[Idiot sliding 1111-hp electric sedan]
[Idiot doing donuts in an 1111-hp electric sedan]
When people think about what luxury really means, they’re usually thinking too small.
"I want a big back seat."
"I want a car with a comfortable ride."
"I want a five-seater that’ll blow the doors off a Lamborghini."
"Oh! And it has to get 3 times the MPG of a Prius."
Or, to sum all of that up, “I want it all.”
But these people are thinking way too small.
When I rub the genie’s lamp, I'm gonna ask for an even bigger…
[Gut?] [Oh, whoops, looks like that already happened, fatso.]
…concept.
I want a do-over.
Imagine what your life would be like if you could go back in time and do it all over again,
knowing everything you know now.
THAT is the ultimate luxury: A Time Machine.
And the Lucid Air is a time machine.
[TSLA 2.0? The Lucid people are gonna kill us. Keep watching, boys.]
[Poof!]
This is the Air.
It comes from a company called Lucid.
So it’s not a new car.
It’s a new car from a new car company.
A company that exists of experts from old companies.
Like Jaguar-Land Rover.
Lotus.
and Formula One.
Oh, and one particular car company: Tesla.
Credit where it’s due, Elon Musk has changed our world.
But he has a habit of frustrating his engineers by hiring the best in the business and then
disregarding anything he deems is conventional thinking.
Even when conventional is better.
Peter Rawlinson was one of those frustrated engineers, a consummate car-guy who served
as the Model S’ chief engineer before leaving Tesla and coming to Lucid.
And so you might be fooled into thinking the Air is Model S 2.0.
But you’re thinking too small.
Rawlinson isn’t just chief engineer of the Air, he’s CEO and CTO of Lucid Motors.
Which means: it’s not the car that’s version 2.0, it’s the whole company.
In that sense, this is a do-over for the team that created the Tesla Model S, the most significant
car of the last, oh I don’t know, ten decades? [Slight exaggeration.]
The team benefitted from the knowledge gained in creating the Model S, but also the knowledge
gained in setting up Tesla as a company.
And then they benefitted again from Tesla spending the last ten years training customers
to want an EV.
But there’s a big difference: Lucid set a very crystal-clear goal. Not just to make
some sort of electric car. But to make the world’s best luxury sedan.
Then again, what does luxury mean?
Well, first and foremost, it means an interior full of rich materials, colors, and textures.
In other words, not a Tesla.
When it comes to four-wheeled luxury, there’s already a benchmark.
A three-pointed benchmark.
[FTR I am NOT old enough for reading glasses! Those are for comedy. -Jason] [Your continued denial is the funniest part of the joke, old man. -Ed.]
Merriam-Webster defines luxury as “a condition of abundance or great ease and comfort.”
The automotive world’s definition of luxury is much easier: it’s just the Mercedes S-Class.
If you have to compromise on nothing, this is your ride.
This interior is outrageously opulent, a cross between a Chinese bordello and an art-deco casino.
Its back seat is enormous; padded; comfortable.
Whether around town or at supercar speeds on an Autobahn, the S-Class moves without
subjecting its passengers to the indignities of noise or vibration.
It’s not a sports car, but thanks to a combination of Swabian stubbornness and sheer engineering might,
the S-Class is staggeringly capable on a twisty road.
But above all, the S-Class always debuts new technology that ultimately winds up on every
car in the rental-car lot.
The S-Class defines luxury because it does more things better than any other car.
And it’s been that way for decades. Until the Tesla Model S.
[Action footage that looks sped-up but isn’t — because the Tesla Model S Plaid is so thtupit fast.]
[Uncontrollable laughter.]
Wait. [For what, you to stop laughing and regain your composure? You’re on camera get a hold of yourself. Amateur!]
If you dropped an S-Class out of an airplane, it wouldn’t accelerate towards the crust
of the earth as quickly as this thing leaves the line. #fact
The fact that this uses 1/4th the energy of the most-efficient [hybrid] Mercedes S-Class...
...but can beat a Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 car in acceleration [to 60 mph] is the reason
why electricity is the answer. [Commence arguing in the comments about this statement.]
This acceleration is completely disorienting. It’s why everyone thinks that this thing has no brakes.
Of course the brakes work.
This is the first [production road] car in the history of the world that accelerates harder than it brakes.
That tricks you into thinking the brakes are weak. They’re not.
...until about the third corner when they catch on fire...
...which makes it ironic that Tesla’s given this thing a Track Mode.
And a drift mode.
[This is what it looks like when Jason Cammisa spontaneously fills his Huggies.]
[And of course the idiot is still laughing.]
…so that you can then crash it.
Because there is no way you’re catching a skid without a whole steering wheel.
[Futzing with the capacitive-touch turn-signal buttons] I mean, not everything needs to be reinvented.
I’m not going to pretend the Tesla Model S is a true competitor to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
At least not in any traditional measure, like build quality.
But out of the box, the Model S was good enough.
And it keeps getting better. [Just like all those happy people on YouTube say.]
And the reason why this car is so significant to the automotive industry is that it’s
an aggregate of a million little thoughtful Silicon Valley touches that make living with
a Tesla better than living with any other car. Period.
Things like Autopilot. And a frunk. And a genuinely intuitive and responsive infotainment system.
One-pedal driving. And just not having to press a start button when there’s no engine to start.
To say nothing of Tesla’s supercharger network.
Remember: luxury is doing more things, better.
What the Air does is take all of those delightful Silicon Valley touches and marry them to an
engineering-first philosophy like you’d see at Mercedes-Benz or Lotus.
And this isn’t just a masterpiece of automotive styling, it’s a triumph of automotive design.
Because it manages to look handsome and elegant and futuristic despite having two major things working against it.
First, this big sedan has a coefficient of drag so low that it experiences ⅓ less aerodynamic drag than a Nissan Leaf.
Secondly, it has a dash-to-axle so short that it really should look like a subcompact rental car.
And it doesn’t.
It’s also not like Lucid sacrificed interior space for fashion.
The Air is roughly the size of a Mercedes S-Class on the inside, but it’s the size
of an E-Class on the outside.
And it has three times the cargo space of either.
And all of that packaging efficiency starts with the powertrain.
[Awwww shhhhiiiii — is that Alex Choi’s 1200-whp twin-turbo Lamborghini Huracán?!]
I’m gonna reach out and whip it out.
[Who the fu…omg the Throttle House guys are in the back seat!]
Thomas: That’s not what I expected.
James: Yeah, it’s pretty small.
[Are they talking about Jason’s… eww?]
[Alex Choi: Umm, something’s wrong here. Why is that Gold Thing outrunning me?]
Thomas: Yeah, I’m going to have to hold it in my hands. I have to hold it.
Jason: I’d like that.
[Dude, I’m reporting this whole scene to the MPAA. And HR.]
[Alex Choi: Seriously, guys, my car isn’t running right. No power.]
Thomas: Oh, cup it. Cup it!
James: No, I’ve got the shaft.
[If this thing doesn’t get an NC-17 rati… wait, that’s the Lucid’s POWERTRAIN!]
Thomas: Phew, wow.
[Phew indeed.Thank God, they were talking about the Lucid’s power unit, not Jason’s unit.]
The air uses two of those electric motors, each of which makes 670 hp.
James: That’s almost four Miatas right there!
[Alex Choi: “Yo these dirtbags unplugged three of my spark plugs!”]
And that’s not just the motor: that’s the differential, transmission, and power control unit.
Think that thing’s not going to be the LS-swap of the future?
James: You guys hear something?
[Alex Choi: “Yeah, the sound of me purposefully bagging this race for the sake of your stupid comedy, even if that Lucid is fast as hell. You’re welcome.]
[Thank you, Alex.]
[James Engelsman] In a world when other carmakers are talking
about gaining 2% or 4% over each other, this produces nearly three TIMES the specific power
of anybody else’s power unit. Tesla, included.
[Thomas Holland] But the powertrain is only one small example
of the almost Lotus-like obsession with simplicity that permeates every part of the Air.
[Jason Cammisa, interrupting] Ugh, yeah yeah yeah, you've permeated every part of this video.
I’m sorry, look — love you guys, but can I have my show back please?
[Throttle House] Yeah, yeah, sorry about that.
[Jason] Thank you.
Having an electric powertrain allows for a rethink of a vehicle’s packaging.
And the Air accomplishes things that the traditional automakers just keep insisting is flat-out not possible...
...even on their new, from-the-ground-up EVs.
That’s because those are ground-up cars from companies not capable of ground-up thinking.
[Ooh, burn.]
[Wait, did an entire Lucid Air motor/transmission/diff/power inverter just fit in a carry-on suitcase?!]
Take, for example, the Air’s enormous frunk.
[Oh oh, call 9-1-1, the fat old guy is gonna get stuck in the frunk of the Lucid Air.]
This exists because Lucid packaged everything around the perimeter, leaving all this space.
Compare this to Mercedes’ new, from-the-ground-up EV, the EQS, which has no frunk at all.
It’s got all the same stuff, but Mercedes just threw it in here leaving no space.
And by the way, the EQS’ back seat is way smaller than the Air’s, even though it’s
a foot longer. Where did all the space go?
It is, by the way, the same story over at Porsche with the Taycan Turbo S. It has a
frunk barely big enough for a toothbrush, and then you’d have to remove a limb to
get into our out of the back seat.
Though it must be said, the Taycan redeems itself where handling is concerned.
Then again…
[Jason performs a double Scandinavian-flick through the chicane into a long, full-opposite-lock right-hand drift that leads into a rolling 4-wheel burnout onto the front straight. He thinks he’s pretty special.]
This thing is epic!
Oh my god, the grip, the power and the balance!
This is not a track car — it's a 5200-lb luxury sedan.
But its [handling] and chassis benchmark was the BMW E39 M5.
[FINALLY we get to hear an engine screaming, and what a noise! #S62eargasm]
And I’m here to say, they nailed that target!
The Air isn’t just a luxury car. It’s one of the most well-sorted sport sedans on the planet.
A perfectly calibrated driver's car of the highest order.
Its chassis balance is heroic.
A whiff of understeer on the way in, some rotation mid-corner, and then beautiful, artistic
power oversteer worthy of slow-motion video.
On a bumpy, twisty back road, which, let’s be honest, is a much more appropriate test
for a 5200-lb luxury car, it’s simultaneously involving and isolating.
And yet the car is still interactive and fun to drive.
The coolest thing about the way they tuned the suspension is you never hear a clunk.
You can hit anything. I’m not saying you can't bottom the suspension out, but when
you do there’s no thuds or whacks or sounds. It’s just really good.
And it’s really fast!
To describe a 1111-hp car as merely “fast” is like saying, “my Bugatti Chiron is peppy.”
The Air’s ability to gain speed ranks it among the quickest cars of all time, hypercars included.
TESTED: 0-60 mph: 2.6 seconds. ¼ mile: 9.9 seconds @ 143.5 mph
Throughout the vast history of the automobile, there’s only ever been one other 4-door
that could possibly give the Air… gas.
Yes, the Tesla Plaid is quicker, but it has three motors. This is only two motors, and
a triple-motor Lucid is coming, so the fight will start again.
Like Tesla, this feels like the future.
Unlike Tesla, which feels like the future as defined by some kid writing a video game,
this feels like the future as defined by someone who understands the sports sedan.
Hehe, aaaaand we’re sideways! Woo!
So, the Lucid is a Porsche Taycan in the corners;
...a Mercedes S-Class in comfort;
...a Lotus in its efficiency;
...and a Tesla in its tech.
If the measure of a luxury car is doing more things better than other cars,
how could the Lucid Air not be the new benchmark of luxury?
[Death to Pirelli: the Air’s right-rear tire explodes. Just in case you didn’t see it.]
I guess the only real question is: can a sedan really be the benchmark of anything these days?
The market has spoken, and what the people want is a truck or an SUV.
And I hate to admit it, but there’s at least one thing a truck can do that a sedan can’t.
[Get the frunk out — he's towing a Lucid with a Rivian!? How big is this show's budget?!]
Right now, there are TWO new American automobile manufacturers vying to be the benchmark of modern luxury.
Lucid chose the handling and performance route.
Rivian went the other way, building a truck that redefines utility.
Because another luxury is the ability to haul more than just ass.
Rivian’s decision to make a pickup truck is inspired, because it means the R1T will
compete directly with the vehicles that Americans buy more than any other.
These two companies will converge in the same boxing ring when their next models debut.
The Rivian R1S and Lucid Gravity will meet in the middle as SUVs.
For the moment, they remain opposites on the spectrum of luxury.
But make no mistake:
These two companies went back in time to fight the establishment in defining what luxury means.
And guess what?
They’re winning.
[STANDING OVATION!]
[Yes, we know you're mad we said nice things about EVs. Sorry, we won’t do it again / that’s a complete lie.]
[But thank you for watching. It means the world to us.]
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