Living with the Lucid Air: A Year of Highs, Lows, and Head-Turning Moments

Man, just thinking about our Lucid Air gives us mixed feelings. This car is SO CLOSE to being the coolest thing on wheels. We drove our 1,000-horsepower 2022 Grand Touring Performance for a whole year, and let us tell you, the highs were HIGH. It's more than just a car – it's a spaceship. We're still amazed something this powerful can also be crazy efficient and drive farther than any other electric car out there.

But... (there's always a 'but', right?) things weren't all sunshine and roses.

The Awesome Stuff

Let's start with the good, because damn, is there a lot of it. We got to drive it around LA after spending its first six months in Detroit. Honestly, it's mind-blowing that a single car can be a bonkers performance beast, a super comfy luxury cruiser, AND a practical road trip machine all at once.

The handling is way sharper than you'd expect for something this big. Plus, with that crazy frunk and trunk space, we hauled our friends around with all their luggage – no problem. And those huge back doors? Easiest entry ever. Love that they even put actual buttons and knobs for stuff like the climate control – so refreshing when everyone else is going crazy with touchscreens.

The best part? Feeling like a rockstar. This car is RARE. Unlike in those rich parts of LA where you trip over Mercedes S-Classes, a Lucid turns heads. That kind of exclusivity is pretty sweet when you've shelled out the big bucks.

Bugs, Bugs, and More Bugs

Okay, now the ugly truth: unless you're the type who loves being an early adopter and troubleshooting weird glitches, you might want to wait a few years before getting a Lucid. We had more issues than we can count, and this is NOT what you expect from a car that costs as much as a small house.

Our first week? A steering wheel button popped off. The key fob battery died constantly. Half the time, the car wouldn't even recognize me! Then there was the time it lost power on the track and had to be towed... ugh.

Even worse, it left us stranded TWICE, refusing to start. Luckily once was near a bakery (cookies helped), but imagine if it wasn't. Oh, and let's not forget those random times in the rain when the car would freak out and throw error messages for every sensor it had.

Yeah, some of this stuff might be fixed with software updates, but our frunk kept trying to rip off the front trim (seriously!), and that needed a dealer visit.

The weird noises, unpredictable regen braking, the auto-brake hold that sounds like it's about to puke...the list goes on. The craziest glitch? Spotify one day just logged into some stranger's account blasting music none of us DEFINITELY don't listen to. Still not sure how that happened.

Oh, and don't even get us started on the terrible visibility if you're tall or parking this thing outside in the hot sun.

What About the Range, Dude?

We learned early on that you won't hit those advertised range numbers unless you drive like a grandma on a Sunday stroll. Still, going 300-350 miles between charges isn't bad. That's assuming you charge at home, because public charging is...a mess. Crappy stations, even worse etiquette, it's mostly a waste of time unless you're lucky.

How Much Did All This Cost?

Surprisingly, not much! Outside of snacks while stuck at charging stations, it's cheap to run. They replaced a bunch of stuff under warranty (yikes!), but the low charging cost made up for it.

Lucid did slash prices though, so they're more affordable now. Shame they axed our exact model – we loved those wheels, even if we curbed the heck out of them.

So, Should You Buy One?

Honestly, it's a rollercoaster. Lucid is doing amazing things, but they've got to iron out those bugs. This car is unlike anything else, a total stunner, BUT man, those glitches will drive you nuts unless you're super patient. It's a gorgeous snowflake – beautiful but maybe a little too delicate for everyday life.