On the rough, rough country roads that mimic our own, the Air struggled to change direction sharply and frequently scraped its chin over the bumps, even in its firmest damper settings.
Fortunately, the steering is crisp and precise, and the damping is generally impressive. Lucid has a solution for the dodgy ride too, currently developing new air springs to replace its steel springs that should help the Air bridge the gap between it and the S-Class.
Three dive modes are offered in the Air: Smooth, Swift and Sprint, the last unlocking the 1096 hp. Smooth mode is good enough for all but the unbalanced, capping power at just 793bhp, and offers the nicest steering weighting. There is no individual mode to select a light direction in the more fruity modes.
Given that Tesla is selling its semi-autonomous cruising technology, it’s also worth noting that Lucid makes no claims about “driverless” driving — nor does it offer any information on whether it will roll out its autonomy features. level 3 corresponding to class S.
On the highway, the Air lacks the precision of its rivals, wandering off clearly marked lanes, while the blind spot cameras were almost always too slow to trigger and project the view behind when making changes. of way.
So, is the Air a disappointment overall?
No, this is not the case. Granted, the Texas-built EV still has some catching up to do, but many issues will be ironed out over the next few months, according to Lucid, with over-the-air software updates that could also add even more range and performance.
Speaking of range, Lucid currently offers six models, and even the cheapest comes with an impressive ability to go 406 miles between charges. Even in the high-powered Air Dream Edition performance we’re testing here, Lucid claims you can cover up to 451 miles on the largest (21-inch) rims. The magic figure of 520 miles is achieved on a Dream Edition range which sits on 19-inch rims and is bumped up to 920bhp.
That figure finally puts most people’s range anxiety to rest, but if you need free charging (Lucid pays your charging bill for the first three years), find a 300kW charger and up 300 miles of range can be added in just 20 minutes.
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-04-26 23:01:23
