Lucid Air; Respected! Why the Lucid Air Is the Best and Worst Car We’ve Ever Had. Motor Trend.
Why the Lucid Air Is the Best and Worst Car We’ve Ever Had
During one year of ownership, our 2022 Car of the Year reached for the stars.
Zach GaleWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographer
Just thinking about our Lucid Air gives me chills—the car tries to be the best in so many ways. Thousands of miles behind the wheel of our 1,050-hp 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance makes me appreciate how multitalented this machine is. The Lucid Air is so much more than four-wheeled transportation; it's something special. Daily driving MotorTrend's 2022 Car of the Year is an experience that excites me to my core.
When everything works, that is.
What We Liked
I had the pleasure of introducing Los Angeles to the MotorTrend yearlong review Lucid Air after testing director Eric Tingwall spent our first six months with it in Detroit. Frequently during my time, I'd remark how incredible it is that a single vehicle can offer more than 1,000 horsepower yet still be one of the most efficient available today, with more range than any other electric car. Incredibly, Lucid accomplishes these stats while also delivering a luxurious cabin and entertaining driving dynamics.
Especially with the Grand Touring Performance trim you learn quickly that this is a premium sport sedan. The ride isn't Mercedes EQS smooth, but we know which car we'd rather drive on a winding road.
Don't think of the Lucid as a one-dimensional sport sedan, though. A road trip with my parents reminded me how useful the electric Air's frunk and trunk can be, and I created my own Zen driving mode by activating the massaging seats and moving the lower touchscreen out of sight, revealing a less display-intensive interior.
Wide-opening rear doors were another highlight, proving that even aspirational cars can be practical. Simple up/down toggle switches on the dash for temperature and air flow flank a roller control for volume, physical controls I appreciate considering the way some automakers prioritize form over function.
Beyond all that, exclusivity was a real perk of Lucid ownership. In the wealthier parts of LA, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a victim of its own success. It feels like the executive sedan is everywhere, whereas seeing another Lucid is an event. When you're buying a six-figure car, that's big.
Bugs and Questions About Reliability
I wish we could stop there, but six months of Air ownership in L.A. also revealed one major truth at this moment in Lucid's growth as a new automaker: Anyone who doesn't describe themselves as an early adopter should find another car. Too many issues occurred, many unbecoming of a $30,000 car let alone one that costs about six times that.
We'll start with the way my personal Lucid experience began. During my first week with the car, a steering wheel button popped off, and we swapped in the first of countless replacement batteries for the slim key fob as it struggled to reliably connect with the car. Many times, the car forced us to wait when we got in as it loaded our profile, even though I swear I look the same on Wednesdays as I do on Tuesdays.
That's not so bad, but let's not forget about when the car lost power during testing and had to be towed from the track.
During everyday driving, the car left us stranded twice, refusing to turn on. The first time this happened, I called Lucid's helpful support line and we were able to troubleshoot the issue. Luckily, we were in a good neighborhood in front of a cookie bakery, but what if there had been no cookies?
Or let's talk about how the car occasionally displayed error messages in the rain for various sensor systems and the cool rear-facing blind-spot cameras. We've experienced the former issue in other cars, but still, not great. Nor is the fact that a few times over the course of the year, the level of regenerative braking unexpectedly lightened up before fixing itself, causing us some bemusement as we had to use the brake pedal instead of one-pedal driving.
Lest you think all of our Lucid's problem areas can be fixed with over-the-air updates, consider this: Over time, the frunk did its best to pry open the silver trim on the front of the car, though the friendly dealer fixed that issue under warranty.
Maybe we should discuss the way the auto-brake hold feature makes a subtle belching noise when it lifts the brakes—not something we experience to the same degree on electric Teslas and Hyundais. Or how an over-the-air update added an easy-exit feature that I couldn't turn off. And, yes, I know where the off switch should be in the display, thanks to a Lucid dealer rep who showed me where it's located.
Those irritations presented themselves regularly, but it wasn't always like that. Two of the more unusual one-off issues were a "reverse temporarily unavailable" note for five seconds, and then there was the last time I used the integrated Spotify app, months ago—everything was fine as I picked up Taco Tuesday takeout, but when I returned to the car, the system was logged in under someone else's profile with a playlist titled something I can't repeat here. I still don't know if that anomalistic occurrence has something to do with my phone, my streaming account, or the car itself.
Lucid Air owners will also need to get used to the front window switches being too far up on the door and an A pillar that juts into your line of sight. What a surprise it was to enter a Maserati GranTurismo sports coupe and have better visibility. Even folks not as tall as I am should watch their heads on the way into the Lucid.
Finally, if you park outside where it gets hot, precondition your car from the app or face the consequences of a glass-roofed car with no cover.
What About the Range?
We discovered early in our ownership of the Air that getting the advertised driving range requires careful driving, and even then the conditions must be perfect. That's true, but I have a glass-half-full perspective on this: When you engineer a car for 446 miles of range (in our specific model's case), traveling 300 to 350 miles between charges is still a win. And that's to say nothing of how most people charge: at home.
Our public charging experience with the Lucid was—wait for it—poor. Both in terms of station reliability and dealing with poor charging etiquette, the experience isn't worth the trouble unless you snag a spot early in the morning or you feel an obligation to maximize the promotional period of free Electrify America charging.
Cost of Ownership
Except for the cost of a couple key fob batteries and some pastries near a charging station on a road trip, Lucid ownership costs have been low. However, over the course of one year, our test car had the following replaced under warranty: a steering wheel, front trim piece, rear drive unit, and a decklid harness on the trunk after it stopped opening when using the external trunk release button.
Not confidence-inspiring, but how cool is this: The Air's $0.08-per-mile charging cost over more than 15,000 miles beats both the electric Volkswagen ID4 ($0.09 per mile) and the gas-fueled Toyota Corolla Cross ($0.17 per mile) and Genesis G90 ($0.22 per mile).
Part of the Lucid's low charging cost can be explained by the Detroit-to-LA road trip Tingwall took, during which he stopped at many Electrify America stations, which were free during a promotional period whose length depends on when you bought a Lucid, and what trim. In case you're wondering, the cost per mile was closer to $0.10 per mile in LA and around $0.07 during the extensively home- and office-charged Detroit half of its time with MotorTrend.
When we talk about cost of ownership, keep in mind that Lucid slashed Air prices across the trim lineup while we had the car, making it more accessible for those who crave something different. One trim that didn't make it to 2024 was the Grand Touring Performance model, like our test car. The wheels on our GT-P car were badly curbed by the end of the year, likely the result of driver inexperience with the Lucid's dimensions and rims that extend well beyond the edges of the tires. A version of those gorgeous 21-inch Aero Sport wheels lives on as an option within the Stealth package.
The Lucid Air Is a Beautiful Snowflake
Will Lucid work out the bugs so it's not just for early adopters willing to overlook its flaws? We'll see. For now, a year with the Air leaves us in awe, but also frustrated. This is a beautiful car and it's like nothing you've ever experienced. Considering all the problems we had, however, this amazing car also feels fragile; it isn't for everyone.
For More on Our Long-Term 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance:
- We're Testing the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance for a Year
- Winter Road Tripping Our Long-Term EVs Has Been Interesting
- An Extreme Winter Test in Our Long-Term Lucid Air Left Us Hot and Cold
- Who Builds a Better Luxury EV? Tesla or Lucid?
- Does a 1,050-HP Lucid Air Belong at the Dragstrip?
- What's the Lucid Mobile Service Experience Like?
- The Lucid Air EV Should Be a Road-Trip Champ. Our 2,300-Mile Trip Exposed a Problem
- Deal Breaker? Why the Lucid Air Isn't a Good Fit for This Type of Driver
- Who Wants to Race a 1,050-HP Lucid Air? These Los Angeles Cars Did
- Testing Our Lucid Air Resulted in a Loud Bang, Loss of Power, and Two Tow Trucks
- Lucid Air vs. Mercedes S-Class: 5 Ways Each Luxury Sedan Can Learn From the Other
- Five Lucid Air Interior Tricks Your Luxury Car Doesn't Have
- What Happens When Your 446-Mile Lucid Air Runs Out of Range? We Didn't Expect This
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