2023 Lucid Air Pure First Drive: The Cheaper The Higher

Mercedes-Benz, in the meantime, continues to drop new fashions within the EQ lineup that goal to fulfill a extra plush imaginative and prescient of electrical luxurious, with overboard tech, nautical styling, and fewer partaking driving dynamics. However the roomy EQS nonetheless appears excellent for a selected subset of EV consumers (retired dentists, because the joke goes). In distinction, the Audi e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan siblings from Volkswagen AG lean into the lowslung, extra aggressive sport-sedan fashion. However these traits come at the price of cramped interiors and much much less vary—whereas simply costing rather more than the brand new Pure.

In reality, as a lot because the Pure now undercuts or a minimum of solidly competes with the remainder of the posh EV market, to an extent this most cost-effective Air variant additionally presents a problem for Lucid internally. Shifting downmarket from six-figure hyper-sedans and not using a extra vital differentiation apart from vary and output now makes that GTP, for instance, at $179,000 a severe query of {dollars} spent per further horsepower or mile of vary.

A stable roof, high-quality inside, spectacular driving dynamics, and related styling—all at virtually half the associated fee—will probably make the Pure a straightforward selection for many consumers. As a spoiled rotten pace freak and devoted highway tripper, my hypothetical cash would in all probability go to a Grand Touring hoping for the proper stability of vary and a minimum of a bit extra energy. However in the actual world, charging community infrastructure nonetheless wants radical enchancment, which means each Air continues to be a metropolis automobile so the most cost effective RWD Pure, due to this fact, may effectively be the most effective wager.