[MUSIC PLAYING]
CLINT SIMONE: Welcome to Edmunds U-DRAGS.
This match-up puts massive EV power
against Chevy's mid-engine masterpiece.
Is it weird?
Yes.
Is it exciting?
Hell yes.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
But first, what is U-DRAGS?
I'm so glad you asked.
It's a race to there and back.
At Edmunds, we love to test cars.
We came up with this not-so-scientific test
that we call U-DRAGS.
We're going to take these two cars,
send them all the way down the track
where they're going to get hard on the brakes turn around
and come all the way back.
That means we get a quarter mile, hard braking, handling,
and a rolling start all in one.
Now after the first race, we're going
to swap drivers and cars to make sure everybody
gets a fair shot.
Your pilots for this race are two of Edmond's hottest shoes,
Reese and Kurt.
Let's check the stats.
The Corvette Z06 packs a 5 and 1/2 liter flat plane crank V8.
Good for 670 horsepower and 460 pounds feet of torque.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
Our tester also has the Z07 seven package,
so it has carbon fiber everywhere.
More importantly, it has michelin sport cup 2R tires.
When this thing hooks up, look out.
The vet's numbers only look small
when you bring the Lucid Air GT into the picture.
It has a huge battery and two electric motors
that send 819 horsepower to all four wheels
at an 885 pounds ft that happens instantly.
And this not so little Lucid can boogy, even
though it's on P0 all seasons.
What's that?
You want more U-DRAGS?
Well, then you got to do us a favor.
Like this video and subscribe to the Edmunds YouTube channel.
And by the way, if you're looking to sell your car,
head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KURT NIEBUHR: How do you launch the Lucid?
It's pretty straightforward in this.
You put it into sprint mode.
You confirm that, and then you can go into the settings menu.
You go to the vehicle submenu, and then you
make sure that stability control is on full.
So you have to leave stability control on in order
to get launch control.
Once you activate it, left foot on the brake.
Right foot on the gas.
A little blue bear shows up on the left side of the instrument
panel.
That's when you know you got it, and you're
going to get full beans, which I'm going to need.
I am in the new Corvette Z06.
And I'm going to use the car's launch control.
It's fairly easy to set up once you know how to do it.
Now I will turn the drive mode dial to Track,
then I will double press the stability control button
and switch that to Sport.
And I will put the car in drive.
And in the center screen, I will go to the performance page
and select Launch Control.
Press the brake.
Press the gas, and let go when it tells me.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 1: Five, four, three, two, one.
KURT NIEBUHR: Oh, got him.
I think I'm going to have to break at the quarter mile mark
because these breaks suck.
Trucking, dude.
Trucking.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
Come on.
Go, go, go, go, go.
REESE COUNTS: Why?
KURT NIEBUHR: Give me the power.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
I don't know if I'm going-- oh, no.
You just got to go so slowly to turn the corner.
Damn it.
Well, well, well.
If it's not internal combustion.
REESE COUNTS: You hauled ass off the line.
KURT NIEBUHR: That's the EV party
trick-- instant acceleration.
But you hauled ass around the corner.
REESE COUNTS: Yeah.
I knew as soon as you started braking, I had you.
So how did that feel under braking?
KURT NIEBUHR: It just feels like tires are too small,
and they're all seasons.
This thing weighs over 5,000 pounds,
and it's got the tires of a Hyundai Sonata.
REESE COUNTS: Speed is not the issue with that car.
It's braking and turning.
And that's where the Z06 really shines.
KURT NIEBUHR: I have to slow down so early.
I mean, I can't stop before the quarter mile
because that's against the rules.
REESE COUNTS: See, my issue is traction off the line.
I am even warming these tires up per Chevrolet's suggestions.
Was not enough to keep wheelspin.
It was getting squirrely through second gear.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah, but that makes it fun.
I mean, I'm just sitting over here hauling ass,
one hand on the wheel almost.
REESE COUNTS: It's fun though.
And man, it sounds good.
All right, time to swap cars.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
KURT NIEBUHR: As long as this thing stays within maybe five
car lengths, it'll get all the car lengths back under braking,
take more car lengths out of it around the turn,
and not really give anything up on the way back.
So it's less important to get the launch right in this thing
and just more important, I think, to just try and hang
on to it through the corners.
This thing's-- it's a real car.
This car is no joke.
REESE COUNTS: All right.
I'm out of the Z06 and into our Lucid Air.
I am probably going to use the same modes Kurt
did because when I tested this car,
it was honestly the best way to get a launch.
We'll see if I can get around the braking better.
I don't know.
Maybe I can beat him off the line.
We'll see.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
SPEAKER 1: Five, four, three, two, one.
[CAR ENGINES REVVING]
KURT NIEBUHR: Oh!
Oh, side by side.
Look at that.
REESE COUNTS: Oh, man.
Kurt got a better launch than I did.
And breaks because I weigh--
[CAR ENGINES SLOWING DOWN]
KURT NIEBUHR: No oversteer.
No oversteer.
Go, go, go.
REESE COUNTS: [INAUDIBLE] so I don't kick the stability on.
KURT NIEBUHR: Come on!
REESE COUNTS: Man, he's pretty out there.
[CAR ENGINES REVVING]
Wow.
That is fast.
KURT NIEBUHR: That's what I'm talking about.
[CAR ENGINES REVVING]
REESE COUNTS: This thing's a pig.
KURT NIEBUHR: This feels so good.
It feels so right.
REESE COUNTS: Power isn't everything.
Neither is all wheel drive.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah.
Once you get this rubber hot, this thing leaves in a hurry.
REESE COUNTS: You got a good launch.
KURT NIEBUHR: Didn't really shimmy that much,
so I felt really good to just keep my foot in it
and let it go.
And boy, it breaks.
It turns in so good.
It's good.
REESE COUNTS: I know.
I was right alongside you, and I just like-- all right.
Quarter mile.
Got to hit the brakes now.
KURT NIEBUHR: I don't think it would matter
if that was on summer tires or not because the braking
distance isn't going to get appreciably shorter.
And you're still just not going to be able to turn.
The thing weighs over 5,000 pounds.
That's a big boy.
REESE COUNTS: Yeah.
Honestly, I think turning around is almost more
difficult than the braking because this thing will just
cut all power until you're straightened out
because the stability control's so aggressive.
And like you, I don't want to sit here and play
with the screens while we're driving.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah.
It seems like something you should be able to do.
You could multitask, but then you realize, on second thought,
almost 140 miles an hour.
And you're screwing around with the touchscreen.
It's like, nah.
It's OK.
It can wait.
REESE COUNTS: That thing sounds good.
This is totally soulless and quiet.
KURT NIEBUHR: Losing never sounded so good.
Love this car.
CLINT SIMONE: Let's recap.
This match-up boiled down to weight and tires.
Off the line, the Vette hit 60 and 3.6 with Lucid nut 3.5.
At the quarter, just 0.1 seconds separated the pair.
11.0 for the Lucid.
11.1 for the Z06.
But the Z06 leaned into its much lighter kerb weight
and stickier tires to start pulling away in the turnaround.
It cornered much harder at 1.04g versus the Lucid's 0.86
and then dusted the EV.
The Vette finished the race then 32 dead
at nearly 145 miles per hour.
In Race 2, both cars hooked up better.
The Z06 ripped to 60 in 3.3 seconds versus the Air's 3.5.
That's impressive for a totally unprepped surface.
Remember, this is not a dragstrip.
In the corner, the Corvette broke into the '10s
while the lucid hit a low 11.
Cornering grip was also skewed, with the Vette at 1.16
gs versus the Lucid 0.89.
The Z06 finished in an even quicker 31.4 seconds
with the lucid coming home roughly 2 seconds behind
in 33.5.
Let's check out our leaderboard.
As you can see, our U-DRAGS from 2022 are not on here.
We had to lengthen the course because we
are running so many high power EVs that don't always
have the brakes to slow down like the car in this race,
for example.
Remember, it's the quickest run that
goes on the leaderboard regardless of race pairing.
The Z06 tied its 31.4 second run that it
did against the Stingray, a video you should absolutely
watch if you haven't done so already.
So it stays put.
The Lucid, however, edges out the Stingray for the third spot
on our U-DRAGS leaderboard.
Now let's see the in-car camera and the data.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
KURT NIEBUHR: Oh, got him.
I think I'm going to have to break it the quarter mile mark
because these brakes suck.
Trucking, dude.
Trucking.
Oh.
Come on.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Give me the power.
Oh, I don't know if I'm going to-- oh, no.
Just got to go so slowly to turn the corner.
Damn it.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
REESE COUNTS: Man, that Lucid's quick.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
Bye.
[CAR ENGINE REVVING]
CLINT SIMONE: This is why I love U-DRAGS.
If that was just a straight up drag race,
Lucid actually stood a chance.
But you thrown in a little bit of braking,
a little bit of handling, suddenly, it's
a much different race.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah.
The Corvette gets to do what the Corvette is supposed to do.
And the Lucid can only do what it can do.
REESE COUNTS: It does that thing very well though.
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah
REESE COUNTS: But yeah.
As soon as we get to the braking zone,
this thing feels like a pig.
It's heavy.
CLINT SIMONE: And it is by comparison.
REESE COUNTS: Yeah.
CLINT SIMONE: My question is, what's
the most impressive thing about the Corvette?
Is it the braking performance?
Is that how it sticks around the turn or just the speed
that it gets?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yeah.
CLINT SIMONE: Which one?
KURT NIEBUHR: Yes,
CLINT SIMONE: All of them?
KURT NIEBUHR: All of them.
CLINT SIMONE: You've always told me
that Corvettes are some of the most impressive vehicles we've
ever tested on our home track and then here at U-DRAGS.
Does this cement that even more for you?
REESE COUNTS: I think so.
I mean, if you look at some of the numbers from our past cars,
Corvettes are some of the best performing cars
we've ever done.
The new Z06 is no different.
CLINT SIMONE: There you have it.
You want to see more U-DRAGS?
Head over to the Edmunds YouTube channel.
Thanks for watching.
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