Grand Touring without Dynamic Handling Package

[illopp00]

Was hoping to get more opinions from folks’ without the dynamic handling package and how their experience has been. trying to decide between pulling the trigger on a Touring without it and securing current incentives versus trying our luck next quarter

I would either wait for one with it or prioritize is as a feature over something like the DDPro, Surround Sound (depending on what you like) or wheels or leather. Ultimately the GT we have is mostly my wife's car so it's a more lux spec with small wheels, tahoe leather and standard suspension. I was trying for a touring with dynamic handling and mid size wheels with just Purluxe.

 

[Kairide]

I would either wait for one with it or prioritize is as a feature

Why though? This type of generic response doesn’t really help someone trying to decide between getting the DHP or not.

 

[DDX]

I have a GGT with 20/21 wheels and standard handling package. Overall drive and ride is actually a little smoother and just as precise as our Air Touring. The only downside is parking the GGT compared to the Air. It is longer and requires a little more effort to park in some tight spaces. The DHP with rear steering would be a big help. I am convinced that for normal driving the standard options is far better than many sport sedans. Even if you want to drive more aggressively, it holds the road just as confidently as my old Camaro ZL1 (not on the track of course).

 

[borski]

I was in a similar situation in January. I wanted the current inventory incentive and there were no GTs in my area with DHP and the other options I wanted. There was one that had everything I wanted and nothing I didn’t want except it didn’t have the DHP. I ended up taking the plunge and leased the one without DHP. Couldn’t be happier, the single air suspension is smooth, much better than my Model S air suspension. I honestly don’t miss rear wheel steering. It’s one of those options that you don’t miss if you never had it. I have no issues with U turns, parking garages or parking spaces. You still have the ability to adjust the height manually or automatically with the single air suspension.
If you find an inventory Gravity with the options you like, don’t let a lack of DHP hold you back. I think the comfort and convenience, Dream Drive Premium and luxury seating package are must haves. The DHP is a want, but not a must have.

Personally, I disagree. The RWS is, by far, the best feature on the gravity imho. DDP and SSP are probably tied for second for me.

You're probably right that you can't miss what you never had, but I would give up every other addon before I gave up RWS.

The turning radius alone makes it worth it; it is significantly smaller than my Air. But the handling on the highway at higher speeds is just flat-out insane.

 

[Kairide]

Personally, I disagree. The RWS is, by far, the best feature on the gravity imho. DDP and SSP are probably tied for second for me.

You're probably right that you can't miss what you never had, but I would give up every other addon before I gave up RWS.

The turning radius alone makes it worth it; it is significantly smaller than my Air. But the handling on the highway at higher speeds is just flat-out insane.

Forgoing DHP saved me $6900. The $2900 cost of DHP and $4k to get the inventory vehicle discount.
I’ll take the cash in my pocket. I did drive a Tacoma for a few years, so maneuvering the Gravity is easy without rear steer.

 

[borski]

Forgoing DHP saved me $6900. The $2900 cost of DHP and $4k to get the inventory vehicle discount.
I’ll take the cash in my pocket. I did drive a Tacoma for a few years, so maneuvering the Gravity is easy without rear steer.

and that is why I'm glad we have options.

I have never driven a Tacoma; I am a small-car guy. Lotus Elise, Mazda 3, etc. Air is the biggest car I had ever driven before the Gravity.

I will happily take the RWS.

 

[legacy]

I feel like Lucid is doing themselves a disservice with the immense "optionality" permutations on the Gravity, leading to inconsistent driving experiences and frustrating purchase experiences. I myself lucked out and was able to get my car with the options I wanted while it was in transit. However, I can see this leading to the "unwanted" cars with undesirable specs sitting in inventory forever.

I think at the GTs price point there's too much nickel and diming, the GT should have almost all the big options standard, including DHP, power, seating, tow packages. Its ridiculous that ambient lighting isnt included either. For the touring price point, it makes more sense for those things to be options due to the lower starting price. One thing tesla got right is streamlining the options and ordering process.

 

[tmichael]

I feel like Lucid is doing themselves a disservice with the immense "optionality" permutations on the Gravity, leading to inconsistent driving experiences and frustrating purchase experiences. I myself lucked out and was able to get my car with the options I wanted while it was in transit. However, I can see this leading to the "unwanted" cars with undesirable specs sitting in inventory forever.

I think at the GTs price point there's too much nickel and diming, the GT should have almost all the big options standard, including DHP, power, seating, tow packages. Its ridiculous that ambient lighting isnt included either. For the touring price point, it makes more sense for those things to be options due to the lower starting price. One thing tesla got right is streamlining the options and ordering process.

Or, Lucid could have taken the Porsche approach. I tend to wanting a model with all the options checked - if it is too much money, I take a lesser model with all the options rather than a barebones different model.

I think running the assembly line and building inventory was a major mistake. A Lucid buyer is a bespoke buyer - they will spend a lot of money, but it has to be exactly the way they want it - and Lucid, using its infinite wisdom to decide what buyers should have, has come to bite itself in the arse [polymorphism intended]. Not only do they have vehicles that aren't spec'd the way current buyers want, they have vehicles that were made prior to a decision to stop assembly and clean up a few items.

Bad decisions!

 

[Saksak]

[…]

I think running the assembly line and building inventory was a major mistake. A Lucid buyer is a bespoke buyer - they will spend a lot of money, but it has to be exactly the way they want it - and Lucid, using its infinite wisdom to decide what buyers should have, has come to bite itself in the arse [polymorphism intended]. Not only do they have vehicles that aren't spec'd the way current buyers want, they have vehicles that were made prior to a decision to stop assembly and clean up a few items.

Bad decisions!

What about the possibility that Lucid didn’t try to guess what buyers wanted? What if the leftover inventory was simply buyers placing their initial order exactly as they wanted, Lucid started production, and then the buyer changed thier mind for another configuration or cancelled their order?

Each of us went through months/years of waiting after we placed our order. Lucid knew exactly what they needed to produce, subject to the whims of the bespoke buyer changing their mind. In this case, Lucid now has to sell unpopular configurations that the majority of us should never have chosen in the first place.

 

[tmichael]

What about the possibility that Lucid didn’t try to guess what buyers wanted? What if the leftover inventory was simply buyers placing their initial order exactly as they wanted, Lucid started production, and then the buyer changed thier mind for another configuration or cancelled their order?

Each of us went through months/years of waiting after we placed our order. Lucid knew exactly what they needed to produce, subject to the whims of the bespoke buyer changing their mind.

I agree wholeheartedly! Absolutely could be the case - I would hope you are right! It shows the cancellation fee should have been higher, but absolutely agree! I would love to be wrong on this point! Having worked in and around the Detroit 3, I have become too familiar with their practices.

 

[Kairide]

Each of us went through months/years of waiting after we placed our order.

I waited 3 days

 

[RandomDesign]

What about the possibility that Lucid didn’t try to guess what buyers wanted? What if the leftover inventory was simply buyers placing their initial order exactly as they wanted, Lucid started production, and then the buyer changed thier mind for another configuration or cancelled their order?

Each of us went through months/years of waiting after we placed our order. Lucid knew exactly what they needed to produce, subject to the whims of the bespoke buyer changing their mind. In this case, Lucid now has to sell unpopular configurations that the majority of us should never have chosen in the first place.

Lucid said they had some supply chain issues with specific parts and that they were building inventory cars with the parts they had on hand at one point. Most of them appeared to be ones with very few or odd mixes of options.

 

[BSheppard]

I feel like Lucid is doing themselves a disservice with the immense "optionality" permutations on the Gravity, leading to inconsistent driving experiences and frustrating purchase experiences. I myself lucked out and was able to get my car with the options I wanted while it was in transit. However, I can see this leading to the "unwanted" cars with undesirable specs sitting in inventory forever.

I think at the GTs price point there's too much nickel and diming, the GT should have almost all the big options standard, including DHP, power, seating, tow packages. Its ridiculous that ambient lighting isnt included either. For the touring price point, it makes more sense for those things to be options due to the lower starting price. One thing tesla got right is streamlining the options and ordering process.

Have you ever tried to build out a Porsche? Now there is a list of options that can double the price of the car

 

[hmp10]

Personally, I disagree. The RWS is, by far, the best feature on the gravity imho. DDP and SSP are probably tied for second for me.

I'm with @borski on this.

I'm not surprised that a Gravity with the standard suspension rides and handles great, because phenomenal chassis engineering is a Lucid hallmark.

However, as an owner of an Air Dream Edition without rear-wheel steering and two Gravity Dream Editions with real-wheel steering, I can attest that the rear-wheel steering really pulls of amazing feats. The Gravity is actually easier to park in tight spaces than the Air, despite the Gravity's longer wheelbase. And when making turns on roadways, the Gravity sets itself more precisely into the turn and maintains a tighter radius at a higher speed than the Air does on those same turns. It's almost eerie. And when making quick lane changes at high speeds (when the rear wheels turn in the direction of the front wheels as opposed to the opposite in low-speed maneuvers), the Gravity feels almost as if it just stepped crisply to the side rather than swayed or leaned into the other lane.

Someone made a comment that the 3º deflection (it's actually 2.7º) doesn't amount to much. However, Jason Cammisa, a professional stunt driver and Hagerty Racing test driver, found that Lucid is Porsche's only rival in doing rear-wheel steering right. The more extreme angles some brands hype, such as Mercedes' 10º, are more overkill for party tricks than anything really useful. Also, unlike the cruder setup in most RWS systems, which have a single steering rack for both wheels, the Gravity has separate actuators for each rear wheel, allowing even finer tuning of the maneuver.

Even the 3-chamber air suspension does contribute something to the Lucid ride, although perhaps not as noticeable. The spring rate of air springs changes with suspension height, thus making ride compliance in part a function of the height setting. A 3-chamber system allows the spring rate to stay more consistent at varying height settings, thus preserving the level of compliance you want across a wider range of height settings.

You might never miss the Gravity's Dynamic Handling Package if you don't have it, as any Lucid will still handle and ride better than anything else in its class. But the DHP is far, far from a waste of money.

 

[PGT]

DHP was a 'must' have for us. In the excellent technical deep dive Savage Geese did on Youtube with the Gravity's lead engineer, they talked at length about the design and engineering choices made to ensure braking was consistent whether regen or discs and the suspension was a big part of that.

Notably, the ability to correct toe and scrub with DHP was pointed out as being quite beneficial to optimize range and handling no matter the ride height. As anybody coming from a Model X (or two) like us knows...there's only one "ideal" height setting (LOW) - lower than that increases camber, higher than that changes the drive angle of the motors (all side effects of a Model S base).

 

[hwy17er]

I'm with you guys...
I would have never accepted a vehicle w/o the RWS/DHP

For me, the heck with ADAS: I wanna drive this thing!...I don't mind going through tires either