One Weekend with Lucid Gravity Dream Edition #319 (Former Model X Owner)

[borski]

On my vehicles with motorized doors, I've always found I get out of the car and sometimes forget to hit whatever button opens the door. I much prefer a manually operated gas cap door, and I'm assuming that'll be true for an EV's charger door as well.

Yeah. I thought I'd like the motorized door, especially on the Air where you can just press it to open it, but it takes a couple seconds to open, and about the 1200th time I'm opening that door, I just want the thing open lol. It has never failed me, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish for a manual one at times. Moreover, pushing at the same spot over and over has caused a couple folks to develop misaligned charging doors (though it's not widespread), so honestly I think Lucid made the right choice on this one

 

[TahoeMichael]

Any solid line. It will only change lanes across dotted/dashed lines.

I guess the car is trying to obey the rule that crossing solid white lines is highly discouraged. But this is an example of the real world being designed for humans that don't slavishly follow the rules. For example, when heading westbound across the Bay Bridge (SF Bay area), the left side carpool lane has a solid white line from it's very start all the way to the toll gate. So obviously you're allowed to cross that solid white, and it's not really discouraged.

 

[borski]

I guess the car is trying to obey the rule that crossing solid white lines is highly discouraged.

Yup.

For example, when heading westbound across the Bay Bridge (SF Bay area), the left side carpool lane has a solid white line from it's very start all the way to the toll gate. So obviously you're allowed to cross that solid white, and it's not really discouraged.

You will get pulled over and ticketed if a cop sees that. Apparently, that is the most common ticket given out by CHP for an HOV violation:

 

[johnse]

Yup.


You will get pulled over and ticketed if a cop sees that. Apparently, that is the most common ticket given out by CHP for an HOV violation:

The officer there is specifically talking about double white lines.

 

[Adnillien]

The officer there is specifically talking about double white lines.

I was talking with a member of Lucid's ADAS team about this and the rules vary by state. He was hopeful that the NHTA would set a standard that all states would follow and the Lucid could program Drive Assist accordingly. Right now Lucid ADAS is following CA rules.

 

[jered]

Welcome, another Model X refugee!

 

[borski]

The officer there is specifically talking about double white lines.

Only because CA is standardizing to double parallel lines. The law seems a little ambiguous: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=21655.8. but IANAL.

"...entrance or exit may be made only in areas designated for these purposes or where a single broken line is in place to the right of the exclusive or preferential use lanes"

My understanding is that unless the line is broken, you cannot move into or out of the lane. I mean, people do this all the time (myself included), but it's not legal, per my understanding. The CA code does specify double lines, but my understanding is that is an artifact of not all the roads being standardized yet.

I could certainly be wrong, and some of the internet seems to think it is 'discouraged, but not illegal,' but I have not been able to find a primary source for that. Seems to me that the best you can say is it's ambiguous, but again - not a lawyer and might simply be looking in the wrong place.

 

[mswlogo]

Curious what year was your X? It does matter.
Sounds promising on the audio.
Curious how you feel in 6 months.
I have not been in a Gravity to compare but my 2025 X feels pretty darn nice and far from broken. I know there are better rides. We all make trade offs. I do love how the Teslas know when to cancel blinkers. It knows what’s going on.

 

[Lucidicrous]

It’s illegal in California. I got a ticket doing it.

 

[RandomDesign]

It’s illegal in California. I got a ticket doing it.

Which is hilarious because near me CalTrans repainted the lines for the entrance to one of the separated carpool lanes, when they did they replaced the dashed lines with solid ones so there is literally no place you are legally allowed to enter or exit it there even though there are signs saying it's where to enter/exit.

 

[borski]

Which is hilarious because near me CalTrans repainted the lines for the entrance to one of the separated carpool lanes, when they did they replaced the dashed lines with solid ones so there is literally no place you are legally allowed to enter or exit it there even though there are signs saying it's where to enter/exit.

You could easily fight that one if you got a ticket. But yeah, dumb lol

 

[RandomDesign]

You could easily fight that one if you got a ticket. But yeah, dumb lol

Hey I'll take it though, we had some stretches for a while where they repaved and put down the little temp "flags" where the lane markings should go and then took ~6 months to actually paint them. In the meantime a lot of the flags disappeared so people would wander a bit in their lanes.

 

[Xminus6]

Many cars today have an intermediate turn signal position, from which it immediately auto-returns, but which flashes the turn signals 3-4 times.

The Gravity definitely does.

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

Curious what year was your X? It does matter.
Sounds promising on the audio.
Curious how you feel in 6 months.
I have not been in a Gravity to compare but my 2025 X feels pretty darn nice and far from broken. I know there are better rides. We all make trade offs. I do love how the Teslas know when to cancel blinkers. It knows what’s going on.

I have a 2022 X and it just rides far less refined and makes all sorts of squeaky sounds. Fit and finish is meh. Actually, our 2016 X had a better finish.

Either way, getting in our X after the Gravity is like stepping back in time. Everything just seems not as well done (except software!).

 

[lucid_bay]

Curious what year was your X? It does matter.
Sounds promising on the audio.
Curious how you feel in 6 months.
I have not been in a Gravity to compare but my 2025 X feels pretty darn nice and far from broken. I know there are better rides. We all make trade offs. I do love how the Teslas know when to cancel blinkers. It knows what’s going on.

1. 2023 Model X. 3 years old. Not 'Old', but not brand new.
2. The turn signal auto cancel was also user error here. If you 'half' press it activates for 3 seconds for lane changes. Full press down does not auto cancel.

 

[allenmhc]

I have a 2022 X and it just rides far less refined and makes all sorts of squeaky sounds. Fit and finish is meh. Actually, our 2016 X had a better finish.

Either way, getting in our X after the Gravity is like stepping back in time. Everything just seems not as well done (except software!).

I traded in my 2022 Model X to get the Gravity, so it's not quite a side-by-side comparison—though I did do a few test drives and tried to compare the cars back to back.

So credit where it's due: the software-controlled aspects of the car are very refined, especially when tracing the evolution from ~launch (back in late 2021/early 2022) to now. Things like auto-lane change turn signal canceling, getting the turn signal mini-displays to show up in the drive screen (as opposed to the main screen like the 3/Y), interactions between the front and 2nd row screens, etc. Even the web browser and other apps have stabilized in the 4 years; I remember YouTube + Netflix crashing constantly with any sort of extended viewing.

The build itself is honestly fine, but minimalistic to a fault where you don't notice it as much until you compare it to other cars. Like there's vegan leather, but there's often no padding behind it so it's nice to touch but uncomfortable to put weight on for any extended period of time. 2nd and 3rd rows seem caustrophobic in comparison to the Gravity w/ the much smaller windows, some to accommodate the Falcon wing doors. No door grab handles, only 1 central reading light, no built-in window shades, etc. None of these are deal breakers and most are pretty minor, but I was struck by how the little things added up when comparing the before and after.

 

[bryway]

I traded in my 2022 Model X to get the Gravity, so it's not quite a side-by-side comparison—though I did do a few test drives and tried to compare the cars back to back.

So credit where it's due: the software-controlled aspects of the car are very refined, especially when tracing the evolution from ~launch (back in late 2021/early 2022) to now. Things like auto-lane change turn signal canceling, getting the turn signal mini-displays to show up in the drive screen (as opposed to the main screen like the 3/Y), interactions between the front and 2nd row screens, etc. Even the web browser and other apps have stabilized in the 4 years; I remember YouTube + Netflix crashing constantly with any sort of extended viewing.

The build itself is honestly fine, but minimalistic to a fault where you don't notice it as much until you compare it to other cars. Like there's vegan leather, but there's often no padding behind it so it's nice to touch but uncomfortable to put weight on for any extended period of time. 2nd and 3rd rows seem caustrophobic in comparison to the Gravity w/ the much smaller windows, some to accommodate the Falcon wing doors. No door grab handles, only 1 central reading light, no built-in window shades, etc. None of these are deal breakers and most are pretty minor, but I was struck by how the little things added up when comparing the before and after.

Absolutely

I've owned two Model Xs sequentially -- a 2019 Model X P100D, and most recently a 2022 Model X Plaid. The software in both the car and the mobile app was rock solid. Given Tesla defined this area, and have been evolving it over the better part of a decade, we shouldn't be surprised they have the lead here. Having said that, I have no doubt Lucid (a much younger company) will continue to improve their software over time, and let's face it, they're leaps and bounds better than what Volkswagen and countless other EV manufacturers are foisting on their owners.

As far as interiors go, in my lived experience, the evolution from the 2019 to the 2022 interior on the X was nice. Things were a little more resolved, and build quality took a huge step up. However, the nature of the car (specifically, the falcon wing doors) made it super squeaky and creaky over time. Someone here referred to it as being as creaky as a pirate ship, and I couldn't agree more. Neither of my two Xs were like that when I drove them off the lot new, but a year or two into the ownership experience, the squeaks and creaks crescendoed and despite many service visits, they were never quieted. If anything, they got worse.

I traded my 2022 Model X Plaid for the Gravity Dream Edition and am still floored by the utility of this car. Both of my Model Xs were the six-seat variant, and, in hindsight, there wasn't much 'utility' to be had, as the middle row seats didn't fold flat, so were useless beyond hauling people around. The third row seats were equally useless, and when folded flat, they did increase cargo volume somewhat, but the sloping rear end significantly reduced the ability to haul large boxes or tall cargo. And the middle row, while comfortably accommodating two people in the captain's seats, was also very sparse -- no arm rests, no grab handles (as you mentioned above), no door pockets for holding things on long drives, etc.

Apart from much better space utilization, there are myriad other things the Gravity (and Lucid in general) just does better. Noise isolation is one of them. The gravity is sooooo quiet inside, and the interior materials and craftsmanship make the spartan X interior feel incomplete by comparison. Everything you touch in the Gravity interior feels premium. The ride quality is next level vs the X, as is the handling -- some of that due to my Gravity being optioned with the dynamic handling package (triple chamber air suspension and four wheel steering). I liked driving my X, but I LOVE driving my Gravity.

 

[Ron_Burgundy]

Absolutely

I've owned two Model Xs sequentially -- a 2019 Model X P100D, and most recently a 2022 Model X Plaid. The software in both the car and the mobile app was rock solid. Given Tesla defined this area, and have been evolving it over the better part of a decade, we shouldn't be surprised they have the lead here. Having said that, I have no doubt Lucid (a much younger company) will continue to improve their software over time, and let's face it, they're leaps and bounds better than what Volkswagen and countless other EV manufacturers are foisting on their owners.

As far as interiors go, in my lived experience, the evolution from the 2019 to the 2022 interior on the X was nice. Things were a little more resolved, and build quality took a huge step up. However, the nature of the car (specifically, the falcon wing doors) made it super squeaky and creaky over time. Someone here referred to it as being as creaky as a pirate ship, and I couldn't agree more. Neither of my two Xs were like that when I drove them off the lot new, but a year or two into the ownership experience, the squeaks and creaks crescendoed and despite many service visits, they were never quieted. If anything, they got worse.

I traded my 2022 Model X Plaid for the Gravity Dream Edition and am still floored by the utility of this car. Both of my Model Xs were the six-seat variant, and, in hindsight, there wasn't much 'utility' to be had, as the middle row seats didn't fold flat, so were useless beyond hauling people around. The third row seats were equally useless, and when folded flat, they did increase cargo volume somewhat, but the sloping rear end significantly reduced the ability to haul large boxes or tall cargo. And the middle row, while comfortably accommodating two people in the captain's seats, was also very sparse -- no arm rests, no grab handles (as you mentioned above), no door pockets for holding things on long drives, etc.

Apart from much better space utilization, there are myriad other things the Gravity (and Lucid in general) just does better. Noise isolation is one of them. The gravity is sooooo quiet inside, and the interior materials and craftsmanship make the spartan X interior feel incomplete by comparison. Everything you touch in the Gravity interior feels premium. The ride quality is next level vs the X, as is the handling -- some of that due to my Gravity being optioned with the dynamic handling package (triple chamber air suspension and four wheel steering). I liked driving my X, but I LOVE driving my Gravity.

I was the one who said my X creaked like a pirate ship…

 

[allenmhc]

Absolutely

I've owned two Model Xs sequentially -- a 2019 Model X P100D, and most recently a 2022 Model X Plaid. The software in both the car and the mobile app was rock solid. Given Tesla defined this area, and have been evolving it over the better part of a decade, we shouldn't be surprised they have the lead here. Having said that, I have no doubt Lucid (a much younger company) will continue to improve their software over time, and let's face it, they're leaps and bounds better than what Volkswagen and countless other EV manufacturers are foisting on their owners.

As far as interiors go, in my lived experience, the evolution from the 2019 to the 2022 interior on the X was nice. Things were a little more resolved, and build quality took a huge step up. However, the nature of the car (specifically, the falcon wing doors) made it super squeaky and creaky over time. Someone here referred to it as being as creaky as a pirate ship, and I couldn't agree more. Neither of my two Xs were like that when I drove them off the lot new, but a year or two into the ownership experience, the squeaks and creaks crescendoed and despite many service visits, they were never quieted. If anything, they got worse.

I traded my 2022 Model X Plaid for the Gravity Dream Edition and am still floored by the utility of this car. Both of my Model Xs were the six-seat variant, and, in hindsight, there wasn't much 'utility' to be had, as the middle row seats didn't fold flat, so were useless beyond hauling people around. The third row seats were equally useless, and when folded flat, they did increase cargo volume somewhat, but the sloping rear end significantly reduced the ability to haul large boxes or tall cargo. And the middle row, while comfortably accommodating two people in the captain's seats, was also very sparse -- no arm rests, no grab handles (as you mentioned above), no door pockets for holding things on long drives, etc.

Apart from much better space utilization, there are myriad other things the Gravity (and Lucid in general) just does better. Noise isolation is one of them. The gravity is sooooo quiet inside, and the interior materials and craftsmanship make the spartan X interior feel incomplete by comparison. Everything you touch in the Gravity interior feels premium. The ride quality is next level vs the X, as is the handling -- some of that due to my Gravity being optioned with the dynamic handling package (triple chamber air suspension and four wheel steering). I liked driving my X, but I LOVE driving my Gravity.

I had the 6-seater too, and you're right—I opted for it because it felt like easier ingress/egress into the 3rd row, but I didn't realize that I was making a tradeoff in cargo space and the captain chairs layout is unreasonably spartan. My daughter ended up preferring to squish into the 3rd row over the 2nd row because at least then she had a place to lean against.

If I have to summarize all of it, I think Tesla's minimalist design looks good in photos and makes for a great first impression, but it falls down on ergonomics and wears itself out over time. Of course, I haven't had the Gravity long enough to know whether that'll prove to be true with it in the long term, but I didn't realize how many things I was missing until I explored the interior in one of the test drives.

 

[WeighingGravity]

I've honestly struggled to understand the utility of the Model X at all. I own a 2017 Model S, but I went into the showroom fully intending on buying an X. But when I saw how impractical the 2nd row captains chairs were, and by comparison how capacious the S was when you folded down the 2nd row, it almost felt like I wasn't giving up any practical space at all for my lifestyle going with the sedan. Admittedly, I only have 1 child and at the time she was quite young, and I was able to get the rear-facing child seats in the S as well, so that also factored in. It would be different if my family were larger.

In the years since, while I like the clean look of my Model S, there's no question that the spartan interior of a Tesla really leaves a lot to be desired. In my model year, the doors don't have any storage at all - no magazine pocket, no bottle holder. The front seats have no rear of seat storage. The lack of grab handles means you can't even do basic stuff like pick up the dry cleaning (not that anyone does that anymore post-COVID).