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Lucid Air Sapphire Smashes 0-60 MPH Record!

Published 4 weeks ago3 minute read
Lucid Air Sapphire Smashes 0-60 MPH Record!

The 2025 Lucid Air Sapphire, a formidable electric vehicle, has redefined performance benchmarks, especially when equipped with its new Track Tire package. This luxury sedan, boasting a staggering 1,234 horsepower and 1,430 lb-ft of torque, now offers godlike grip, catapulting it to the top of MotorTrend’s all-time 0–60-mph leaderboard with an astonishing 1.881-second sprint.

The Track Tire package is a dealer-installed upgrade, featuring four Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS Elect LM1 tires mounted on the Sapphire’s forged wheels. This enhancement, costing $8,250 plus installation on top of the car's $250,500 base price, provides a significant performance boost. Previously, the Sapphire achieved a 2.2-second 0–60 mph time on its factory Michelin Pilot Sport 4S LM1 tires. MotorTrend’s tests, conducted on common cement without a sticky dragstrip, confirm Lucid’s claim of a sub-two-second 0–60 time with the grippier tires.

Beyond acceleration, the Track Tire package dramatically improves other performance metrics. The Sapphire, a 5,342-pound electric sedan, now stops from 60 mph in a mere 93 feet, a 10-foot improvement over its Michelin-equipped counterpart and tying the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach for the best-stopping EV ever tested by MotorTrend. In quarter-mile performance, the Sapphire on Pirellis beat its own record, completing the dash in 9.03 seconds, surpassing its previous 9.21-second run on Michelins. Interestingly, while the Trofeo-shod car achieved a lower trap speed of 154.8 mph compared to the stock Michelins, its initial launch is described as immediate and atomically fast, capable of scaring even seasoned drivers with its intensity.

The enhanced grip also translates to superior handling. While the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Weissach, with its 431-pound weight advantage and similar Pirelli tires, holds an edge in cornering with a 21.9-second figure-eight lap at 1.15 g’s of lateral grip, the Sapphire on Trofeos closely follows with a 22.3-second lap and 1.11 g of cornering grip. This represents an improvement of 0.3 seconds and 0.06 g over the factory Michelins. Crucially, the Pirelli track tires maintain the Sapphire’s graceful chassis balance, allowing it to point into corners with confidence-inspiring stability and dance around tire limits playfully, with the rear tires unhooking predictably before the fronts.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the Sapphire is its duality. All this supercar-level performance and agility are packaged within a large, four-door luxury sedan. Unlike many high-performance gas cars that are loud, stiff, and impractical, the Sapphire offers the comfort of a Mercedes E-Class and the anonymity of a Honda Accord for everyday driving. Its ability to transform from a balanced sport sedan to a credible drag racer or a sublime luxury cruiser is achieved without complex high-tech tricks, relying on steel springs and adaptive dampers. The car’s attitude largely changes with driving style, offering modes like Smooth, Swift, Sapphire, and Track, allowing owners to bolt on even more performance if the already lofty baseline isn't enough.

Key specifications include a base price of $250,500, with the tested price at $258,750. It features a front-and-rear-motor, AWD layout for five passengers. The powertrain includes a permanent-magnet front motor (671 hp, 457 lb-ft) and two permanent-magnet rear motors (671 hp, 487 lb-ft each), resulting in a total of 1,234 hp and 1,430 lb-ft. The 118.0-kWh NCM lithium-ion battery contributes to an EPA range of 427 miles (on standard Michelin tires). MotorTrend test results on Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS Elect LM1 tires confirm a 0-60 MPH in 1.9 seconds, a quarter-mile in 9.0 seconds at 154.8 mph, 60-0 MPH braking in 93 feet, lateral acceleration of 1.11 g, and a figure-eight lap in 22.3 seconds.

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