Polar opposites. Heavyweights. Whatever you want to call the Lucid Air Grand Touring lined up against the BMW M8 Competition on a runway, there's no denying that both cars are tremendous in a straight line. But as opposed to a regular quarter-mile showdown, Edmunds has a far more interesting way of comparing the performance of two given automobiles.
The American publication calls it U-Drag after the basic shape of the course, which starts with pedal-to-the-metal acceleration on a long straight. Both contenders then have to brake hard in preparation for a 180-degree turn, designed to test handling. The final part of the U-Drag format is a rolling start race back to the start/finish line, and that's that.
Having covered the rules, we should also talk about some numbers. The red M8 Competition is the most performance-oriented 8 Series there is, packing a twin-turbo V8 connected to an eight-speed automatic supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen.
The 2022 model year Air Grand Touring relies on two electric motors and direct drive. Although more powerful and torquier, it also happens to be heavier than its unlikely rival. The zero-emission sedan tips the scales at 5,226 pounds (2,370 kilograms) as opposed to 4,295 pounds (1,948 kilograms) for the two-door contender, yet the Lucid has the superior weight-to-power ratio at 6.38 pounds per horsepower versus 6.96.
Pretty interesting thus far, but alas, the Lucid has worse tires and brakes. On the other hand, bear in mind that 819 horsepower and 885 pound-feet (1,200 Nm) is more than 617 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm). With vehicle test editor Reese Counts behind the wheel of the M8 Competition, the Bimmer needs 3.3 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). By comparison, senior vehicle test editor Kurt Niebuhr clocks 3.2 seconds in the Air Grand Touring.
Lucid's Tesla Model S-rivaling electric sedan records 10.9 seconds at 126.9 miles per hour (204.2 kilometers per hour) in the quarter mile, edging the M8 Competition by a tenth. The BMW posted a higher speed over the quarter mile, though. It also outbreaked and outcornered the Air Grand Touring, and the rolling start race also concluded favorably for the BMW.
The first of two races ended in 32.6 seconds for the M8 Competition as opposed to 33 flat for the Lucid. The numbers tilted even more in Team Germany's favor in the second race, with the Bimmer clocking 3.0 seconds to 60 compared to 3.5 for the Air Grand Touring. The Bavarian brute also improved the quarter-mile ET to 10.8 seconds, whereas the Lucid couldn't do better than 11 seconds at a slower trap speed.
Cornering Gs topped 1.04 for the BMW and 0.89 for the more practical electric sedan. Finally, the M8 Competition finished the second race a whopping 1.2 seconds ahead of the Lucid, with the stopwatch showing 32 seconds compared to 33.2.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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