C8 Corvette Z06 Slays the Lucid Air Grand Touring (Sorry, EV Fans)

The Lucid Air Grand Touring might accelerate like a supercar, but its weight and brakes are no match for the mighty C8 Corvette Z06.

By now, we’ve seen the C8 Corvette Z06 participate in just about every kind of road, track, review, and comparison test one can think of, from the more conventional types to truly unique ones. The high-revving, sweet-sounding sports car has fared well in all of them, but this new test from Edmunds might just take the take for the most interesting to date, as the rag pits a C8 Corvette Z06 against an unusual “rival” – the Lucid Air Grand Touring – in its own sort of race called the U-Drag.

By now, some should be familiar with the U-Drag, which is something of a down-and-back drag race – cars battle it out in a straight line, but when they get to the other end of the track, they must turn around and race back as well. This kind of race helps cars that may not be quite as quick in a straight line fare better against rivals that are essentially one-trick ponies, which in this case, the Lucid Air Grand Touring (like many EVs) certainly is.

By now, the C8 Corvette Z06 really needs no introduction, as everyone is aware that it’s powered by GM’s 5.5-liter LT6 V8 making 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque – and in this case, it’s equipped with the optional Z07 Performance Package. The Lucid Air Grand Touring, on the other hand, utilizes a pair of electric motors churning out 819 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. Of course, the EV sedan also weighs a whole heck of a lot more than the Z06, so it does lose a bit of advantage there.

Regardless, as we all well know, EVs like this one are incredibly quick in a straight line, and that’s clearly on display here, as the Lucid rockets out to an early lead right off the bat. Getting the big sedan around a corner is another matter, however, and it loses all that ground – and then some – when the two cars have to turn around. By then, it’s too late to catch up, as the Corvette takes off, leaving it in its proverbial dust on the way to an easy victory.

The crew blames the Lucid’s poor performance in that part of the race not only on its hefty 5,000+ pound curb weight, but also its mediocre brakes and crappy tires – but after swapping drivers, the Z06 makes even easier work of the big EV. In terms of numbers, the Lucid Air hit 60 in 3.5 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.0 versus the Corvette’s 3.6 and 11.1-second times, but the sports car pulled 1.04g in the corner versus a mere 0.86 for the sedan. Ultimately, the Z06 took home the U-Drag win with a total time of 32.0 seconds versus 33.1, proving once again that internal combustion isn’t dead just yet.

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