The all-electric Lucid Air doesn’t compromise on performance and driving range. It’s so impressive, we named the Lucid our 2022 Car of the Year, though we acknowledged affordability was—at least at its launch—not a strong suit. Now, Lucid is finally starting to roll out the less pricey variants it promised from the get-go, starting with the 2023 Lucid Air Touring (check out our First Drive review right here) and 2023 Lucid Air Pure. Neither gives up much in driving range to the 500-plus-mile Air Grand Touring, thanks an improved aerodynamic profile and a new long-range battery pack.

The Lucid Air is still revolutionary even as the electric vehicle field grows larger and larger each year. With over 1,000 hp and a very low drag body design, the top-spec Grand Touring (the only version available at launch) is a Tesla crusher with 516 miles of range. It also costs a ton of money, reaching well into six-figure territory. The Air Pure and Air Touring models don’t get 1,000 hp or all that range, but they also use smaller and lighter batteries, enabling Lucid to carve out some more rear-seat space that, in the Grand Touring, is intruded on by its larger battery pack. With its 0.197 Cd undercutting the Grand Touring’s figure, and that lighter battery, the Pure and Touring maintain over 400 miles of driving range—competitive with Tesla’s top-dog Model S.

Pure Air

First up on the affordable ladder is the Air Pure, a version of Lucid’s EV sedan that packs a 480-hp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup for now, but will offer a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version later. For now, the dual motor Air Pure delivers 410 miles of range (with 19-inch wheels), as well as a claimed 3.8-second zero-to-60-mph time. (A Grand Touring Performance model we tested, for reference, reached 60 mph in 2.7 seconds.) While that range figure is, yes, lower than the Grand Touring’s, Lucid points out that the Pure’s 92-kWh battery essentially matches the GT’s efficiency at 4.46 miles per kWh.

You’ll also get the Wunderbox charging technology in the Pure that will get you up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes of high-speed charging. DreamDrive—Lucid’s ADAS suite—is also included and has cameras, radars, ultrasonic sensors, and LIDAR for automated driving. You can upgrade to DreamDrive Pro that adds surround view monitoring, blind spot display, and highway assist; both systems are updatable via OTA. However, what truly separates the Pure from other Airs is its aluminum roof in place of nicer models’ fixed glass roof panel. Fathom Blue is a new Pure-exclusive color and was inspired by the Pacific Ocean. According to Lucid, the color’s tones shift with the light of day to help highlight the Air Pure’s exterior. Inside, passengers sit in a Mojave PurLuxe cabin made from “Dune” fabrics, a leather alternative made from recycled woven textile.

Air on Touring

If you’re up for some additional range and features without spending Grand Touring money, the 2023 Air Touring is your electric Lucid sedan of choice. With a 620-hp dual motor, AWD drivetrain, the Air Touring sprints to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds while still delivering 425 miles of range on Lucid’s standard range battery pack. That brings the Touring and its 92-kWh battery pack to a peak efficiency of 4.62 miles per kWh. The same 200 miles of range in 15 minutes of charging is possible here, too.

Landing between the Pure and the Grand Touring, the Air Touring, fittingly, splits the cabin luxury difference. The seating is wrapped in Nappa leather while other woven surfaces are finished off in recycled textiles and synthetic fabrics. For hard surfaces, wood accents with an open pore finish for that authentic wood grain feeling are used. The Air Touring will also feature an aluminum roof as standard, but you can option for the Glass Canopy if you want that open, airy feel you get in the Grand Touring.

Availability

According to Lucid, the Air Touring is set to start production and begin deliveries this month while the Air Pure will start its production and deliveries in December. The Air Pure RWD will be available sometime in 2023, which is also when we’ll expect to see more information on its range and price. While Lucid mentions that both the Pure and Touring will be less expensive than the Air Grand Touring and upcoming high-performance Air Sapphire, pricing was not released at this time, and we’re speculating that they’ll still land at or around $100,000.

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