Chevy Corvette Z06 vs. Lucid Air Grand Touring: A High-Horsepower Edmunds U-Drags for the Books

• The Corvette Z06 and our long-term test Lucid Air Grand Touring battle it out on the Edmunds U-Drags track.
• This showdown features nearly 1,500 horsepower.
• One of these monsters breaks into the 10s in the quarter mile.

Unexpected matchups like this only ever tend to take place here in the weird wonderland of Edmunds U-Drags. In this race, our long-term 2022 Lucid Air Grand Touring EV takes on the most noteworthy American supercar in years, the 2023 Chevy Corvette Z06. The Lucid may have a distinct power advantage, but that's hardly the whole story.

Let’s get this out of the way: The Air has a monstrous 819 horsepower and 885 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, the Z06’s 670 hp and 460 lb-ft look a bit meek. However, the Lucid weighs nearly 1,400 pounds more. To make matters a little stickier for the Lucid — or, more precisely, not sticky — it’s rolling on Pirelli P Zero all-season shoes. That’s compared to the Vette’s Michelin Sport Cup 2 R tires, which are effectively racing rubber.

Watch the video to see the results, but here’s a little preview of the numbers: In Race 1, both cars rocketed to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, completing the quarter mile in the low 11s. (Remember, this is not a prepped surface like a drag strip.) The Z06 cornered harder, registering 1.04 g. However, the Lucid had a shorter total distance traveled, running the course in 3,721 feet.

With plenty of heat in all of the tires, things got even faster in Race 2 as the day's temperatures warmed up our concrete racing surface. The Chevy was quicker to 60, hitting 3.3 seconds, and it even cracked the 11-second quarter-mile barrier, smashing through in 10.9 seconds. The Lucid improved on its lateral cornering, notching 0.98 g.

Edmunds U-Drags overview

A traditional drag race is all about straight-line speed, but true performance is about so much more. That’s why we invented U-Drags, a short head-to-head race format that tests acceleration, braking and handling. The two cars sprint to the quarter-mile mark, brake hard into a U-turn, then hustle back to the start-finish line. After that, we switch drivers and lanes and run a second race to make sure both cars get a fair shot at glory.

The graphic below gives you a visual representation of how it all works. Check it out, then keep scrolling for all the details.

Edmunds says

Horsepower and torque always help matters, but in the end, it's weight and tires that can mean the most at U-Drags. A V8 soundtrack like the Z06's doesn’t hurt matters either.