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GT 7 Seater 22/23 vs T 5 Seater 20/21s - The Touring has stolen my heart

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This is just a quick post.

I've had the luxury or unfortunate opportunity to drive a few loaner Gravities; depends on how you look at it.

I've always felt the ride quality on my GT 7 Seater with 22/23 wheels to be rough. I've always suspect this was the cost of having the largest wheel options available. Less sidewall. Recently my GT when into service, and I was given another GT but with the 21/22 wheel combo. There was a subtle but noticeable difference in ride quality, better. Which made me wonder what the smallest wheel combo would feel like .

Yesterday I received another loaner. This time, it was significantly different. A touring, minimal options, with the 20/21 combo. And dare I say this is the most fun Gravity I've driven. I'm not sure if its the 20/21 wheel combo, or the fact that the Touring is much lighter; no 2nd motor, no 3rd row, more "cost effective" material that is probably lighter. The ride quality is the best I've experience so far, and the handling is so much fun. The steering wheel is lighter, the brakes respond better, and the car begs to be thrown around. Its hard to believe this is the same exact chassis, because the car feels so much more lively, light on its toes, and playful.

I bought the Gravity because I wanted a car that could haul everything but still be sporty and fun. I loved the way the Gravity looked on the 22/23 wheels. I love my GT, it a rocket, and gets around corners like a champ, but after driving this Touring with the 20/21 combo, I think I'm having buyers regret. The touring is just that playful, its just that fun. Frankly, I can live with the more "spartan" interior. As for the power, well yeah I'd probably miss the power of the GT but at the end of the day, I think this Touring has stolen my heart.

When my lease on the GT is up, I'll seriously consider getting into the Touring with this wheel combo. I do want to try a GT on the 20/21s too, but I suspect the relatively lightweight nature is what makes the Touring so playful. Oh and of course throw in the Cosmos too....
 
I am kinda in the same boat, have a GT on 20/21 for 3 years lease. If there is a good CPO Touring with the 21/22s I would definitely just buy that for the long term. Sold on Gravity overall, not quite decided on the best spec yet. Problem will be with the colors, which are limited and for 2027 they took away Aurora Green from Touring....
 
My current GGT is on the 21/22’s. My loaner was a GGT on 20/21’s and I loved how much better the ride quality on the 20/21’s was. I noticed how much more supple it was immediately upon driving and it still felt sharp in terms of handling. I do regret the 21/22’s, but they do look the best as larger vehicles look better with multi-spoke wheels. Alas, two years left on my lease.
 
NoseyReporter said:
This is just a quick post.

I've had the luxury or unfortunate opportunity to drive a few loaner Gravities; depends on how you look at it.

I've always felt the ride quality on my GT 7 Seater with 22/23 wheels to be rough. I've always suspect this was the cost of having the largest wheel options available. Less sidewall. Recently my GT when into service, and I was given another GT but with the 21/22 wheel combo. There was a subtle but noticeable difference in ride quality, better. Which made me wonder what the smallest wheel combo would feel like .

Yesterday I received another loaner. This time, it was significantly different. A touring, minimal options, with the 20/21 combo. And dare I say this is the most fun Gravity I've driven. I'm not sure if its the 20/21 wheel combo, or the fact that the Touring is much lighter; no 2nd motor, no 3rd row, more "cost effective" material that is probably lighter. The ride quality is the best I've experience so far, and the handling is so much fun. The steering wheel is lighter, the brakes respond better, and the car begs to be thrown around. Its hard to believe this is the same exact chassis, because the car feels so much more lively, light on its toes, and playful.

I bought the Gravity because I wanted a car that could haul everything but still be sporty and fun. I loved the way the Gravity looked on the 22/23 wheels. I love my GT, it a rocket, and gets around corners like a champ, but after driving this Touring with the 20/21 combo, I think I'm having buyers regret. The touring is just that playful, its just that fun. Frankly, I can live with the more "spartan" interior. As for the power, well yeah I'd probably miss the power of the GT but at the end of the day, I think this Touring has stolen my heart.

When my lease on the GT is up, I'll seriously consider getting into the Touring with this wheel combo. I do want to try a GT on the 20/21s too, but I suspect the relatively lightweight nature is what makes the Touring so playful. Oh and of course throw in the Cosmos too....
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Why not change wheels first and check if that helps?
 
Lycra said:
Why not change wheels first and check if that helps?
Click to expand...
Its a lease for me. I don't really feel like going out of my way to buy a new set of wheels for a car I won't be buying out at the end of the lease.

I can tell you the steering feels lighter on the 20/21 combo, and I think this is just strictly due to the unsprung weight difference of the two wheel combos and potentially a softer sidewall on the hankooks.
 
I have the gravity touring with a 22/23 setup, and the wheel setup looks really impressive!

I'm curious about how it would feel if I switched to smaller wheels, but since I'm on a 2-year lease, I'm a bit hesitant. I've also been considering switching to an all-season 20/21 setup, especially since my vehicle originally came with Pzero summer tires. Not sure keeping the summer tires on the vehicle during winter in the northern Virginia.
 
ksyed3d said:
Not sure keeping the summer tires on the vehicle during winter in the northern Virginia.
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Don't do it :)
Traction issues aside, it does get cold enough for that summer rubber to fail here. If you live nearby, Craftsman Auto Care in Merrifield has been my go-to for wheel swaps and safety inspections. They have the correct lifts and alignment setup.
 
segbrk said:
Don't do it :)
Traction issues aside, it does get cold enough for that summer rubber to fail here. If you live nearby, Craftsman Auto Care in Merrifield has been my go-to for wheel swaps and safety inspections. They have the correct lifts and alignment setup.
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Thank you, friend, for that helpful information. I’ll check them out. I was looking at Lucid for the swap, but it costs over $3,700 to get a full set loaded onto the vehicle.
 
ksyed3d said:
Thank you, friend, for that helpful information. I’ll check them out. I was looking at Lucid for the swap, but it costs over $3,700 to get a full set loaded onto the vehicle.
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Lucid charges only a few hundred bucks for a future swap. You do have to buy the wheels/tires though.
 
borski said:
Lucid charges only a few hundred bucks for a future swap. You do have to buy the wheels/tires though.
Click to expand...
Yep. Sorry, to be clear, cost between Lucid and Craftsman isn't that different (for just the swap and alignment). The difference is Craftsman can get you an appointment a few days out.
 
segbrk said:
Yep. Sorry, to be clear, cost between Lucid and Craftsman isn't that different (for just the swap and alignment). The difference is Craftsman can get you an appointment a few days out.
Click to expand...
From a guy who used to do his own alignments. There is no need to execute an alignment unless you have a tire wear issue.
 
segbrk said:
Yep. Sorry, to be clear, cost between Lucid and Craftsman isn't that different (for just the swap and alignment). The difference is Craftsman can get you an appointment a few days out.
Click to expand...
Ok, so you're saying the cost of swapping to summer wheels and tires is pretty similar whether you get them done at a Craftsman shop or at Lucid?
 
ksyed3d said:
Ok, so you're saying the cost of swapping to summer wheels and tires is pretty similar whether you get them done at a Craftsman shop or at Lucid?
Click to expand...
Yes. I don't have the numbers on hand, but I've done both and I remember them being pretty close.
 
Sounds like my experience with my Air Pure and the recent Touring loaner I had. The Touring was a brute in comparison to the Pure but something about the Pure, namely the lighter weight, makes it enjoyable in a completely different way.
 
Miami_Lucid_Man said:
Sounds like my experience with my Air Pure and the recent Touring loaner I had. The Touring was a brute in comparison to the Pure but something about the Pure, namely the lighter weight, makes it enjoyable in a completely different way.
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I can't wait to see what they do with the Cosmos. I hope that they don't let the chase for profitability hurt what the Cosmo can be given the pedigree of the Air and the Gravity.

I genuinely made the wrong choice with the GT 7 seater 22/23, however at the time I need the car immediately. Hopefully the when it comes time to return the Gravity, I can test drive all the different trims of the Cosmos. Then decide if I want to go Cosmos or Gravity T.
 
NoseyReporter said:
Its a lease for me. I don't really feel like going out of my way to buy a new set of wheels for a car I won't be buying out at the end of the lease.

I can tell you the steering feels lighter on the 20/21 combo, and I think this is just strictly due to the unsprung weight difference of the two wheel combos and potentially a softer sidewall on the hankooks.
Click to expand...
I experienced the same thing but the other way around: I have a GGT with the 20/21's (wanted better tire options for severe snow rated tires come winter for ski trips, better range, and less chance of pot hole blow outs). But now that my vehicle is in the service center I'm driving a loaner GGT equipped with the 22/23's and ya, even though it's summer, those fancy looking rubber band tires do not have the same ride quality as my 20/21's. My GGT seems lighter on its feet and more nimble.
It's almost counter intuitive but the Hankook's seem to handle better on the curvy mountain roads around the Santa Cruz Mountains than these Pzero's
I feel I made the right choice on wheels & tires thus far and will probably go with a 3PMSF A/S like Cross Climate II or Vredestein Quatrac Pro+ this winter to drive from sea level up to Tahoe and back for ski season.
 
NoseyReporter said:
This is just a quick post.

I've had the luxury or unfortunate opportunity to drive a few loaner Gravities; depends on how you look at it.

I've always felt the ride quality on my GT 7 Seater with 22/23 wheels to be rough. I've always suspect this was the cost of having the largest wheel options available. Less sidewall. Recently my GT when into service, and I was given another GT but with the 21/22 wheel combo. There was a subtle but noticeable difference in ride quality, better. Which made me wonder what the smallest wheel combo would feel like .

Yesterday I received another loaner. This time, it was significantly different. A touring, minimal options, with the 20/21 combo. And dare I say this is the most fun Gravity I've driven. I'm not sure if its the 20/21 wheel combo, or the fact that the Touring is much lighter; no 2nd motor, no 3rd row, more "cost effective" material that is probably lighter. The ride quality is the best I've experience so far, and the handling is so much fun. The steering wheel is lighter, the brakes respond better, and the car begs to be thrown around. Its hard to believe this is the same exact chassis, because the car feels so much more lively, light on its toes, and playful.

I bought the Gravity because I wanted a car that could haul everything but still be sporty and fun. I loved the way the Gravity looked on the 22/23 wheels. I love my GT, it a rocket, and gets around corners like a champ, but after driving this Touring with the 20/21 combo, I think I'm having buyers regret. The touring is just that playful, its just that fun. Frankly, I can live with the more "spartan" interior. As for the power, well yeah I'd probably miss the power of the GT but at the end of the day, I think this Touring has stolen my heart.

When my lease on the GT is up, I'll seriously consider getting into the Touring with this wheel combo. I do want to try a GT on the 20/21s too, but I suspect the relatively lightweight nature is what makes the Touring so playful. Oh and of course throw in the Cosmos too....
Click to expand...
You can’t get around physics/weight, and this is a nice comparison for new Gravity buyers to consider.

I’m still happy with my GGT choice. Although I would love to have the nimbleness of the lighter Touring, I value range more than handling. This means a bigger battery pack (123 kWh vs 89 kWh) and all the downsides that go with more weight.

I’ll still take 450 miles (420 miles for my GDE - I sacrificed a 13 miles for 7-seater and 17 miles for DE power) vs 337 miles for the Touring. I’m also happy with my wheel choice, the small 20/21 for the extra range and comfort. Remember, these are 100% to 0% EPA numbers and no one drives this way. For realistic 70 mph highway driving for road trips, my 420 EPA translates to (very loosely for me, using 2.8 mi/kWh)
  • 290 miles 100% to 10% 1st leg.
  • 260 miles 90% to 10% for sit-down food stop.
  • 230 miles 80% to 10% for 20-25 min charge. This is still 3 hrs 20 min of driving at 70 mph, a good time for a stop.
  • Derate the above by 20% rain (applies to all EV’s)
  • Derate the above by 40% cold weather (applies to all EV’s).
Range vs. nimbleness for new buyers!
 
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All this talk about smaller wheel setups has got me thinking and maybe reconsidering my choice of a 22/23 setup. I still love the way it looks, and it drives like a dream.

I was mainly going for the look, but I couldn't help but be impressed by how smoothly it drove during my test drives with the larger wheels.

Now that I think about it, all the testing I did was with the larger wheels, and it really made an impression on me. I guess I can still cough up $3700+ for the smaller 21/22 set of wheels but then again I am on 2 year lease, I guess it will only make sense to get another set if I decide to keep the vehicle.
 
This is good info for new buyers. I picked the smallest wheels for the longest range and winter driving, and now it sounds like they're responsible for the excellent ride quality as well. The funny thing is, people keep commenting on how huge these wheels look 😀
 
NoseyReporter said:
From a guy who used to do his own alignments. There is no need to execute an alignment unless you have a tire wear issue.
Click to expand...
I've wondered this for years. In the 90's I used to get rotation and alignment done somewhat regularly. When I later got lazy(er), I didn't really notice any difference in tire wear or tread life. Seems like this might be another thing we still take as common knowledge based on how cars used to be.
 
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