2025 Lucid Air Pure wins “Best Overall.”

Rival automakers compete head-to-head for top honors at “Best of the Bay” in Santa Cruz, California. The event was sponsored by the Western Automotive Journalists (WAJ), an association of content creators in Northern California.

Fourteen vehicles from nine auto manufacturers were represented: Acura, Genesis, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lucid, Stellantis and Toyota. The vehicles entered were powered by a mix of fuels. Seven gasoline powered vehicles, two hybrids, one plug-in hybrid and four EVs. Sixteen WAJ members, myself included, were the judges.

Every journalist had an opportunity to drive each vehicle on one of two pre-selected routes, an open road course along the Pacific Coast Highway, and a backroads route through the Redwoods into Bonny Doon, California.

The judges rated each vehicle and voted in five categories: Best Passenger Vehicle, Best SUV, Best Technology, Best EV and Best Overall.

Best Passenger Vehicle and Best SUV

Three entries from Genesis Motors took top honors in their respective categories. The G80 3.5T Sport Prestige sedan was voted “Best Passenger Vehicle,” and the Genesis GV80 3.5T Prestige and GV80 Coupe 3.5T were tied for “Best SUV.” The three vehicles share a similar design language and equally elegant interior appointments. Yet each model has a unique look and personality. All three vehicles are gasoline powered.

The interiors of Genesis vehicles have a “wow factor.” The appointments are sumptuous and the ride is vault-like quiet. The look, feel and quality of the materials is superb and surpasses Mercedes Benz. The vehicles look elegant; riding in a Genesis evoked a sense of occasion.

My preference was the GV80 Coupe 3.5T. It offered the best mix of performance and roominess. Powered by a gasoline 3.5L Turbo V-6 with a 48V electric super charger and producing 415 horsepower, the GV80 Coupe 3.5T accelerates briskly. The ride is firmer, and the handling more responsive than its stablemates. I object to calling any 4-door vehicle a “coupe,” let alone an SUV. In defense of Genesis, some SUVs are difficult to categorize. The GV80 Coupe 3.5T is a large, comfortable, two-row SUV with a handsome fastback rear clip resembling a coupe.

Best Passenger Vehicle Runners-up

Toyota Camry Hybrid XSE. The Prius’ handsome new design language carries over to its larger stablemate. The hybrid powertrain’s gas electric transitions are seamless. The Camry feels light on its feet. The interior is roomy and it has a comfortable interior featuring a handsome contrasting color palette.

Kia Carnival Hybrid MVP – My recommendation for those seeking the versatility of a mini-van. Incredible EPA-estimated driving range of up to 627 miles.

Best SUV Runners-up

Kia Sorento PHEV – My top pick for a daily driver and family hauler. The interior is befitting a much more expensive car. Handy side-view camera mirrors, excellent hybrid system.

Range Rover SE 7-seat LWB. The vehicle I most want to be seen in. The lavishly appointed leather interior is a visual and olfactory delight. Softly pitches and rolls in all but “Dynamic” mode but rides smoothly. All-terrain capability in an elegant package.  

Lexus GX550 Premium+ feels big, in a good way. Riding on Toyota’s new global GA-F architecture shared with the Toyota Tundra, Sequoia and Lexus LX, the GX550 Premium+ combines go anywhere ruggedness with luxury appointments. Small door openings hamper ingress and egress. A great choice for a luxurious overland experience.

Best Technology

Tie: Hyundai Ionic 5 N and Lucid Air Pure, two polar opposite electric vehicle. The Ionic 5 N is a high performance EV; it’s playful and youthful. The Ionic 5 N is a 641 horsepower electric car appealing to the “hooning” crowd. Festooned with red trim accents, racing seats, launch control and a drifting mode. Push the big red “NGB” (N Grin Boost) button and plant your right foot. The Ionic 5 N accelerates so hard it may induce dizziness and disorientation. I think I felt my brain pressing against the back of my skull.

The Ionic 5 N has three driving “sound” modes. One of which simulates the sound of a 4-cylinder internal combustion engine. Coupled with paddle shifters, it even simulates the sound and feel of gear shifts. The engine sounds were amusing but gimmicky. If I have to listen to fake engine sounds I would prefer the sound of a Ferrari V12. I was in the minority among my auto journalist colleagues, many of whom thought the engine sounds were “cool.”

Best Technology Runner-up

Acura ZDX Type S offers a refined, responsive sedan feel with SUV roominess. Based upon GM’s solid Ultium EV platform and incorporating GM’s excellent “Super Cruise” semi-autonomous driver assistance feature, the ZDX Type S is a compelling electric vehicle that looks and feels like an Acura should. Particularly notable is the ZDX’s outstanding Heads-Up-Display.

Best Overall and Best EV

Lucid Air Pure dominates the leaderboard, tying for “Best Technology,” and winning both “Best EV” and “Best Overall.”

Lucid Motors is a Silicon Valley Startup in its fifth year of production. Parallels to Tesla are undeniable. Lucid’s CEO, Peter Rawlinson, was the chief engineer of the Tesla Model S, and the company’s Newark headquarters is close to Tesla’s assembly plant in Fremont, California. Arguably, the Lucid Air sports sedan is the car Tesla should have built.

Lucid offers four versions of its all-electric luxury sedan: the Lucid Air Pure, Touring, Grand Touring and Sapphire.

The Air Pure is Lucid’s least expensive model with an MSRP of $69,900. It’s impressive that Lucid’s entry level sedan took top honors in our 14-vehicle comparison.  

Lucid’s technological advantage lies in its efficiency and range. It’s made possible by compact, lightweight and efficient electric motors and innovative modular battery architecture.

Weighing 4,600 pounds, the Air Pure is a lightweight by EV standards. The result is a luxurious, responsive, crisp-handling sports sedan with a class-leading 420 miles of range.

Taller drivers may find the fixed headrests uncomfortable. At 6-foot-3, the headrests wedged between my shoulder blades. I also found the seating position too high, hampering my view outward and causing me to bump my head upon ingress.

The judges called the Air Pure “a tour de force of technology and suspension tuning” and “as efficient in technology as it is elegant in design.”

The Lucid Air Pure has the right combination of performance, range and value to win over gas engine loyalists.

Best EV Runner-up

• Hyundai Ionic 5 N

Best Overall Runners-up

• Hyundai Ionic 5 N
• Range Rover SE 7-seat LWB
• Genesis G80 3.5T Sport Prestige

The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat was my choice for “Best Overall.” The SRT Hellcat has an extreme “gotta-have-it” factor. From the whine of the supercharger to the rumble of the exhaust, the Durango SRT Hellcat is a total sensory experience. It’s the end of an era – the last of the automotive Mohicans. Slated for discontinuation at the end of this model year, this is the last chance for Americans to buy a fire breathing, stupid powerful, supercharged V8 Mopar muscle machine. With brute force power, it’s pure unadulterated excess. In the top 5 of the most powerful vehicles I’ve ever driven, the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat deserves to be celebrated. It’s Detroit at its finest.