The 2023 Lucid Air Sapphire Is the World’s Most Powerful Sedan
California electric luxury vehicle manufacturer Lucid is launching a new performance subbrand called Sapphire. This might seem like an odd, even unnecessary move from a company that currently sells the Air Grand Touring Performance, a 1,050-hp sedan that runs the quarter mile in 10 seconds flat. But here we are. The first vehicle to fall under the Sapphire umbrella has three motors and will be known as—big surprise—the Air Sapphire.
Lucid is being tight-lipped about the actual numbers, and things will undoubtedly change before the first Sapphire is delivered about 10 months from now, but here's what's being claimed: more than 1,200 horsepower, 0-60 mph in less than 2 seconds, 0-100 mph in less than 4 seconds, a sub-9-second quarter mile, and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. You read all that right. Gulp.
How much above 1,200 horsepower are we talking? Seeing as how Lucid's already sold customers the 1,111-hp Air Dream Edition P, and the Sapphire has an extra motor, we're thinking much more than 1,200 horsepower. As stated, Lucid wouldn't give an exact figure; when pressed, chief engineer Eric Bach said the limiting factor in terms of output is the battery. After all, we know a single Lucid motor can produce up to 670 hp, and 670 times 3 is 2,010. However, even though the Air Sapphire has an "evolved" version of the brand's battery management software, it still cannot supply that much peak power. Bach also pointed out it's likely the number will continue to rise before the Air Sapphire is locked for production. If we had to guess the final number, 1,350 has a nice ring to it and makes some sense in the context of the performance claims. Alas, it's just a guess. Time will tell.
Big Power—With Big Range
Time will also reveal what the Air Sapphire's range is. Lucid says it will still be "more than 400 miles" but less than the 446-mile range delivered by the Air Grand Touring Performance. Knowing the Tesla Model S Long Range is rated for 405 miles on a single charge, and knowing Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson the way we do, we can all but guarantee the Air Sapphire will beat the best Tesla has to offer. If Lucid's Sapphire claims are true, this thing would beat the Plaid in a straight line, too. In this case, 425 miles feels like a safe bet for range.
Also, and although they're probably not to everyone's liking, the Air Sapphire comes with easy-to-install aero discs. These are wheel coverings—quite like what you see on the front wheels of the McLaren Speedtail—and vice president of design Derek Jenkins says they "add tens of miles of range." The idea is that you install them at your home, drive to the track, remove them, and then go tear up some pavement. We don't know whether the aero discs will be factored into the EPA's range rating.
Adding a third motor obviously increases weight, although not as much as it could seeing as how a single motor weighs 163 pounds. However, the sapphire-blue-colored Megawatt Drive Unit (as Lucid is calling the dual-motor assembly that fits between the rear half shafts) weighs less than two motors on their own. The car's larger tires also add weight, as does the girthier body—the Air Sapphire's track grows by nearly an inch up front and almost 2 inches at the rear. That said, the wheels and carbon-ceramic brake calipers do shed a little. We'd guess, all in, the Air Sapphire will be 200 pounds heavier than a standard Air. (The Grand Touring Performance weighed 5,256 pounds on our scales.)
Stopping Power
If your head is still spinning from the claimed acceleration and top speed numbers, know that the brakes on the Air Sapphire are pretty special. Up front you'll find massive, 16.5-inch Lucid-branded and Akebono-developed carbon-ceramic rotors gripped by 10-piston calipers. The rears measure 15.4 inches in diameter and utilize four-piston calipers. Also, the brake rotors "use a woven continuous carbon fiber rather than the discontinuous [chopped] carbon fiber" featured on most carbon braked road cars. The major benefit of a continuous carbon-fiber weave is three times more heat conductivity. Which, for a 2.5-plus-ton car capable of cresting 200 mph, is critical.
Lucid maintains that the Air Sapphire, as well as future Sapphire products, will be more than just a straight-line juggernaut. Rather, Sapphire vehicles will be fully developed performance cars. First and foremost, as the two motors that make up the Megawatt Drive aren't mechanically linked, the car has the capability to spin one motor (on the outside wheel) forward, while the other (inside wheel) begins regenerative braking. That latter part means the wheel effectively tries to spin backward, i.e., torque vectoring. Also, this next part is a little tricky, but let's say each rear motor makes on the order of 400 horsepower (to be clear, that's just a random figure, not an actual specification). When one motor goes into regen, the energy it was using is now free to flow into the forward-spinning motor, creating as much as 670 hp. Nuts, huh? Lucid claims this sort of two-motor torque vectoring is both quicker and more effective than rear-wheel steering.
Special Rubber, Special Suspension
The Air Sapphire comes on special Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires stamped with LM1 to signify Lucid Motors. Bach claims the unique compound is a special mix of low-rolling-resistance rubber and Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Sounds too good to be true, but here we are. The tires grow in width compared to those found on the GTP: 265/35-ZR20 front, and 295/30-ZR21 rear.
The Air Sapphire's suspension is completely reworked, as well. Stiffer springs, stiffer bushings, new dampers, recalibrated anti-roll bars, reprogrammed stability and traction control, new power steering control, and new ABS logic are all part of the program. Sprint mode has been replaced with Sapphire mode, Lucid's equivalent of, say, Porsche's Sport Plus. Within Sapphire mode, there will be additional features such as a launch mode, a track mode, and maybe a time attack mode. The submodes are similar to how Rivian has different options within its Off-Road menu: All-Terrain, Rock Crawl, Drift, etc.
Why Sapphire? Lucid explains that first and foremost it's a luxury brand. Sapphires are precious. Second, per international racing tradition, American cars are blue. (Think the Cobra Daytona Coupes at Le Mans in 1964.) Third, Lucid is a California car company, and the official state gem of California is … benitoite! Which would be a terrible name for anything. As it happens, people initially thought benitoite gems were sapphires because they are visually almost identical. So, Sapphire it is.
As it happens, the Air Sapphire will only be available in Sapphire Blue. For now. We think. The car features a few more aerodynamic tricks than the standard Air, but it's hard to tell what they are from looking, especially as the Sapphire comes complete with Lucid's new Stealth treatment. The interior is basically the same, with added Sapphire Blue contrast stitching, as well as Alcantara-wrapped seats and steering wheel.
How Much Is the Lucid Air Sapphire?
How much is one of these? $249,000, says Lucid, about $70K more than an Air Grand Touring Performance. A small price to pay for the most powerful sedan in the world, no? Consider perhaps that a Bentley Flying Spur Mulliner W12 stickers for $309,000 and only makes a paltry 626 horsepower. When will you be able to purchase an Air Sapphire? Lucid says within days of reading this story and adds that deliveries are slated to start during the first half of 2023. When is MotorTrend going to test one? A little bit before that. Stay tuned.
You may also like
Whether we're talking features per dollar, calories burned per hour, or hours played per video game, enthusiasts of all kinds search for solutions that extract the most out of what we put in. That applies to EVs, too.Range is not the end-all be-all when it comes to EV bragging rights. Even an eight-ton abomination with the aerodynamics of a townhouse could reach 500 miles of range if it was fitted with an impractically heavy and expensive high-capacity battery. Instead, we want to praise the EVs that travel the farthest per gallon of gasoline equivalent (33.7 kWh).
Here is some welcome news for any prospective car shoppers this year: while the 2023 Kia Sportage will see a price increase for the LX trim, the EX and SX trims are getting some price decreases. It's not very common to hear of price drops in today's inflated market, but the new Sportage has plenty to offer with four new editions added to the lineup; the SX Prestige, the X-Line, the X-Pro, and the X-Pro Prestige which all look to replace the 2022 Sportage Nightfall Edition.The New Sportage PlatformEven as the price does decrease for the 2022 EX and SX trims, it seems that Kia didn't want to degrade the fifth generation Sportage. First, the 2023 Sportage rides on Kia's new N3 platform, which underpins the Sorento. Not only does this increase the size of the Sportage but it also adds more strength and torsional stiffness to its chassis. There is also new sound absorbing and insulation to reduce noise, vibration and harshness from the road, wind, and engine.Kia Sportage Standard EquipmentStandard equipment on the new 2023 Sportage include dual panoramic curved displays that Kia says "seamlessly connects two screens for nearly 25 inches of digital viewing" and provides a large screen for the 360 Degree Surround View Monitor with 3D View and live feed Blind-Spot View Monitor within the instrument cluster. The Sportage also offers eight standard Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features. For up scale levels like the EX, SX, and X-Line, as well as X-Pro and both Prestige trims, an enhanced ADAS includes Forward Collision Avoidance (FCA) Assist with Junction Turning capability and Reverse Parking Collision Avoidance Assist are available. While not announced, Kia says that turbocharged hybrid and PHEV Sportage variants will launch at a later date with pricing coming "closer to their on-sale dates."2023 Kia Sportage PricingEven at the base level, the 2023 Sportage LX's $1,900 increase for the FWD ($27,205) and $2,200 increase for the AWD ($29,005) version aren't all that bad over its 2022 price ($25,305 and $26,805, respectively). Even the $1,800 premium of going AWD for the 2023 Sportage isn't a huge increase over the $1,500 cost in 2022. Especially when compared to many other CUVs in its range that saw much larger increases. It's enough to justify the new chassis for the fifth generation Sportage and make you wonder how Kia is doing it.The EX and SX, on the other hand, saw price decreases when compared to 2022. The EX FWD is $29,205 where it was $29,605 and the AWD is now $31,005 where it was $31,105. While not more than a $500 drop, it's a drop none-the-less. The AWD premium is also the same increase as the LX ($1,800) and within the same price difference between 2023 and 2022 (a $300 increase).Kia Sportage X-Line, X-Pro, and Prestige TrimsThe Nightfall Edition from 2022 isn't making a return for 2023. Instead, there are X-Line and X-Pro trims along with Prestige versions of the SX and X-Pro. The X-Line is offered only in AWD and rings up at $32,005 while the X-Pro also only comes as AWD but costs $36,205. The X-Line "blends sporty and rugged" looks to the Sportage and adds Unique front and rear bumpers with a satin chrome surround with a side garnish and adds a gloss black finish to the side mirrors, roof rack and window surrounds. The roof rack's rails are also raised for better off-road focused accessory support. Finally, there is a set of 19-inch wheels made just for the Sportage X-Line.The 2023 Sportage X-Pro is designed by Kia to be much more trail ready than the X-Line. In order to meet that demand, the X-Pro comes with 17-inch matte black wheels that are as off-road focused as its 17-inch BF Goodrich A/T tires. The roof also comes as a two-tone color treatment while the windshield washer nozzles are heated to help remove frost and ice in cold temperatures. To help you navigate your unpaved path, the X-Pro comes with a multi-terrain mode that includes Normal, Sport, Smart, and Snow modes.The Prestige versions of the SX and X-Pro offer more upscale treatment, with the X-Pro Prestige including ventilated front seats, an eight-way power front passenger seat, and LED fog lights and available LED Projector headlights for better forward vision. The Sportage X-Pro Prestige comes in at $38,005 while the SX Prestige rings in at $34,705 for the FWD and $36,505 for the AWD version.
Every year, our MotorTrend test crew performs instrumented testing on all manner of cars, trucks, and SUVs—some 220 in all in calendar year 2021. Some are fast—here are the quickest cars we tested this year—others not so much. But even the slowest cars nowadays aren't exactly stuck in the mud. Of all of the vehicles we tested, only one of them was on wrong side of the 10-second barrier to 60 mph, with a small handful taking more than 9 seconds to get there.As we've seen in recent years, the majority of the slower vehicles we test tend to be compact crossover SUVs fitted with small-displacement engines. Inline four-cylinders of varying sizes are the overwhelming powerplant of choice; some are turbocharged, and a hybrid is usually in the mix in here and there. Efficiency is generally what automakers prioritize with these vehicles, so not surprisingly, straight line speed isn't part of the formula. That, and sometimes a vehicle will have a slightly underpowered engine option given its size and weight, further affecting performance. (The Hyundai Elantra was a case in point, with three separate variants making this year's list.)There were a few surprises, and a couple of brands (we're looking at you again, Hyundai) featured multiple pokey offerings this year. In the event of a tie (there were several) we moved to quarter mile and trap-speed times to break them. So which vehicles were the slowest of the slow goers? Read on to see our list of the slowest cars we tested in 2021.
0 Comments