Exceptional All-Electric Luxury Sedan
There seemed to be a never-ending flow of power that did not come on as jolt, but was linear in a very satisfying way. The 2025 Lucid Air Pure has found the sweet spot, making enjoyable every moment spent in this midsize all-electric premium sedan.
Lucid came on the scene in 2021 as the newest car company based in the U.S. With offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and manufacturing in Arizona, Lucid released its first car in 2021, the fully electric Air sedan. Clean Fleet Report had the opportunity to drive the 2025 Lucid Air Pure (the entry-level model for Lucid) equipped with DreamDrive Pro, the latest driver-assist technology.
Silent Propulsion
The Lucid Air Pure has a single motor driving the rear wheels producing 430 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, delivering an EPA certified all-electric range of 372 miles. Our Air Pure had 20-inch wheels, but if you opt for the 19-inch wheels, the driving range is 420 miles. In 270 miles of mixed city and freeway driving through Southern California, we averaged 4.02 miles per kWh hour (our most efficient reading was 4.9 kWh). In the world of electric vehicles, both are very good efficiency.
Smile inducing torque at any speed is what makes driving an electric car so special. Using the Sprint drive mode our 0-60 mile per hour runs were 4.5 seconds, a very respectable time for a single motor EV and more than enough pep to merge onto freeway traffic.
Freeways and Mountain Corners
Lucid has engineered the Air Pure to be an excellent tourer. We selected the Smooth drive mode that has the softest suspension setting as we cruised on long stretches of open highway. Our car had the optional 20-inch Aero Lite Stealth wheels ($1,200) mounted with 245/40 Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires. Slightly smaller 19-inch Aero range wheels are standard. The freeway ride was smooth and the tires quiet, but the 19-inch tires may offer even a quieter ride.
We spent some of our time negotiating mountain roads presenting the opportunity to test the handling, weight shift, body roll and braking. At 4,564 pounds, the Air Pure, not marketed as a sporty car, has a balanced feel when pushing corners to their limit.
When cornering, we tested the Swift and Sprint drive modes that firmed-up the suspension and provided better steering precision. The steering feel was on the heavy side, which I prefer, giving the driver better ability to control the accuracy of turns. The electronically controlled adaptive dampers enhance the damping force of the suspension to provide for a smooth or firm ride, and the driver-selectable stability control changes the settings for the anti-lock brakes, traction and stability control, and the torque vectoring.
DreamDrive
DreamDrive is the Lucid advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). When equipped with DreamDrive Premium, the semi-autonomous driving technology includes lane centering, 360º 3D surround view monitoring, adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure protection, front and rear cross traffic alerts and automatic emergency braking.
The system also includes the ability to automatically move the Air Pure in and out of a parking space as well as hands-free driving assist and hands-free lane change assist. Regarding the hands-free system. We have used all the semi-autonomous systems and only have one note about the Lucid DreamDrive. We were on Interstate 5, headed northbound from San Diego County into Orange County at about 70 mph, on a clear warm day with moderate traffic. When we came to a sweeping right curve in the freeway (not a corner) the Air Pure didn’t smoothly go through the turn but went through in a diamond pattern. It wasn’t severe nor gave any indication of losing control and the corner was completed successfully. This is important to note as the accuracy of lane keeping is a crucial factor in consumer acceptance of these systems. We are confident Lucid has a handle on this and it will be addressed.
Charging
There are three charging speed options for the 84 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery. Utilizing the car’s 800-volt system and the onboard 22.0 kW charger, the slowest is by a standard 120V household plug. Most owners will opt to install a 240V Level 2 charger at their home that will replenish up to 80 miles of range per hour.
When connected to a public 350 kW DC fast charger, the battery can add up to 200 miles in 16 minutes. A more common speed of 150 kW will take about 50 minutes.
New owners of a 2025 Lucid Air Pure receive a $1,000 allowance towards the purchase of a home charging unit. While there is no complementary charging at public stations, Lucid Air Pure owners have the convenience of charging at a Combined Charging System (CCS) or using an adapter for the North American Charging Standard (NACS), aka the Tesla Supercharger network.
It is important to note cold and hot weather can affect the charging time and driving range. The Air Pure has a battery preconditioning system that prepares the battery for optimal charging.
Charging is also through motor regeneration that when coasting or braking kinetic energy is converted into electric energy and returned to the battery. One pedal driving made it possible to do much of the driving without relying on the brakes.
Sleek Exterior Styling
When spotting any of the Lucid Air models taking a second glance is warranted. The sleek exterior with a long hood and short, almost bustle-like rear give it a very low 0.197 coefficient of drag (Cd.) In comparison the Mercedes-Benz EQS comes in at .200 Cd, and the Tesla Model S at .208 Cd, both of which are all-electric sedan competitors to the Lucid Air Pure.
Without a radiator the nose is almost completely closed off and features wide placed LED adaptive headlights. The low 4.9 inch ground clearance (the Mazda MX-5 Miata sits at 5.3 inches) makes it look long and slippery. It is easy to see how air is aerodynamically pushed over, under, sideways and around the Air Pure. The discerning eye will notice the flush charge door on the left front fender and the flush door handles.
The rear LED light strip runs fender-to-fender with the smallest-of-small lip spoiler sitting above on the trunk lid. Other than L-U-C-I-D nose and tail, the body is void of badging, except for the Air designation on the C-pillar. Our tester came with the Stealth Appearance Package ($1,750) that replaces a platinum finish with a dark polished finish with gloss black and satin graphite accents added on the lower body, and headlight and taillight trims. This package has a choice of exterior colors, including Stellar White, Infinite Black, Cosmos Silver, Zenith Red. Ours was painted in Quantum Grey Metallic, an $800 upgrade.
The Lucid Air Pure isn’t crying out “Hey, look at me!” but one the valet will park up-front for all to see.
Spacious Interior: An Eye for Detail
The interior is a superb example of crafts people integrating fine materials into a well-designed cabin. The Mojave PurLuxe is a soft and sustainable leather alternative that covers the seats, console, dash and door panels.
As part of the Comfort and Convenience Package ($2,500), our Air Pure had soft-close doors, power shades for the rear and rear side windows, four-zone automatic climate system and a heated steering wheel with radio, telephone and DreamDrive Pro controls.
The sumptuous front seats with 12-way power adjustments are heated and cooled. The driver getting memory. The heated rears offer plenty of room for two adults to spread out—a third can sit in the middle for short trips. The floor is completely flat so toes and knees will never be cramped. A control panel to set and adjust the climate controls and the power side window shades is on the rear of the center console. The fold-down rear seat center arm rest has cup holders, opens for storage and can be a pass-through to the trunk.
The cargo options include the largest trunk in its class with the 60:40 rear seat upright, folded flat it expands further. More space to stash items is found throughout the cabin in the center console, door pockets, and under the front console. There is a front trunk, or frunk, and the rear trunk is deep, maybe the deepest we have seen.
A Screen-based Experience
The dash is dominated by a 34-inch Glass Cockpit display screen with touch controls for seats, lights, wipers and the door locks. The center infotainment screen can move content with a swipe down to a smaller screen located just below. The Air Pure we drove was equipped with the optional ($2,900) 21-speaker Surreal Sound Pro system with AM/FM/SiriusXM, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Wireless phone charging and Bluetooth are standard.
The Lucid UX (User Experience) worked well but with few physical buttons and switches everything must go through the touchscreen. There were a few quirks that were intermittent and were livable, but one surprised us.
SiriusXM would on occasion (four times in a week) give us an error message of “Station Not Found.” We would try another station but with the same results. The AM and FM bands worked fine as was the Spotify streaming through our iPhone.
To get SiriusXM back and working again the car had to be stopped and in Park. Following an off/on reboot there was a simple two-step process performed through the center infotainment screen that returned SiriusXM to proper operating mode. This never happened upon starting up, only when driving down the road.
Final note for this odd glitch: The SiriusXM app on our iPhone and our personal car never had a loss of the satellite feed, so we are thinking this was something to do with the Lucid UX system.
This is not a deal breaker on owning this fine car and probably with a system reset could be made right. However, it is worth mentioning as customer satisfaction surveys being completed positively is crucial for an auto manufacturer’s future sales.
Warranties
The Air Pure has these warranties.
- New Vehicle – Four years/50,000 miles
- Battery – Eight years/100,000 miles
- Powertrain – Eight years/100,000 miles
- Corrosion – 10 years/Unlimited Miles
Pricing
The 2025 Lucid Air Sedan Clean Fleet Report dove had a base price of $71,400, including the destination charge of $1,500, plus $11,650 in optional equipment bringing the total to $83,050.
Observations: 2025 Lucid Air Pure DreamDrive
There is something very satisfying about driving an electric car with responsive and powerful acceleration, torque at any speed, yet none the traditional car sounds and vibrations.
The 2025 Lucid Air Pure has found the sweet spot for all of these, making it enjoyable to spend time in this midsize all-electric premium sedan.
The lack of sound as it moves down the road is wonderful, and the linear acceleration and instant torque from a stop or already at highway speeds is something to enjoy. Clean Fleet Report expected this before driving the 2025 Lucid Air Pure, but it was reinforced and confirmed with what could be the benchmark for luxury electric midsize sedans.
When climbing behind the wheel of the Air Pure, you’ll quickly come to an appreciation for a fine automobile. The styling is contemporary, but not trendy or flashy. An impressive interior offers generous passenger space that rivals many SUVs. The standard features list is deep, making the Air Pure a value among direct competitor luxury electric sedans costing $100,000 and up. Those competitors include the BMW i4, Mercedes-Benz EQE and EQS and the Tesla Model S.
Lucid builds the Air and the Gravity SUV at its assembly plant in Casa Grande, Arizona.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner. Additional photos from Lucid.
Disclosure
Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.
Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and other efficient powertrains. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com or by commenting on any of our stories. We answer every comment!
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