Reviewed: The 2025 Lucid Air Touring – The EV That Can Change Your Mind.

by Greg Karpinski

2025 Lucid Air Touring at the Chateau Elan in Braselton, Georgia

As a “certified car guy” internal combustion is part of my DNA. The mechanical symphony of controlled explosions to create power and sound that can be tailored into something amazing is beautiful. My attuned ear can spot a four-cylinder, a boxer engine, a straight-six, a V6, a V8, a flat-plane or cross-plane crankshaft. I could go on, but the point is, I’ve loved internal combustion all of my life – the vibrations, the sound, the smell, the absolute theater – it’s intoxicating to a gearhead. And that’s one of the key problems with EVs – they remove every last bit of that.

Electric vehicle naysayers will moan about range and charging infrastructure as the reasons why they don’t want to purchase an EV, despite the fact that the vast majority of EV owners are able to charge at home and rarely have to visit a public charging location. But that’s not my barrier – I want the excitement of a roaring engine and tires screaming to grip the road. It’s who I am. Or, who I thought I was until I spent the better part of a week with the Lucid Air Touring.

The Fine Print: Lucid wanted us to try out the Air Touring so bad that they set up a display at the 2025 New York Auto Show and patiently let us bend their ears for about half an hour during press days on the all-new Gravity. To get us to leave them alone they promised us an Air loan later in the year.

New to the market for 2022, the Lucid Air didn’t just look like it came from the future, it looks like it owns the future.  Development was led by Peter Rawlinson, who was the Chief Vehicle Engineer of another disruptor in the segment, the Tesla Model S.  He took what he learned from the development of the Model S and improved everything – the Lucid very much feels like what a second generation Model S could be, that is, if Tesla ever gets around to a clean sheet redesign.

This Air is long, low and slippery in the best way possible, posting a drag coefficient of just 0.197, slicing through the air like a digital whisper.  Our Air Touring tester also came finished in optional Fathom Blue with the Stealth Package, which swaps out the shiny silver and polished details for darker finishes on the roof, mirror caps, wheels and front blade, giving the car a properly sinister vibe.  Up front is Lucid’s micro-lens array LED light bar lying underneath the clamshell hood, with subtle integrated air ducts contributing to the overall slippery shape.

From the side, the proportions are simply outstanding – that long 116.5-inch wheelbase and short overhangs are a result of all the compact and clever packaging and contribute to the cab forward design, maximizing interior volume with only a overall length of 195.9 inches, or the same as a Honda Accord.  Around back, there’s a wide LED light bar that stretches the full width of the car, completing the clean lines.  Our tester included the optional 20” Aero Lite wheels on Michelin Pilot Sport rubber and these are an absolute must-have if you’re speccing an Air – the standard 19” Aero Range wheels certainly maximize range but look rather out of place on this elegant design.

The Lucid Air looks fast, even when parked.

Inside the Lucid Air Touring, the emphasis is on space, serenity and sophisticated technology.  Built using Lucid’s “Space Concept,” the cabin delivers exceptional room and an open concept.  The optional Glass Canopy roof of our tester enhances the feeling of airiness, letting in light while also combating the harsh summer sun – Lucid uses treated Low-E glass to reflect heat, which combats about 65% of the solar gain.  On hot summer day that may not be enough, so Lucid also sells shades you can manually attach, but I’d rather use the app to cool the car down before I get in than fiddle with those.

Material quality is high throughout, with sustainable textiles, real metal accents and soft-touch surfaces giving the interior a modern, premium feel.  Fit and finish are largely excellent, though on the A-pillar we found the trim could likely use an extra clip or two to hold it on a bit more securely.  Our tester was finished in the Mojave colorway, using the PurLuxe leather alternative which actually felt rather fantastic.  Seating comfort is a highlight – our tester included the optional 20-way adjustable, heated and ventilated, massaging seats.  These thrones are genuine luxury, allowing you to dial the seat into the perfect position and then cue up one of the multiple massage modes to pass the time on those long road trips.  Front legroom is impressive at 45.4 inches with a low and commanding seating position.  Forward visibility is exceptional, but the low, sweeping A-pillar blocks much of your forward three-quarter view.  Rear passengers are treated to 37.8 inches of legroom and outboard heated seats with our tester’s optional Comfort and Convenience Package, but that capacity honestly feels low – the rear seat truly has a limo-like feel to it and even larger adults won’t want for space.

Technology plays a central role in the Lucid experience – the dash is dominated by the Glass Cockpit, a 34-inch floating 5K display that seamlessly integrates three distinct sections: a central gauge cluster, a driver-side panel for frequently-used controls and a right-side screen for navigation and media.  It’s bright, responsive and easy to read even in direct sunlight.  Below that is the Pilot Panel, a secondary touchscreen that handles climate settings, seat controls and drive modes.  When not in use, it can retract into the dash to open up additional storage, contributing to the cabin’s clean design aesthetic.  Additionally, when using the car’s native navigation, drivers can pull that down from the Glass Cockpit onto the Pilot Panel for a larger map or to find a charging station.  The user interface generally functions well; however, it’s not as seamlessly integrated as what you’ll find in a Tesla, who has had quite a bit more time to get it right.  However, the dual-screen setup blends form and function without feeling overwhelming or completely alien to a luxury car experience.

Another standout is audio performance – our tester was equipped with the optional Surreal Sound Pro system, which includes 21 speakers with Dolby Atmos support, delivering rather excellent audio that was elevated to exceptional when connected to Apple, Amazon or TIDAL for streaming, which are optimized for Dolby Atmos.  I’m not an audiophile by any stretch, but Surreal Sound Pro delivers immersive, spatial audio that elevates everything from music to navigation prompts and is one of the most refined sound systems available in any luxury car today.

The Air Touring strikes an impressive balance between high performance and everyday usability, including dual motors producing 620hp as standard.  Three drive modes are available: Smooth for cruising around, Swift if you want things tightened up a bit and Sprint if you want to feel every one of those 620 horses.  A flick to Sprint and matting the accelerator will see 60mph pass in only 3.4 seconds and continue through the quarter mile in 11 seconds at 126mph which is deceptively quick for this 5,000-pound luxury missile.  More impressive is that this performance rivals the all-new BMW M5 for quite a bit less.  Power delivery is smooth and linear – the instantaneous torque makes highway merging, passing, or pretty much any maneuver effortless.  Yet the Air remains composed and unflustered in day-to-day driving and is a car that feels just as at home cruising quietly through the city as it does charging down a back road.

And does it shine on a back road.  The mountain roads around Dahlonega, GA are where I expected the Lucid to fall apart but instead, it shone even brighter.  The low center of gravity, thanks to the 92kWh battery pack, well-tuned chassis, adaptive suspension and a surprisingly tight and responsive steering rack that weights up nicely when cornering.  When just out and cruising around, the suspension is firm, yet well damped, absorbing road imperfections with a quiet competence that underscores its luxury mission.

Maximum range for the Air Touring is 411 miles, when equipped with the 19-inch Aero Range wheels.  When equipped with the 20-inch Aero Lite wheels like our tester, the maximum range drops to 377 miles.  Regardless of wheel selection, the Air Touring is one of the most efficient EVs in its class, achieving this through a combination of aerodynamics, lightweight materials and an optimized powertrain, developed in-house.  Charging is a bit of a mixed bag – the 900V architecture allows charging up to speeds of above 200kW at DC fast chargers, but it’s still on the CCS plug.  Bummer.  Lucid’s new Gravity includes the NACS charger, which will allow for owners to use Tesla’s excellent Supercharger network and we think the Air should get this as a mid-cycle refresh to add significant value to the car.  Regardless of how it receives its electrons, the Air Touring can add up to 200 miles of range in about 15-20 minutes, which is plenty quick if you need to make a bathroom pit stop on a trip.

Our tester included DreamDrive Pro, which is Lucid’s future-capable Advanced Driver Assistance System that uses 32 sensors, including cameras, radar, ultrasonic units and a high-resolution LiDAR sensor for comprehensive safety and a semi-autonomous driving experience.  Currently, it’s a less ambitious system than Tesla’s Full Self Driving as DreamDrive Pro can only manage lane keep, adaptive cruise and driver-prompted signaled lane changes.  The benefit is that each car equipped with DreamDrive Pro has a far more comprehensive sensor suite than anything outside of a Waymo on the road, which could lead it to become far more capable with future updates.  In practice, the current system works decently – it’s relatively naggy and will persist to ensure the driver’s hands are actively moving (not just touching) the wheel.  Lane changes work most of the time and, in Atlanta traffic, it was rather loathe to do them with so many other cars around.  The 3D visualization works as well as Tesla’s and disengagements were roughly the same as when using FSD or AutoPilot.  

Pricing for the Air Touring start at $78,900 – which is a lot – but it’s a lot of car for the money at the same time.  We consider it the best EV on the market as the Grand Touring trim won our 2024 EV of the Year and nothing from our extended time with the Air Touring dissuades us from underscoring that decision.  The Air Touring looks great, is well-engineered and designed with the future in mind, is full of luxury amenities and materials and still manages to be both efficient and fun to drive?  This was the EV that changed my mind and maybe it’ll be the one to change yours too.