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Should I order 5 or 7 seats?

DeaneG

DeaneG

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I've been thinking about ordering a five-seat Gravity instead of seven. We don't need to carry more than four people, and the extra-deep storage space would come in handy. We would use it for road trips including some mild rough-road work, so I'd like to carry a full-sized spare (likely a front wheel/tire), and was thinking that maybe the spare would fit in the floor well where the third row seats would normally go.

Of course, resale value will be better on the seven-seat version.

Opinions? Anything I've missed? Thanks!
 
I was thinking the same but when the seats are folded you've still got ample room in the trunk plus you've also got all that space in the frunk as well so I looked at it as the 7 seats was convenient. Even carrying 5 adults they would come in handy. Just like an airplane, no one wants to sit in the middle seat :)
 
I'm of the same thoughts if I go down this route.
From the engineering standpoint, mechanically or otherwise, is it operational to normalize the tires to one size?
I mean, who knows if it's the front or the rear tire that would be a flat mishap.
I'd feel more secure with a spare that can go on either axle.
 
EVCar said:
I mean, who knows if it's the front or the rear tire that would be a flat mishap.
I'd feel more secure with a spare that can go on either axle.
Click to expand...
As the front tires are narrower, If carrying only one wheel/tire as a spare, I thought it would be wiser not to try to fit a wide rear wheel/tire onto the front with possible interference during steering.
 
DeaneG said:
I've been thinking about ordering a five-seat Gravity instead of seven. We don't need to carry more than four people, and the extra-deep storage space would come in handy. We would use it for road trips including some mild rough-road work, so I'd like to carry a full-sized spare (likely a front wheel/tire), and was thinking that maybe the spare would fit in the floor well where the third row seats would normally go.

Of course, resale value will be better on the seven-seat version.

Opinions? Anything I've missed? Thanks!
Click to expand...
I am hoping that someone down there will come to their senses and come up with a six-seat configuration. That is what I want
 
I was having the same questions because I normally use my sub-trunk for things like extra coats (I live in an area with large temperature swings both by time of day and by location), umbrellas, hats, other sundries that I want to keep always in the car, but out of sight so that my trunk looks empty when people look in.

I totally love the way the seats disappear, but unfortunately they conflict with that use of the sub-trunk so I'll either have to go with the 5 seater or change the way I use my car. One nice thing about the Gravity is that it seems that the frunk is more accessible. I currently use the frunk for things I rarely need like the mobile charger, adapters, and hitch attachment. Perhaps on the Gravity I'll move my sub-trunk usage to the frunk and then I won't have conflicts for stowing the seats for larger items.

Another option is if they have a nice accessory storage organizer that fits exactly into the sub-trunk, it would make it easier to keep my various items there like I do now, but be very simple to extract them in one lift when I want to stow the seats.

As far as a spare tire, I don't have the measurements on hand, but I didn't think the sub-trunk was big enough for the large wheel/tire combinations they have on the Gravity which are 30+ inches of outer diameter.
 
Daryl75 said:
I am hoping that someone down there will come to their senses and come up with a six-seat configuration. That is what I want
Click to expand...
6 Seats

1744738466707.webp
 
HC_79 said:
I was thinking the same but when the seats are folded you've still got ample room in the trunk plus you've also got all that space in the frunk as well so I looked at it as the 7 seats was convenient. Even carrying 5 adults they would come in handy. Just like an airplane, no one wants to sit in the middle seat :)
Click to expand...
Also, you can put things that aren’t people in the rear seats lol, in a pinch.
 
It's 5 seats all the way for me. I have no use for a third row. Heck, I hardly ever have passengers in the second row seats in my car. So, I can't see paying extra for a third row of seats that I will never use. I want Gravity for the cargo space when I need it and the driving dynamics the rest of the time. I'm looking to buy this vehicle for me, not for some hypothetical future owner. I don't think that we can accurately predict resale value years down the road, or how that will be affected by the number of seats or other options.

As others have said, a full-size spare tire won't fit in the rear seat well, but not having the third row would give you more space for one somewhere in the back. My view is to spec the vehicle the way that you will use it rather than how you think someone else would like it.
 
DeaneG said:
I've been thinking about ordering a five-seat Gravity instead of seven. We don't need to carry more than four people, and the extra-deep storage space would come in handy. We would use it for road trips including some mild rough-road work, so I'd like to carry a full-sized spare (likely a front wheel/tire), and was thinking that maybe the spare would fit in the floor well where the third row seats would normally go.

Of course, resale value will be better on the seven-seat version.

Opinions? Anything I've missed? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Are you planning to carry a floor jack with your spare? If so, a floor jack might not work very well on rough roads either so maybe think twice about carrying a spare?

For me, the same rationale holds true about not having a spare in my Air. If I get a flat, I’m already going to be late to my destination so I may as well have my car towed home.

As for 5 or 7 seats, I have a full size SUV that’s about 20 years old … I think I’ve taken out the third row seats for extra space more often than I’ve used them for people.
 
Last edited:
terrycs said:
Are you planning to carry a floor jack with your spare? If so, a floor jack might not work very well on rough roads either so maybe think twice about carrying a spare?

For me, the same rationale holds true about not having a spare in my Air. If I get a flat, I’m already going to be late to my destination so I may as well have my car towed home.

As for 5 or 7 seats, I have a full size SUV that’s about 20 years old … I think I’ve taken out the third row seats for extra space more often than I’ve used them for people.
Click to expand...
Obviously you need a jack. Though it would be cool for Lucid to implement a jack mode where it puts pressure into only three air springs…
Lots of jack available from cars that have spares. Putting it into highest ride height should allow the use of a jack from a real truck.
 
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