machine. But is it impressive enough to go toe to toe with major players like Mercedes-Benz and BMW? Only time will tell.