New Owner Review After 10 Days

Bdr100

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Sorry for starting a new thread here but this is not just a list of bugs but will also be list of good things and compliments.
I took delivery of my fully loaded, 21/22 wheels, GGT on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. So have had 10 days and only about 200 miles of driving (mostly city streets) with minimal highway, longest being 25 mile drive home from delivery.

The Gravity is my first EV and I am coming from a 2016 Mercedes GLE63 AMG and also have 2021 Mercedes E450 convertible. So my comparisons will be in reference to those cars (no Tesla comparisons here).

Driving Dynamics
We will get to the software shortcomings later, but the hardware on the Gravity is rock solid. Rocket ship acceleration but not all the jerky drivetrain, roar of engine that AMG GLE had. GLE had air suspension but the Gravity is more comfortable, better handling, flat cornering. It is even more comfortable that the E450. Gravity is also dead quiet both around town and on highway. It is truly a pleasure to drive.

Hardware
Frunk, trunk, doors, windows all work with no issues. The door handles do take a little getting used to as there is somewhat of a two step process. Lift handle (hear and feel door unlatch) then complete the pulling open process. The control pads on steering wheel work fine for me with not issues as long as I remember to put thumb on white pad and not on edges of pads.

Serial Sound Pro
Fantastic. Better than either of the B&O or Bermeister systems in my Mercedes.

Interior
Interior fit and finish and materials are top rate. Very plush and on par with my Mercedes. Styling is somewhat between minimalist of Tesla/Volvo but not as glitzy as Mercedes or Cadillac. The center console is somewhat of a learning experience and we definitely need some bento boxes or similar storage. I miss a dedicated sunglasses holder like I have had in most other cars.

Dream Drive Pro
I have only had limited use of this but at first glance it is very solid and better than the system in my 2021 Mercedes. Have had occasional DDP inactive due to blocked sensors when it is raining.

HUD
Have not had the screen reflection issues of others. My brain ignores the housing reflection and you have to lean way forward for me to seen the blue screen reflection. Actual functionality is somewhat basic right now and if this is all you get, would not have spected it. Hoping augmented reality functions come soon. My wife has turned it off in her setting as she thinks it distracting. I like the blind spot warning and directional arrows, so may get to where I only use it on highway drives and when navigating to unknown locations. General around town driving on city streets it is not worth it.

Hardware - Issues
The rear hatch(sides) is a serious oversight. I have already smacked my head on open hatch two times. If you are over 5’ 3”, you will smack your head on this at some point guaranteed.
The second row seat (at least mine) has some issues. Hitting the button on side of seat works about 30% of time and sometimes needs a little assistance (slight pull on seat back). Also, pulling seat back into upright positions is quite heavy. Pulling it up from fully collapsed, lay flat position is very, very heavy and I doubt any young under 10 year old child could manage it. On a positive note, I did not find the seat motor excessively noisy. No, it is not whisper quiet and maybe a little Toyota level vs Cadillac level but I am OK with it (at least as it is in my car.)

Key FOB and Black Screens
I expected these to be the biggest issues but so far they have been more in the mildly annoying. Majority of the time door handles present upon getting to car and have always locked upon leaving. I have had to wait for about 10 seconds (with fob buttons not working) on a couple occasions. Button to open frunk did not work a couple times. The black screens have been mostly in the 5-10 second variety. On 2 occasions they took closer to 30 seconds.

HVAC from Hell
I fully expected these fob and black screens to be my biggest issue upon delivery but the HVAC has been my biggest issue. I have had the blasting fan upon startup but also trouble overriding things. Auto does not perform properly, heat wants to come from the dash vent and not the floor vents. Heat also takes a long time to build up and I seam to have to ratchet temp up to 75 to get things going. Fortunately I live in Houston where it is mainly in 40s to 50s right now. Also fortunate that seat heater work so well.

Software Glitches Galore
Not going to spend a whole lot of time here as most of the various software glitches have been already reported here elsewhere. Numerous false warning lights. Halo secure recording and Live View that works, then doesn’t, then works, then doesn’t. Phone app looses connection with car. Settings that disappear from your profile. Music app glitches with Tidal and SeriusXM. And yes I have done numerous reboots, both soft and hard ones.

Overall, I do love the car and am glad I bought it (actually leased it because I want an off ramp if things go south in next few years). The HVAC issues need to be resolved ASAP as well as minimizing the fob and black screen issues. If Lucid can get these three issues resolved (or at least greatly improved) in the next month, I will try to be more patient with the other glitches.
 
I wonder how tall Peter Rawlinson is. Judging from the photos I've seen, he's not an extremely short person, but he doesn't look like he's coming close to my 6'2" height. Could the Gravity's rear hatch come up high enough to not bump his head, and so they called it good enough with that? It'd be nice if the Gravity had a mode you could set where the rear suspension raises to max height when the hatch is opened.

Regarding the software glitches galore: my strong impression is that basically every Gravity owner has these in abundance. The difference between a happy or unhappy owner seems to be less about whether the bugs manifest in any given car, and more in the owner's attitude about whether they're minor annoyances or great frustrations. Obviously there are some failures that are particularly severe that not all owners are getting.
 
The problem with the rear hatch is the wrap around clamshell design. The sides are significantly lower than the rear. It is when coming around the car from the side that you are most likely to hit your head.

As for software glitches, most are in the minor annoyances but the HVAC is somewhat in the great frustration. Then there are things like the Halo Secure recording. I spent probably an hour trying to get this to work. Doing a soft reboot and then a hard reboot. Reinserting the USB drive (which is a royal pain in the butt) a couple times. Playing with the settings in the system that would sometime be frozen, sometimes not recognize I had a USB drive, etc. Finally I get it to work (must have been one of the various resets). Then a day later I get a message “Please insert USB drive to record” and recording is no longer working. I’m like “Why waist my f-ing time” trying to problem solve things on this car if it is just going to F it up a day or two later.
 
I wonder how tall Peter Rawlinson is. Judging from the photos I've seen, he's not an extremely short person, but he doesn't look like he's coming close to my 6'2" height. Could the Gravity's rear hatch come up high enough to not bump his head, and so they called it good enough with that? It'd be nice if the Gravity had a mode you could set where the rear suspension raises to max height when the hatch is opened.

Regarding the software glitches galore: my strong impression is that basically every Gravity owner has these in abundance. The difference between a happy or unhappy owner seems to be less about whether the bugs manifest in any given car, and more in the owner's attitude about whether they're minor annoyances or great frustrations. Obviously there are some failures that are particularly severe that not all owners are getting.
I've owned Teslas for 15yrs and these SW glitches I've seen in 2 days are things not expected in today's technology. many of the issues are things created and used for years in other cars...not like new tech.
 
I've owned Teslas for 15yrs and these SW glitches I've seen in 2 days are things not expected in today's technology. many of the issues are things created and used for years in other cars...not like new tech.
15 years, so 2010/2011 - are you also a Roadster owner like myself? I still have mine.
 
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