Afternoon lucid Fans,
I just test drove the Gravity and looked at a final build at Tysons Corner showroom in Virginia. I was really surprised at the interior space with how much headroom all occupants have. I am 6 feet tall and had a huge amount on headroom (in my opinion way more than my air). Both cars were painted Aurora Green and depending on light it can look more grey than green. It is a very subtle green and to me the Tahoe interior is not orange at all (like some have stated). I also have to admit the large wheels don’t look as big as I thought they were going to look…. I really want the extra range and having smaller wheels doesn’t bother me.
I didn’t have a lot of time in the car but I think the summer tires feel like they are all season. The car feels and drives solidly (very planted).
The tech is similar to the air but there is a lot more you can do and it’s pretty much all sorted out for the most part. Except HUD and hands free driving.
I look forward to adding the gravity to my garage.
This is a superb review. It helped me to make the most efficient use of the 45 minutes of total time that we were given at White Plains Lucid to do a quick test drive and some discussions. I would like to add the following:
1. The car is significantly more refined than the Air/Touring that I drive now. The thunk of the door is better. To me, it's one of the most important thing to set the table for a good impression. I liked it. The door behaves much better. I believe Air's "entry and exit" experience is bad, and particularly has the potential to turn off women. The door is heavy, it opens so wide that you have to send someone else to grab and pull it close. On a grade, it can sever your leg from your foot with the way it comes down as you pull it.
Gravity was much better.
2. We both loved the front seats. I like Air's just fine, but my wife does not. She felt that our earlier Audit A7 and Q7s were much better. She loved the Gravity seats in the front. I loved the greater support, and side support and adjustability of the headrest. Very nice.
3. I didn't spend too much time in the middle row. But my wife loved it. She felt that the middle seat is now perceptibly wider. The legroom was awesome.
4. The third row was terrific. Given the slimness of the cushion back there, it was surprisingly comfortable.
5. I am generally no fan of screen-based interaction. But I believe their new UX is better than the one in Air. But with more flexibility comes greater need for judicious implementation of it. So, I hope we don't get bombarded with unnecessary services, logos and bright pixels that could take away from the refined internal environment.
6. Having said that, I hope they offer different design templates for the main cockpit, e.g. different layouts of speed, speed limits, navigation etc. For instance, Apple Car Play Ultra (and many other legacy ICE models such as Audi, BMW etc) offer different layouts, some sporty, some more elegant etc. I hope Lucid would do the same. I DID NOT like the main cockpit display change where the Speed, Regen Levels, and Battery Usage are presented in a linear design. I like my Air's rotary display much better. There should be a choice.
7. I would've liked to see an option to have the navigation displayed right in the middle of the driver's cockpit to further reduce the need to take your eyes away from the road. Again, other models (ICE and EVs) allow it. Car Play Ultra does as well.
8. I am 5'7". My wife is 5'5". We did not face any issues with reaching for controls, gas pedals etc. I realize fully that all of these things are far more complex than height, but just wanted to make the observation.
9. Drive quality: I echo the earlier review. Too short. But I did some expressway and off ramp etc. The car handled VERY well. The Squircle was no problem at all. The turning radius with the rear wheel steering was just phenomenal.
10. There was a light drizzle. The wipers worked intermittently. But when they receded after being idle for a while, I heard a loud thunk which was disappointing. It was very ungainly for a car like this (or any other cars). The rep told me that "we are working on this."
11. This car did not have the HUD, for what it's worth.
