2022 Lucid Air
One thing that’s truly exciting about the emergence of electric vehicles is the new car makers that are arriving along with them, much like the dawn of the automobile when anyone with a decent design and some financial backing could get a car on the road. That brings us to California’s Lucid Motors and their eye-popping first effort, the Lucid Air.
You could say that this all-new 2022 Lucid Air dropped onto the automotive landscape out of thin air, but that wouldn’t exactly be true; as the atmosphere from which this luxury sedan has emerged is quite dense with technology and performance.
“Well thought out” was the first thing that came to mind when sliding behind the wheel. Rather than just plunk a big tablet on the dash and call it a day, the interior features a more traditional looking layout and even some actual controls, though many of them are touch sensitive. But, as techy as it is, it doesn’t feel overly so; as its 34-inch dash-top display blends in well, and the infotainment touchscreen is low-mounted in the center stack. But with items like the enormous windshield that blends into the roof, you can tell they spent a lot of time thinking of how to make the interior experience familiar but better.
Most things are well put together, though a few creaks and rattles do appear when you start driving it hard, and more adjustment to the steering wheel would be nice. The rear seat is not the easiest to access, but once you get settled, there is a crazy amount of space inside this 5-seater.
Lucid began their journey as a battery manufacturer, so you know their power packs are well-sorted and capable of delivering enough juice to power more than 1,000-horsepower and sub-3 0-60s; not to mention the longest range of any EV yet, 520-miles. Plus, chargers that put energy back in at a rate of more than 13-miles a minute. And it seems to do more with less, as this Dream’s battery, at 118-kWh is not significantly bigger than competitors. Our particular test vehicle is the Dream Edition Performance with the 21-inch wheels; which means dual-motor all-wheel-drive, 1,111-horsepower, and a bit less 451-miles of range.
Like many startups, key Lucid players are defectors from other more established automotive brands including a former Head of Design at Mazda. So, they’ve created a unique looking sedan big on style. Its smooth front, with tucked in headlights, is probably its least attractive angle, as it looks much more elegant from all others; and extremely aero-efficient without looking like it. It’s similar in size to Tesla’s Model S, but stands out a little more from the traditional sedan with a bustle-back style clamshell trunk lid.
Like most EVs in its lofty price range, it’s so smooth and so fast, the driving experience quickly becomes intoxicating; and that “just one time” you push the throttle full becomes a regular occurrence, and you forget all about saving range. We found regen braking to be very easy to get used to, but not as smooth as most when blended with the traditional friction brakes. On back roads, it gets through corners okay; but really, blasting to the next one as fast as possible is the real treat here.
Suspension tuning is an ongoing process even for well-established brands much less startups, so not all Dreams have the same exact ride; but driven aggressively through our handling course at Mason Dixon Dragway, the Dream lived up to its name. There’s well over 5,000-lbs. of weight to deal with, but it sure didn’t feel like it, as the Dream delivered plenty of grip and very little body roll. “Quite European” passed through our minds here.
But, as you can imagine, straight-line runs were the highlight of the track day, with consistent blasts to 60 in just 2.6-seconds and ¼-mile runs taking only 10.5-seconds at 133 miles-per-hour. All of that power and performance, and the Dream Edition still gets a good efficiency rating of 30.5-kWh/100 miles.
As mentioned, a limited-production luxury sedan with this much technology and performance naturally comes with a hefty price tag. The Air Dream Edition goes for $170,500. But, there’s better news on the way, as soon the base rear-wheel-drive Pure will arrive, starting at about half that, $88,900.
You could say the Tesla Model S was a look to the future, but the 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition does a better job of actually delivering it, with the longest range of any EV yet. America is still full of wide-open spaces; and in similar fashion, the dawn of EVs has opened the automotive landscape wider than it’s been in some time. Will the Arizona-built Lucid have staying power or will it eventually fall victim to its own Grand Canyon-sized hype? We think the odds are definitely in its favor!
Specifications
- Battery: 118 kWh
- Horsepower: 1,111
- 0-60 mph: 2.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 10.5 seconds at 133 mph
- 60-0 Braking: 105 feet (avg)
- EV Range: 451 miles (Performance) 520 miles (Range)
2024 Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota’s Go Anywhere Globetrotter Returns To U.S.
Every once in a while, we all need a reset. A time to get back to basics and prioritize the things that really matter. Well, for the Toyota Land Cruiser that time is now. So, let’s find out if that means bigger and better things for Toyota’s iconic off-roader.
The Toyota Land Cruiser’s status among the global off-road community is legendary, and it’s hard to imagine there’s any corner of the earth where a Land Cruiser hasn’t kicked up a little dust or mud. Well, 2024 sees the return of the Land Cruiser to the U.S. market after a 3-year hiatus, getting a major reset for the journey.
The reset comes mostly by no longer being based on the large three-row “300-series” chassis, but a new version of the smaller “200-series,” now known as the J250. As with the latest Tacoma, it uses the Tundra pickup’s full-size steel frame.
While the main Land Cruiser model, which goes by simply Land Cruiser, is packed full of luxury and convenience features, there is also a stripped-down model known as the 1958, honoring the first year the Land Cruiser made landfall here in North America. And it is that 1958 we have here, and we were glad to see it, as it also celebrates the original’s back-to-basics approach as a blank canvas for you to personalize as you tackle more and more adventures.
Not that it’s fully stripped down, as 8-inch touchscreen infotainment, a 7-inch full-color multi-information display, and automatic climate control are still standard. Plus, some seriously durable materials, and great heated cloth front seats that throw off some get serious 1990s Tacoma vibes.
But outside, there’s a definite lack of flashy trim and basic looking 18-inch wheels with Yokohama Geolander all-season tires; plus, big chunky bumpers and tilt-up back glass, which is a rarity that we appreciate. Though there is a little too much plastic in places that are sure to see some abuse if you do any significant off-roading.
It even feels a little rough around the edges, but for us it just adds to the rugged old-school utility vibe in a good way.
We did just that, both here in the Mid-Atlantic as well as in the California desert; and while there are some tech-forward driving aids, the actual hardware is in most cases plenty to get things done. That includes standard full-time dual-range four-wheel-drive, locking center and rear diffs, and 8.7-inches of ground clearance. A front stabilizer bar disconnect is also available to allow for increased articulation.
Who needs a V6 or even a V8 when you’ve got Toyota’s i-FORCE MAX setup at your disposal with 326 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque coming from a 2.4-liter turbo-four with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and its eight-speed automatic transmission. Low speed torque delivery is impressive. It even feels a little rough around the edges, which may be a turn off to some, but for us it just adds to the rugged old-school utility vibe in a good way.
And it certainly feels quicker than an off roader needs to be, with an instant torque dump as soon as we eased on the throttle at our Mason Dixon test track; helping us get to 60 in 8.1 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 16.3 seconds at 86 mph. Considering the Land Cruiser’s terrain conquering mission, it behaved quite well in our handling course; it was plenty responsive to inputs, with less body roll than we expected and plenty of grip from the tires. The steering was light and quick but as expected didn’t provide much feel. Other than significant nosedive, braking performance was exceptional. Only 107-feet to panic stop us from 60 mph.
With the shift to the smaller size, there’s no more third row available, and cargo capacity now comes in at 46.2 cubic-feet with a max of a still healthy 82.1. Now, the best part of the Land Cruiser’s return is the entry price of $57,445. That’s about 30-grand less than what the last Land Cruiser went for back in 2021.
Whether it’s over the top fashion trends, mullets, or zombies; just when you think they’re dead, they come roaring back to life. Of course, we’re much happier to see the resurrection of this 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser than any of those things. Toyota is one brand that still recognizes the value of full-framed rugged rigs and has also acknowledged that sometimes less really is more. The Godfather of Toyota off-roading is back and better than ever.