Marques Brownlee of the Auto Focus YouTube channel got here into his evaluation of the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire already a fan of the model. So it’s no shock when he says the high-performance mannequin ranges up the Air in each single manner.
Lucid has actually “left nothing on the desk for me to complain about. This is without doubt one of the finest sedans ever made. And actually, it’s peak EV proper now. That is pretty much as good because it will get.”
Marques particularly appreciates is how Lucid went out of their manner to make sure the automotive was “prime of its class.” Whereas the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid is usually only a efficiency increase, the Air Sapphire has main enhancements that really differentiate it from the usual mannequin. They might even partially justify the sky-high $250,000 worth.
2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
| Class | Specs |
| Vary | 427 miles |
| Battery Measurement | 118 kWh |
| DC Quick Charging | 300 kW |
| Horsepower | 1234 |
| Torque | 1430 |
| 0-60 mph | 1.9 seconds |
| 1/4-Mile | 9 seconds |
| High Velocity | 200 mph |
| Weight | 5400 lbs |
It is not simply the uncooked specs that make the Sapphire particular. Whereas Marques says the styling of most Lucid fashions is extra akin to a Buick, the Sapphire is a significant step up.
“Lucid, for some time, I haven’t been the most important fan of the look,” he says. “They form of have this outdated man look with the two-toned silver.” Ouch. However the blacked-out trim and carbon fiber accents on the mirrors and spoiler give it a cleaner look. As do the carbon ceramic brakes, sporty tires and modern wheel design. “These are some severe wheels and tires. Mechanical grip is a extremely huge a part of what makes this automotive so sick.”
In a straight line, the tires carry out like your typical low rolling resistance EV tire. However the exterior corners are composed of a stickier rubber that improves dealing with. “If you’re cornering, you’re leaning on that exterior rubber and getting that agency, sporty, responsive really feel.”
The in-house developed traction management “brings all of it collectively” and the suspension could be very compliant. “You possibly can really feel that it’s stiff and it’s permitting you to nook and really feel the best way the automotive is shifting nicely. However it additionally isn’t punishing. It absorbs potholes and bumps within the street very well.”
The automotive maintains the model’s popularity for effectivity and lengthy vary as nicely. So long as you don’t benefit from all the ability at your disposal. “You possibly can drive it like a grandma and get 400 miles. However identical to the [Tesla Model S] Plaid, with these huge motors, you’ll be able to pull via battery shortly.”
The inside of the Sapphire is at first look much like the remainder of the lineup. The mannequin line has at all times had a roomy inside, and this performance-focused mannequin is definitely two inches wider and two inches longer than its siblings. Trunk house is beneficiant with underfloor storage and a passthrough within the rear middle seat. The ability-opening frunk is at all times appreciated as nicely.
There’s loads of further storage room within the cabin together with a deep middle console and a storage cubby hidden behind the decrease middle display. Lucid’s customized software program is one facet that’s merely “respectable”. It doesn’t essentially stand out towards competing methods but it surely does embody Apple CarPlay.
The doorways, inside trim and roof are lined with a easy suede materials. Rear seat leg room is outstanding, making the most of the bigger automobile measurement to extend leg room for the Sapphire mannequin.
Marques sees no downsides to the automotive and says it isn’t solely the perfect electrical sedan on this planet, it’s the finest sedan on this planet interval. After all, regardless of its “prime of the category” standing, this $250,000 sedan is at all times going to be area of interest.
Do you may have a number of hundred thousand to drop on a brand new automotive? If that’s the case, are you pondering of choosing up a Lucid Air Sapphire? Tell us within the feedback under.