2024 Lucid Air Sapphire: The New King of Speed

There are fast cars. There are supercars. And then, there is the 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire.

For a long time, the Tesla Model S Plaid held the crown as the undisputed king of electric acceleration. It was the benchmark, the internet darling, the car that embarrassed Ferraris at the drag strip. But there is a new king in town, and it wears a badge from Newark, California.

The Lucid Air Sapphire is not just a faster version of the Air luxury sedan. It is a complete re-engineering of what an electric performance car can be. It is a $249,000 statement of intent, a demonstration of engineering prowess that aims to silence critics and competitors alike. We spent a week with the Sapphire to see if it’s worth the quarter-million-dollar price tag.

The Numbers Game

Let’s get the absurdity out of the way first.

• Horsepower: 1,234 hp
• Torque: 1,430 lb-ft
• 0-60 mph: 1.89 seconds
• 0-100 mph: 3.84 seconds
• Quarter Mile: 8.95 seconds at 158 mph
• Top Speed: 205 mph

These numbers are hard to comprehend. A 0-60 time of 1.89 seconds is physically painful. It blurs your vision. It rearranges your internal organs. It is faster than a Bugatti Chiron. It is faster than a Formula 1 car off the line. And it does this while seating five people in supreme comfort, with a massage function running on the driver’s seat.

The power comes from a tri-motor setup: one motor on the front axle and two on the rear. These are Lucid’s own in-house designed motors, which are incredibly compact and power-dense. The twin rear motors allow for true torque vectoring—the ability to send power to each rear wheel independently—which we will discuss in a moment.

Driving the Missile

You might expect a car with 1,234 horsepower to be a terrifying, untamable beast. But the genius of the Sapphire is how approachable it is. In “Smooth” mode, it drives like a standard Lucid Air. It is quiet, comfortable, and refined. The suspension soaks up bumps, and the throttle response is linear and manageable. You could let your grandmother drive it to church, and she would be none the wiser (provided she didn’t mash the pedal).

Switch it to “Sapphire” mode, however, and the car transforms. The suspension stiffens, the steering weighs up, and the powertrain pre-conditions for maximum attack.

We took the Sapphire to a closed airstrip to test its acceleration. Launch control is easy to engage. Hold the brake, mash the throttle, wait for the “Launch Mode” message, and release the brake. The result is violence. The initial hit of G-force pins you against the seat so hard you can’t breathe. The traction control is miraculous—there is zero wheel spin, just instant, relentless forward motion. The acceleration doesn’t taper off, either. It pulls just as hard at 100 mph as it does at 30.

Handling: The Real Magic

Straight-line speed is easy with electric motors. Making a 5,300-lb sedan handle is the hard part. This is where the Sapphire truly separates itself from the Model S Plaid.

The twin rear motors provide active torque vectoring. If you turn into a corner, the car can apply regenerative braking to the inside rear wheel while powering the outside rear wheel, effectively pivoting the car around the turn. It feels unnatural at first, like a giant hand is rotating the car for you.

Combined with the massive Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires (265 front, 295 rear) and specially tuned suspension with stiffer springs and bushings, the Sapphire corners with a flatness and agility that defies physics. The steering is surprisingly communicative for an EV, offering decent feedback about what the front tires are doing.

The brakes are carbon-ceramics—massive 16.5-inch rotors with 10-piston calipers up front. They are phenomenal, shedding speed with no fade, even after repeated stops from triple-digit speeds.

Interior and Luxury

Inside, the Sapphire gets unique touches to justify its price. The seats are heavily bolstered sport buckets, finished in black leather and Alcantara with Sapphire Blue stitching. They are heated, ventilated, and massaging. The steering wheel is wrapped in Alcantara.

The “Glass Cockpit” display is beautiful, floating above the dashboard. Lucid’s interface is elegant and easy to use, though it can be a bit laggy at times compared to Tesla’s snappy UI. The physical buttons for climate control and volume are a welcome inclusion.

The interior space is cavernous. The rear legroom is limousine-like. The “frunk” (front trunk) is huge, the largest of any EV. This is a hypercar that you can take on a family road trip.

Range is EPA-rated at 427 miles, which is stellar for a performance car. In our testing, driving normally (with a few bursts of acceleration), we were on track to hit about 380 miles. The 900-volt architecture allows for incredibly fast charging—adding up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes at a compatible DC fast charger.

The Competition

• Tesla Model S Plaid: The former king. It’s significantly cheaper ($90k vs $249k) and nearly as fast in a straight line. But its handling, braking, and interior quality are leagues behind the Lucid. It feels like a muscle car; the Lucid feels like a precision instrument.
• Porsche Taycan Turbo GT: The handling benchmark. It’s lighter and arguably more engaging to drive on a track. But it has significantly less range and less interior space.
• Rimac Nevera: A true hypercar. Faster, yes, but it costs $2 million and has two seats. The fact that the Lucid is even mentioned in the same breath is a victory.

Verdict

The 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire is a landmark vehicle. It is the moment where electric performance cars matured. It proves that EVs can be more than just one-trick ponies that go fast in a straight line. They can handle, they can brake, and they can offer a complete driving experience.

Is it worth $249,000? That is a difficult question. You could buy a Model S Plaid and a Porsche 911 GT3 for the same money. But the Sapphire offers a unique proposition: it is the best of both worlds in a single package. It is the ultimate daily driver, a car that compromises nothing.

It is the new King of Speed. Long may it reign.

Pros:

• Mind-bending acceleration
• Incredible handling and torque vectoring
• Luxurious, spacious interior
• Excellent range and charging speed

Cons:

• Eye-watering price tag
• Infotainment can be slightly laggy
• It’s a big, wide car on narrow roads
• Availability is extremely limited

Rating: 9.8/10