Hi Folks,
My 3yr lease on Air is ending next month and I'm looking to lease Gravity. In three years, I have seen all good/bad things driving Lucid Air including Mobile key opening intermittent issues. I can LIVE with all issues as I feel benefits of driving Lucid outweigh some minor nuances. My question to group who already owns Gravity and also driven Air previously, does Gravity depict similar issues as Air? Or are there new nuances? Any first hand insights will be helpful for me to take final decision. Thank you.
We have been driving an Air since late 2021 and now have two Gravities.
When it comes to power, range, handling, space utilization, structural rigidity, materials and build quality, and (at least to my mind) styling, they each lead the industry in their categories.
However, the categories themselves are quite different, and that difference carries over to an Air / Gravity comparison. The Gravity is a bigger vehicle, and you feel it. But the Dynamic Handling Package (a "must have" in my book) with its rear-wheel steering does an amazing job of "shrinking" the car dynamically. In fact, I find it an easier car to maneuver in parking lots than the Air. And, despite being significantly taller, the Gravity feels as planted in lateral maneuvers as the Air -- again helped by the rear-wheel steering. Plus you have the advantage of sitting taller in traffic if that sensation appeals to you, although it won't match most SUVs in that regard.
While the Air has plenty of legroom, the sitting positions are very different. In the Air front seats, your legs extend forward more than downward. In the Air rear seat, you sit with your knees jacked up a bit, especially with the larger battery pack. The Gravity provides considerably more leg drop than the Air in both rows, enabling a more upright seating position if you want it. And while the Air feels very spacious, especially in width, the Gravity pretty much slays any vehicle I've ridden in. It feels downright cavernous no matter where you sit in it.
The Air has a relatively quiet cabin. The Gravity is a tomb, at least with the acoustic glass package. Passing traffic almost doesn't exist. Wind is a whisper. Tire noise dominates what sounds there are, and that varies across the unusually broad wheel/tire options of the Gravity.
Now . . . software and the user interfaces. For my money, the
design of the Gravity user interfaces is considerably better than the Air's already good interfaces, and there is nothing outside of Lucid that rivals it -- and I say that having owned two Teslas.
Execution is another matter, at least at this point. There are plenty of threads here that discuss the Gravity software woes, but I'm living on hope and faith that the Gravity will soon begin the climb out of the pit that the Air began 10 months after its introduction with the switch to a new platform (UX 2.0). But, since you say you have weathered the Air's glitches with equanimity, you'll probably be fine with the Gravity's while it gets its act together.
Bottom line: if you need room for more than four adults and lots of cargo, the Gravity is the world beater -- and I say that having owned two Honda Odyssey minivans. If you want sport car handling and acceleration in a sport sedan, then the Air is the way to go. If you want sport sedan handling and acceleration in an SUV (or, as some would argue, a minivan), the Gravity can't be beat.
Engineering a car is inescapably an exercise in trade-offs. If it weren't for its software struggles at the moment, I would say the Gravity is the best-balanced, least-compromised vehicle I have ever owned . . . and by a significant margin.
