2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance Review: Simply Sensational
One of the best things I've done in my career was scoring the world's first drive review of the Lucid Air electric sedan. It was a big moment, one that I'm still amazed happened. That said, the headline-grabbing part of the two days I spent driving an Air Dream Edition R—that we drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then some on a single charge—didn't go the way I wanted. Oh, in terms of the sheer traffic and interest that first drive generated, it couldn't have gone any better. But to achieve the impressive range that we did, my co-driver (and Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson) did the unimaginable. We went the speed limit. Oh, the humanity! Truth be told, going 70 in a 70-mph zone freaked me out, so I kept cranking it up to 72 mph. The thing made 966 horsepower, people! And 57 in a 55 sucks even worse. Fast forward 11 months and my assignment is to jet up to the Bay Area, grab the new 1,050-hp Air Grand Touring Performance, and drive it back to Los Angeles. All by myself. Speed limits? We don't need no stinking speed limits!
About six months ago, after the Air took home our 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year honors, Lucid gave me a quick opportunity to drive its Dream Edition P—that's the 1,111-hp version that's well and truly sold out. More interesting, however, was another car that was also there: a development mule of the Air Grand Touring. What was so special? The handling, specifically because of changes made to the front end. Driving the two back to back was fascinating. Sure, the Dream Edition P made more than 300 additional hp than the 819-hp Grand Touring, but I massively preferred how the latter felt. The improvement was apparent just leaving the parking lot.
How the Lucid Air Improved
Two things made the difference. First, the front suspension received some new dampers. Second, the car's suspension software had been altered, adjusted, and improved. The story of the process is worth sharing. Lucid's director of chassis and vehicle dynamics, David Lickfold, Turo'd himself a 991.2 Porsche GT3 RS and spent a weekend driving the two vehicles. Just him, by himself, working until the wee hours of the morning. David would do a run in the Porsche, then one in the Lucid, pull over, plug his laptop into the latter, and tweak away. The results impressed the hell out of me. Naturally, I was looking forward to driving the 1,050-hp version of the Grand Touring.
After a brief meeting with Lucid's head of design, Derek Jenkins, I left the company's Newark, California, headquarters with 87 percent of the Air GTP's battery charged. That meant I had a range of 388 miles, seeing as how the Performance variant of the Grand Touring only comes on 21-inch wheels and has an EPA range of 446 miles. The "regular" GT has a range of 469 miles on 21-inch wheels, or a whopping 516 miles on 19-inchers. As the crow flies, it's 359 miles from Lucid's headquarters to my house. However, my plan (that I'd spent about six adolescent seconds on) was to reverse the route we took the last time but go faster. Essentially, that meant heading down the 101 South until Paso Robles, taking advantage of an Electrify America location, then heading over to the 5 South for the bulk of the rest of the trip. What could possibly go wrong?
Soul-crushing traffic, for one. (If I can diverge into a little provincial Hatfield and McCoy-style nonsense for a second, anyone from the Bay Area that says Los Angeles has bad traffic is projecting.) A drive that should have taken just over two hours to Paso Robles turned into a four-hour slog. By the time I got to the charging station, I was down to 162 miles of remaining indicated range. Which means I used 211 miles of range to cover 177 road miles. That's not actually bad, especially given I had the A/C set to "meat locker," the massaging seat going full bore, and the pretty damn great stereo cranked up to a high volume. And, yes, I also had the adaptive cruise (or Dream Drive as Lucid calls it) set to 84 mph and was enjoying occasional bursts into triple-digit territory when traffic would allow. Hey, the car makes 1,050 hp and I'm a doctor of automotive journalism, dammit. Besides, those Priuses parked in the left lane ain't gonna pass themselves.
Charging-Station Challenges
Then the inevitable happened. All three chargers plopped incongruously in a Bank of America parking lot were occupied. I got out of the GTP and heard, "Hey, us and this car are ahead of you." I nodded at the Chevy Bolt owner and admired the Hyundai Ioniq 5 waiting behind him. Just then, the couple that was standing next to their VW ID4 threw their hands up in celebration. "It's working," the man said into his cell phone, presumably to the poor EA employee who'd just reset the charger, an all too common occurrence. "How'd you get it to work?" asked a flustered Kia Niro EV owner. Then a Ford F-150 Lightning pulled in and I made the decision to just go eat lunch. I had about 160 miles of range left, and there's a 350-kW Electrify America station a bit further south in Pismo Beach. The Electrify America app does tell you when all the chargers are in use; I stopped in Paso Robles specifically because the app had erroneously reported two chargers as available. Welcome to EV road trips using the nascent charging infrastructure.
There's a back way to Pismo that offers a few miles of twisting roads, too, so I figured this would be the time to get some dynamic driving done. Look, the Air GTP is a monster. There's no other way to say it. To get its full capabilities, touch the on-screen button to activate Sprint mode to unleash full power and all 921 lb-ft of torque. The Air's default comfort drive mode is Smooth, a sportier mode is called Swift, and Sprint is like track mode. In Sprint, the suspension, braking, torque vectoring, throttle, and steering responses are all tweaked for maximum yeehaw. Not only can you use all 1,050 horses—a preposterous statement, I'm aware—but mein gott this thing sticks to the pavement when cornering. In fact, the more you treat it like a track car by using as much of the lane/road as possible, the happier and more impressive it is bounding from apex to apex. We've yet to weigh a Grand Touring Performance, but the "regular" Air Grand Touring clocked in at 5,266 pounds; figure this new car to be roughly identical. But, hand to heart, it feels like 1,000 of those pounds magically disappear when the Lucid is driven angry. Like a GT3 RS? Not quite, but perhaps like a 2.6-ton GT3 RS.
Luxury Liner
Yeah, yeah—these Lucids make incredible power and Lickfold's chassis team has found a way to put it all down and make the big girl dance a jig. But Lucid vehicles are pitched as luxury machines. How's the luxury? I mentioned earlier that I had the air conditioning going full bore. This was because once I got south of a little farming town called Gonzales, the external temperature was 97 degrees Fahrenheit. For the time being all Lucid Airs have these massive glass roofs and in the sort of California sun I experienced on the drive, you just get cooked. I don't care how much UV-jamming, anti-solar whizbangery Lucid claims it's treated the glass with—it gets very warm. I've brought this up several times with several Lucid executives, including Rawlinson, and they acknowledge my point. The entry Pure model will only come with a steel roof, and the next-step-up Touring will make the glass canopy an option. So, that's nice if you want to save some dough and not have to wear a hat when it's sunny.
Going beyond that peeve, the other negatives are minor. The lane departure warning graphic is overeager, the map takes five seconds before it fully loads, and sometimes the car needs 10 to 15 seconds to completely wake up when you first jump inside. But here's the awesome part about software-defined vehicles (SDVs). There's an over-the-air update (OTA) coming in a couple of months that will radically revise all of this. Just like that. Also, hot tip, when the integration's ready, owners will get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too.
Enough with the bad stuff. The seats are incredible, not just because of the design and comfort, but because of how powerful the massage settings are. Like, dang man. A couple of the programs felt vaguely inappropriate—you have to love that. The materials are top shelf (especially the fabrics), the screens aren't too omnipresent, and the large lower screen can be stowed out of the way, which not only opens up a big, purse-size cubby but also reduces the amount of visual clutter fighting for your eyeballs' attention. I also love the physical temperature, fan speed, and volume switchgear. I find it luxurious not having to dig into a damn screen for every single little thing. Let's not forget that our buddy, Randy Pobst, just lost Pikes Peak because he couldn't easily access the Tesla Model S Plaid's fan.
I pulled into the charging station in Pismo and—hooray!—found an open 350-kW charger. The car was showing 96 miles of range left. I plugged in and watched how the Lucid's 912-volt electrical architecture helps the battery just suck down the kilowatts. The juice was flowing into the car at speeds from 245 to 275 kW, adding 19 miles of range per minute. Five minutes later (another) Hyundai Ioniq 5 plugged in next to me and the charging speed was cut in half. Nineteen minutes later, the car had absorbed 205 miles worth of energy. The range read 301 miles as the battery was charged to 68 percent. Did I mention the Air charges faster than any other EV? I only had to drive about 175 more miles, so I figured I was good. Spoiler alert: I was good. I made it home with 49 miles of range left, plugged the GTP into my Rivian charger, and awoke to an 80 percent full battery (where'd I'd set the charging limit), meaning the GTP was good for 360 miles of driving. Well, if you're one of those go-the-speed-limit types.
We don't give out our Car, Truck, or SUV of the Year trophies willy nilly. Despite what you may have heard, it's the most rigorous, repeatable, and labor-intensive process in the industry. If a vehicle receives the Golden Calipers, it's earned them. Still, I always find it nice to go back and recheck our math. Spending a day with the Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance reminded me why I was so blown away by this machine that first time out. Nothing on earth has the power/range combo of this EV, and at this point in time, no other company's even close.
Lucid isn't stopping there. It's creating a 360-degree luxury brand, where every aspect of the customer experience—from the website to the studios (Lucid-speak for showrooms) to the promotional photography—is curated in-house. The result is an epic brute in a suit, a car that effortlessly blends mid-century modern with a California ethos, a technological tour de force that obsoletes its competitors. And this is just the first Lucid—the Gravity SUV will be its second vehicle—and one that hasn't even been in production for a whole calendar year yet. I'm excited about what Lucid will dream up next. Hopefully I'll get to tell you about that one first, too.
Looks good! More details?2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance Specifications BASE PRICE $180,500 LAYOUT Front- and rear-motor, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan MOTORS 2 AC permanent-magnet electric, 1,050 hp/921 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 1-speed auto CURB WEIGHT 5,200-5,250 (mfr) WHEELBASE 116.5 in L x W x H 195.9 x 76.2 x 55.4 in 0-60 MPH 2.6 sec (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 112/112/112 mpg-e (MT est) EPA RANGE 446 miles ON SALE Now Show AllYou may also like
ProsSupercharged power wallopFantastic chassis controlExcellent six-speed manual transmission ConsComplicated performance modesFeels big at timesVery thirstyThere's a scene in the movie Mad Max where Max gazes upon a blown V-8, whining and roaring in the engine bay of a Pursuit Special as the mechanic maniacally exclaims: "It's the last of the V-8s!" We couldn't help but replay that clip in our minds as we hammered the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing around the Hyundai Proving Ground and later as a finalist on Angeles Crest Highway and the Streets of Willow circuit. We're not in some distant dystopian future, yet here is the last of Cadillac's supercharged V-8 superheroes, a stupendous, 668-hp sendoff to the marque's high-performance V-series cars."What a shame Cadillac is going to stop making monstrous supercharged track machines like this," senior features editor Jonny Lieberman said. "Because it just feels so good to drive. So, let's call the big Blackwing bittersweet. As well as awesome!"The rest of the judges were as effusive in their praise, lathering love on the CT5-V Blackwing for its composed chassis—thanks in part to GM's excellent magnetic ride control—and its exceptional, stout brakes. (Our test car had the $9,000 carbon-ceramics.) And we can't forget the six-speed manual transmission and its no-lift shift feature; the gearbox garnered plenty of judge fan mail (and more all-caps exclamations) and is a novelty on a performance sedan these days."Great manual transmission," features editor Christian Seabaugh said. "It's one of the best ones here. Short, precise throws with just enough assist to ensure you never miss your gate, but not enough to make the shifter feel springy. Good clutch feel, well-spaced pedals."Although it's on the heavy side at 4,067 pounds, the CT5-V Blackwing still lays down some impressive performance numbers. It rumbles to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and on to a quarter-mile time of 11.5 seconds at 127.5 mph, and it reels itself in from 60 mph in 102 feet."Power, power, power, power, and a boatload of torque, too," Lieberman said. "I barely needed to shift gears on the Crest, as a tsunami of torque [659 lb-ft] was flooding the joint. You quickly notice this is a large family sedan with a massive rear seat. That said, the suspension does its part, and the body control is surprisingly solid."Indeed, it was hard to find any real flaws with the CT5-V from a performance vehicle perspective. A few judges thought the car felt big at times on Streets, but only in the context that it would have fit better on a larger track where you could take more advantage of its prodigious power. That, and editorial boss man Ed Loh wasn't enamored with what he considered the car's over-configurability. "Like BMW, all the modes are entirely too complicated to navigate. It's dumb to be left wondering if, among the many combinations, you're in the right mode for the conditions," Loh said. Oh, and it also flat-out swills gas.After our evaluation, however, there was zero question the Blackwing's capabilities are immense, the result of two decades' worth of honing and harnessing a front-engine, rear-drive super sedan formula. Max would no doubt approve.And although it's a drag that this Caddy is the last of the supercharged V-8s, the fact the CT5-V is so good it finished third in the inaugural Performance Vehicle of the Year bodes well for Cadillac's high-performance future—electrified though it may be.2022 Cadillac CT5 V Blackwing Specifications Base Price/As tested $84,990/$112,545 Power (SAE net) 668 hp @ 6,500 rpm Torque (SAE net) 659 lb-ft @ 3,600 rpm Accel, 0-60 mph 3.6 sec Quarter-mile 11.5 sec @ 127.5 mph Braking, 60-0 mph 102 ft Lateral Acceleration 1.04 g (avg) MT Figure Eight 23.4 sec @ 0.89 g (avg) EPA City/Hwy/Comb 13/21/15 mpg Vehicle Layout Front-engine, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan Engine, Transmission 6.2L Supercharged direct-injected OHV 16-valve 90-degree V-8, 6-speed manual Curb Weight (F/R DIST) 4,067 lb (54/46%) Wheelbase 116.0 in Length x Width x Height 194.9 x 74.1 x 56.5 in On Sale Now Show All
Volvo has updated its T8 AWD plug-in hybrid version of its scalable vehicle architecture underpinning cars like the XC90 and XC60 Recharge, adding more performance and a larger battery. The updates boost the all-electric range, and on top of that, now customers would also be able to redeem the federal government's full $7,500 electrified vehicle tax credit on any Recharge model. Previously, these models were eligible for smaller credits.The update will roll out to every vehicle on the T8 AWD plug-in platform, including the S60 Recharge, V60 Polestar Engineered, XC60 Recharge, XC60 Polestar Engineered, S90 Recharge, and XC90 Recharge currently on sale. Volvo says the extensive upgrades Driving the plug-in hybrid in EV mode—where the gas engine is shut off and you're running on battery and motors only for a limited range, like a BEV—will get you further now. The S60 Recharge and V60 Polestar Engineered gain the most, at 41 miles total, the S90 Recharge jumps up to 38 miles total, and The XC60, S90, and XC90 Recharge models all get 35 miles of total EV range.Volvo claims this is enough for most of its customers to get to work on electric power alone, without having to burn any fuel. If they can charge at work, then they can operate the car in EV mode on daily commutes. Volvo says its customer research reflects its plug-in hybrids mentioned above are already driven "around half the time" in pure electric mode, so the boosted range will likely only increase that estimate. Volvo calls them "part-time electric cars," which is cute.The engine and motor improvements have also slightly boosted low-speed traction and towing capabilities. Volvo says the Other updates include newly introduced, optional one-pedal driving in EV mode for XC60 and S90 models, and a new remote cabin pre-heat or pre-cool feature is now available through the Volvo Cars phone app. Show AllTable information provided by Volvo. Volvo isn't talking about pricing yet for these updated T8 models, but we have to imagine MSRPs will increase somewhat given the additional performance and capabilities. We'll update you when we get that information.
Laying It OutNumbers Upon NumbersUp in the CanyonsSummary Judgment2nd Place: 2022 Acura NSX Type SProsInteresting drivetrain techMid-range torqueMid-engine architecture ConsBrakes don't inspire confidenceVague steering feelExpensive for what you getVerdict:1st Place: 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTSProsQuick in a straight lineQuick in cornersSupreme handling ConsUbiquitous on the streetNot as sharp as some other 911sToo pricey for most peopleVerdict:POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS 2022 Acura NSX Type S Specifications 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS Specifications DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Mid-engine, 2 front and 1 rear motors, AWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe Rear-engine, RWD ENGINE, MOTOR TYPE Twin-turbo port- and direct-injected DOHC 24-valve 60-degree V-6, plus 3 permanent-magnet elec motors Twin-turbo direct-injected DOHC 24-valve flat-6, alum block/heads DISPLACEMENT 3,454 cc/210.8 cu in 2,981 cc/181.9 cu in COMPRESSION RATIO 10.0:1 10.2:1 POWER (SAE NET) 520 hp @ 6,500 rpm (gas), 72 hp (comb front elec), 47 hp (rear elec); 600 hp (comb) 473 hp @ 6,500 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 443 lb-ft @ 2,300 rpm (gas), 108 lb-ft (comb front elec), 109 lb-ft (rear elec); 492 lb-ft (comb) 420 lb-ft @ 2,300 rpm REDLINE 7,500 rpm 7,400 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 7.5 lb/hp 7.2 lb/hp TRANSMISSION 9-speed twin-clutch auto 8-speed twin-clutch auto AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 3.58:1/2.27:1 3.39:1/2.07:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 11.1-12.9:1 12.3-14.1:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 1.8 2.4 BRAKES, F; R 15.0-in vented, drilled carbon-ceramic disc; 14.2-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc 16.1-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc; 15.4-in vented, drilled, carbon-ceramic disc WHEELS, F;R 8.5 x 19-in; 11.0 x 20-in, forged aluminum 8.5 x 20-in; 11.5 x 21-in, forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 245/35R19 93Y; 305/30R20 103Y Pirelli P Zero HO 245/35R20 91Y; 305/30R21 100Y Pirelli P Zero NA1 DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 103.5 96.5 in TRACK, F/R 65.5/64.5 in 62.8/61.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 178.5 x 76.3 x 47.8 in 178.4 x 72.9 x 50.9 in TURNING CIRCLE 39.7 ft 35.8 ft CURB WEIGHT (DIST F/R) 3,903 lb (42/58%) 3,389 lb (37/63%) SEATING CAPACITY 2 2 HEADROOM 38.3 in 37.9 in LEGROOM 42.9 in 42.2 in SHOULDER ROOM 57.5 in 56.2 in CARGO VOLUME 4.4 cu ft 4.7 (trunk), 9.3 (rear parcel) cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.3 sec 1.2 sec 0-40 1.8 1.7 0-50 2.4 2.2 0-60 3.1 2.9 0-70 3.9 3.7 0-80 4.8 4.6 0-90 5.9 5.7 0-100 7.1 7.0 0-100-0 11.3 10.8 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.4 1.3 QUARTER MILE 11.2 sec @ 124.1 mph 11.1 sec @ 124.6 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 103 ft 99 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.03 g (avg) 1.04 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.2 sec @ 0.89 g (avg) 23.3 sec @ 0.87 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,500 rpm 1,500 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $171,495 $138,050 PRICE AS TESTED $185,995 $162,940 AIRBAGS 7: Dual front, front side, front curtain, driver knee 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 6 yrs/70,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/50,000 miles 4 yrs/50,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 15.6 gal + 1.3 kWh Li-Ion 23.7 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 21/22/21 mpg 17/23/19 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 328 miles 450 miles RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded premium Unleaded premium ON SALE Now Now Show All
0 Comments