Lucid has already proven that it is one of the top EV brands, if you’re a buyer looking for the longest range electric sedan, with the Lucid Air. The Air can travel up to 516 miles on a single charge, which is over 100 miles longer than the Tesla Model S can do. Now Lucid is ready to show you that it can make a high performance car, without sacrificing too much driving range, with the Lucid Air Sapphire.
The 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire is powered by a three-motor powertrain that generates a massive 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 pound-feet of torque, which makes it the most powerful production four-door sedan ever. With all that power on tap, it’s no surprise that the Air Sapphire can reach 60 mph in only 1.89 seconds, which is a tenth of a second quicker than the Model S Plaid. The Air Sapphire has a top speed of 205 mph.
Lucid offered me a few hours with its team to check out the Air Sapphire and also get some short time behind the wheel. The drive was a quick less than 30 minute drive around Los Angeles with Lucid Director of Vehicle Dynamics David Lickfold sitting next to me to provide more details about the different drive modes, the performance improvements and most importantly to show off its capabilities.
Driving around Los Angeles around noon, is obviously not a great time to drive, due to all the traffic. But even with more cars on the road than I would have liked, I was able to feel how impressive the Air Sapphire is. Lickford would give me commands, like when to push the accelerator to the floor or when to punch it around a corner to experience its torque vectoring. In Smooth mode there’s 767 horsepower ready for you and even in that mode the Lucid picks up speed fast. Lickford told me to give it more power through the turns to show off the torque vectoring
In the middle Swift driving mode there’s more torque vectoring from the rear electric motors. In one instance Lickford told me to push the pedal hard in the middle of a 90 degree turn, which prompted the system to send more power to the outside rear wheel. Even with my foot to the floor there wasn’t any wheelspin, like you would normally get in such a powerful car.
Now in Sapphire mode, the Air turns into a supercar. Of course with all the traffic, I wasn’t expecting to be able to fully experience the rush of power, but I was wrong. Lickford told me to stomp on the pedal when entering an on ramp on the lovely 405. Although I only had about half a mile of space between me and the car ahead, the Lucid turned into a rocket with it reaching well over the speed limit in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately the Lucid Sapphire comes with carbon ceramic brakes, which slowed the Air down just as impressively as the sedan takes off from a stop. The bespoke Michelin Pilot 4S tires provide all the stickiness that you would need or desire. The Sapphire has a slightly firmer ride than the standard Air, but it’s not harsh at all, even in Sapphire mode.
At the end of the drive, I wanted more. The Air Sapphire proved that it can be the perfect choice for buyers that want supercar performance, but also want to have room for five passengers, without emitting any emissions.
The good news is that the Air Sapphire has an EPA estimated 427 miles of range, which tops the range of the Model S Plaid with its 396 mile range.
For now, the Sapphire is only available in one spec and one color with no options. It comes standard in the nice metallic midnight blue paint with a contrasting black roof. The panoramic glass roof has been removed to save weight. At the front there are 20-inch wheels, while the rear gets 21-inch wheels. There are some subtle styling changes, which are all performance related, like a bigger chin spoiler and a carbon-fiber rear ducktail.
Now for the pricing, the Air Sapphire is priced at $249,000, which is a lot pricier than the Model S Plaid. Although the Sapphire costs more than its Tesla rival, the Air has more impressive performance and much better build quality.
At the end of the day the Lucid Air Sapphire is the perfect addition, which will easily appeal to buyers that probably have a fleet of performance and luxury vehicles in their garage. The Sapphire’s performance is incredible and at the same time the interior feels more luxurious and comfortable than you’d find with a typical supercar. Think of it as the supercar for the family.
