Remember when the quickest production cars in the world used to howl and haul? Thankfully, internal combustion engines are still in showrooms and they’re more powerful than ever, but they’re still no match for the new wave of EVs that simply bring astounding output and acceleration numbers. And we’re not even talking hypercars that cost millions. Instead, those willing to spend between $100,000 and $200,000 on a family sedan can turn to machines such as the Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance and the Tesla Model S Plaid 9s monsters. But we’ve already seen the American duo battling in the quarter-mile, so how about comparing the Lucid Air to Porsche’s sharpest battery hero, the Taycan Turbo S?
These battery-powered toys for big people not only move quickly on the drag strip, but also in terms of yearly updates—no longer than two years ago, the Taycan Turbo S, with its low-10s quarter-mile time, was the king of the drag racing hill.
Having reviewed the Tesla last decade, back when the days when single-motor P85 (RWD, baby!) was the range-topper, I could easily notice the benefits a second motor adds when driving the Taycan range on the road and the track.
However, Tesla and Lucid have now moved things into the tri-motor era and, until Porsche also ups the ante—the Taycan is in store for a mid-cycle revamp, which could bring such an update—the German simply doesn’t have the numbers to match the U.S. duo, despite being the only car here to sport a two-speed transmission, which is used for the rear axle.
Porsche Taycan vs. Lucid Air
The numbers are simply brutal: the Lucid Air Dream Edition, here in Performance trim, can deliver 1,111 horsepower and 1,025 pound-feet (1,389 Nm), while the Taycan Turbo S packs 761 horsepower and 774 pound-feet (1,050 Nm).
And while the Taycan is no featherweight (serious advances in terms of battery technology are required before these bad boys can go below the 4,400 lbs/2,000 kg mark), the Porsche is still some 150 lbs (70 kg) lighter than the Lucid Air.
As in the case of the Tesla Model S Plaid vs Lucid Air Dream Performance battle, Brooks of the Drag Times YouTube channel took the Lucid and the electric Porsche to the drag strip located in the back yard of Hennessey Performance.
Nevertheless, the surface of the Texan arena wasn’t prepped, so this battle simulates real-world conditions.
The EVs engaged in a pair of standing start battles and, regardless of which one got the hit (none of the two starts seems perfectly balanced to us), the Lucid got ahead without breaking a sweat. The same conclusion applies to the third brawl, which saw the machines going at it from a roll.
While we’re here, I should also mention that the Lucid seems like a closer competitor to the Porsche than the Tesla, in terms of both refinement/luxury and pricing.
