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)
2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz
Volkswagen Brings Beetlemania Level Of Excitement To Minivan Segment
The duty of upholding Volkswagen’s heritage has most recently been delegated to small legacy car names like Golf and Jetta. But hold on! A much larger, totally modern take on VW’s classic microbus has just buzzed over the horizon— the all-electric ID. Buzz. It’s been at the top of our minds since we first saw the concept back in 2017. Well, it’s finally here, so let’s get our groove into drive!
This 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz has indeed created the most buzz around Volkswagen since the Beetle’s return to the U.S. in the late 1990s. We couldn’t drive it anywhere without drawing a crowd. No wonder, just about everyone has a VW Microbus story to tell, and seeing this reimagined version rolling down the street brings back all those memories.
VW really pulled it off as far as we’re concerned, as it looks great without appearing over the top. All the cues are here: Big VW logo front and center, lots of greenhouse including A-pillar windows and mini sliders for the second-row passengers, D-pillar air vents, and two-tone wheels. And while its appearance may be pure retro, its drivetrain is far from it, as the ID. Buzz is all-electric, and unlike the new Beetle, the Buzz does retain the original Microbus’ rear-drive architecture.
Powering those rear wheels is a 210-kW motor drawing juice from a 91-kWh battery for a range of 234 miles; 200-kW max charging will get you to 80% in about 26 minutes. Buyers can add another small 80-kW motor up front for 4motion all-wheel-drive and an increase of total output from 282 to 335 horsepower with a combined 512 lb-ft of torque. It uses the same battery, but range estimates drop just slightly to 231 miles. But while those numbers are modest, we also found them to be quite conservative, as we observed as many as 287 miles available in our all-wheel-drive tester’s gauge display and were on pace for 273 miles in our driving loop.
One throwback theme that may be a turnoff to some is that it’s quite a step up into the Buzz’s front seats, but there’s certainly a commanding view of the road once you climb in. Second row seating can be either a three-place bench or a pair of captain’s chairs, so there’s generous room for seven or six passengers. The captain’s chairs in our Pro S Plus offer good support and very easy access to the third row.
Lots of flexibility too with the option to simply fold the seats or remove them altogether.
With the sliding side doors and a wide opening rear hatch, there’s plenty of access for loading big sport utility amounts of cargo. Lots of flexibility too with the option to simply fold the seats or remove them altogether, and the ability to create a full-length flat floor with a rear cargo shelf that covers some handy removable storage bins. There’s 18.6 cubic-feet of space behind the third row, 75.5 behind the second, and a max of 145.5. That’s more than a Chevrolet Tahoe. For smaller items, there are lots of cubbies throughout the cabin, along with a standard Buzz Box that can be moved to multiple locations.
With a design that prioritizes retro form and modern function over aero efficiency, the 4motion equipped ID. Buzz earns a Fair efficiency rating, using 42-kWh of electricity per 100 miles, and we weren’t sure what to expect at our Mason Dixon test track.
What we found was great torque off the line and drama free launches to 60 in just 5.3 seconds. It was very stable at speed and power delivery stayed steady most of the way down the track until we reached about 90 mph, when it began to taper off just before we finished the quarter-mile in 14.0 seconds flat at 97 mph.
With 1,200-lbs. of battery weight nestled in its 127.5-inch wheelbase, the Buzz felt planted to the pavement through our handling course. There was quite a bit of body roll to deal with, but surprisingly little understeer. In panic braking runs, pedal response was inconsistent, feeling soft at times, pushing back hard at others; but through it all, results were quite good, stopping from 60 in an average of just 108 feet.
Three interior themes are available, this Dune is the brightest, featuring coastal inspired wood optic dash décor, “gray and clay” leatherette surfaces, and a high-mounted central 12.9-inch touchscreen. Pricing starts with a rear-wheel-drive Pro S at $61,545; this Pro S Plus begins at $65,045, add another $4,500 for 4motion, which brings a few extra features along with all-wheel drive.
Retro design with old-school VW charm, modern EV drivetrain, big SUV capacity merged with minivan flexibility; it all comes together in this 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz. It’s easily one of the coolest rides of the year and one that will likely keep Volkswagen dealers buzzing for years to come, and that’s something no other people and things mover can say.
Specifications
As Tested
- Motor Setup: Dual-Motor AWD
- Battery Size: 91-kWh
- Horsepower: 335
- Torque: 512 lb-ft
- EPA Range: 231 miles
- 0-60 mph: 5.3 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 14.0 seconds at 97 mph
- Braking, 60-0: 108 feet
- MW Test Loop: ~ 273 miles