Lucid was founded by Peter Rawlinson, who was previously the chief engineer of the Tesla Model S, with one stated priority: efficiency. The Lucid Air's drag coefficient of 0.21 was the lowest of any production car sold to the public when it launched, and the Touring trim reviewed here sits in the middle of the lineup at $81,400. It is not the entry point to the brand, but it is where the value argument gets most compelling. Total system output is 620 horsepower. Torque is 885 lb-ft. The car hits 60 mph in under three and a half seconds. None of that is what makes it interesting. What makes it interesting is that the Grand Touring, which adds roughly 200 horsepower and costs significantly more, produces the same 885 lb-ft of torque. In most situations on public roads, the Touring is just as fast.
The Touring uses 18 battery packs rather than the 20 in the standard Air, which shifts the electrical architecture from 924 volts to 756 volts. That voltage difference matters at the charging station: the standard Air charges faster than almost anything else on the market, while the Touring charges at a rate closer to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, which is still respectable but no longer exceptional. Range on the Touring comes in around 460 miles, which is more than most people will need on a single charge. The range tradeoff is also partly offset by weight: removing two battery packs saves a meaningful amount of mass. The motors in the Lucid system are notably compact compared with competitors. Where motors in something like a Rivian R1 are roughly the size of a large drum, Lucid's units are significantly smaller, which is why the frunk is cavernous despite having two motors up front. The engineering obsession with miniaturization pays dividends in cargo space as well as aerodynamics.
The interior, called Tahoe in this trim, uses wood, leather, fabric, and contrast stitching in a combination that is genuinely nicer than what you find in a comparable Mercedes. There are no drive-shaft tunnels or transmission housings eating into the floor, so the cabin feels larger than the exterior footprint suggests. Temperature, fan speed, and volume controls are physical buttons. Everything else goes through the screen, which is not a problem in daily use. Gripes are minor: the cruise control activation is fiddly, the air conditioning struggles in direct summer sun, and the key detection occasionally misses a beat. The back seat is the Uber you would actually want to be picked up in. The Audi RS e-tron GT is the only direct performance competitor in this segment, and it starts around $160,000. For most buyers the Lucid Touring is not just a better value than the Audi but a more practical car.
Bottom line: The Air Touring is probably the most underrated luxury performance sedan on the US market. The case against it is mostly about brand recognition rather than the product itself. If you are in the $80,000 to $100,000 range and considering a German sedan, the Lucid deserves a test drive before you sign anything. The only thing to watch is resale, where Lucid as a brand still has ground to make up.