Gravity at Natick, MA Studio

[jered]

We stopped by the Natick, MA studio today. There is one Gravity on display (Green / Yosemite / 21/22) and one in back being prepped for test drives soon (Green / Yosemite / 22/23). Coming from our X, the Gravity absolutely met all of our size and comfort requirements, and we're happy with our reservation but still look forward to a test drive. The SA, Nico, was super-helpful and pretty well-informed given they've only had the vehicle a few days.

No new pictures, because all of my phone pictures are awful compared to the other ones being posted today, sorry.

The third row seats are very spacious. I'm 5'10", my husband is 6'2", and we felt comfortable sitting together in the 3rd row. Maybe not for 12 hours, but definitely for a regular trip. The second row seats are even more spacious, and the tray tables are great. USB-C and 120V ports are well-located. I wouldn't want to sit in the 2nd row middle, but the huge armrest/cupholder is convenient. The glass sunroof is MASSIVE and offers an enormous amount of headroom for both back rows.

I put the 2nd and 3rd row seats up and down a half-dozen times. The 2nd row is easy to operate, although reaaaaaaaaly slow to move forward to access the third row. The 3rd row mechanism is a bit fiddly to put up. The SA said this was a pre-production model, but I think it just requires knowing what to do -- you pull the handle back and then sort of lift up-and-over. Once you do it once it's easy, but the play in the mechanism seemed a bit unsettling.

The 2nd-row screen doesn't do entertainment today, just controls. I don't know that I'd really want to watch TV on a small screen at knee-level, but I'll point this out all the same.

The rear liftgate open seems really low, especially with the suspension down. I wish it opened higher. My husband is definitely going to bonk his head on it a few times.

The front seats are far more comfortable than our X. The massaging feature is "real" although not as strong as a proper massaging chair. They were sufficiently adjustable for our needs. The steering wheel is really tiny. The cockpit displays are a real experience -- almost overwhelming; again, I look forward to a test drive on these things.

I was able to pair my phone but then Bluetooth was disabled in showroom mode, so I couldn't see if CarPlay was working, I assume not yet -- I believe the Gravity was running v3.1.2. We had a funny experience where it took about 10 minutes to figure out how to open the glovebox. It's a weird shape -- thin, but deep. I feel like you could put a 10" pizza box in it, and nothing else. The center console was very high (compared to our X) but much better designed -- dual Qi chargers, a sliding top layer, and well-designed interior without little slots to lose things in. There's definitely more distance and isolation between driver and passenger than in other vehicles.

The HUD was installed but disabled. The sound system felt really powerful, but my judgement is reserved until I hear it while on the highway.

In the showroom on a rainy day, Aurora Green looks grey. I don't love it, but for me it's better than Black or White. All the Gravity colors are pretty meh, imho. The Airs in deep Zenith Red were just stunning and I'd love that, but it might look odd on a bigger vehicle. If this bothers me, I'll just get a wrap eventually. I also don't like the Yosemite Purluxe; it's fine, but I know it'll be marked and dingy soon enough. The Tahoe leather (samples, and in Airs) looks like the classic 80's Mercedes leather, and my favorite of the options, The Ojai samples are more grey than green, and remind me of (dare I say it) minivan vinyl. I wish there were more options, but Tahoe and Mojave are the best of those available imho.

They didn't have the frunk seat cushion, so it was hard to say much about the frunk (and I didn't have time to grab a tape measure, sorry again). I sat on it, and my 5-year-old climbed in it with me, and it seems nice but I have no real comments on it.

Overall, it's a beautiful vehicle, we're definitely getting one, and there were no new concerns raised by experiencing it in person! (In comparison, sitting in an Air makes it clear we're post-sedan for now, as much as I love the PB&J colors.) I wish the color options were a little more exciting, but I'd rather a Gravity in 2025 rather than hoping for Zenith Red in 2026.

 

[jered]

Just remembered another thing: the rear side shades are motorized, and only operate when the door is closed. This feels like a fragile mechanism that will be prone to trouble over time, but we will see. My Audi Q7 had mechanically operated rear screens, but the frameless windows of the Gravity makes that impossible.

I'm curious to see how the Gravity's frameless windows perform in New England winters. Our X has been occasionally fiddly after snowstorms (we park outside) and gets into a state where it alerts that the window isn't fully closed until reset. I guess I could ask friends how the Air has done.

 

[borski]

Just remembered another thing: the rear side shades are motorized, and only operate when the door is closed. This feels like a fragile mechanism that will be prone to trouble over time, but we will see. My Audi Q7 had mechanically operated rear screens, but the frameless windows of the Gravity makes that impossible.

I'm curious to see how the Gravity's frameless windows perform in New England winters. Our X has been occasionally fiddly after snowstorms (we park outside) and gets into a state where it alerts that the window isn't fully closed until reset. I guess I could ask friends how the Air has done.

Same is true for Air, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a single failure. I’m sure it’s happened, but I haven’t seen it reported here, and mine have never broken.

I think @hydbob may have had one break once? But I could be misremembering.

 

[niceInBoston]

I was at the Natick studio yesterday also and got to experience the Gravity - at least to some degree (it will be good to check it out in more detail at a later date when it's not busy). We're also coming from a Model X.

The SA said this was a pre-production model

This was mentioned repeatedly to me, and as soon as I arrived. Which seemed a bit fishy, as if they were ready to blame away anything annoying on it being a pre-production model. I wonder if the test drive one is also an earlier build.

I couldn't see if CarPlay was working

I didn't try CarPlay or bluetooth. I did play a few Dolby Atmos songs after connecting to the Tidal app and rolling up the windows. It sounded very good, about on par with the X, which I enjoy. The couple in the middle row suggested using the equalizer to up the bass, which did seem to make it more enjoyable for the song we were listening to (please note I'm not an audiophile.. though I enjoy a good system). I meant to try out my FLAC songs on my USB stick... and totally forgot to bring the USB stick. D'oh! Next time.

In the showroom on a rainy day, Aurora Green looks grey. I don't love it, but for me it's better than Black or White. All the Gravity colors are pretty meh, imho. The Airs in deep Zenith Red were just stunning and I'd love that, but it might look odd on a bigger vehicle. If this bothers me, I'll just get a wrap eventually. I also don't like the Yosemite Purluxe; it's fine, but I know it'll be marked and dingy soon enough. The Tahoe leather (samples, and in Airs) looks like the classic 80's Mercedes leather, and my favorite of the options, The Ojai samples are more grey than green, and remind me of (dare I say it) minivan vinyl. I wish there were more options, but Tahoe and Mojave are the best of those available imho.

Agreed. The SA and I discussed the Aurora Green. He said he thought it looked greener in the forest, and more subtly green in other environments. In the studio, it looked a bit more greyish than in some of the pictures. I wonder if this is because the studio is very white and grey, whereas out in the open under a blue sky, or with some trees, the metallic flakes in the paint would be reflecting those colors. In any case, I think it's a great color, and there are far too many white/black/grey cars on the road (though those colors look amazing to me, also -- on the Gravity (though black would look dirty very quickly)).

In any case, I really wish that blue was an option. The Tahoe would be *amazing* with blue (IMHO). With Aurora Green, I'm leaning toward Tahoe but Ojai is more subtle so I'm not sure.

Overall, it's a beautiful vehicle, we're definitely getting one, and there were no new concerns raised by experiencing it in person!

Agreed! No red flags, but definitely looking forward to a test drive and getting to play with the UI, seats, Dream Drive, etc more.

Just realizing that I forgot to disconnect my Tidal subscription from the car. Hopefully it's helped some folks experience higher resolution songs during their time in the car!

 

[hydbob]

Same is true for Air, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a single failure. I’m sure it’s happened, but I haven’t seen it reported here, and mine have never broken.

I think @hydbob may have had one break once? But I could be misremembering.

side ones no. Rear one yes . But that's because it got caught on the LATCH anchor flip cover and I tried to unstick it and broke it myself.

 

[jered]

They haven't announced it (why?!?) but apparently they are doing Gravity test drives at the Burlington Pop-Up from now through the 14th; reservations are here: https://lucidmotors.com/experiences/popup/boston

 

[FCyber]

They haven't announced it (why?!?) but apparently they are doing Gravity test drives at the Burlington Pop-Up from now through the 14th; reservations are here: https://lucidmotors.com/experiences/popup/boston

Thank you for the notice. I've just scheduled my test drive. My specialist keeps telling me soon for my Gravity, but nothing yet...

 

[niceInBoston]

You can schedule a test drive at Natick, too, via your SA. I got a call from my SA about it on Friday, though haven’t done it yet. I’m hoping to do both locations in case the vehicles have different interiors or only one allows for highway driving.

 

[jered]

I'll add my reviews/first impressions to this thread, since I already started it...

I took delivery of DE #84 last Friday (June 30) and then left it at the shop to go camping for a week with my Model X. That was a tough week, but I didn't want to take it camping without all-weather mats, and also a little bit of testing with it first. More importantly, I didn't want my husband to know it was delivered yet, because he thought we still had a GT with the Technology Package on order for delivery in the fall.

Back when we ordered the GT, my husband was really lobbying for the Dream Edition but eventually agreed that the extra cost for 200 hp on an already powerful car wasn't really necessary. When the HUD got delayed on the GT, I secretly upgraded to a DE without telling him, and then had to surreptitiously get the financing, insurance, registration etc sorted out. My cover was almost blown when he did a "Find My" on the 30th (because our 5 year old wanted to know how far I was toward where we were camping -- they came up the next day) and asked why I was in Natick, but I was able to come up with a plausible story about picking up supplies and showing the friend I was driving up with the showroom Gravity... *phew*.

Everyone at Natick (John, Nick, Nico, Brad, and whoever else I'm forgetting) were super helpful with my surprise. I scheduled a "test drive" for us today, since we got back from camping yesterday. We drove out, signed in for our test drive, got an orientation on the car, and went for a drive on Rt 9. Then we got back and I asked him what he thought... thankfully he still loved it after the test drive, because I then told him that the one we were driving was already ours. It was a close call at times, but great success!

Then I got to drive it home because he had to pick up our son from camp. Some driving thoughts shortly.

 

[jered]

First thoughts; I love it, and it's going to take at least a week to get used to!

The handling is amazing, and super tight and responsive compared to the X. I have no concerns about it getting out of the way, but I'm not used to where the edges of the vehicle are yet. The handling is very stiff (in a good way), and the small squircle steering wheel isn't a problem like I thought it might be.

The "overview view" backup camera is incredibly accurate and not something I'm used to. Thankfully there's a normal backup view as well.

As others have mentioned, the Gravity is really, really quiet. Very little road noise, no squeaks, no creaks. It's easy to be going VERY FAST without noticing.

I like the HUD, even in the current state. Only the brightness is adjustable, and it takes a bit of fussing with the seat position to get the clearest view with no reflections (also very dependent on lighting conditions). Right now it shows the side obstruction warnings, speed, speed limit, navigation next turn, lane guidance (not AR), DreamDrive status, and DreamDrive max speed. The right side obstruction warning is a bit off the edge of the screen, so there's clearly something not quite finished here. That said, the data shown is bright, clear, focused at infinity, and having heads-up turn-by-turn is great. I look forward to this eventually reaching its full potential.

No issues with our key (the second is backordered) but we have the other glitches reported in the forums around music apps disappearing, Homelink not installed, etc. I'm not concerned about this. The frunk cushion was included with ours, and I was told to expect other goodies in the future.

Coming from Tesla "FSD", DreamDrive 2 Pro was actually better than I expected once I figured it out. It will keep speed on the road with or without traffic, and will automatically execute lane changes when requested. (It supposedly will also suggest lane changes.) It will also automatically resume from a standstill as long as eyes are looking at the road. I miss having lane selection for off ramps, and I don't yet trust it fully on the lane changes, but I'm sure all this will be coming. It does require "hands on the wheel" but I'm not sure how the detection works -- I don't have to constantly rest my arm and put weight on the wheel to be detected like with Tesla (the most annoying FSD feature).

The UI is a bit bewildering at first because the thumb pads are both click and swipe and you can swipe accidentally when resting your thumbs, but I got pretty comfortable with it after about 15-20 minutes. I'm not sure if it's cool or weird that the nav can appear on both screens at the same time. When on the upper screen it's a bit of stretch to tap and make adjustments to the settings. It's all way snappier to respond than my 2019 X.

If it's been raining and you open the frunk, there are a few spots that drip rain into the frunk (onto the seat). I was surprised by this, as that seems to me something you would be careful to design around. It's not a flood, but there was definitely a bit of dripping as the residual rain came off to the side.

I stopped by a Tesla Supercharger and everything just worked, as did with my Tesla Mobile Charger at home. I had a conversation with another X owner there who was familiar with the Gravity but had only seen them on YouTube so far, and was excited to see one in person!

There are hidden bears in various spots:

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I'll add my reviews/first impressions to this thread, since I already started it...

I took delivery of DE #84 last Friday (June 30) and then left it at the shop to go camping for a week with my Model X. That was a tough week, but I didn't want to take it camping without all-weather mats, and also a little bit of testing with it first. More importantly, I didn't want my husband to know it was delivered yet, because he thought we still had a GT with the Technology Package on order for delivery in the fall.

Back when we ordered the GT, my husband was really lobbying for the Dream Edition but eventually agreed that the extra cost for 200 hp on an already powerful car wasn't really necessary. When the HUD got delayed on the GT, I secretly upgraded to a DE without telling him, and then had to surreptitiously get the financing, insurance, registration etc sorted out. My cover was almost blown when he did a "Find My" on the 30th (because our 5 year old wanted to know how far I was toward where we were camping -- they came up the next day) and asked why I was in Natick, but I was able to come up with a plausible story about picking up supplies and showing the friend I was driving up with the showroom Gravity... *phew*.

Everyone at Natick (John, Nick, Nico, Brad, and whoever else I'm forgetting) were super helpful with my surprise. I scheduled a "test drive" for us today, since we got back from camping yesterday. We drove out, signed in for our test drive, got an orientation on the car, and went for a drive on Rt 9. Then we got back and I asked him what he thought... thankfully he still loved it after the test drive, because I then told him that the one we were driving was already ours. It was a close call at times, but great success!

Then I got to drive it home because he had to pick up our son from camp. Some driving thoughts shortly.

I love this! Slick move man.

 

[Alex]

I don't have to constantly rest my arm and put weight on the wheel to be detected like with Tesla (the most annoying FSD feature).

FSD does not require this any more. You only need to look ahead. Hopefully, this Gravity hands free feature will come to the Luicd Air soon.

 

[iThinkEV]

It's not hands free yet, you still have to touch the wheel. Trying to drive down to SoCal from NorCal and vice versa with DDP, I eventually gave up using it. Sorry, just comparing this to my Tesla FSD. Which I was able to drive door-to-door, with the exception of going into parking lots for Supercharging. FSD does not go over speed bumps softly, and with the lower ride height on my M3 Perf, I scraped the bottom quite a few times, so now I just turn it off when going into parking lots.

DDP on the Gravity, it works most of the time. Like mentioned earlier, you have to put some weight on the steering wheel. the lane centering is not quite consistent. I'm driving I5, which is pretty straight, but the car keeps teethering back and forth between the lane marking (albeit very slight), but enough where you notice like it's doing a small wave driving down the freeway, not very noticeable, but enough that you do feel it. Several times, whatever speed I set it to, it automatically cuts back to speed limit, I'm still trying to be familiar with DDP, but not sure there's a setting somewhere. Good thing there's no cars directly behind me. Let's say I'm going 80mph on I5, and just following car in front of me. suddenly it brakes and cuts down to 70mph, I think if there's a car right behind me, they would honking at me.

Several phantom brakes. a few times when there's a semi ahead to the right of the car. it clearly is staying in it's own lane, car brakes and stay adjacent to truck. I have to accelerate to pass.

Y splits on freeway, it completely miss, and several times, try to take me off to the left for an exit or to another freeway. I was so accustomed to FSD doing the right thing, since it uses GPS to know where it's suppose to go. I almost took a couple of exits accidentally, after a couple, I started paying attention, and manually turn steering wheel, or just cancel DDP and activate after the Y split. and the reverse of that, if I wanted to exit, it will choose to go straight. lol.

so I have AI3 on my Model X and it works just as good as AI4 on my Model 3. Both perform drives to SoCal and back with no issues, FSD max out at 85mph. Not sure if there's a cap on DDP, I set it up to 85mph, and it worked fine.

There's 1 thing I do like about DDP, if I stay in the lane, it stays in the lane until I signal. I can ignore any recommendations to change lane.
FSD on the other hand, even if I set it to HURRY. It still tries to be smart and change lanes for me. Which is worst. Because I have fasttrak and HOV lane access. when I stay in HOV, I know it slows down, but eventually HOV lane is faster. When congestion happens, and the right lane seems to be speeding up, FSD changes lane out of HOV and into the right lane. I move 2 cars ahead, then things come to a halt. now the HOV is speeding past, and FSD can't change lanes back into HOV, 5 mins later. I'm like 20 cars behind where I was to begin with. Then this repeats itself for 4 or 5 times during my commute. I usually let it do its thing so I can see how it does, but it never learn. Now I just manually intervene whenever it signals for a lane change. But it's annoying, because I cancel, 2 seconds later, it signals, I cancel, 2 seconds later it signals. ARGH!! I keep adding voice memo about this whenever I cancel. So let's hope Tesla is listening.

DDP to me right now is like where Tesla Enhanced Autopilot was a couple of years ago.

-iThinkEV-

 

[hydbob]

The steering wheel is capacitive for Gravity so you just need to touch it to stop the nag for hands on wheel. There is also an option to turn that off and go back to the torque sensing.

 

[johnse]

Now I just manually intervene whenever it signals for a lane change. But it's annoying, because I cancel, 2 seconds later, it signals, I cancel, 2 seconds later it signals.

In my X, I started going into settings and telling it not to suggest lane changes for the rest of the trip. I want there to be a mode to make that permanent.

But then they took away the ability to set the target speed, giving that control completely to the computer. This was after they took away the ability to only engage TACC. That prompted me to downgrade to "Autosteer Beta": One tap to engage TACC, two to engage Autosteer.

 

[iThinkEV]

In my X, I started going into settings and telling it not to suggest lane changes for the rest of the trip. I want there to be a mode to make that permanent.

But then they took away the ability to set the target speed, giving that control completely to the computer. This was after they took away the ability to only engage TACC. That prompted me to downgrade to "Autosteer Beta": One tap to engage TACC, two to engage Autosteer.

Don't know when, but they took away the option to keep minimal lane change option. Yes, I used to do that.
Also thinking of changing the behavior like you mentioned. single press for TACC and double-press for FSD (supervised).

-iThinkEV-

 

[borski]

I'm driving I5, which is pretty straight, but the car keeps teethering back and forth between the lane marking (albeit very slight), but enough where you notice like it's doing a small wave driving down the freeway, not very noticeable, but enough that you do feel it.

This sounds like a calibration or wheel alignment issue. It shouldn’t be ping ponging.

Several times, whatever speed I set it to, it automatically cuts back to speed limit, I'm still trying to be familiar with DDP, but not sure there's a setting somewhere. Good thing there's no cars directly behind me. Let's say I'm going 80mph on I5, and just following car in front of me. suddenly it brakes and cuts down to 70mph, I think if there's a car right behind me, they would honking at me.

This is a setting. I have mine set to an offset of speed limit + 10. In Gravity this is very configurable, and you can turn off automatic speed limit adjustment entirely.

 

[johnse]

Also thinking of changing the behavior like you mentioned. single press for TACC and double-press for FSD (supervised).

Unfortunately they removed that option from FSD (Supervised). It only still exists on the Autosteer (beta).