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One Weekend with Lucid Gravity Dream Edition #319 (Former Model X Owner)

After the 2017 Model 3, we decided to lease our next two cars. The 2020 X wasn't perfect, but it was the best we could find, and was not worth anything near its lease residual value when the lease was done. Leased the 2023, and while Tesla improved it in some ways, build quality issues continue to plague this model.
Looking forward to out GGT. Trying to decide whether to lease it or buy it. Hesitation on buying is that Lucid will probably improve it within a few years, so might be better to lease. Thoughts?
 
JoeSchmo said:
For those that have/had a six seater model X, how many were disappointed that the same wasnt offered with the gravity, atleast not yet?
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We would have considered this if available, but the main thing we loved about the 6-seat X was that it made the 3rd row usable at all. Having the 7-seat Gravity, I really don't feel like we're missing anything and it's much more convenient for road trips.
 
JoeSchmo said:
For those that have/had a six seater model X, how many were disappointed that the same wasnt offered with the gravity, atleast not yet?
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I'd have considered it for sure -- especially if there was a pass-through as wide as the pass-through space in the Model X. One of the things I really miss about my Model X is the powered refrigerator / freezer I placed between the two captain's seats in the middle row. The space was so perfect, I simply left it there and always left it powered on. It made long road trips more fun by having either cold drinks or frozen treats within handy reach without having to pull over to access same in either the frunk or trunk of the car. Also made grocery shopping at multiple stores lots more convenient. For example, I like to buy meats at one store, and the balance of groceries at another. With the fridge, the meats would stay refrigerated while I drove to another store to pick up other things. Necessity? Not really. Nicety? Absolutely. This is a hedonic treadmill sort of thing.

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bryway said:
I'd have considered it for sure -- especially if there was a pass-through as wide as the pass-through space in the Model X. One of the things I really miss about my Model X is the powered refrigerator / freezer I placed between the two captain's seats in the middle row. The space was so perfect, I simply left it there and always left it powered on. It made long road trips more fun by having either cold drinks or frozen treats within handy reach without having to pull over to access same in either the frunk or trunk of the car. Also made grocery shopping at multiple stores lots more convenient. For example, I like to buy meats at one store, and the balance of groceries at another. With the fridge, the meats would stay refrigerated while I drove to another store to pick up other things. Necessity? Not really. Nicety? Absolutely. This is a hedonic treadmill sort of thing.

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Great idea! Almost makes me want to keep our Model X, but I’ll get over it soon enough.

I do notice on your car that the MODEL X stamp is now back on the ceiling bar between the FWDs. They had it on our first November 2017-build Model X, but removed it on our second July 2018-build Model. Elon Musk mst have been going through yet another misguided fit of rampant cost-cutting, when our second Model X was being built.
 
Smorgasbord said:
After the 2017 Model 3, we decided to lease our next two cars. The 2020 X wasn't perfect, but it was the best we could find, and was not worth anything near its lease residual value when the lease was done. Leased the 2023, and while Tesla improved it in some ways, build quality issues continue to plague this model.
Looking forward to out GGT. Trying to decide whether to lease it or buy it. Hesitation on buying is that Lucid will probably improve it within a few years, so might be better to lease. Thoughts?
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Understand this sentiment all to well.

we do bought an early model X, and then again in 2023 when i got almost 50k more for it than i owed, which to me was shocking after 6 years, but the used market for EVs was crazy that year.

We had the original 6 seater with console and absolutely loved it. Though have to agree the pass thru in the 2023 without console did make it more usable. I think the real reason for the 6 seater is we enjoy how it feels. It feels like a more upscale version without a bench in the 2nd row and captains chairs as well. To me thats the only reason. The aesthetic perception and why i think alot of big SUVs do it. But the factory line perception says that the bench is easier to install and improve line speeds, not sure if thats the reason but thats all i could come up with. Perhaps demand, and numbers for storage capacity if second row didnt fold flat.

I am leasing for this reason (to hopefully get a 2nd row captain in the 2028 version) and to hedge my bet on the residual.

really appreciate the feedback and input all.
 
JoeSchmo said:
Understand this sentiment all to well.

we do bought an early model X, and then again in 2023 when i got almost 50k more for it than i owed, which to me was shocking after 6 years, but the used market for EVs was crazy that year.

We had the original 6 seater with console and absolutely loved it. Though have to agree the pass thru in the 2023 without console did make it more usable. I think the real reason for the 6 seater is we enjoy how it feels. It feels like a more upscale version without a bench in the 2nd row and captains chairs as well. To me thats the only reason. The aesthetic perception and why i think alot of big SUVs do it. But the factory line perception says that the bench is easier to install and improve line speeds, not sure if thats the reason but thats all i could come up with. Perhaps demand, and numbers for storage capacity if second row didnt fold flat.

I am leasing for this reason (to hopefully get a 2nd row captain in the 2028 version) and to hedge my bet on the residual.

really appreciate the feedback and input all.
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That's the thing, in practice, having had both 6- and 7-seat variations of 3-row SUVs, the Model X's implementation isn't that great beyond getting that initial aesthetic look. Sure, the seats look like the ones in the front row, but w/o all the adjustments unless they're designed to be chauffeur cars like the i7. The X's in particular were not ergonomic; there was no armrest, the tilt adjustments were limited, and w/ the Falcon wing doors, the seats also had no storage. In fact, I found that the best feature of the captain's chairs layout was actually the open space in the middle—for getting into the 3rd row, or as @bryway does, as convenient storage.
 
allenmhc said:
That's the thing, in practice, having had both 6- and 7-seat variations of 3-row SUVs, the Model X's implementation isn't that great beyond getting that initial aesthetic look. Sure, the seats look like the ones in the front row, but w/o all the adjustments unless they're designed to be chauffeur cars like the i7. The X's in particular were not ergonomic; there was no armrest, the tilt adjustments were limited, and w/ the Falcon wing doors, the seats also had no storage. In fact, I found that the best feature of the captain's chairs layout was actually the open space in the middle—for getting into the 3rd row, or as @bryway does, as convenient storage.
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That’s right. The Model X second row - no armrests, no adjustments, no storage, but lots and lots of road roar.
 
JoeSchmo said:
we do bought an early model X, and then again in 2023 when i got almost 50k more for it than i owed, which to me was shocking after 6 years, but the used market for EVs was crazy that year.
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My experience in 2023 with our 2020 X was that it wasn't worth near the residual value of the lease. In 2020, Model S/X leases had buy-out clauses, but the quotes we got for selling the car were $5k-$10k below that. Heck, we could have bought one ourselves from CarMax for less than the buy-out value of the lease.
 
Smorgasbord said:
My experience in 2023 with our 2020 X was that it wasn't worth near the residual value of the lease. In 2020, Model S/X leases had buy-out clauses, but the quotes we got for selling the car were $5k-$10k below that. Heck, we could have bought one ourselves from CarMax for less than the buy-out value of the lease.
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I think that’s pretty common with EV leases in general. Unless you get a leasing company that will adjust the residual to the real market value…
 
Does anyone have a sense whether the Gravity or the X is the safer car in a crash? We bought an X a couple years ago partially because it had gotten very positive crash test reviews, but recently I've come to find out that the Tesla model Y has a much higher fatality rate than normal (possibly due to speed & clientele, or FSD mistakes), whereas for awhile I thought it was supposed to be pretty safe in a crash (the story about the family surviving the cliff-drop). Something about the doors not being able to be opened after a frontal crash, if the car catches on fire.

As far as rattles go in an X, I just got one fixed in our front suspension... bolt was loose.
 
niceInBoston said:
Does anyone have a sense whether the Gravity or the X is the safer car in a crash? We bought an X a couple years ago partially because it had gotten very positive crash test reviews, but recently I've come to find out that the Tesla model Y has a much higher fatality rate than normal (possibly due to speed & clientele, or FSD mistakes), whereas for awhile I thought it was supposed to be pretty safe in a crash (the story about the family surviving the cliff-drop). Something about the doors not being able to be opened after a frontal crash, if the car catches on fire.

As far as rattles go in an X, I just got one fixed in our front suspension... bolt was loose.
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Well, you've identified the problems w/ those kinds of ratings: it's hard to have a comprehensive "safety" metric and ranking when there are so many different factors at play, for something that should be relatively rare on an individual basis to begin with. Pretty much all modern cars (and EVs in particular) have great crash ratings and all the necessary structure + airbags to safe their occupants safe, but there are also plenty of news articles whenever an EV catches fire, or FSD fails in some way, or people not being used to the instant torque of EVs.

If safety is truly the topmost priority, I'd consider a Volvo XC90 or EX90 instead. They've built their entire reputation on safety-first for decades, and having owned an XC90 before, I can confirm that a lot of their R&D goes specifically to enhancing safety systems, way beyond regulatory or industry standards. Their design and tech have also gotten much better in the past decade (ever since the XC90 refresh back in 2015); the EX90 would have been our 2nd choice after the Gravity.
 
allenmhc said:
Well, you've identified the problems w/ those kinds of ratings: it's hard to have a comprehensive "safety" metric and ranking when there are so many different factors at play, for something that should be relatively rare on an individual basis to begin with. Pretty much all modern cars (and EVs in particular) have great crash ratings and all the necessary structure + airbags to safe their occupants safe, but there are also plenty of news articles whenever an EV catches fire, or FSD fails in some way, or people not being used to the instant torque of EVs.

If safety is truly the topmost priority, I'd consider a Volvo XC90 or EX90 instead. They've built their entire reputation on safety-first for decades, and having owned an XC90 before, I can confirm that a lot of their R&D goes specifically to enhancing safety systems, way beyond regulatory or industry standards. Their design and tech have also gotten much better in the past decade (ever since the XC90 refresh back in 2015); the EX90 would have been our 2nd choice after the Gravity.
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The Air beat every single test with five stars. The Gravity is expected to do the same. Lucid had stated Volvo as their benchmark for safety.
 
borski said:
The Air beat every single test with five stars. The Gravity is expected to do the same. Lucid had stated Volvo as their benchmark for safety.
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I didn't know they benchmarked to Volvo; that's great to know. I remember that with the initial XC90 refresh, they had features like tightening the seat belt when a crash is detected to protect passengers—again, things that go well beyond just satisfying NHTSA standards.
 
Volvo, like everyone else, has its problems, too.
WSJ recently did an article on a case of brake failing on a XC90 in Carmel Highlands.
"What he didn’t know at the time—and Volvo says it didn’t know either—was that his 2025 XC90 plug-in hybrid SUV had a braking defect. It materialized after an April safety recall for 400,000 vehicles over rearview camera failures. That recall involved several software updates. Volvo later identified that about 11,500 plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles that received those updates could experience the same braking failure."
 
TahoeMichael said:
To be fair to Tesla, we'll have to see how many creaks a Gravity has once they have a year or two of driving in them. Not that I'm expecting Gravity to age the way you're describing you experienced with the X.
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I do think the nature of the openings in the X’s frame structure just lead to it being inherently flexible over time. I don’t think there’s any reasonable way to remove that much structure of the roof and sides and have it remain as stiff as a boxed frame. It’s basically like installing old 80’s style T-Tops in the middle of a 6000# SUV. It was hard enough to pull of in a Camaro already. Although I did enjoy them on my 280ZX.
 
Xminus6 said:
I do think the nature of the openings in the X’s frame structure just lead to it being inherently flexible over time. I don’t think there’s any reasonable way to remove that much structure of the roof and sides and have it remain as stiff as a boxed frame. It’s basically like installing old 80’s style T-Tops in the middle of a 6000# SUV. It was hard enough to pull of in a Camaro already. Although I did enjoy them on my 280ZX.
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Yeah, it's really the overall design of the vehicle that reveals a lot of its flaws. People were all up in arms over misaligned door panels, when just getting the falcon wing doors to even work is a minor miracle in and of itself.
 
allenmhc said:
Yeah, it's really the overall design of the vehicle that reveals a lot of its flaws. People were all up in arms over misaligned door panels, when just getting the falcon wing doors to even work is a minor miracle in and of itself.
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Here’s the thing…I hate our X and don’t love our R1S.

BUT…if you’re someone who just wants to drive and have no software issues, a snappy interface and really useful features (eg my wife), the X is great. Tesla’s software is solid, smooth and intuitive. Yes, I know they’ve had a head start, etc. But most people just want to use the car and its features and easily access them. You just can’t do that as well in Gravity or R1S - yet. But I do love the buttons on the Gravity!!
 
Ron_Burgundy said:
Here’s the thing…I hate our X and don’t love our R1S.

BUT…if you’re someone who just wants to drive and have no software issues, a snappy interface and really useful features (eg my wife), the X is great. Tesla’s software is solid, smooth and intuitive.
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This is why I'm excited for the next couple of years. Lucid has already knocked it out of the park with everything except software, so can only imagine how awesome these cars will be once that is dialed in.
 
JoeSchmo said:
For those that have/had a six seater model X, how many were disappointed that the same wasnt offered with the gravity, atleast not yet?
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Late to this conversation, but I am looking forward to the middle bench row after the 2nd row in the MX. The seats were awful. It wasn’t possible to lean against anything to nap on a road trip, no arm rests, seat belts were hard for our parents to use. I did like the walk through to the 3rd row, but not enough to make up for the awful 2nd row seats.
 
jbrichgels said:
Late to this conversation, but I am looking forward to the middle bench row after the 2nd row in the MX. The seats were awful. It wasn’t possible to lean against anything to nap on a road trip, no arm rests, seat belts were hard for our parents to use. I did like the walk through to the 3rd row, but not enough to make up for the awful 2nd row seats.
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The only other benefit we found in our 6 seat X was the third row folks could have more leg room due pedestal seats and pointing their legs toward the middle.

Our 7 seat X’s third row is effectively unusable beyond young kids.
 
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