The curved display floats above the cloth-covered dash, and the daylight visible between them helps the cabin feel spacious even without the panoramic glass roof. There’s a stowable touchscreen display low on the center console where you control vehicle, climate, seat and lighting settings, though there are also physical controls for temperature and volume on the dash. The relatively good overall ergonomics are slightly hampered by the sharply steep A pillar, which creates a blind spot for the driver.
The layout is mostly great, although the A pillar causes a blind spot.
Jonathan Gitlin
The layout is mostly great, although the A pillar causes a blind spot.
Jonathan Gitlin
The experience here is truly limo-like, even though we never got the captain’s chairs of the original prototype.
Jonathan Gitlin
The experience here is truly limo-like, even though we never got the captain’s chairs of the original prototype.
Jonathan Gitlin
The trunk is very easy to load, with basically no lip.
Jonathan Gitlin
The trunk is very easy to load, with basically no lip.
Jonathan Gitlin
The experience here is truly limo-like, even though we never got the captain’s chairs of the original prototype.
Jonathan Gitlin
The trunk is very easy to load, with basically no lip.
Jonathan Gitlin
These controls always remain here.
Jonathan Gitlin
The main display is not bulky or attractive to the driver.
Jonathan Gitlin
There’s Apple CarPlay.
Jonathan Gitlin
For all the power of the Air Touring, it’s not a car that will tempt you to use it. In fact, I spent most of the week in the gentlest setting, Smooth. It’s an easy car to drive gently, and the artificial feel of the steering at low speeds means you probably won’t be taking it hunting on back roads. However, I should note that each drive mode has its own steering calibration.
On the other hand, as a daily driver and especially on long drives, the Touring worked well. Despite being relatively low to the ground, it is easy to get in and out of. The rear seat is spacious and travel is easy, so passengers will enjoy it. Even more so if they sit up front – Lucid has some of the best (optional, $3,750) massage seats in the business, which vibrate as well as shake you. It has a very accessible 22 cubic foot (623 L) trunk as well as a 10 cubic foot (283 L) frunk, so it’s practical too.
future proof?
Our test Air was equipped with Lucid’s DreamDrive Pro advanced driver assistance system ($6,750), which includes a hands-free “Level 2+” assistance that requires you to pay attention to the road ahead but which handles accelerating, braking, and steering. Using the turn signals tells the car to make a lane change if it’s safe, and I found it to be an effective driver aid with an active driver monitoring system (which uses a gaze-tracking camera to make sure the driver is doing his or her job).
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