Lucid skillfully juggles numbers. Almost every value leaves your mouth open in a daze. 920 kW / 1251 hp, over 330 km/h top speed or 1,940 Nm maximum torque – every single value is spectacular, impressive, even breathtaking. Even though the Lucid Air has been on the market for some time, it stands out in traffic like a pink elephant – with a polka dot bikini – cropped.
You can’t ignore an Air and with the UFO design it looks more powerful than ever, although at 4.98 meters long it is shorter than the new BMW 5 Series / i5. So it doesn’t take long until an interested spectator approaches the parking lot north of the Californian coastal town of Marina de Rey. Surprise: the supposed interested party also drives a Lucid Air GT. “So how does it drive? Is the Sapphire worth it?” smiles the sporty guy with the baseball cap behind the rolling down side window. Apparently a connoisseur, because it’s not that easy to distinguish the Lucid Air Sapphire from its anything but weak brothers.
Okay, there are spoilers, sills and body details made of real carbon. However, the supposed tuning package of the top model is not really noticeable due to the dark blue metallic color. “The GT version here with the 830 hp is enough for me,” he replies as he backs up, “hardly anyone is faster anyway.” The Lucid fan is right, because the Air Grand Touring can already sprint like crazy when requested. 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds, 270 km/h top speed – there are no wishes left for around the impressive 130,000 euros.
But some customers always want the best; no excuses when Tesla shines with its old Model S Plaid or Porsche announces its Super Taycan. And if you want the cherry on top, you have now found your dream car with the Lucid Air Sapphire. The top model produces an incredible 920 kW / 1,251 hp and 1,940 Nm from its three electric motors, the power of which you can only imagine once you’ve tried it out. An empty street, of course closed off and far away from all traffic regulations: one step on the pedal and it’s not just your facial features that derail. Incomprehensible. Stepped on the hardly less impressive brakes and did the whole thing again and again.
Something like this only works with an electric car. A super sports car. But this one weighs almost 2.5 tons, has four doors and offers plenty of space for children and children, men and mice. The Lucid Air is a luxury sedan with everything that goes with it. Air-conditioned armchairs at the front and back, of course plenty of space and everything is electrically adjustable – that’s nothing unusual in this league. It’s the design that makes the difference. And the drive that completely takes your breath away. All of this has its price: 250,000 euros.
A more expensive series sedan is currently not available. After the recent market launch in the USA, the most powerful Lucid Air is also coming to Europe in the third quarter of the year and is expected to shine particularly in Germany. This is more true than ever with its top speed: only a handful of super sports cars can reach 330 km/h. But they all have two doors, a maximum of two seats and only a manageable level of comfort.
Apart from the missing head-up display, the instruments are reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan. The round clocks arranged in a 34-inch horizontal crescent look almost as great as the upright touch display in the center console, which, when touched on the lower edge, disappears into the invisible space and reveals large shelves underneath. Chic and always practical. The rest of the functions are carried out via voice or a rotary control on the reduced steering wheel.
The space is good at the front and back. The situation is different for the hairdryer shaft, because the headroom is manageable due to the low roofline and the battery pack in the underbody. The rear trunk is almost 650 liters in size due to its flat design. However, the Frunk under the front hood is impressive and can also be operated electrically with an additional 280 liters.
In everyday use, the Sapphire is a completely normal Lucid Air. Maybe a touch tighter, which is due to the impressive 20-inch wheels with 265 high-speed tires. With the set of wheels, the comfortable, sporty American can be controlled more than quickly. If the road becomes slippery, the rear comes quickly and willingly thanks to the huge power from the two rear engines. The steering could be tighter, offer more feedback and thus ensure more confidence at the limit. There is no problem with the chassis itself and the snappy brakes.
It is doubtful whether the driver of the Lucid Air Sapphire can manage all of this apart from the incredible accelerations. Especially in the sunny state of California, where many will probably be more interested in the fact that the 113 kWh battery pack enables a range of at least 620 kilometers. With its 900-volt architecture, it takes less than 20 minutes at maximum charging speed before the next 400 kilometers can be tackled. Even here, the Sapphire’s columns of numbers set records and the competition with the BMW i7 or the Mercedes EQS can no longer raise their eyes from the ground. The standard consumption: approx. 16 kWh / 100 km.
Does it have to be the sapphire? To answer the question from the parking lot neighbor above: a clear no. The performance that the Lucid Air Sapphire offers to differentiate itself from its brothers is far beyond what can be experienced in traffic. Okay, if you want, you can accelerate to 330 km/h on the motorway, make Porsche 911 Turbo drivers cry and make fun of the drivers of a BMW M4 while the motorway exits rush by.
But at its core, the Sapphire remains what the other Lucid Air versions are: extremely impressive and very exclusive luxury sedans for those who are too bored with the competition. However, the 831 hp Grand Touring or the 628 hp Touring should probably be enough for all of those. And if you don’t want to go all out and can live with rear-wheel drive and enjoy normal luxury, the new basic version of the Lucid Air Pure with 325 kW / 442 HP and a maximum range of almost 750 kilometers might be the right choice for you.
